Connecting a Legacy Device into a Home Entertainment System Useing a Wireless Home Enterainment Hub

• US 20080066118A1
• Filed: 11/27/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Technology Patents & Licensing Incorporated
• Inventors: Igoe, Patrick T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/75
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440209 for formatting on an optical medium, e.g. DVD
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of connecting a legacy device in a home entertainment system containing a wireless home entertainment hub utilizing a home theatre network interface box includes obtaining a registration with the wireless home entertainment hub for the home theatre network interface box. The home theatre network interface box is connected to the legacy device and the home theatre network interface device is identified at the wireless home entertainment hub according to the functionality of the legacy device. An instruction from the wireless home entertainment hub to transmit data produced by the legacy device to at least one sink device in the home entertainment system is received, where the legacy device is a source device. Representation of the data produced by the legacy device from the home theatre network interface box to the at least one sink device is transmitted.

Claims

11. A method of connecting a legacy sink device in a home entertainment system containing a wireless home entertainment hub utilizing a home theatre network interface box, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining a registration with the wireless home entertainment hub for the home theatre network interface box, wherein the home theatre network interface box is connected to the legacy device and the home theatre network interface device is identified at the wireless home entertainment hub according to the functionality of the legacy device;

(b) receiving an instruction from the wireless home entertainment hub to begin receiving data produced by a source device;

(c) receiving the data produced by the source device at the home theatre network interface box; and

(d) transmitting a representation of the data produced by the source device to the legacy device for presentation to a user, wherein the legacy device is a sink device.

1. A method of connecting a legacy device in a home entertainment system containing a wireless home entertainment hub utilizing a home theatre network interface box, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining a registration with the wireless home entertainment hub for the home theatre network interface box, wherein the home theatre network interface box is connected to the legacy device and the home theatre network interface device is identified at the wireless home entertainment hub according to the functionality of the legacy device;

(b) receiving an instruction from the wireless home entertainment hub to transmit data produced by the legacy device to at least one sink device in the home entertainment system, wherein the legacy device is a source device; and

(c) transmitting a representation of the data produced by the legacy device from the home theatre network interface box to the at least one sink device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the legacy device is not independently configurable for wireless communication with the wireless home entertainment hub.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the legacy device is connected to the home theatre network interface box using a wireless connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the legacy device is connected to the home theatre network interface box using a wired connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the legacy device is a video cassette recorder.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of legacy devices are connected to the home theatre network interface box.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of home theatre network interface boxes each connected to a different legacy device are registered with the wireless home entertainment hub.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of step (c) includes receiving the representation of the data produced by the source device at the wireless home entertainment hub from the home theatre network interface box and re-transmitting the representation of the data produced by the source device from the wireless home entertainment hub to the at least one sink device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data produced by the legacy device is analog.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the data is digital.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the legacy device is not independently configurable for wireless communication with the wireless home entertainment hub.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the legacy device is connected to the home theatre network interface box using a wireless connection.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the legacy device is connected to the home theatre network interface box using a wired connection.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the legacy device is a television.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the legacy device is one or more speakers.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the home theatre network interface box is an audio-visual receiver registered with the wireless home entertainment hub.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the legacy device connected to the audio-visual receiver is a television.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein a plurality of legacy devices are connected to the home theatre network interface box.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein a plurality of home theatre network interface boxes each connected to a different legacy device are registered with the wireless home entertainment hub.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmitting of step (d) includes receiving the data produced by the source device at the wireless home entertainment hub from source device and re-transmitting the data produced by the source device from the wireless home entertainment hub to the home theatre network interface box.

23. The method of claim 11, wherein the data produced by the source device is digital.

24. The method of claim 11, wherein the representation of the data is analog.

18-1. The method of claim 17, wherein the legacy device connected to the audio-visual receiver is one or more speakers.

25. A home theatre network interface box for connecting a legacy device in a home entertainment system containing a wireless home entertainment hub, the home theatre network interface box comprising:

a connector for connecting the home theatre network interface box to a legacy device in the home entertainment system, wherein the legacy device is not independently configurable for wireless communication with the wireless home entertainment hub;

a processor for facilitating a registration of the home theatre network interface box with the wireless home entertainment hub, wherein the home theatre network interface box is identified by the wireless home entertainment hub according to the functionality of the legacy device;

a memory for storing an indication of the registration with the wireless home entertainment hub;

a transceiver unit for facilitating the transfer of data between the legacy devices connected to the home theatre network interface box and one or more wireless devices registered with the wireless home entertainment hub.

26. The home theatre network interface box of claim 25, wherein the home theatre network interface box includes a plurality of connectors, each connector for connecting a different legacy device.

27. The home theatre network interface box of claim 25, wherein the legacy device is a source device and the one or more devices registered with the wireless home entertainment hub include sink devices.

28. The home theatre network interface box of claim 25, wherein the legacy device is a sink device and the one or more devices registered with the wireless home entertainment hub include source devices.

29. The home theatre network interface box of claim 25, wherein facilitating the transfer of the data includes converting the data between analog and digital formats.

30. The home theatre network interface box of claim 25, wherein the facilitating the transfer of the data includes converting the data between different digital formats.