Routing of data including multimedia between electronic devices

• US 8,711,866 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: S.M.R Innovations Ltd, Y.M.R Tech Ltd
• Original Assignee: Benny Yehezkel, Oded Shmueli
• Inventors: Shmueli, Oded, Yehezkel, Benny
• Primary Examiner(s): Kao, Jutai
• Application Number:
  US13/118,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/396
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/543 Call deflection

Abstract

Rerouting apparatus for rerouting data including multimedia data. The apparatus is for association with electronic equipment and allows for routing the data to a device regarded as the most convenient for playing the media. The apparatus comprises an announcer device for indicating to surrounding equipment that associated equipment is available for rerouting, thereby to enable receipt of rerouted communications therefrom, and a scout device for scanning surroundings of the associated equipment to find out about compatible equipment in the vicinity, thereby to reroute communications thereto. The apparatus may be attached to any device having data processing capability, to enable rerouting of data and communications therebetween.

Claims

1. Apparatus for routing audio-video data, comprising a streaming device, the apparatus comprising:

(a) an announcer device configured to indicate wirelessly to surrounding media handling devices that said streaming device is available for routing or rerouting; and

(b) a scout device configured to wirelessly scan surroundings of said streaming device to identify surrounding media handling device as being compatible to given media and determine availability of said compatible media handling devices to receive rerouted audio-video data from said streaming device, said scout device further being configured to determine media type requirements of said compatible media handling devices, said media type requirements comprising screen capability and a data rate requirement;

said apparatus being configured to set up a bidirectional wireless communication link between said streaming device and respective media handling devices, said bidirectional wireless link able to carry said rerouted data as streaming audio-video data over either direction of said bidirectional communication link;

(c) a media transformer, configured to transform media into a form that accords with respective determined media type requirements, there being a plurality of said media type requirements;

(d) a user interface for allowing a user to select one of said plurality of media type requirements for transforming at said media transformer; and

(e) a media cloner, associated with said media transformer, for making multiple copies of said media data, thereby to enable said apparatus to redirect said media data to a plurality of locations, at least one of said multiple copies being transformed at said media transformer.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, being a mobile device.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said media handling devices is a mobile device.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, being stationary device.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said streaming data is audio-video data directed to or from surrounding devices.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a game console or game enabling device, and said streaming data is game data or video or audio, said streaming data being directed to surrounding devices, said surrounding devices comprising one member of the group consisting of TV, PDAs, Hi Fi'"'"'s and mobile telephones, to be displayed and played from such devices as well as or instead of on said apparatus.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a mobile device, a mobile handset, a computer, or a PDA, wherein said apparatus is configured to receive or generate a call and to redirect said call to a respective media handling device.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a mobile telephone or PDA and wherein said data further comprises a barcode information, the apparatus directing the barcode data to a surrounding device or to a point of sale device, or wherein said barcode data is transformed by said surrounding device.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface associated with said scout device for allowing a user to select between available compatible media handling devices to reroute data thereto.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said announcer is an active device, operable to transmit at least status information to respective surroundings.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said announcer comprises a passive device, carrying at least device identification information for reading by an active scout device.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said passive device further carries status information of said device.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said announcer comprises barcode data and wherein said scout is a barcode reader.

14. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising control functionality operable to inform a communication service provider of a desired rerouting, thereby to enable said communication service provider to reroute said data.

15. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control functionality operable to carry out said rerouting through locally available infrastructure.

16. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said audio/video data is one member of the group consisting of an incoming multimedia communication received from a communication network and an incoming multimedia communication received from a cellular communication network.

17. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said streaming data in a first link direction is directable via multiple channels to each of a plurality of surrounding devices.

18. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a device database for storing compatibility data of different equipment types.

19. A method of routing streaming data comprising:

wirelessly scouting a. vicinity of said streaming device with a scanning device,

through said scanning device determining availability of surrounding media handling devices in said vicinity, wherein the availability is determined based, at least partly, on media type requirements of said media handling devices, and

routing or rerouting streaming data between said streaming device and at least one target device selected from said media handling devices in said scanned vicinity found to be available, said routing or rerouting comprising setting up a bidirectional wireless data link between said target device and said streaming device, said bidirectional wireless link being capable of carrying a multimedia streaming data in either direction of said bidirectional data link;

transforming media into forms respectively that accord with said determined media type requirements,

allowing a user to select, via a user interface, or selecting based on a profile, one of said determined media type requirements for transforming; and

making multiple copies of incoming streaming data to redirect a single incoming communication to a plurality of locations, at least some of said multiple copies being transformed.

