COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

• US 20110161815A1
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwahara, Hiroki
• Application Number:
  US12/976,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161815A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a communication apparatus includes a rendering module configured to receive a content item from a digital media server connected to a network and to display an image of the received content item on a display screen, a transmission module configured to transmit a service description to a digital media control point connected to the network in response to a request from the digital media control point, the service description describing an action indicating that a playlist can be displayed on the display screen, and a display module configured to display, when a playlist document which describes one or more titles of one or more content items and a playback order of the one or more content items is received from the digital media control point, the one or more titles of the one or more content items based on the playback order on the display screen.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a renderer configured to receive a content item from a digital media server connected to a network and to display an image of the received content item on a display screen;

a communication module configured to send a service description to a digital media control point connected to the network in response to a request from the digital media control point, wherein the service description comprises an action description indicating that a playlist can be displayed on the display screen; and

a display configured to display, when a playlist document which comprises one or more titles of one or more content items and a playback order of the one or more content items is received from the digital media control point, the one or more titles based on the playback order on the display screen.

2. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to send the service description, and wherein the service description comprises a variable representing the number of content items that can be described in the playlist document.

3. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the renderer is configured to receive a first content item of the one or more content items from the digital media server and to display an image of the first content item on the display screen in accordance with a command from the digital media control point.

4. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the playlist document comprises data representing storage locations at which the one or more content items are stored, and

the communication apparatus further comprises a downloader configured to receive the one or more content items based on the data representing the storage locations.

5. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service description comprises XML code and accords with the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) standards.

6. A communication apparatus comprising:

a detector configured to detect a digital media server and a digital media renderer which are connected to a network;

a first receiver configured to receive a content item list from the digital media server detected by the detector, the content item list comprising one or more first titles of one or more first content items which are stored in the digital media server and storing one or more storage locations of the one or more first content items;

a second receiver configured to request the digital media renderer detected by the detector to send a service description, and to receive the service description from the digital media renderer; and

a communication module configured to send a playlist document to the digital media renderer when the service description comprises an action description indicating that a playlist can be displayed on a display screen, the playlist document comprising one or more second titles and playback order of one or more second content items selected from the content item list by user.

7. The communication apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the service description comprises a variable representing the number of content items that can be described in the playlist document, and

the communication module is configured to send the playlist document based on the number of content items.

8. The communication apparatus of claim 6, wherein the communication module is configured to send the playlist document comprising the one or more storage locations where the one or more content items are stored.

9. The communication apparatus of claim 6, wherein the communication module is configured to send the playlist document while a content item described in the playlist document is being displayed.

10. A display control method comprising:

detecting, by a first communication device, a second communication device and a third communication device which are connected to a network;

requesting communication of a service description from the first communication device to the third communication device;

sending the service description from the third communication device to the first communication device;

receiving, by a first communication device, a content item list comprising the title of one or more content items stored in the second communication device and the one or more storage locations where the one or more content items are stored, from the second communication device detected by the first communication device;

sending a playlist document from the first communication device to the third communication device when the service description comprises an action description indicating that a playlist can be displayed on a display screen of the third communication device, the playlist document comprising the one or more titles and playback order of the one or more content items; and

displaying a playlist based on the playlist document on the display screen.