Method and apparatus of data transfer controlling data transfer among a plurality of equipments connected to a network and medium recording the program thereof

• US 8,321,576 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ueda, Toru, Terada, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, PETER C
• Application Number:
  US11/287,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,556 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230, 709/231, 709/232, 709/233, 370/244, 370/552
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• 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 12/40052 High-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus bus transfer protocol on a daisy chain bus using an embedded synchronisation G06F13/426
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052

Abstract

A data transfer apparatus includes an attribute collecting unit collecting attribute of data managed by an equipment connected to a network, a transfer control unit selecting a method of data transfer based on the attribute information of data collected by the attribute collecting unit, a data receiving unit receiving data by the method of transfer selected by the transfer control unit, and a data transmitting unit transmitting data by the method of transfer selected by the transfer control unit. As the transfer control unit selects the method of data transfer based on the data attribute information collected by the attribute collecting unit, it becomes possible for a user or an application program to receive data by the same operation.

Claims

1. A data receiving apparatus incorporated in a computer, comprising:

the computer performing equipment attribute information acquiring by requesting and receiving equipment attribute information from an equipment connected to a network;

the computer performing data attribute information acquiring by requesting and receiving data attribute information of the equipment from the equipment;

the computer performing said data attribute information acquiring by transmitting a directory command to the equipment, and receiving directory information from the selected equipment, where a directory is selected by the user;

the computer performing transfer selecting by selecting a transfer protocol in accordance with the data attribute information of the equipment and issuing a data transmission command for data for the equipment from the selected directory; and

the computer performing data receiving by receiving data from the selected directory by the selected transfer protocol.

2. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data receiving unit receives data by a plurality of physical layers.

3. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transfer selecting unit includes a command set selecting unit selecting a command set based on the data attribute information acquired by said data attribute information acquiring unit.

4. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data attribute information acquiring unit acquires the data attribute information using a common protocol.

5. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the equipment attribute information includes at least one of a name of the equipment, a name of its function, a manufacturer'"'"'s name, a processible protocol, icon information, and a current state.

6. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data attribute information includes at least one of a file name, a data format, a data size, icon information, protocol information, description of contents, and a creation date.

7. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an attribute displaying unit displaying all or some of the equipment attribute information and/or the data attribute information.

8. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selected protocol includes at least a protocol for transferring a stream and a protocol for transferring a file.

9. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data receiving apparatus is an AV reproducing apparatus performing reproduction of AV data.

10. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the equipment attribute information includes at least a name of its function and a processible protocol.

11. A data transfer apparatus incorporated in a computer, comprising:

the computer performing equipment attribute information transmitting by transmitting equipment attribute information of its own equipment to an equipment connected to a network;

the computer performing data attribute information transmitting transmitting data attribute information of each data item managed by its own equipment to the equipment connected to the network;

the computer performing command receiving by receiving a directory command from the equipment connected to the network, the directory command including a data attribute of the equipment connected to the network;

the computer performing transfer selecting by selecting a transfer protocol from a plurality of transfer protocols in accordance with data attribute information included in the directory command; and

the computer performing data transmitting by transmitting data to the equipment connected to the network by the transfer protocol selected by said transfer selecting unit.

12. The data transfer apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said data transmitting unit transmits data by a plurality of physical layers.

13. The data transfer apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said transfer selecting unit includes a command set selecting unit selecting a command set based on the data attribute information included in the command.

14. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the data attribute information includes at least one of a file name, a data format, a data size, icon information, protocol information, description of contents, and a creation date.

15. A data receiving apparatus incorporated in a computer, comprising:

the computer performing equipment attribute information transmitting by transmitting equipment attribute information of its own equipment to an equipment connected to a network;

the computer performing command receiving by receiving a directory command from one of the equipments to which said equipment attribute information was transmitted, the directory command including a data attribute of the equipment connected to the network;

the computer performing receiving selecting by selecting a receiving protocol from a plurality of receiving protocols in accordance with the data attribute information included in the directory command; and

the computer performing data receiving by receiving data from said equipment from which the directory command is received by said selected receiving method.

16. A data transfer apparatus incorporated in a computer, comprising:

the computer performing equipment attribute information acquiring by requesting and receiving equipment attribute information from an equipment connected to a network;

the computer performing equipment selecting by selecting one of the equipments of which said equipment attribute information was acquired;

the computer performing transfer selecting by selecting a transfer protocol in accordance with a transfer method associated with the selected equipment, and selecting the corresponding transfer method;

the computer performing directory command transmitting by transmitting a directory command including said selected transfer method information to said selected equipment; and

the computer performing data transmitting by transmitting data to the selected equipment by said selected transfer protocol.

