Emulator-enabled network connectivity to a device

• US 7,209,874 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2002
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CSR Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Zoran Corporation (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Salmonsen, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): JONES, HUGH M
• Application Number:
  US10/314,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20030225568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 703/27, 703/23
• US Class Current: 703/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/283 Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• 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 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• 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 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

An emulator is capable of connecting to an information interface that can communicate information from an information source to an information sink in a format native to the information sink. The emulator comprises an emulation controller capable of coupling to the information interface, a network controller coupled to the emulation controller and capable of coupling to an external network, and a storage. The storage holds an instruction sequence executable on the emulation controller. The instruction sequence comprises a code for receiving network information from the external network and a code capable of converting the network information to the native format for transfer to the information sink.

Claims

1. An emulator comprising:

means for coupling to a media decoder, the media decoder having a capability to decode information encoded in a format native to the media decoder;

means for accessing information from an external device and in a format different from the native format;

means for determining, based on the accessed information, a content format in which the information is being accessed;

means for determining the format native to the media decoder;

means for converting the accessed information to the native format; and

means for supplying the converted information to the media decoder.

2. An emulator according to claim 1 further comprising:

means for analyzing signals from the external device to determine if the accessed information is in one of a plurality of formats supported by the media decoder; and

means for reformatting the accessed information to one of the plurality of supported formats when the signals indicate that the accessed information is in an unsupported format.

3. An emulator according to claim 1 further comprising:

means for analyzing signals from the decoder to determine the plurality of formats supported by the media decoder;

means for analyzing signals from the external device to determine if the format of the accessed information is not one of the supported formats; and

means for converting the accessed information to one of the plurality of supported formats when the signals from the external source indicates the accessed information is not in one of the supported formats.