Scheme for realizing communications through external network from contents processing device connected to local network in home environment

• US 6,665,303 B1
• Filed: 12/31/1998
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Akiyama, Koichiro, Saito, Takeshi, Hashimoto, Mikio, Kambayashi, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elallam, Ahmed
• Application Number:
  US09/223,812
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/353, 370/419, 370/438, 709/203, 709/220, 709/219, 713/168
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40097 Interconnection with other networks LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; single bridge functionality H04L12/462
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2991 Coated

Abstract

A scheme for realizing communications through an external network such as telephone network from a contents processing device such as AV device or PC connected to a local network such as home network is disclosed. The contents processing device solicits a set up of connection to the server device through the telephone network, to a gateway device which is connected with both the home network and the telephone network. Then, the gateway device carries out a call set up with respect to a specified address on the telephone network, upon receiving the solicitation from the contents processing device, and transfers data transmitted from the contents processing device to a connection established by the call set up, and data arriving from the connection established by the call set up to the contents processing device.

Claims

1. A contents processing device, comprising:

a home network interface for connection to a home network;

a protocol processing unit for executing protocol processing for communications with a server device through a telephone network;

a solicitation unit for soliciting a set up of connection to the server device through the telephone network, to a gateway device which is connected with both the home network and the telephone network, by using the home network interface;

an information processing unit for processing contents information obtained by the communications with the server device through the gateway device and the home network interface;

a telephone network interface for connection to the telephone network; and

a judgment unit for judging whether the communications with the server device directly through the telephone network interface is possible or not;

wherein the solicitation unit solicits the set up of connection to the server device through the telephone network to the gateway device by using the home network interface and the protocol processing unit carries out the communications with the server device through the gateway device and the home network interface, when the judgment unit judged that the communications with the server device directly through the telephone network interface is not possible.

2. A contents processing device, comprising:

a home network interface for connection to a home network;

a protocol processing unit for executing protocol processing for communications with a server device through a telephone network;

a solicitation unit for soliciting a set up of connection to the server device through the telephone network, to a gateway device which is connected with both the home network and the telephone network, by using the home network interface; and

an information processing unit for processing contents information obtained by the communications with the server device through the gateway device and the home network interface;

wherein the protocol processing unit carries out a prescribed procedure using the communications with the server device in order to obtain a permission to process a specific contents information, when a need to obtain a permission to process the specific contents information arises; and

the information processing unit reads out the specific contents information from a prescribed storage medium, and the protocol processing unit obtains an address information of the server device which is to be used in setting up connection to the server device, which is recorded along with the specific contents information in the prescribed storage medium.

3. The contents processing device of claim 2, wherein the protocol processing unit authenticates the address information using an authentication information for the address information which is also recorded in the prescribed storage medium, before obtaining the address information.

4. The contents processing device of claim 2, wherein the protocol processing unit obtains the address information by decrypting an encrypted address information which is recorded in the prescribed storage medium.

5. A contents processing device, comprising:

a home network interface for connection to a home network;

a protocol processing unit for executing protocol processing for communications with a server device through a telephone network;

a solicitation unit for soliciting a set up of connection to the server device through the telephone network, to a gateway device which is connected with both the home network and the telephone network, by using the home network interface; and

an information processing unit for processing contents information obtained by the communications with the server device through the gateway device and the home network interface;

wherein the protocol processing unit carries out a prescribed procedure using the communications with the server device in order to obtain a permission to process a specific contents information, when a need to obtain a permission to process the specific contents information arises; and

the protocol processing unit executes the protocol processing by executing a communication protocol program which is recorded in the prescribed storage medium along with the specific contents information.

6. The contents processing device of claim 5, wherein the protocol processing unit executes the communication protocol program by decrypting an encrypted communication protocol program which is recorded in the prescribed storage medium.

7. A contents processing device, comprising:

a home network interface for connection to a home network;

a protocol processing unit for executing protocol processing for communications with a server device through a telephone network;

a solicitation unit for soliciting a set up of connection to the server device through the telephone network, to a gateway device which is connected with both the home network and the telephone network, by using the home network interface; and

an information processing unit for processing contents information obtained by the communications with the server device through the gateway device and the home network interface;

wherein the protocol processing unit carries out a prescribed procedure using the communications with the server device in order to obtain a permission to process a specific contents information, when a need to obtain a permission to process the specific contents information arises; and

the protocol processing unit executes the protocol processing by executing one communication protocol program that is executable at the contents processing device among a plurality of communication protocol programs of identical function written in different programming languages which are recorded in the prescribed storage medium along with the specific contents information.

8. The contents processing device of claim 7, wherein the protocol processing unit executes said one communication protocol program by decrypting a corresponding one encrypted communication protocol program which is recorded in the prescribed storage medium.

9. A contents processing device, comprising:

a home network interface for connection to a home network;

a home network processing unit for executing protocol processing for communications with a server device through a telephone network;

a solicitation unit for soliciting a set up of connection to the server device through the telephone network, to a gateway device which is connected with both the home network and the telephone network, by using the home network and the telephone network, by using the home network interface; and

an information processing unit for processing contents information obtained by the communications with the server device through the gateway device and the home network interface;

wherein the information processing unit utilizes contents information recorded in a prescribed storage medium when a replay condition recorded in the prescribed storage medium is satisfied or when a permission regarding contents information utilization is obtained through a prescribed procedure.

10. The contents processing device of claim 9, further comprising:

an extraction unit for extracting an address information of the server device to be communicated with in order to obtain the permission when the replay condition recorded in the prescribed storage medium is not satisfied;

wherein the solicitation unit solicits the set up of connection to the server device according to the address information extracted by the extraction unit, and the protocol processing unit carries out the prescribed procedure for obtaining the permission from the server device through the connection established by the gateway device in response to a solicitation by the solicitation unit.

11. The contents processing device of claim 10, wherein the protocol processing unit carries out the prescribed procedure by executing a communication protocol program which is recorded in the prescribed storage medium along with the contents information.