20. A method of wirelessly routing streaming data comprising:

scouting a vicinity of a first mobile device with a scanning device, said scanning device being associated with said first mobile device,

through said scanning device determining compatibility and availability of media handling devices in the vicinity of, said first mobile device for receiving of bidirectional streaming data directed from said mobile device via a bidirectional wireless link set up between said mobile device and respective media handling devices, wherein the availability is determined based, at least partly, on media type requirements of said respective media handling devices and media type of said streaming data, the method further comprising streaming data in either direction over said bidirectional wireless link; and

making multiple copies of said media data, thereby to redirect said media data to a plurality of locations, at least one of said multiple copies being transformed in accordance with a respective determined compatibility.

21. Apparatus for routing and rerouting streaming data, the apparatus being mobile and comprising:

a streaming device comprising;

an announcer device configured to indicate to surrounding media handling devices that said apparatus is available to receive streaming data, thereby to enable receipt of routed and rerouted streaming data from said surrounding media handling devices;

a scout device configured to scan surroundings of said apparatus to identify surrounding media handling devices and determine compatibility requirements availability of said identified media handling devices in said surroundings, thereby to route and reroute streaming data from said streaming device to a selected one of said media handling devices, the apparatus being configured to set up a bidirectional wireless communication link between respective ones of said media handling devices and said streaming device, said bidirectional link being capable of carrying said streaming data in either direction of said bidirectional link, and wherein said scout device is operable to determine media type requirements of aid respective media handling devices; and

a media eloper, for making multiple copies of said media data, thereby to enable said apparatus to redirect said media data to a plurality of locations.

22. Apparatus for routing and rerouting streaming data, the apparatus being mobile and comprising:

a streaming device comprising;

an announcer device configured to indicate to surrounding media handling devices that said streaming device is available to receive streaming data, thereby to enable receipt of rerouted data from said surrounding media handling devices, and

a scout device configured to scan surroundings of said streaming device to identify surrounding media handling devices as being compatible to handle given media, and determine availability of said identified compatible media handling devices, thereby to reroute streaming data between said streaming device and a selected one of said surrounding media handling devices, said scout device further being configured to determine media type requirements of said compatible media handling devices, said apparatus configured to set up a bidirectional wireless communication link between said streaming device and a respective one of said media handling devices, said bidirectional link carrying streaming data over either direction as required of said bidirectional link;

a media transformer, configured to transform media into forms that accord with respective determined media type requirements, wherein there are a plurality of said types;

a user interface for allowing a user to select one of said media type requirements for transforming at said media transformer, and

a media cloner, associated with said media transformer, for making multiple copies of a single incoming data stream, thereby to enable said apparatus to redirect said single incoming data stream to a plurality of locations, at least some of said multiple copies being transformed via said media transformer.

23. Apparatus for routing'"'"'and rerouting media data, the apparatus being mobile and comprising:

a media data transfer device comprising;

an announcer device configured for indicating to surrounding media handling devices that said media data transfer device is available to receive media data, thereby to enable receipt of rerouted data from said surrounding media handling devices, and

a scout device configured for scanning surroundings to identify surrounding media handling devices as being compatible with given media and determine availability of said identified compatible media handling devices, thereby to reroute media data from said media data transfer device to a selected one of said surrounding media handling devices, said scout device further being configured to determine media type requirements of said media handling devices;

a media transformer, configured to transform media into a form that accords with respective determined media type requirements, there being a plurality of said media type requirements;

a user interface for allowing a user to select one of said plurality of media type requirements for transforming at said media transformer, and

a media cloner, associated with said media transformer, for making multiple copies of said media data, thereby to enable said apparatus to redirect said media data to a plurality of locations, at least some of said multiple copies being transformed at said media transformer.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said media type requirements comprise a screen capability.