METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR INTERFACING CONTENT BETWEEN DEVICES

• US 20090282449A1
• Filed: 05/06/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: LEE, SEAN S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,414,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A communication interface device and method for operating the same includes a communication module receiving a request for a content list from a first user device and a list module generating a content list. The communication module communicates the content list device to the first user device and receives a content selection from the user device. A control module initiates a transfer of content corresponding to the content selection from a content storage device. The communication module receives the content at the communication interface device from the content storage device and communicates the content to the first user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request for a content list at a communication interface device from a first user device;

communicating the content list from the communication interface device to the first user device;

receiving a content selection corresponding to content on the content list;

initiating a transfer of content corresponding to the content selection from a content storage device to the communication interface device;

receiving the content at the communication interface device from the content storage device; and

communicating the content to the first user device.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein prior to receiving a request for a content list, communicating a plurality communication signals from the first user device to the communication interface device using at least one of a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol;

communicating a first communication signal of the plurality of communication signals using the first communication protocol;

recognizing the first communication protocol at the communication interface device and communicating the first communication signal to a router without changing the first communication signal;

communicating a second communication signal of the plurality of communication signals corresponding to the request for content list request from the first user device to the communication interface device using the second protocol.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the second communication protocol comprises a Universal Plug and Play protocol.

4. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the first protocol comprises an Internet protocol.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving the content at the communication interface device comprises receiving the content through a router.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 further comprising assigning a first IP address to a first user device and a second IP address to the router and wherein a user interface at the communication interface device is assigned to the second IP address and the router interface is assigned the first IP address.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving the content at the communication interface device comprises receiving the content through a router from an internal network.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving the content at the communication interface device comprises receiving the content through a router from an external network.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving a request for a content list at a communication interface device from a first user device comprises receiving the request for the content list at the communication interface device from a first set top box.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein receiving the content at the communication interface device from the content storage device comprises receiving the content at the communication interface device from a second set top box.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving a request for a content list at a communication interface device from a first user device comprises receiving the request for the content list at the communication interface device from a mobile user device.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving a request for a content list at a communication interface device from a first user device comprises receiving the request for the content list at the communication interface device from a fixed user device.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising generating the content list from an internal network.

14. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising generating the content list from an internal network comprising the first user device and a second user device.

15. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising generating the content list from an internal network comprising the first user device and a second user device and an external network comprising a web server.

16. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving the content at the communication interface device from the content storage device comprises receiving the content at the communication interface device from a second user device.

17. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving the content at the communication interface device from the content storage device comprises receiving the content at the communication interface device from a media server.

18. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving the content at the communication interface device from the content storage device comprises receiving the content at the communication interface device from a web server through an external network.

19. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein prior to communicating the content to the first user device, transforming the content.

20. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein transforming the content comprises changing the content from a first encoding format into a second encoding format.

21. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising encrypting the content in the second encoding format.

22. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein transforming the content comprises changing the content from first encrypting format into a second encrypting format.

23. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein transforming the content comprises changing the content from first a first bit rate to a second bit rate.

24. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein transforming the content comprises changing the content from a first encoding format into a second encoding format and changing the content from first encrypting format into a second encrypting format.

25. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating the content list comprises determining acceptable content parameters for the user device;

retrieving a complete list of content available for transfer with the content parameters;

determining from the complete list of content, a secondary list of content corresponding to content that the communication interface device can convert into the content parameters or that the interface device can pass through unconverted that has acceptable content parameters for the user device; and

communicating the secondary list.

26. A communication interface device comprising:

a communication module receiving a request for a content list from a first user device;

a list module generating a content list;

said communication module communicating the content list device to the first user device and receiving a content selection from the user device;

a control module initiating a transfer of content corresponding to the content selection from a content storage device;

said communication module receiving the content at the communication interface device from the content storage device and communicating the content to the first user device.

27. A communication interface device as recited in claim 26 further comprising a protocol recognition module distinguishing first protocol communication signals and second protocol communication signals, said protocol recognition module forwarding communication signals having a first protocol and processing communication signals having a second protocol.

28. A communication interface device as recited in claim 27 wherein the second communication protocol comprises a Universal Plug and Play protocol.

29. A communication interface device as recited in claim 26 wherein the first protocol comprises an Internet protocol.

30. A communication interface device as recited in claim 26 further comprising an encryption module encrypting the content communicated to the first user device.

31. A communication interface device as recited in claim 26 further comprising a transformation module transforming the content prior to communicating the content to the first user device.

32. A communication interface device as recited in claim 31 wherein the transformation module comprises a transcoding module for transcoding the content.

33. A communication interface device as recited in claim 31 wherein the transformation module comprises a transrating module for transrating the content.

34. A communication interface device as recited in claim 31 wherein the transformation module comprises a transcryption module for transcrypting the content

35. A communication interface device as recited in claim 31 wherein the transformation module comprises a transcryption module for transcrypting the content and a transcoding module for transcoding the content.

36. A communication interface device as recited in claim 26 wherein the list module generates the content list from external network sources.

37. A communication interface device as recited in claim 26 wherein the list module generates the content list from internal network sources.

38. A communication interface device as recited in claim 26 wherein the list module generates the content list from external network sources and internal network sources.

39. A system comprising:

a first user device;

the content storage device;

a router in communication with the first user device and the content storage device; and

the communication interface device as recited in claim 26.

40. A system as recited in claim 39 wherein the first user device comprises a set top box.

41. A system as recited in claim 40 wherein content storage device comprises a media server in communication with the communication interface device through an internal network.

42. A system as recited in claim 39 wherein the first user device comprises a mobile device.

43. A system as recited in claim 39 wherein the content storage device comprises a media server.

44. A system as recited in claim 39 wherein content storage device comprises a web server in communication with the communication interface device through an external network.