MEDIA STREAMING DEVICE WITH GATEWAY FUNCTIONALITY

• US 20090080448A1
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sling Media LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Incorporated (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: SATHEESH, Sharath Hariharpur, BAJPAI, Parimal, TARRA, Raghuveer
• Granted Patent: US 8,477,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• 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 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• 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

Abstract

Various methods and devices provide place shifting of a media stream to a remote device while also providing network functionality for a local area network (LAN) and/or a wide area network (WAN). The gateway includes a media interface for receiving audio/visual (A/V) signals from the media source, as well as interfaces to the LAN and/or the WAN. A media streaming module receives the A/V signals from the media interface and processes the received A/V signals to thereby create the media stream. A modem module receives the media stream from the media streaming module via a dedicated connection, network switch and/or other connection, and transmits the media stream to the remote device via at least one of the first and second network interfaces.

Claims

1. A first device for providing a media stream to a second device, the first device comprising:

an input interface configured to receive audio/visual signals from a media source;

a network interface to a network; and

a module coupled to the input interface and to the network interface that is configured to process the received audio/visual signals to create the media stream, to transfer the media stream to the network interface, and to transmit the media stream to the second device via the network interface.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the module comprises a first module configured to create the media stream and a second module configured to receive the media stream from the first module and to transmit the media stream via the network interface.

3. The device of claim 2 further comprising a dedicated communications channel inter-connecting the first module and the second module.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the first module comprises a host-port interface and the second module comprises an external memory interface that are coupled to each other to form the communications channel.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein the first module is further configured to form network packets based upon the audio/visual signals, to encapsulate the network packets into an encapsulated packet format, and to transmit the encapsulated packets on the communications channel via the dedicated communications channel

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the second module is configured to receive the encapsulated packets at the dedicated communications channel to decapsulate the encapsulated packets, and to transmit the network packets via the network interface.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the second module is further configured to form network data packets based upon data received from the network interfaces, to encapsulate the network data packets into the encapsulated packet format, and to transmit the encapsulated data packets to the media streaming module via the dedicated communications channel

8. The device of claim 2 further comprising a network switch configured to switch a communications channel between the first module and the second module.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the network switch is further configured to switch between a first mode and a second mode, wherein the communications channel inter-connects the first module and the second module in the first mode, and wherein the communications channel inter-connects the second module and an external device in the second mode.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the second module is further configured to receive and store media packets received from the first module via the communications channel in the first mode, and to transmit the media packets on the communications channel in the second mode.

11. The device of claim 2 wherein the first module and the second module are implemented with a common processing device.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the network interface comprises an interface to a local area network.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the network interface comprises an interface to a wide area network.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the network interface comprises a first interface to a local area network and a second interface to a wide area network.

15. A method for transmitting a network stream representing audio/visual signals received from a media source to a second device using a first device that comprises a first module and a second module and that communicates via a network, the method comprising:

receiving the audio/visual signals from the media source;

processing the audio/visual signals to create the media stream at the first module;

providing the media stream from the first module to the second module; and

transmitting the media stream to the second device via the network.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the network stream is formatted in network packets at the first module, and wherein the providing comprises:

encapsulating the network packets into an encapsulated packet format; and

transmitting the encapsulated packets on a dedicated internal communications channel to the modem module.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

receiving the encapsulated packets at the second module; and

decapsulating the encapsulated packets prior to transmitting the media stream.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising forming network data packets at the second module based upon data received from at least one of the first and second network interfaces, to encapsulate the network data packets into the encapsulated packet format, and to transmit the encapsulated data packets to the first module via the dedicated internal communications channel

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising switching a communications channel between the first module and the second module.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising obtaining a network address that was previously allocated to another device operating on the local area network and using the previously-allocated network address during subsequent communications.

21. The method of claim 20 comprising monitoring network traffic on the network to determine the previously-allocated network address.

22. The method of claim 20 comprising detecting a dynamic host configuration message on the network to determine the previously-allocated network address.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the previously-allocated network address comprises an internet protocol (IP) address.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the previously-allocated network address comprises a media access control (MAC) address.

25. The method of claim 15 further comprising receiving a discovery request from a third device operating on the network.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising detecting signals in the network, setting a first operating mode if signals are received only in a local area network, and setting a second operating mode if signals are received in both the local area network and a wide area network.

29. The device of claim 23 wherein the network address comprises a media access control (MAC) address.

27. A gateway device interfacing with a local area network and a wide area network that additionally provides a media stream to a remote device in response to audio/visual signals received from a media source, the gateway device comprising:

a media interface configured for receiving the audio/visual signals from the media source;

a first network interface to the local area network;

a second network interface to the wide area network;

a modem module configured to provide communication between the first and second network interface, wherein the modem module is further configured to obtain a network address that was previously allocated to another device operating on the local area network and to use the previously-allocated network address during subsequent communications; and

a media streaming module configured to receive the audio/visual signals from the media interface, to process audio/visual signals to create the media stream, and to transmit the media stream to the modem module for transmission to the remote device via at least one of the local area or the wide area network.

28. The device of claim 27 wherein the network address comprises an internet protocol (IP) address.