Bridge between digital living network alliance (DLNA) protocol and web protocol

• US 8,631,137 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Douillet, Ludovic, Dunn, Ted, Tao, David
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US12/215,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,027 Days
• Field of Search: 709/228, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• 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 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• 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 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless

Abstract

A web protocol request is received from a web-based device for aggregated A/V content information associated with A/V content stored within the DLNA home network. The web protocol request is converted to one or more DLNA search messages each associated with one or more active DLNA servers. A/V content information associated with each of the one or more active DLNA servers is aggregated using the one or more DLNA search messages. The aggregated A/V content information is formatted into a web protocol response. The web protocol response is sent to the web-based device. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A method of Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) audio and video (A/V) content aggregation and presentation to web-based devices outside of a DLNA home network, comprising:

receiving a web protocol request from a web-based device for aggregated A/V content information that represents A/V content stored within the DLNA home network, where the received web protocol request further comprises at least one A/V filter criterion;

sending a plurality of DLNA messages each associated with one of a plurality of active DLNA servers to each of the plurality respective plurality of active DLNA servers;

at a DLNA client device, aggregating A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within each of the plurality of active DLNA servers using the plurality of DLNA messages, where aggregating the A/V content information further comprises sending the associated DLNA message to each of the plurality of active DLNA servers and receiving a DLNA response message from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers, each comprising all of the A/V content information that represents all of the A/V content stored within the respective active DLNA server, where aggregating the A/V content information further comprises combining the A/V content information received from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers into a non-hierarchical pool of A/V content identifier elements that each represent one item of the aggregated A/V content information;

filtering the aggregated A/V content information according to the at least one A/V filter criterion to produce aggregated filtered A/V content information;

formatting the aggregated filtered A/V content information into a web protocol response; and

sending the web protocol response to the web-based device, where the web protocol response is filtered upon the at least one A/V filter criterion.

2. The method according to claim 1, where each element of the non-hierarchical pool of A/V identifier elements further comprises at least one of a thumbnail image, a uniform resource identifier (URI), a content type, a title, a runtime, a genre, and a date associated with each item of A/V content stored at each of the plurality of DLNA servers.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a web protocol request for an item of A/V content including a URI selected from the non-hierarchical pool of A/V identifier elements from the web-based device;

retrieving at least one of a thumbnail image and A/V content associated with the selected URI from storage at the respective active DLNA server;

formatting the at least one of the thumbnail image and the A/V content into a web protocol compatible format; and

sending the at least one of the thumbnail image and the A/V content to the web-based device using the web protocol compatible format.

4. The method according to claim 1, where the at least one A/V filter criterion further comprises at least one of a content type, a genre, and a date of production, and where filtering the received A/V content information based upon the at least one A/V filter criterion further comprises categorizing the aggregated A/V content information based upon the at least one of the content type, the genre, and the date of production.

5. The method according to claim 1, where aggregating the A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within each of the plurality of active DLNA servers further comprises sending a DLNA filtered search message comprising the at least one A/V filter criterion to each of the plurality of active DLNA servers.

6. The method according to claim 5, where aggregating the A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within each of the plurality of active DLNA servers further comprises receiving A/V search results in response to the DLNA filtered search message from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers and combining the A/V search results received from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers to form the aggregated A/V content information.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

querying at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers for updated A/V content information in response to an indication of changed A/V content stored within the at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

receiving the updated A/V content information from the at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

formatting the updated A/V content information into a web protocol update message; and

sending the web protocol update message to the web-based device.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

querying an activated DLNA server for A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within the activated DLNA server in response to the activated DLNA server entering the home network;

receiving the A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within the activated DLNA server;

aggregating the A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within the activated DLNA server with the A/V content information received from the plurality of active DLNA servers;

formatting the A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within the activated DLNA server into a web protocol update message; and

sending the web protocol update message to the web-based device.

