PLUG-AND-PLAY DEVICE FOR VIDEOPHONY APPLICATIONS ON PACKET-SWITCHED NETWORKS

• US 20070198669A1
• Filed: 02/06/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Convertino, Gabriella, Vilei, Antonio, Crudo, Fabrizio
• Application Number:
  US11/671,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198669A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355

Abstract

A device of a plug-and-play type, which can be integrated in a home network having at least one audio-video Media-Server device or else at least one audio-video Media-Renderer device. The device can be activated for selectively configuring parameters and devices for setting up audio-video calls for connection between the home network and a packet network, such as the Internet. Preferentially, the device is based upon UPnP (Universal Plug-and-Play) technology and uses either a signaling protocol on IP packet network, such as the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and ITU-T H.323, or else mobile communications systems, such as the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The device is able to redirect audio-video streams in the context of a plurality of devices capable of reproducing them and/or to selectively acquire said audio-video streams from a plurality of devices capable of supplying them.

Claims

1. A plug-and-play device for integration in a home network having at least one of an audio-video Media-Server device and an audio-video Media-Renderer device, the plug-and-play device comprising:

first means for selectively configuring parameters and for setting up audio-video calls for connection between said home network and a remote terminal; and

second means, coupled to the first means, for interfacing the plug-and-play device with the at least one of the audio-video Media-Server device and the audio-video Media-Renderer device.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the device employs Universal Plug-and-Playtechnology.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the first means is configured for using either a signaling protocol on an IP packet network, such as a Session Initiation Protocol and ITU-T H.323, or mobile communications systems, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems.

4. The device according to claim 1 wherein the second means is configured to perform at least one of:

redirecting audio-video streams in the context of a plurality of devices capable of reproducing said audio-video streams; and

acquiring selectively audio-video streams from a plurality of devices capable of supplying said audio-video streams.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first means comprises a user agent for interfacing with a packet network or with a mobile communications system, such as UMTS.

6. The device according to claim 5 wherein said user agent supports a given set of formats and codings that can be used for setting up audio-video calls with said packet network or with said mobile communications system, such as UMTS.

7. The device according to claim 6 wherein said at least one of the audio-video Media-Server device and said audio-video Media-Renderer device supports formats and codings included in said given set of formats and codings supported by said user agent, so that said formats and codings can be used in a transparent way in said audio-video calls with said packet network.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second means comprises a multimedia proxy server for interfacing with said at least one of the audio-video Media-Server device and said audio-video Media-Renderer device.

9. The device according to claim 8 wherein said multimedia proxy server comprises a communication module for communication between the remote terminal and the home network.

10. The device according to claim 9 wherein said communication module is configured for enabling dynamic change of the at least one of said audio-video Media-Server device and said audio-video Media-Renderer device.

11. The device according to claim 1 wherein the device is coupled to a control point, which is able to co-ordinate and synchronize behavior of the audio-video Media-Server device and the audio-video Media-Renderer device included in said home network.

12. The device according to claim 11 wherein said control point, after having set up the audio-video call for connection between said home network and said remote terminal, is disconnected without interrupting said connection.

13. A computer-program product comprises portions of code that, when loaded into a memory of at least one computer, implements using said at least one computer, a method comprising:

selectively configuring parameters and setting up audio-video calls between a plug-and-play device for a home network and a remote terminal; and

interfacing the plug-and-play device with at least one of an audio-video Media-Server device and an audio-video Media-Renderer device of the home network.

14. The computer-program product of claim 13 wherein the plug-and-play device is configured to use either a signaling protocol on an IP packet network, such as a Session Initiation Protocol and ITU-T H.323, or mobile communications systems, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems.

15. The computer-program product of claim 13 wherein the plug-and-play device comprises a user agent for interfacing with an IP packet network or with a mobile communications system, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).

16. The computer-program product of claim 13 wherein the plug-and-play device comprises a multimedia proxy server for interfacing with said audio-video Media-Server device and said audio-video Media-Renderer device.

17. A device operable to establish an audio-video connection between a home network and a remote terminal, the device comprising:

a user agent having a set of formats and codings, and operable to interface with the remote terminal; and

a multimedia proxy server operable to selectively interface destinations within the home network with the user agent.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the remote terminal includes a packet network or a mobile communications system.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein the destinations within the home network include an audio-video Media-Server device operable to supply audio-video communication to the remote terminal via the user agent, and an audio-video Media-Renderer device operable to reproduce audio-video communication received from the remote terminal via the user agent.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the multimedia proxy server is operable to redirect the audio-video communication received from the remote terminal via the user agent to the audio-video Media-Renderer device.

21. The device of claim 19 wherein the multimedia proxy server is operable to transmit the audio-video communication acquired from the audio-video Media-Server device to the remote terminal via the user agent.

22. The device of claim 19, further comprising a control point operable to synchronize operation of the audio-video Media-Server device and the audio-video Media-Renderer device.