DTV with detachable HDMI inputs

• US 20100050228A1
• Filed: 08/22/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2008
• 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: Kawashima, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,860,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/151
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/047 using display data channel standard [DDC] communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• 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 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/104 Switchers or splitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution

Abstract

A television device has a television receiver residing substantially within a television receiver enclosure. A high definition multimedia interface is (HDMI) coupled to the television receiver. A detachable HDMI switch is operatively coupled to the HDMI interface, the HDMI switch and has at least two user-side HDMI buses connected thereto. The detachable HDMI switch resides in an HDMI switch housing that exposes the at least two user-side HDMI connector ports. The detachable HDMI switch housing is detachably connected to the television receiver enclosure to permit the HDMI switch housing to be either attached to the television receiver enclosure for use at the television receiver enclosure, or to permit the HDMI switch housing to be separated from the television receiver enclosure to permit the HDMI switch housing to be situated remotely from the television receiver enclosure so that the HDMI connector ports are remotely accessible while being selectable by the television device. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A television device, comprising:

a television receiver residing substantially within a television receiver enclosure;

a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) coupled to the television receiver;

a detachable HDMI switch operatively coupled to the HDMI interface, the HDMI switch having at least two user-side HDMI buses connected thereto;

the detachable HDMI switch residing in an HDMI switch housing that exposes the at least two user-side HDMI connector ports; and

wherein the detachable HDMI switch housing is detachably connected to the television receiver enclosure to permit the HDMI switch housing to be either attached to the television receiver enclosure for use at the television receiver enclosure, or to permit the HDMI switch housing to be separated from the television receiver enclosure to permit the HDMI switch housing to be situated remotely from the television receiver enclosure so that the HDMI connector ports are remotely accessible while being selectable by the television device.

2. The television device according to claim 1, further comprising a cable coupling the detachable HDMI switch to the television receiver enclosure.

3. The television device according to claim 2, wherein the cable comprises an HDMI cable.

4. The television device according to claim 1 further comprising an HDMI switch coupled to the television receiver residing in the television receiver housing and having at least one user-side HDMI connector port that is accessible from outside the television receiver enclosure.

5. The television receiver device according to claim 4, wherein the HDMI switch residing in the television receiver enclosure has a second HDMI port that is coupled to the detachable HDMI switch to permit the detachable HDMI switch to couple to the HDMI interface of the television receiver via the second HDMI port.

6. The television receiver device according to claim 5, further comprising a processor residing within the television device enclosure, wherein the processor controls operation of the HDMI switch residing in the television receiver enclosure.

7. The television receiver device according to claim 5, wherein the processor captures and transfers the EDID information from the DDC signals of the I2C bus.

8. The television receiver device according to claim 7, wherein the processor controls the state of a switch that either passes the DDC signals directly between the HDMI interface coupled to the television receiver and the HDMI switch residing in the television receiver enclosure, or passes the processed HDMI DDC signals between the HDMI switch residing in the television receiver enclosure and the HDMI switch residing in the television receiver enclosure.

9. The television receiver device according to claim 1, further comprising a non-HDMI connector attached to the detachable HDMI switch housing and exposed for user access thereto, and wherein the non-HDMI connector is operatively coupled to the television receiver via an interface.

12. The television receiver device according to claim 4, wherein the HDMI switch residing in the television receiver enclosure has a second HDMI port that is coupled to the detachable HDMI switch to permit the detachable HDMI switch to couple to the HDMI interface of the television receiver via the second HDMI port.

10. A television device, comprising:

a television receiver residing substantially within a television receiver enclosure;

a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) coupled to the television receiver;

a detachable HDMI switch operatively coupled to the HDMI interface, the HDMI switch having at least two user-side HDMI buses connected thereto;

the detachable HDMI switch residing in an HDMI switch housing that exposes the at least two user-side HDMI connector ports;

wherein the detachable HDMI switch housing is detachably connected to the television receiver enclosure to permit the HDMI switch housing to be either attached to the television receiver enclosure for use at the television receiver enclosure, or to permit the HDMI switch housing to be separated from the television receiver enclosure to permit the HDMI switch housing to be situated remotely from the television receiver enclosure so that the HDMI connector ports are remotely accessible while being selectable by the television device;

a cable coupling the detachable HDMI switch to the television receiver enclosure when the HDMI switch housing is detached from the television receiver enclosure;

an HDMI switch coupled to the television receiver residing in the television receiver housing and having at least one user-side HDMI connector port that is accessible from outside the television receiver enclosure; and

a processor residing within the television device enclosure, wherein the processor controls operation of the HDMI switch residing in the television receiver enclosure.

11. The television device according to claim 10, wherein the cable comprises an HDMI cable.

13. The television receiver device according to claim 10, wherein the processor captures and transfers the EDID information from the DDC signals of the I2C bus.

14. The television receiver device according to claim 10, wherein the processor controls the state of a switch that either passes the DDC signals directly between the HDMI interface coupled to the television receiver and the HDMI switch residing in the television receiver enclosure, or passes the processed HDMI DDC signals between the HDMI switch residing in the television receiver enclosure and the HDMI switch residing in the television receiver enclosure.

15. The television receiver device according to claim 10, further comprising a non-HDMI connector attached to the detachable HDMI switch housing and exposed for user access thereto, and wherein the non-HDMI connector is operatively coupled to the television receiver via an interface.

16. A television device, comprising:

a television receiver residing substantially within a television receiver enclosure;

an interface coupled to the television receiver for receiving inputs from a plurality of input ports;

a detachable port switch operatively coupled to the interface, the port switch having at least two user-side ports connected thereto;

wherein the detachable port switch housing is detachably connected to the television receiver enclosure to permit the port switch housing to be either attached to the television receiver enclosure for use at the television receiver enclosure, or to permit the port switch housing to be separated from the television receiver enclosure to permit the port switch housing to be situated remotely from the television receiver enclosure so that the connector ports connector ports are remotely accessible while being selectable by the television device.

17. The television device according to claim 16, further comprising a cable coupling the detachable port switch to the television receiver enclosure.

18. The television device according to claim 16, further comprising a port switch coupled to the television receiver residing in the television receiver housing and having at least one user-side connector port that is accessible from outside the television receiver enclosure.

19. The television receiver device according to claim 18, wherein the port switch residing in the television receiver enclosure has a second port that is coupled to the detachable port switch to permit the detachable port switch to couple to the port interface of the television receiver via the second port.

20. The television receiver device according to claim 19, further comprising a processor residing within the television device enclosure, wherein the processor controls operation of the port switch residing in the television receiver enclosure.