Connecting interchangeable connectors with pins shared by different cable types

• US 7,200,856 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2005
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koenig; Andrew Y.
• Application Number:
  US11/053,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 725/80, 725/58, 725/133, 725/141, 725/153, 725/82, 439/502
• US Class Current: 725/82
• 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

Systems and methods for recording a signal received by a home entertainment system that includes multiple consumer electronics devices interconnected to a central electronics device in a hub and spoke configuration. The configuration allows all signals in the home entertainment system to be accessible by the central electronics device. Accordingly, the central electronics device can process, route, or otherwise respond to any signal. By way of example, any signal can be routed to a recording system, where it can be recorded. The signal is coupled with information from an electronic programming guide that details specific programming. An automatic determination is made as to whether or not there exists enough free space on a recording medium to record a specific program. Upon recording the program on the recording medium, an index is updated on the recording medium from the electronic programming guide information and from the location of the program on the recording medium. By selecting the program from the index, the recorded program can be automatically located on the recording medium.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising one or more physical computer-readable storage media encoded with computer-executable instructions which, when executed, implement a method for interconnecting a consumer electronics device having one or more identical and interchangeable connectors that support a variety of different cable types and one or more other consumer electronics devices having one or more other connectors, wherein each of the one or more identical and interchangeable connectors comprises one or more pins, and wherein at least one pin is shared by different cable types, and wherein the method comprises:

sensing a cable type for a cable connected to a particular identical and interchangeable connector;

configuring at least one pin of the particular identical and interchangeable connector to carry electrical signals appropriate for the sensed cable type, wherein the at least one pin is shared by different cable types; and

carrying electrical siguals on the at least one configured pin that are appropriate for the sensed cable type.

2. A computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one pin of the particular identical and interchangeable connector is configured as an output pin for transmitting electrical signals.

3. A computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one pin of the particular identical and interchangeable connector is configured as an input pin for receiving electrical signals.

4. A computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the electrical signals comprise a video signal.

5. A computer program product as recited in claim 1, further comprising an act of simultaneous routing multiple signals from multiple source consumer electronic devices to multiple destination consumer electronic devices.

6. A computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the cable connected to the particular identical and interchangeable connector comprises a resistor, and wherein the method further comprises an act of sensing the cable type by determining the value of the resistor.

7. A computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the cable connected to the particular identical and interchangeable connector comprises a memory storing an identification code, and wherein the method further comprises an act of sensing the cable type by receiving the identification code from the memory.

8. A computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the cable interconnects the first consumer electronics device to a second consumer electronics device, and wherein the method further comprises an act of sensing the cable type by interrogating the second consumer electronics device to determine the second consumer electronics device'"'"'s type and thereby inferring the cable type.

9. A computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein the cable comprises a plurality of pins, one or more of which are either connected to ground or are open, and wherein the method further comprises an act of sensing the cable type by identifying a pattern of the one or more open or grounded pins that corresponds to the cable type.