METHOD FOR ACCESSING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT WITHIN A HOME
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Abstract
A method for accessing multimedia contents within a household via a network includes causing a master to build a contents log associating each content with a server, seeking a multimedia content in the log, and setting up a unicast channel between the client and a server associated with the contents sought in the log, causing the client to receive, using the channel, the content, and to play back the content, in response to connection of a new client or server to the home network or disconnection of a master from the home network, causing different apparatuses capable of functioning as a referencing server to exchange criteria for electing an apparatus to function as a referencing server, and based on the criteria, electing a new master from among the apparatuses capable of fulfilling the referencing server function, wherein in response to election, the new master functions as a reference server.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1-11. -11. (canceled)
- 12. A method for accessing multimedia contents within a household that comprises a home network, a server apparatus, connected to said home network, for service of multimedia contents, a client apparatus connected to said home network, said client apparatus being configured to play back a multimedia content accessible through said server apparatus connected to said home network, and a master apparatus selected from said group consisting of said server apparatus connected to said home network and said client apparatus connected to said home network, said master apparatus being configured to function as a referencing server, said method comprising causing said master apparatus to build a contents log, said contents log identifying multimedia contents stored or accessible throughout said household, and, for each multimedia content stored or accessible throughout said household, an identifier of said multimedia content and an identifier of a server apparatus associated with said multimedia content, seeking a multimedia content in said contents log, and setting up a unicast communications channel in said home network between said client apparatus and a server apparatus, an identifier of which is associated with said multimedia contents sought in said contents log, causing said client apparatus to receive, using said unicast communications channel, said multimedia content, and to play back said multimedia content, in response to connection of a new apparatus to said home network or disconnection of a master apparatus from said home network, causing different apparatuses capable of functioning as a referencing server to exchange election criteria for electing an apparatus to function as a referencing server, and based on said exchanged election criteria, electing a new master apparatus from among said apparatuses capable of functioning as a referencing server, wherein in response to election, said new master apparatus functions as a reference server.
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23. An apparatus for implementing a method for accessing multimedia contents within a household, said apparatus comprising server apparatus, said server apparatus comprising an electronic computer programmed to build a contents log of said multimedia contents stored or accessible through different server apparatuses of said household, said contents log containing, for each multimedia content of a server apparatus of said household, an identifier of said multimedia content and an identifier of a server apparatus for said multimedia content, to set up a unicast communications channel in said home network with a client apparatus chosen to play back a sought multimedia content accessible from said server apparatus, to transmit said multimedia content sought by said unicast communications channel to enable a client apparatus to play back said multimedia content, in response to connection of a new apparatus to said home network, or disconnection of a master apparatus from said home network, to exchange, with different apparatuses, capable of functioning as a referencing server, criteria for electing an apparatus to fulfill said function of referencing server, to participate in election of a master apparatus from among said apparatuses capable of functioning as a referencing server based on said exchanged election criteria, and to implement, through said elected master apparatus, said referencing server function based on said exchanged election criteria.
- 24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said server apparatus is DLNA-compatible.
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24-1. An apparatus for implementing a method for accessing multimedia contents within a household via a home network, said apparatus comprising a client apparatus equipped with an electronic computer programmed to set up a unicast communications channel with a server apparatus identified as being associated with a multimedia content sought in a contents log of multimedia contents stored or accessible by one or more server apparatuses of said household, to receive said multimedia content through said unicast communications channel, to play back said multimedia content, in response to connection of a new apparatus to said home network, or disconnection, from said home network, of a master apparatus functioning as a referencing server, to exchange, with different apparatuses, capable of functioning as said referencing server, election criteria for electing an apparatus to functioning as a referencing server, based on said exchanged election criteria, to participate in election of a new master apparatus from among said different apparatuses capable of functioning as a referencing server, and in response to being elected as said new mater apparatus, to function as said referencing server.
Specification