TV-centric system

• US 20080120683A1
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hardacker, Robert, Frazier, Milton Massey, Nguyen, Djung, Matthews, Ian Charles, DaCosta, Behram Mario
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/141
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Home network resources and communication paths are managed using network path bandwidths, network storage capacities, and quality of service.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a TV displaying a network map representing a home network; and

a user input device manipulable to navigate the map and select icons on the map representing components in the system for a user-desired task, the map changing the appearance of at least one icon and/or path between icons to provide visible indication of advantageous component and/or path selection for executing the task.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one component is a personal computer communicating with non-audio/video peripherals in a computer network, the TV communicates with at least one audio/video component in a TV network, and the computer network and TV network are physically implemented using at least one common communication path, and further wherein when a common communication protocol is used between the TV and PC, the TV is given arbiter rights to manage bandwidth for audio/video data transmissions in the TV network and the PC is given arbiter rights to manage bandwidth for non-audio/video data transmissions in the computer network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the map is configured to indicate an optimum path for a user-selectable communication for sending audio/video in the home network to the TV based at least in part on bandwidth.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the map is configured to indicate an optimum path for a user-selectable communication for sending audio/video in the home network to the TV based at least in part on:

bandwidth, and/or quality of service (QoS).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the map is configured to indicate an optimum sink component in the network for storing audio/video.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein network components communicate bandwidth information to each other.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the map highlights a best path as determined by bandwidth and/or QoS and/or storage capacity.

8. In a home network including at least one TV with TV processor, at least first and second sources of audio/video communicating with the TV over respective first and second paths, a method comprising:

using bandwidth information about each path and/or using QoS information about each path, outputting an optimum one of the paths.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the network also includes at least two storage sinks, and the method includes using storage capacity information about each sink to indicate an optimum one of the sinks.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the TV displays a map to execute the indicating step.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the TV, in response to user input to play audio/video that is available on both sources, automatically selects the source associated with the optimum path.

12. A TV processor associated with a TV and comprising:

code means for comparing at least first and second bandwidths and/or first and second quality of service (QoS) indications of respective first and second communication paths in a home network; and

code means for outputting an optimum path based at least in part on the means for comparing.

13. The processor of claim 12, wherein the processor causes the TV to display a map of the network indicating the optimum path.

14. The processor of claim 12, wherein the processor automatically selects the optimum path for a user.

15. The processor of claim 12, further comprising:

code means for comparing at least first and second storage capacities of respective first and second storage sinks in the home network; and

code means for outputting an optimum storage sink based at least in part on the means for comparing at least first and second storage capacities.

16. The processor of claim 15, wherein the processor causes the TV to display a map of the network indicating the optimum sink.

17. The processor of claim 15, wherein the processor automatically selects the optimum sink for a user.

18. The processor of claim 12, wherein the processor permits a user to select a path using the map.

19. The processor of claim 15, wherein the processor permits a user to select a sink using the map.