Aggregating contents located on digital living network alliance (DLNA) servers on a home network

• US 20090327241A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• 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: Tao, David, Douillet, Ludovic
• Application Number:
  US12/215,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327241A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• 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

Abstract

One or more active DLNA servers are queried for A/V content information associated with A/V content stored at each of the one or more active DLNA servers. Associated A/V content information is received from each of the one or more active DLNA servers. The received A/V content information is aggregated and filtered. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A method of Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) audio and video (A/V) content aggregation within a DLNA home network, comprising:

querying a plurality of active DLNA servers for A/V content information associated with A/V content stored at each of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

receiving the associated A/V content information from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

aggregating the received A/V content information; and

filtering the received A/V content information.

2. The method according to claim 1, where querying the plurality of active DLNA servers further comprises sending a DLNA search message to each of the plurality of active DLNA servers.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a user request for renderable A/V content within the home network, where the user request comprises at least one A/V filter criterion.

4. The method according to claim 3, where filtering the received A/V content information further comprises filtering the received A/V content information based upon the at least one A/V filter criterion.

5. The method according to claim 4, where the at least one A/V filter criterion further comprises at least one of a content type, a genre, and a date of production, and where filtering the received A/V content information based upon the at least one A/V filter criterion further comprises categorizing the aggregated A/V content based upon the at least one of the content type, the genre, and the date of production.

6. The method according to claim 3, where querying the plurality of active DLNA servers further comprises sending a DLNA filtered search message including the at least one A/V filter criterion to each of the plurality of active DLNA servers.

7. The method according to claim 6, where receiving the associated A/V content information from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers further comprises receiving A/V search results in response to the DLNA filtered search message from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers and aggregating the received A/V content information further comprises aggregating the received A/V search results.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

querying at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers for updated A/V content information in response to an indication of changed A/V content associated with the at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

receiving the updated A/V content information from the at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers; and

aggregating the updated A/V content information with the A/V content information received from active DLNA servers other than the at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

querying an activated DLNA server for A/V content information associated with the activated DLNA server in response to the activated DLNA server entering the home network;

receiving the A/V content information associated with the activated DLNA server; and

aggregating the A/V content information associated with the activated DLNA server with the A/V content information received from the plurality of active DLNA servers.

10. The method according to claim 1, where querying the plurality of active DLNA servers further comprises querying the plurality of active DLNA servers from a DLNA client device.

11. A Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) audio and video (A/V) content aggregation device, comprising:

a memory adapted to store representations of A/V content distributed within a home network environment; and

a processor programmed to;

query a plurality of active DLNA servers for A/V content information associated with A/V content stored at each of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

receive the associated A/V content information from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

aggregate the received A/V content information;

filter the received A/V content information; and

store the aggregated A/V content information to the memory.

12. The device according to claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to send a DLNA search message to each of the plurality of active DLNA servers.

13. The device according to claim 11, further comprising an input device adapted to provide input requests from a user to the processor and where the processor is further programmed to receive a user request via the input device for renderable A/V content within the home network and the user request comprises at least one A/V filter criterion.

14. The device according to claim 13, where the processor is further programmed to filter the received A/V content information based upon the at least one A/V filter criterion.

15. The device according to claim 14, where the at least one A/V filter criterion further comprises at least one of a content type, a genre, and a date of production, and the processor is further adapted to categorize the aggregated A/V content based upon the at least one of the content type, the genre, and the date of production.

16. The device according to claim 13, where, in being programmed to filter the received A/V content information, the processor is further programmed to send a DLNA filtered search message including the at least one A/V filter criterion to each of the plurality of active DLNA servers.

17. The device according to claim 16, where the processor is further programmed to receive A/V search results in response to the DLNA filtered search message from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers and to aggregate the received A/V search results.

18. The device according to claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to:

query at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers for updated A/V content information in response to an indication of changed A/V content associated with the at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

receive the updated A/V content information from the at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers; and

aggregate the updated A/V content information with the A/V content information received from active DLNA servers other than the at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers.

19. The device according to claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to:

query an activated DLNA server for A/V content information associated with the activated DLNA server in response to the activated DLNA server entering the home network;

receive the A/V content information associated with the activated DLNA server; and

aggregate the A/V content information associated with the activated DLNA server with the A/V content information received from the plurality of active DLNA servers.

20. The device according to claim 11, where the processor comprises a portion of a DLNA client device.

21. A Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) audio and video (A/V) content aggregation device, comprising:

a memory adapted to store representations of A/V content distributed within a home network environment;

an input device adapted to provide input requests from a user; and

a processor programmed to;

receive a user request via the input device for renderable A/V content within the home network, where the user request comprises at least one A/V filter criterion comprising at least one of a content type, a genre, and a date of production;

send a DLNA filtered search message including the at least one A/V filter criterion to each of the plurality of active DLNA servers to query the plurality of active DLNA servers for pre-filtered A/V content information associated with A/V content stored at each of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

receive the associated pre-filtered A/V content information from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

aggregate the received pre-filtered A/V content information;

categorize the aggregated A/V content based upon the at least one of the content type, the genre, and the date of production; and

store the aggregated A/V content information to the memory.