Media streaming device with gateway functionality

• US 8,477,793 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sling Media LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Incorporated (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Tarra, Raghuveer, Bajpai, Parimal, Satheesh, Sharath Hariharpur
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks Harold, Marsha D
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, MATTHEW T
• Application Number:
  US12/237,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20090080448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/401, 370/412, 707/104.1, 709/222, 711/151
• US Class Current: 370/401
• 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 12/2838 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 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• 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

Abstract

Various methods and devices provide place shifting of a media stream to a remote device while also providing network functionality for a local area network (LAN) and/or a wide area network (WAN). The gateway includes a media interface for receiving audio/visual (A/V) signals from the media source, as well as interfaces to the LAN and/or the WAN. A media streaming module receives the A/V signals from the media interface and processes the received A/V signals to thereby create the media stream. A modem module receives the media stream from the media streaming module via a dedicated connection, network switch and/or other connection, and transmits the media stream to the remote device via at least one of the first and second network interfaces.

Claims

1. A first device for providing a media stream to a second device, the first device comprising:

an input interface configured to receive audio/visual signals from a media source;

a local area network interface to a local area network;

a wide area network interface to a wide area network;

a media streaming module disposed within the first device and coupled to the input interface, wherein the media streaming module is configured to create the media stream from the audio/visual signals received from the input interface, wherein the media streaming module comprises a host port interface, and wherein the media streaming module is configured to format the created media stream into network packets that are routable on at least one of the local area network and the wide area network and to encapsulate the network packets into an interface format that is compatible with the host port interface; and

a modem module disposed within the first device, wherein the modem module is coupled to the wide area network interface to provide a gateway between the local area network and the wide area network, wherein the modem module comprises an external memory interface coupled to the media streaming module via an HPI-EMIF bridge that provides a dedicated communications channel between the media streaming module and the modem module, and wherein the modem module is configured to receive the encapsulated network packets from the media streaming module via the HPI-EMIF bridge, to decapsulate the network packets, and to transmit the decapsulated network packets containing the media stream via at least one of the local area network interface and the wide area network interface.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the modem module is further configured to form network data packets based upon data received from the at least one of the first and second network interfaces, to encapsulate the network data packets into the interface format that is compatible with the host port interface, and to transmit the encapsulated network data packets to the media streaming module via the dedicated communications channel.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the media streaming module and the modem module are implemented with a common processing device.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the modem module is further configured to obtain a network address that was previously allocated to another device operating on the local area network and to use the previously-allocated network address during subsequent communications.

5. A method for transmitting a network stream representing audio/visual signals received from a media source to a second device using a first device that communicates via a first network and a second network and that comprises a media streaming module having a host port interface and a gateway module having an external memory interface that has a direct connection to the host port interface via an HPI-EMIF bridge, and wherein the gateway module, the method comprising:

receiving the audio/visual signals from the media source;

processing the audio/visual signals to create the media stream at the media streaming module of the first device, wherein the processing comprises formatting the media stream into network packets that are compatible with at least one of the first network and the second network and encapsulating the network packets into an interface format that is compatible with the HPI-EMIF bridge;

providing the encapsulated network packets containing the media stream from the media streaming module to the gateway module of the first device via the HPI-EMIF bridge, wherein the gateway module extracts the network packets from the encapsulated network packets; and

transmitting the extracted network packets containing the media stream to the second device via at least one of the first and the second networks.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising forming network data packets at the gateway module based upon data received from at least one of the first and second networks, encapsulating the network data packets into the encapsulated packet format at the gateway module, and transmitting the encapsulated data packets from the gateway module to the media streaming module via the HPI-EMIF bridge within the first device.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising switching a communications channel within the first device between the media streaming module and the gateway module.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising obtaining a network address that was previously allocated to another device operating on the first network and using the previously-allocated network address during subsequent communications.

9. The method of claim 8 comprising monitoring network traffic on the first network to determine the previously-allocated network address.

10. The method of claim 8 comprising detecting a dynamic host configuration message on the first network to determine the previously-allocated network address.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the previously-allocated network address comprises an internet protocol (IP) address.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the previously-allocated network address comprises a media access control (MAC) address.

13. The method of claim 5 further comprising receiving a discovery request from a third device operating on the first network.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising detecting signals in the second network, setting a first operating mode if signals are received only in the first network, and setting a second operating mode if signals are received in both the first network and the second network.

15. A gateway device interfacing with a local area network and a wide area network that additionally provides a media stream to a remote device in response to audio/visual signals received from a media source, the gateway device comprising:

a media interface configured to receive the audio/visual signals from the media source;

a first network interface to the local area network;

a second network interface to the wide area network;

an HPI-EMIF bridge configured to provide a dedicated internal communications channel within the gateway device;

a media streaming module having a host port interface configured to transmit and receive data via the HPI-EMIF bridge, wherein the media streaming module is configured to receive the audio/visual signals from the media interface, to process the audio/visual signals to create the media stream, to format the media stream into network packets compatible with at least one of the local area network and the wide area network, to encapsulate the network packets into encapsulated packets compatible with the HPI-EMIF bridge, and to transmit the encapsulated packets on the HPI-EMIF bridge within the gateway device; and

a modem module having an external memory interface configured to transmit and receive data via the HPI-EMIF bridge, wherein the modem module is coupled to the first and second network interfaces and is configured to provide a gateway between the local area network and the wide area network, wherein the modem module is further configured to receive the encapsulated packets from the media streaming module via the HPI-EMIF bridge, to extract the network packets from the encapsulated packets, and to transmit the network packets to the remote device via the at least one of the local area network and the wide area network.

16. The gateway device of claim 15 wherein the modem module is further configured to obtain a network address that was previously allocated to another device operating on the local area network and to use the previously-allocated network address during subsequent communications.