9. A Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) audio and video (A/V) content aggregation device forming part of a DLNA client, comprising:

a memory adapted to store information that represents A/V content distributed within a home network environment; and

a processor programmed to;

receive a web protocol request from a web-based device for aggregated A/V content information that represents A/V content stored within the DLNA home network, where the received web protocol request comprises at least one A/V filter criterion;

send a plurality of DLNA messages each associated with one of a plurality of active DLNA servers to each of the plurality respective plurality of active DLNA servers;

aggregate A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within each of the plurality of active DLNA servers using the plurality of DLNA messages, where aggregating the A/V content information further comprises sending the associated DLNA message to each of the plurality of active DLNA servers and receiving a DLNA response message from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers, each comprising all of the A/V content information that represents all of the A/V content stored within the respective active DLNA server, where aggregating the A/V content information further comprises combining the A/V content information received from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers into a non-hierarchical pool of A/V content identifier elements that each represent one item of the aggregated A/V content information;

store the aggregated A/V content information to the memory;

filter the aggregated A/V content information according to the at least one A/V filter criterion to produce aggregated filtered A/V content information;

format the aggregated filtered A/V content information into a web protocol response; and

send the web protocol response to the web-based device, where the web protocol response is filtered upon the at least one A/V filter criterion.

10. The device according to claim 9, where the processor is further programmed to send at least a portion of the non-hierarchical pool of A/V identifier elements to the web-based device based upon the at least one A/V filter criterion.

11. The device according to claim 9, where each element of the non-hierarchical pool of A/V identifier elements further comprises at least one of a thumbnail image, a uniform resource identifier (URI), a content type, a title, a runtime, a genre, and a date associated with each item of A/V content stored at each of the plurality of DLNA servers.

12. The device according to claim 11, where the processor is further programmed to:

receive a web protocol request for an item of A/V content including a URI selected from the non-hierarchical pool of A/V identifier elements from the web-based device;

retrieve at least one of a thumbnail image and A/V content associated with the selected URI from storage at the respective active DLNA server;

format the at least one of the thumbnail image and the A/V content into a web protocol compatible format; and

send the at least one of the thumbnail image and the A/V content to the web-based device using the web protocol compatible format.

13. The device according to claim 9, where the at least one A/V filter criterion further comprises at least one of a content type, a genre, and a date of production, and the processor is further programmed to categorize the aggregated A/V content information based upon the at least one of the content type, the genre, and the date of production.

14. The device according to claim 9, where the processor is further programmed to send a DLNA filtered search message comprising the at least one A/V filter criterion to each of the plurality of active DLNA servers.

15. The device according to claim 14, where the processor is further programmed to receive A/V search results in response to the DLNA filtered search message from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers and combine the A/V search results received from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers to form the aggregated A/V content information.

16. The device according to claim 9, where the processor is further programmed to:

query at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers for updated A/V content information in response to an indication of changed A/V content stored within the at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

receive the updated A/V content information from the at least one of the plurality of active DLNA servers;

format the updated A/V content information into a web protocol update message; and

send the web protocol update message to the web-based device.

17. The device according to claim 9, where the processor is further programmed to:

query an activated DLNA server for A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within the activated DLNA server in response to the activated DLNA server entering the home network;

receive the A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within the activated DLNA server;

aggregate the A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within the activated DLNA server with the A/V content information received from the plurality of active DLNA servers;

format the A/V content information that represents the A/V content stored within the activated DLNA server into a web protocol update message; and

send the web protocol update message to the web-based device.

18. A Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) audio and video (A/V) content aggregation device forming part of a DLNA client, comprising:

a memory adapted to store information that represents A/V content distributed within a home network environment; and

a processor programmed to;

receive a web protocol request from a web-based device for aggregated A/V content information that represents A/V content stored within the DLNA home network;

send a plurality of DLNA messages each associated with one of a plurality of active DLNA servers to each of the plurality respective plurality of active DLNA servers;

receive a DLNA response message from each of the plurality of active DLNA servers, each including all of the A/V content information that represents A/V content stored within the respective active DLNA server;

aggregate the received A/V content information that represents all of the A/V content stored within each of the plurality of active DLNA servers using the plurality of DLNA messages to form a non-hierarchical pool of A/V content identifier elements that each represent one item of the aggregated A/V content information;

store the aggregated A/V content information to the memory;

filter the aggregated A/V content information based upon at least one A/V filter criterion associated with the web protocol request;

format the filtered A/V content information into a web protocol response including at least a portion of the non-hierarchical pool of A/V identifier elements; and

send the web protocol response to the web-based device.