Wireless streaming media systems, devices and methods

• US 8,079,051 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avocent Huntsville Corporation (Vertiv Holdings Co.)
• Original Assignee: Avocent Huntsville Corporation (Vertiv Holdings Co.)
• Inventors: McCafferty, Kevin M., Moore, Richard L., Huntley-Playle, Iain, Li, Sheng, Smith, Richard A., Timmerman, Rudolph J., Covington, C. David
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tilahun, Alazar
• Application Number:
  US12/550,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20090320080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 725/80, 725/81, 725 86-104, 725/141, 725/153, 348/734, 348/14.02, 348/14.04
• US Class Current: 725/81
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system includes one or more transmitter devices constructed and adapted to transmit wireless streaming media, the transmitter device connected to at least one video source, wherein the transmitter device is further constructed and adapted to automatically detect a type of active source signal from the at least one video source and automatically to convert that signal, if necessary, to an appropriate output signal; and one or more receiver devices constructed and adapted to receive wireless signals, the receiver connected to at least one video output device, wherein the at least one receiver device is further constructed and adapted to produce, automatically, a appropriate signal for the at least one video output device connected thereto.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one transmitter unit constructed and configured to transmit wireless streaming media to detected ones of one or more receiver units,

the transmitter unit including;

plural external ports for communication with automatically detected plural differently-formatted streaming media video sources delivering source video in respectively different video formats, the transmitter unit configured to automatically detect a type of the different video formats from the differently-formatted streaming video sources;

a digital video signal processor transforming the source video into video information, converting the video information into one of a plurality of available video protocols, and preparing the video information for wireless transmission to the detected ones of the receiver units; and

the transmitter unit constructed and configured to automatically detect which receiver units are operating in an operational range and, if the number of the receiver units in the operational range is one, automatically establishing a point-to-point wireless communications channel to send the video information to the one of the receiver units, and if the number of other receiver units is more than one, automatically establishing a point-to-multipoint communication broadcast to send the video information to the more than one receiver units in the operational range, the transmitter unit also constructed and configured to automatically detect when changes occur to the number of receiver units in the operating range and accordingly change the point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communication.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising the one or more receiver units constructed and configured to receive the wireless transmission, each detected receiver unit connected to at least one video rendering device of a plurality of video rendering devices that render video in respectively different video rendering styles, wherein each receiver unit is further constructed and adapted to produce, automatically, an appropriate signal for the at least one video rendering device connected thereto in a corresponding one of the different video rendering styles.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more receivers provide bidirectional communication and transmit requests.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission occurs over a secure connection between the transmitter unit and one or more of the receiver units.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the secure connection is Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a set up button to establish the communication channel between the transmitter unit and one or more of the receiver units.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the receiver units has a signal strength monitor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter unit further comprises three video ports.

9. A method in a system comprising at least one transmitter unit constructed and configured to transmit wireless streaming media to detected ones of one or more receiver units, the method comprising:

communicating with automatically detected plural differently-formatted streaming media video sources delivering source video in respectively different video;

automatically detecting a type of the different video formats from the differently-formatted streaming video sources;

transforming the source video into video information;

converting the video information into one of a plurality of available video protocols;

preparing the video information for wireless transmission to the detected ones of the receiver units;

automatically detecting which receiver units are operating in an operational range;

automatically establishing a point-to-point wireless communications channel to send the video information to the one of the receiver units if the number of the receiver units in the operational range is one;

automatically establishing a point-to-multipoint communication broadcast to send the video information to the more than one receiver units in the operational range if the number of other receiver units is more than one; and

automatically detecting when changes occur to the number of receiver units in the operating range and accordingly changing the point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communication.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the wireless transmission;

connecting to at least one video rendering device of a plurality of video rendering devices that render video in respectively different video rendering styles; and

producing, automatically, an appropriate signal for the at least one video rendering device connected thereto in a corresponding one of the different video rendering styles.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing, by the one or more receiver units, bidirectional communication and transmitting requests.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless transmission occurs over a secure connection between the transmitter unit and one or more of the receiver units.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the secure connection is Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising establishing the communication channel between the transmitter unit and one or more receiver units by a set up button.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein one or more of the receiver units has a signal strength monitor.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitter unit further comprises three video ports.