System and method of interconnecting and using components of home entertainment system

• US 6,169,879 B1
• Filed: 02/04/1999
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): GRANT, CHRISTOPHER C
• Application Number:
  US09/244,222
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.7173, H04/N.716, H04/N.710, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 455/6.1, 455/5.1, 455/4.2, 348/6, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13, 348/10, 348/11, 439/498, 439/502, 439/63, 439/166, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 345/327
• US Class Current: 725/119
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• 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 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods for interconnecting multiple consumer electronics devices in a home entertainment system. The consumer electronics devices are connected in a hub and spoke configuration, with each one being directly connected to a central electronics device. The central electronics device includes multiple identical, interchangeable jacks, each of which can receive cables connected to any of the consumer electronics devices, thereby significantly simplifying the process of connecting the components of the home entertainment system. The jacks are compatible with S-video and RCA video cables, such that the user does not need to understand the differences between these cables. In the hub and spoke configuration, all signals in the home entertainment system are accessible by the central electronics device. Accordingly, the central electronics device can process, route, or otherwise respond to any signal. For example, any video or audio signal can be routed to a VCR, where it can be recorded.

Claims

1. A home entertainment system configured to interconnect a plurality of electronics devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of electronics devices;

a central device; and

a plurality of jacks each having an identical pin structure and being positioned at the central device for electrically connecting each of said plurality of electronics devices to said central device in a hub and spoke configuration, wherein;

the central device represents the hub of the hub and spoke configuration and each of the plurality of electronics devices is represented as being connected to the central device by one of the spokes of the hub and spoke configuration;

the central device includes a sensor for identifying a type of cable connects a jack with an electronics device; and

each of the plurality of jacks is capable of transmitting signals in any of a plurality of signal formats between the central device and the electronics device that is connected to a particular jack, based on the identified type of cable and the signal format that is compatible with the electronics device that is connected to the particular jack.

2. A home entertainment system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cables, each having a first end connected to one of the plurality of electronics devices and a second end connected to one of the plurality of jacks.

3. A home entertainment system as defined in claim 2, wherein the central device comprises:

means for receiving input from a user;

means for identifying the type of signals that are compatible with each of said plurality of electronics devices; and

means for converting a signal between a first signal format compatible with the central device and a second signal format compatible with one of said plurality of electronics devices.

4. A home entertainment system as defined in claim 1, wherein the hub and spoke configuration is such that failure of any one of the plurality of electronics devices does not effect the ability of electrical signals to be transmitted between the central device and any other of the plurality of electronics devices.

5. A home entertainment system as defined in claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of jacks is capable of transmitting S-video signals if an S-video cable is connected thereto and RCA video signals if an RCA cable is connected thereto.

6. A method of operating components of a home entertainment system, comprising the steps of:

providing the components of the home entertainment system, including;

a central device that has a plurality of jacks having an identical pin structure; and

a plurality of electronics devices;

connecting each of the plurality of electronics devices directly to the central device with a plurality of cables, wherein each cable has a first end connected to one of the plurality of jacks and a second end connected to an associated one of the plurality of electronics devices; and

at the central device, sensing a signal format that is compatible with at least one of the plurality of electronics devices and communicating with said electronics device using the compatible signal format.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the central device, a selected signal from a remote control device;

determining, by the central device, which of the plurality of electronics devices corresponds to the received signal;

generating, by the central device, an electrical signal having a format that is compatible with the corresponding electronics device and with the one of the plurality of cables that connects the corresponding electronics device to the central device; and

transmitting the electrical signal through said one of the plurality of cables to the corresponding electronics device, so as to control a function on the corresponding electronics device.

8. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting an electrical signal from a first electronics device selected from among the plurality of electronics devices to the central device; and

transmitting the electrical signal from the central device to a second electronics device selected from among the plurality of electronics devices.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the step of transmitting the electrical signal from the central device comprises the step of reformatting the electrical signal from a first format compatible with the first electronics device to a second format compatible with the second electronics device.

10. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the central device is an Internet terminal, the method further comprising the step of displaying information retrieved from the Internet on a television, wherein the television is one of the plurality of electronics devices.

11. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the central device is an Internet terminal, the step of transmitting the electrical signal from the first electronics device and the step of transmitting the electrical signal from the central device being conducted without the Internet terminal having been booted to a state in which the Internet terminal is capable of accessing the Internet.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the step of transmitting the electrical signal from the central device comprises the step of reformatting the electrical signal from a first format compatible with the first electronics device to a second format compatible with the second electronics device.

13. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the plurality of cables includes a first cable for transmitting an RCA signal and a second cable for transmitting an S-video signal.

14. A central electronics device capable of being connected directly to a plurality of other electronics devices in a home entertainment system, comprising:

a plurality of identical jacks each being configured to connect to a first end of a cable, wherein a second end of the cable is connected to one of the other electronics devices, at least one of the plurality of identical jacks being capable of transmitting S-video signals if an S-video cable is connected thereto and RCA video signals if an RCA cable is connected thereto;

means for receiving input from a user; and

means for identifying the type of signals that are compatible with each of the other of electronics devices.

15. A central electronics device as defined in claim 14, further comprising a modem for receiving information from the Internet.

16. A central electronics device as defined in claim 14, further comprising an electronic programming guide store.

17. A central electronics device as defined in claim 16, further comprising means for transmitting programming information included in an electronic programming guide stored at the electronic program guide store to a video recording system connected to one of the plurality of identical jacks.

18. A central electronics device as defined in claim 14, further comprising a television channel tuner.

19. In a central device included in a home entertainment system, a method of connecting electronics devices to the central device, comprising the steps of:

selecting an electronics device compatible with S-video signals or RCA video signals;

connecting a cable between the electronics device and one of a plurality of identical jacks at the central device;

determining whether the cable is configured to transmit S-video signals or RCA video signals;

if the cable is configured to transmit S-video signals, then passing S-video signals through the one of the plurality of identical jacks; and

if the cable is configured to transmit RCA video signals, then passing RCA video signals through the one of the plurality of identical jacks.

20. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein the step of connecting the cable comprises the step of connecting a first cable that is configured to transmit S-video signals, the method further comprising the steps of:

removing the first cable from the one of the plurality of identical jacks;

connecting a second cable that is configured to transmit RCA video signals to the one of the plurality of identical jacks;

determining that the second cable is configured to transmit RCA video signals; and

passing RCA video signals through the one of the plurality of identical jacks.

21. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising the step of detecting whether the cable is an input cable or an output cable with respect to the electronics device.

22. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

prompting a user of the central device to input the identity of the consumer electronics device; and

receiving input from the user identifying the consumer electronics device.

23. A home entertainment system configured to interconnect a plurality of electronics devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of electronics devices;

a central device including;

means for receiving input from a user;

means for identifying the type of signals that are compatible with each of said plurality of electronics devices; and

means for converting an electrical signal between a first format compatible with the central device and a second format compatible with one of said plurality of electronics devices; and

means for electrically connecting each of said plurality of electronics devices to said central device in a hub and spoke configuration, wherein the central device represents the hub of the hub and spoke configuration and each of the plurality of electronics devices is represented as being connected to the central device by one of the spokes of the hub and spoke configuration, the means for electrically connecting including a plurality of cables, each having a first end connected to one of the plurality of electronics devices and a second end connected to the central device.

24. A home entertainment system configured to interconnect a plurality of electronics devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of electronics devices;

a central device including;

a plurality of jacks each having an identical pin structure, at least one of the plurality of jacks being capable of transmitting S-video signals if an S-video cable is connected thereto and RCA video signals if an RCA cable is connected thereto; and

means for electrically connecting each of said plurality of electronics devices to said central device in a hub and spoke configuration, wherein the central device represents the hub of the hub and spoke configuration and each of the plurality of electronics devices is represented as being connected to the central device by one of the spokes of the hub and spoke configuration, the means for electrically connecting including a plurality of cables, each having a first end connected to one of the plurality of electronics devices and a second end connected to one of the plurality of jacks of the central device.