Control of data presentation using a wireless home entertainment hub

• US 8,005,236 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Porto Vinci Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Igoe, Patrick T
• Primary Examiner(s): Jamal; Alexander
• Application Number:
  US11/470,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20080069319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 381/85, 381/81
• US Class Current: 381/81
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances

Abstract

A method for controlling presentation of data through a wireless home entertainment hub in a home entertainment system includes obtaining a registration for one or more source devices and for one or more sink devices. An indication is received at the wireless home entertainment hub that at least one of the source devices has become active. An instruction is transmitted to the sink devices to receive data from the at least one active source device. An indication is transmitted to at least one active source device that at least one of the sink devices is ready to receive data.

Claims

1. A method for controlling presentation of data through a wireless home entertainment hub in a home entertainment system comprising:

registering one or more source devices with the wireless home entertainment hub;

registering one or more sink devices with the wireless home entertainment hub;

performing error checking during the registration of each of the source and sink devices by comparing a list of capabilities received from each of the source and sink devices with a list of expected capabilities stored in the wireless home entertainment hub;

storing an indication of the registration in response to a determination that the list of capabilities matches the list of expected capabilities;

receiving at the wireless home entertainment hub an indication that at least one of the source devices has become active;

transmitting an instruction to the sink devices to receive data from the at least one active source device; and

transmitting an indication to the at least one active source device that at least one of the sink devices is ready to receive data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sink devices includes a plurality of wireless speakers for presenting audio data to a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sink devices includes a display device for presenting video data to a user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the wireless home entertainment hub is included in the display device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the source devices are wireless devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sink devices are wireless devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the active source device becomes active based on an instruction received the wireless home entertainment hub.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the active source device becomes active based on action on the respective source device by a user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting an instruction to the sink devices comprises:

broadcasting an instruction to the sink devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting an instruction to the sink devices comprises:

transmitting an instruction to each of the sink devices.

11. A method for transmitting data from a source device to one or more sink devices for presentation to a user in a home entertainment system, the method comprising:

transmitting a list of capabilities of the source device to a wireless home entertainment hub;

obtaining a registration of the source device with the wireless home entertainment hub;

storing an indication of the registration in response to a determination that the list of capabilities matches a list of expected capabilities stored at the wireless home entertainment hub;

transmitting an indication to the wireless home entertainment hub that the source device has become active;

receiving an indication from the wireless home entertainment hub that at least one of the sink devices is ready to receive data; and

transmitting the data to the at least one sink device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the source device is a wireless device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the source device becomes active based on an instruction received at the wireless home entertainment hub.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the source device becomes active based on action on the respective source device by a user.

15. A method for receiving data for presentation by a sink device from a source device in a home entertainment system, the method comprising:

transmitting a list of capabilities of the sink device to a wireless home entertainment hub;

obtaining a registration of the sink device with the wireless home entertainment hub;

storing an indication of the registration in response to a determination that the list of capabilities matches a list of expected capabilities stored at the wireless home entertainment hub;

receiving an instruction from the wireless home entertainment hub to receive data from an active source device; and

receiving the data at the sink device from the active source device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting the data to a user.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

in response to the instruction from the wireless home entertainment hub to receive data, ensuring that the sink device is in an active state.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the sink device is a wireless speaker for presenting audio data to a user.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the sink device is a display device for presenting video data to a user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the wireless home entertainment hub is included in the display device.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the sink device is a wireless device.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the data received from the active source device matches the presentation capabilities of the sink device.

23. A wireless home entertainment hub for controlling presentation of data in a home entertainment system, the wireless home entertainment hub comprising:

a memory for storing registration information for one or more source devices and one or more sink devices and a list of expected capabilities for various types of source and sink devices in response to a determination that a list of capabilities received from each of the source and sink devices matches the list of expected capabilities;

a receiver for receiving an indication of activity of an active source device;

a transmitter for transmitting an instruction to the sink devices to receive data from the active source device and an indication to the active source device that at least one of the sink devices is ready to receive data; and

a processor configured to perform error checking during registration of the source and sink devices by comparing the list of capabilities received from each of the source and sink devices with the stored list of expected capabilities for the corresponding one of the types of source and sink devices, and configured to facilitate transfer of the data between the source devices and the sink devices in response to an indication of activity of the active source device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the wireless home entertainment hub is included in a display device.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the wireless home entertainment hub is included in a remote control unit.