17. The data transfer apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising an attribute display unit displaying some or all of said acquired equipment attribute information.

18. A data receiving apparatus incorporated in a computer, comprising:

the computer performing equipment attribute information acquiring by requesting and receiving equipment attribute information from an equipment connected to a network;

the computer performing data attribute information acquiring by transmitting a directory command to the equipment, and requesting and receiving data attribute information of each data item managed by at least one of the equipments of which said equipment attribute information was acquired, said data attribute information including a command set for an associated equipment;

the computer performing said data attribute information acquiring by transmitting a directory command to the equipment, and receiving directory information from the equipment, where a directory is selected by a user;

the computer performing command set selecting by selecting a command set from a plurality of command sets in accordance with equipment attribute information and the data attribute information of the data item of said received data attribute information; and

the computer performing command transmitting by transmitting a command included in the command set selected by said command set selecting unit to any of the equipments of which said equipment attribute information was received.

19. A data receiving method, comprising:

requesting and receiving by a computer performing equipment attribute information acquiring by acquiring equipment attribute information from an equipment connected to a network;

requesting by a computer performing data attribute information acquiring by acquiring data attribute information of each data item managed by at least one equipment of which said equipment attribute information was acquired, said data attribute information including a data transfer protocol for an associated data item;

transmitting by a computer directory command, and requesting and receiving directory information from the equipment, where a directory is selected by a user;

selecting by a computer performing transfer method selecting by selecting a data transfer protocol in accordance with said acquired data attribute information of the selected equipment among said directory information and issuing a data transmission command for data for the equipment from the selected directory; and

receiving by a computer performing data receiving by receiving data from the selected directory by the selected transfer protocol.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer executable program for executing a data receiving method, wherein said data receiving method includes

requesting and receiving equipment attribute information from an equipment connected to a network;

requesting and receiving data attribute information of the equipment from the equipment;

transmitting a directory command to the equipment and receiving directory information from the selected equipment, where a directory is selected by the user;

selecting a data transfer protocol in accordance with the data attribute information of the selected equipment and issuing a transmission command for data for the equipment from the selected directory; and

receiving data from the selected directory by the selected transfer protocol.

21. A data transfer method, comprising:

transmitting by a computer performing equipment attribute information transmitting by transmitting equipment attribute information of its own equipment to an equipment connected to a network;

transmitting by a computer performing data attribute information transmitting by transmitting data attribute information of each data item managed by its own equipment to the equipment connected to the network;

receiving by a computer performing command receiving by receiving a directory command from the equipment connected to the network, the directory command including a data attribute of the equipment connected to the network;

selecting by a computer performing transfer method selecting by a transfer protocol from a plurality of transfer protocols in accordance with data attribute information included in the directory command; and

transmitting by a data transmitting unit data to the equipment connected to the network by said selected transfer protocol.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer executable program for executing a data transfer method, wherein said data transfer method includes

transmitting equipment attribute information of its own equipment to an equipment connected to a network;

transmitting data attribute information of each data item managed by its own equipment to the equipment connected to the network;

receiving a directory command from the equipment connected to the network, the directory command including a data attribute of the equipment connected to the network;

selecting a transfer protocol in accordance with data attribute information and issuing a data transmission included in the directory command; and

transmitting data to the equipment connected to the network by said selected transfer protocol.

23. A data receiving method, comprising:

transmitting by a computer performing equipment attribute information transmitting by transmitting equipment attribute information of its own equipment to an equipment connected to a network;

receiving by a computer performing command receiving by receiving a directory command from one of the equipments to which said equipment attribute information was transmitted, the directory command including data attribute information of the equipment connected to the network;

selecting by a computer performing receiving method selecting by selecting a receiving protocol from a plurality of receiving protocols in accordance with attribute information included in the directory command; and

receiving by a data receiving unit data from said directory by the receiving protocol.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer executable program for executing a data receiving method, wherein said data receiving method includes

transmitting equipment attribute information of its own equipment to an equipment connected to a network;

receiving a directory command from one of the equipments to which said equipment attribute information was transmitted, the directory command including data attribute information of the equipment connected to the network;

selecting a receiving protocol from a plurality of receiving protocols in accordance with data attribute information included in the directory command; and

receiving data from said equipment from which the command is received by said selected receiving method.