ENHANCED CONTENT SHARING FRAMEWORK

• US 20100161818A1
• Filed: 04/23/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Borghini, Marco, Capuozzo, Giuseppe
• Granted Patent: US 8,667,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• 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: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

An enhanced content sharing framework, in which a presence table indexing content globally stored on a respective home network, and policy information identifying users who are authorized to access the respective home network are received from first and second home network manager devices that respectively manage first and second home networks that each comprises one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices. A message is received from a user requesting that particular content be provided from the first home network to a particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network. Based on the presence table of the first home network, it is determined that the particular content is stored on the first home network, and, based on the policy information of the first home network, it is determined that the user is authorized to access the particular content on the first home network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from first and second home network manager devices that respectively manage first and second home networks that each comprises one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices;

a presence table indexing content globally stored on the respective home network, and

policy information identifying users who are authorized to access the respective home network;

receiving a message from a user requesting that particular content be provided from the first home network to a particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network;

determining, based on the presence table of the first home network, that the particular content is stored on the first home network;

determining, based on the policy information of the first home network, that the user is authorized to access the particular content on the first home network;

determining, based on the policy information of the second home network, that the user is authorized to access the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network; and

providing the particular content from the first home network to the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network based on determining that the particular content is stored on the first home network, that the user is authorized to access the particular content, and that the user is authorized to access the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the presence table indexes the content without identifying the one or more content storing devices which store the content, and

the message requests that the particular content be provided from the first home network without specifying the one or more content storing devices of the first home network from which to provide the particular content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second home network manager devices comprise a single home network manager device, and

the first and second home networks comprise a single home network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices further comprise:

a personal computer (PC);

a telephone;

a network-attached storage (NAS);

a digital picture frame (DPF);

a camera;

a set-top box (STB);

a digital versatile disc (DVD) recorder; and

an Internet protocol television (IPTV).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each of the first and second home networks:

the presence table further identifies, and lists capabilities of, the respective one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices, and

the policy information further lists a level of authorization of the users who are authorized to access the respective home network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transcoding the particular content to match the listed capability of the particular content rendering device or content storing device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a query term from the user;

performing, using the query term, both a local query of the presence table of the first home network using the query term, and an online query of an online database; and

providing a search results page to the user, the search results page comprising;

a local results region identifying the content stored on the first home network which satisfies the query term, and

an online results region identifying content stored in the online database which satisfies the query, and which is not stored on the first home network.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving user profile information from the first network manager device, wherein the online query of the online database is performed using the user profile information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is received over the Internet from a mobile device operated by the user, from outside of a physical proximity of the first home network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular content is provided over the Internet to a mobile content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network, which is disposed outside of a physical proximity of the first home network.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a list to the user identifying the one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices of the first home network that the user is authorized to access, and of the content globally stored on the first home network,

wherein the list does not identify which of the one or more content storing devices of the first home network stores the content.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a discovery request from the first home network manager device; and

receiving, from the one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices, and based on the discovery request, data identifying the content and identifying, and listing capabilities of, the one or more content rendering devices and content storage devices.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the particular content further comprises transcoding, then streaming the particular content to the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices comprise a single device capable of both rendering and storing content.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a list of home networks that the user is authorized to access; and

providing a list of content stored on the home networks that the user is authorized to access, without identifying individual content rendering devices or content storing devices of the listed home networks.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a signal to the second home network manager device indicating that the particular content is to be provided, based on determining that the particular content is stored on the first home network, that the user is authorized to access the particular content, and that the user is authorized to access the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a notification to the user based on determining that the particular content is not stored on the first home network, that the user is not authorized to access the particular content, or that the user is not authorized to access the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message.

19. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from first and second home network manager devices that respectively manage first and second home networks that each comprises one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices;

a presence table indexing content globally stored on the respective home network, and

policy information identifying users who are authorized to access the respective home network,

receiving a message from a user requesting that particular content be provided from the first home network to a particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network,

determining, based on the presence table of the first home network, that the particular content is stored on the first home network,

determining, based on the policy information of the first home network, that the user is authorized to access the particular content on the first home network,

determining, based on the policy information of the second home network, that the user is authorized to access the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network, and

providing the particular content from the first home network to the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network based on determining that the particular content is stored on the first home network, that the user is authorized to access the particular content, and that the user is authorized to access the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein, for each of the first and second home networks:

the presence table further identifies, and lists capabilities of, the respective one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices, and

the policy information further lists a level of authorization of the users who are authorized to access the respective home network.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a query term from the user;

performing, using the query term, both a local query of the presence table of the first home network using the query term, and an online query of an online database; and

providing a search results page to the user, the search results page comprising;

a local results region identifying the content stored on the first home network which satisfies the query term, and

an online results region identifying content stored in the online database which satisfies the query, and which is not stored on the first home network.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a list to the user identifying the one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices of the first home network that the user is authorized to access, and of the content globally stored on the first home network,

wherein the list does not identify which of the one or more content storing devices of the first home network stores the content.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting a discovery request from the first home network manager device; and

receiving, from the one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices, and based on the discovery request, data identifying the content and identifying, and listing capabilities of, the one or more content rendering devices and content storage devices.

24. A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed, operate to cause a computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from first and second home network manager devices that respectively manage first and second home networks that each comprises one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices;

a presence table indexing content globally stored on the respective home network, and

policy information identifying users who are authorized to access the respective home network;

receiving a message from a user requesting that particular content be provided from the first home network to a particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network;

determining, based on the presence table of the first home network, that the particular content is stored on the first home network;

determining, based on the policy information of the first home network, that the user is authorized to access the particular content on the first home network;

determining, based on the policy information of the second home network, that the user is authorized to access the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network; and

providing the particular content from the first home network to the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network based on determining that the particular content is stored on the first home network, that the user is authorized to access the particular content, and that the user is authorized to access the particular content rendering device or content storing device of the second home network.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein, for each of the first and second home networks:

the presence table further identifies, and lists capabilities of, the respective one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices, and

the policy information further lists a level of authorization of the users who are authorized to access the respective home network.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a query term from the user;

performing, using the query term, both a local query of the presence table of the first home network using the query term, and an online query of an online database; and

providing a search results page to the user, the search results page comprising;

a local results region identifying the content stored on the first home network which satisfies the query term, and

an online results region identifying content stored in the online database which satisfies the query, and which is not stored on the first home network.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a list to the user identifying the one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices of the first home network that the user is authorized to access, and of the content globally stored on the first home network,

wherein the list does not identify which of the one or more content storing devices of the first home network stores the content.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting a discovery request from the first home network manager device; and

receiving, from the one or more content rendering devices and content storing devices, and based on the discovery request, data identifying the content and identifying, and listing capabilities of, the one or more content rendering devices and content storage devices.