Ethernet equipment utilizing catalogs and continuity checks to enhance UPnP and AVB Applications

• US 20080086568A1
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Badt, Sig, Tancevski, Ljubisa, Ozugur, Timucin, Rouyer, Jessy V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,681,659 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/40 Constructional details, e.g. power supply, mechanical construction or backplane
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method and an Ethernet local area network are described herein in which the Ethernet local area network is configured to enable a talking device (e.g., microphone) to send a media stream to one or more listening devices (e.g., speakers). In one embodiment, the method for configuring the Ethernet local area network includes the following steps: (1) providing a user of a talking device with a “relevant” catalog which contains information including positional information about one or more listening devices; (2) allowing the user to interface with the “relevant” catalog so they can select at least one of the listening device(s); (3) enabling the talking device to send a subscribe-request message to the selected listening device(s) requesting that the selected listening device(s) subscribe to the talking device; (4) and sending a media stream from the talking device to the selected listening device(s).

Claims

1. A local area network, comprising:

a talking device;

a plurality of listening devices;

a cataloging device that builds one or more catalogs by obtaining basic information about said talking device and said listening devices;

said cataloging device provides a relevant catalog selected from the one or more catalogs to said talking device;

said talking device includes a man-machine interface which enables a user to select at least one of the listing devices identified in said relevant catalog; and

said talking device sends a media stream to the selected listening device(s).

2. The local area network of claim 1, wherein said talking device is plugged into a smart plug which enables said cataloging device to determine which of the one or more catalogs is the relevant catalog that should be provided to said talking device.

3. The local area network of claim 1, wherein said talking device sends a subscribe-request message to said selected listening device(s) requesting that said selected listening device(s) subscribe to said listening device so that said talking device is able to send the media stream to the selected listening device(s).

4. The local area network of claim 3, wherein said subscribe-request message is:

an AVB subscribe-request message;

or

an UPnP subscribe-to-me command.

5. The local area network of claim 1, wherein said catalogs include positional information in addition to the basic information like a stream id and bandwidth which are associated with the listening devices.

6. The local area network of claim 5, wherein said cataloging device or some other device performs a plurality of continuity checks to obtain the positional information associated with the listening devices.

7. The local area network of claim 1, wherein said relevant catalog is:

an AVB relevant catalog;

or

an UPnP relevant catalog.

8. The local area network of claim 1, wherein said talking device is:

a microphone;

a DVD player;

a stereo/receiver unit;

a television;

a CD player;

a DVR;

a mp3 device;

or

a musical instrument.

9. The local area network of claim 1, wherein said listening device is:

a speaker;

or

a television/video projector.

10. A method for configuring a local area network, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a user of a talking device with a relevant catalog which contains information associated with one or more listening devices;

allowing the user of the talking device to interface with the relevant catalog and select at least one of the listening devices;

enabling the talking device to send a subscribe-request message to said selected listening device(s) requesting that said selected listening device(s) subscribe to said talking device; and

sending a media stream from the talking device to the selected listening device(s).

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of plugging the talking device into a smart plug which enables a cataloging device to determine which one of a plurality of catalogs is the relevant catalog that should be provided to the user of said talking device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising a step of performing one or more continuity checks so a cataloging device is able to learn a geographical position of the one or more listening devices.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said talking device is:

a microphone;

a DVD player;

a stereo/receiver unit;

a television;

a CD player;

a DVR;

a mp3 device;

or

a musical instrument.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said listening device is:

a speaker;

or

a television/video projector.

15. A smart plug comprising:

a wall plug which contains active circuitry so as to function as an Ethernet end system.

16. The smart plug of claim 15, wherein said wall plug further includes a light and/or a speaker which is activated when a continuity check is performed to determine a physical location of said wall plug.

17. The smart plug of claim 15, wherein when there is not a device plugged into the wall plug then a continuity check can be performed to determine a physical location of said wall plug.

18. The smart plug of claim 15, wherein when there is a device plugged into the wall plug then the active circuitry is configured such that the wall plug will no longer function as the Ethernet end system.