Server for operation with a low-cost multimedia terminal

• US 6,631,418 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2000
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Watkins, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLYNN, KIMBERLY D
• Application Number:
  US09/543,647
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-203, 709/231, 725/91, 725/92, 725/86
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4117 for generating hard copies of the content, e.g. printer, electronic paper interfaces to printers G06F3/12; printing data G06K15/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A server for providing personal computer (PC) functionality to a user at a multimedia terminal processes commands from the user. The server includes a source upgrade processor, a client software component for receiving a command signal from the user, a display updater for combining signals and a video encoder for sending a digital audio/visual (A/V) data-stream to a multimedia terminal. The server enables concurrent computer application processing for multiple simultaneous thin client users each having a multimedia terminal using a communication link to connect them to the server.

Claims

1. A server for providing a digital audio/visual (A/V) network interface to a multimedia terminal, said multimedia terminal having a user-input device for sending a command signal from said multimedia terminal to said server, said server comprising:

a source upgrade processor for processing the command signal into a client-edit command;

a client software component (CSC) for receiving and processing said client-edit command to produce a response A/V data-stream;

a display updater for combining said response A/V data-stream from said CSC and a digital A/V data-stream received from an application on the server to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream; and

a video encoder for encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream to produce a digital A/V data-stream for sending to the multimedia terminal.

2. A server according to claim 1 further including:

a frame processor for producing a frame displayable on an A/V display unit in response to said response A/V data-stream from said CSC, said frame having a frame-containing A/V data-stream, said frame processor enabling said digital A/V data-stream to be displayed within said frame-containing A/V data-stream.

3. A server according to claim 1 further including:

an edit decoder for receiving the command signal;

a frame source for providing at least one image frame; and

a video mixer for combining said response A/V data-stream and at least one image frame to produce said digital updated A/V data-stream for sending to said video encoder.

4. A server according to claim 1 wherein said response A/V data-stream includes a video data subset for displaying the menu on the screen display.

5. A server according to claim 1 further comprising:

a server processor for executing a server software program;

a network processor for executing a network software program; and

a frame processor for executing a frame application program to produce a frame displayable on an A/V display unit, said frame processor being associated with said server processor, said network processor and said CSC, said frame having a frame-containing A/V data-stream, wherein said frame processor enables said digital A/V data-stream to be displayed within said frame-containing data-stream.

6. A server according to claim 5 further comprising:

a network browser processor for executing a network browser program, said network browser processor being associated with said frame processor, for producing a web page image for displaying on said A/V display unit, and for processing a web-associated video stream.

7. A server according to claim 5 wherein said network processor enables a user to select at least one bitstream source from a plurality of simultaneously available bitstream sources, wherein said at least one source is selectable by the user-input device.

8. A server according to claim 5 wherein said frame processor enables the user to toggle a user switch on the user-input device for either displaying or vanishing said frame.

9. A server according to claim 5 wherein said frame processor enables a user to controllably alternate between a first frame and a second frame by the user-input device.

10. A server according to claim 5 wherein said frame processor enables a diagnostic data-stream to be displayed within said frame-containing data-stream.

11. A server according to claim 10 wherein said frame processor enables the user to controllably adjust a frame area of said frame-containing data-stream within a display area of said A/V display unit, wherein said display area is a portion of the entire display area of said A/V display unit.

12. A server according to claim 10 wherein said frame processor enables the user to controllably send a response to said diagnostic data-stream with the user-input device.

13. A server according to claim 1 wherein said video stream decoder conforms to the Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG)-2 standard.

14. A server according to claim 13 wherein said video adapter module conforms to the video graphics array (VGA) standard.

15. A server according to claim 13 wherein said video adapter module conforms to the super video graphics array (SVGA) standard.

16. A server according to claim 1 wherein said source upgrade processor is a taken from the group consisting of an application specific processor, a PC microprocessor and a multitasking processor.

17. A method for providing a network interface to a user through a server, said server sending a digital audio/visual (A/V) data-stream to a multimedia terminal, wherein said multimedia terminal can send a command signal from said user to said server, said method for said server comprising:

receiving the command signal from the user-input device by a client software component (CSC);

processing the command signal via said CSC to produce a digital response A/V data-stream;

combining said digital response A/V data-stream from said CSC and an application A/V data-stream from the server by a display updater to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream;

encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream by a video encoder to produce the digital encoded A/V data-stream; and

transmitting the digital encoded A/V data-stream via the network to an A/V display unit.

18. A method for providing a network interface to a user through a server according to claim 17 further comprising:

first executing a server software program, said server software program being executed via a server processor;

second executing a network software program, said network software program being executed via a network processor; and

third executing a frame application program, said frame application software program being executed via a frame processor, said frame processor being associated with said server processor, said network processor and said CSC.

19. A method for providing a network interface to a user through a server system, said user connecting to a network, said server system having a multimedia terminal for receiving a digital audio/visual (A/V) data-stream from said network, and a server for transmitting said digital A/V data-stream from said network to said multimedia terminal, said method comprising:

sending a command signal via a user-input device on the multimedia terminal through a server port to a client software component (CSC) on the server;

processing said command signal in said CSC to produce a digital response A/V data-stream;

combining said digital response A/V data-stream and an A/V data-stream from an application on the server by a display updater on the server to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream;

encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream by a video encoder on the server to produce the digital A/V data-stream;

transmitting the digital A/V data-stream from said video encoder via the network to the multimedia terminal;

receiving the digital A/V data-stream from the server via said server port on the multimedia terminal;

decoding the digital A/V data-stream from said server port via a video stream decoder to produce a display signal; and

transmitting said display signal to an A/V display unit.

20. A programmable storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for providing a network interface to a user through a server, said server sending a digital encoded audio/visual (A/V) data-stream to a multimedia terminal, wherein said multimedia terminal can send a command signal from said user to said server, said method steps comprising:

receiving the command signal from the user-input device by a client software component (CSC);

processing the command signal via said CSC to produce a digital response A/V data-stream;

combining said digital response A/V data-stream from said CSC and an application A/V data-stream from the server by a display updater to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream;

encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream by a video encoder to produce the digital encoded A/V data-stream; and

transmitting the digital encoded A/V data-stream via the network to an A/V display unit.

21. A programmable storage device for providing a network interface to a user through a server according to claim 20 further comprising:

first executing a server software program, said server software program being executed via a server processor;

second executing a network software program, said network software program being executed via a network processor; and

third executing a frame application program, said frame application software program being executed via a frame processor, said frame processor being associated with said server processor, said network processor and said CSC.