PACKET FILTERING BASED ON DYNAMIC USAGE INFORMATION

• US 20090316577A1
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Frazier, Milton Massey, Georgis, Nikolaos, Carpio, Fredrik
• Granted Patent: US 8,526,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A receiver of network data dynamically filters packets by packet type from a network device CPU based on usage information, such as time, day, location, and feature (e.g., “video” or “application”) selection.

Claims

1. A receiver of network data comprising:

a processor causing the receiver to dynamically filter network packets by packet type from a network device central processing unit (CPU) based on usage information.

2. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the usage information includes time.

3. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the usage information includes day of the week.

4. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the usage information includes location of the network device.

5. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the usage information includes feature selection.

6. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the receiver is implemented in the network device.

7. The receiver of claim 6, wherein the receiver wirelessly receives packets from the network and the network device is battery powered.

8. A method comprising:

receiving dynamic usage information pertaining to a network device;

based on the dynamic usage information, determining at least one desired packet type from a network; and

passing, from a packet receiver of the network device to a central processing unit (CPU) of the network device, only the packets determined to be desired.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the usage information includes time of day.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the usage information includes day of the week.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the usage information includes location of the network device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the usage information includes user preference as indicated by input received from a user input device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user preference is a “

video”

feature or an “

application”

feature of the network device.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein if the user selects a “

video”

feature, the desired packet type includes video packets but not binary application packets, wherein if the user changes to an “

application”

feature selection, the desired packet type includes binary application packets but not video packets.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein at least a first packet type is always passed to the CPU regardless of the usage information.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the CPU executes the receiving and determining acts.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the packet receiver executes the receiving and determining acts.

18. Apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a data receiver in the housing;

a central processor unit (CPU) in the housing and receiving data from the data receiver, the CPU having at least first and second operational states;

the data receiver receiving packets having a first type and packets having a second type, the data receiver sending packets having the first type to the CPU but not sending packets having the second type to the CPU when the CPU is in the first operational state, the data receiver not sending packets having the first type to the CPU and sending packets having the second type to the CPU when the CPU is in the second operational state.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the operational state is based on time or day of the week or location of the apparatus.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the operational state is based on user preference.