System for optimally distributing processing performance of Av apparatus

• US 6,851,116 B1
• Filed: 04/11/2000
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): BULLOCK JR, LEWIS ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US09/547,036
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 719321-327, 709310-332, 709223-226
• US Class Current: 719/322
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB

Abstract

To provide a system which is capable of automatically selecting an optimum function from a plurality of connected AV apparatus and of constructing an optimum utilization. An audio-video managing system comprises a plurality of audio-video apparatus (“AV apparatus”) and a managing apparatus which is connected with said plurality of AV apparatus. The managing apparatus comprises means for receiving AV apparatus information including information on functions of said AV apparatus and ranks of said functions, which is transmitted from said plurality of AV apparatus and for detecting duplicated functions existing among said plurality of AV apparatus, and means for determining allocation so that the duplicated function is allocated to the AV apparatus having a highest rank and optimum functions are allocated to each of said plurality of AV apparatus based upon the rank information of said function when presence of duplicated functions among said plurality of AV apparatus functions is detected.

Claims

1. An audio-video managing system wherein said system comprises a plurality of audio-video apparatus, hereinafter referred to as AV apparatus, and a managing apparatus which is connected with said plurality of AV apparatus;

and

wherein said managing apparatus comprises;

means for receiving AV apparatus information including information on functions of said AV apparatus and ranks of said functions, which is transmitted from said plurality of AV apparatus and for detecting duplicated functions existing among said plurality of AV apparatus; and

means for determining allocation so that the duplicated function is allocated to an AV apparatus having a highest rank and optimum functions are allocated to each of said plurality of AV apparatus based upon the information on the rank of said function when the presence of duplicated functions among said plurality of AV apparatus functions is detected so that control of said duplicated functions is handled by a single command issued from said managing apparatus.

2. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said AV apparatus transmits control drivers of the functions which are determined by said managing apparatus to each of said managing apparatus,

said managing apparatus comprises means for receiving the control drivers of said functions which are transmitted from each of said AV apparatus to store and hold said control drivers and for transmitting said control drivers of said functions to any other AV apparatus which does not have said functions.

3. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 2, wherein said system further comprises at least one information processing apparatus which comprises said managing apparatus.

4. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 3, wherein said computer comprises at least one function unit which performs at least one function selected for at least one of the AV apparatus.

5. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 1, wherein said AV apparatus information comprises information of identification of its own AV apparatus, a number of sets of information on the functions and ranks, which number is equal to the number of function which possessed by its own AV apparatus and in that said apparatus transmits said AV apparatus information to said managing apparatus when said AV apparatus is connected to said managing apparatus.

6. An AV Apparatus managing system as defined in claim 1, wherein said managing apparatus comprises means for inputting information which is specified by a user so that presetting of the connection mode and function allocation of said AV apparatus is rendered possible by the specification of said user.

7. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of AV apparatus comprises said managing apparatus.

8. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 1, wherein said system is connected with an apparatus transferring data of plurality of channels so that data on each of said channels is reproduced by respective different AV apparatus.

9. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 1, wherein said system further comprises means for selecting an AV apparatus which performs said function in a predetermined selecting format when a plurality of AV apparatus have a same rank for a same function.

10. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 1, wherein said system further comprises at least one information processing apparatus which comprises said managing apparatus, said processing apparatus being connected to one or more of said AV apparatus and having functions outputting audio and/or video signals.

11. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 10, wherein said AV apparatus selects said information processing apparatus having a highest rank function based upon rank information of the functions possessed by this AV apparatus to transmit a control driver of said highest rank function to said selected information processing apparatus.

12. An AV apparatus managing system, wherein said system comprises one or more audio-video apparatus, hereinafter referred to as AV apparatus, and a plurality of information processing apparatus being connected to one or more of said AV apparatus and having functions outputting audio and/or video signals, and

wherein said AV apparatus selects the information processing apparatus having a highest rank function based upon rank information of the functions possessed by this AV apparatus to transmit a control driver of said highest rank function to said selected information processing apparatus.

13. An audio-video managing system wherein said system comprises a plurality of audio-video apparatus, hereinafter referred to as AV apparatus, and a managing apparatus which is connected with said plurality of AV apparatus;

and

wherein said managing apparatus comprises;

a managing module receiving AV apparatus information including information on functions of said AV apparatus and ranks of said functions, which is transmitted from said plurality of AV apparatus, said managing module detecting duplicated functions existing among said plurality of AV apparatus; and

an allocating module determining allocation so that the duplicated function is allocated to an AV apparatus having a highest rank and optimum functions are allocated to each of said plurality of AV apparatus based upon the information on the rank of said function when the presence of duplicated functions among said plurality of AV apparatus functions is detected so that control of said duplicated functions is handled by a single command issued from said managing apparatus.

14. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 13, wherein each of said AV apparatus comprises a communication unit transmitting control drivers of the functions which are determined by said managing apparatus to each of said managing apparatus,

said managing apparatus comprises a communication unit receiving the control drivers of said functions which are transmitted from each of said AV apparatus to store and hold said control drivers, said communication unit transmitting said control drivers of said functions to any other AV apparatus which does not have said functions.

15. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 13, wherein said AV apparatus information comprises information of identification of its own AV apparatus, a number of sets of information on the functions and ranks, which number is equal to the number of functions which are possessed by its own AV apparatus, and in that said AV apparatus transmits said AV apparatus information to said managing apparatus when said AV apparatus is connected to said managing apparatus.

16. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 13, wherein said managing apparatus comprises an input unit inputting information which is specified by a user so that presetting of the connection mode and function allocation of said AV apparatus is rendered possible by the specification of said user.

17. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 13, wherein at least one of said plurality of AV apparatus comprises said managing apparatus.

18. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 13, wherein said system is connected with an apparatus transferring data of plurality of channels so that data on each of said channels is reproduced by respective different AV apparatus.

19. An AV apparatus managing system as defined in claim 13, wherein said system further comprises a selecting module selecting an AV apparatus which performs said function in a predetermined selecting format when a plurality of AV apparatus have a same rank for a same function.