Networked media station

• US 8,797,926 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kearney, Philip F. III, Newberry, Robert Dale Jr., Robbin, Jeffrey L., Heller, David, Wysocki, Christopher R., Davis, Stephen Anderson
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Blanche
• Application Number:
  US10/862,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,714 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/282
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/604 Hybrid IP/Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/105 PBS [Private Base Station] network H04W84/12 - H04W84/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a networked media station providing a variety of features including a wireless network interface, a wired network interface, a peripheral interface, and a multimedia interface. The wireless network interface(s) allows the device to communicate to serve as a wireless base station or repeater and/or a bridge between a wireless and a wired network. The peripheral interface allows the device to communicate with a variety of peripherals, and, in conjunction with the network interface(s), allows sharing of a peripheral among multiple networked computers. The multimedia interface allows the device to be used with entertainment devices for streaming of multimedia information from a network connected computer to the entertainment device. Control of various aspects of the device is preferably controlled from a network connected computer.

Claims

1. A method of outputting multimedia content stored on a computer to an entertainment device over a network, the method comprising:

identifying, by the computer, one or more networked media stations connected to the network, wherein at least one of the identified one or more networked media stations has at least one entertainment device connected thereto;

providing, by the computer, a listing of the identified one or more networked media stations as selectable options on a user interface of the computer;

receiving, by the computer, a user input selecting a first networked media station from among the identified one or more networked media stations, wherein the first networked media station is coupled to the entertainment device;

opening, by the computer, a communications link with the first networked media station; and

pushing, by the computer, multimedia content stored on the computer to the first networked media station, whereby the first networked media station outputs the multimedia content to the entertainment device, wherein pushing the multimedia content to the first networked media station comprises;

decoding multimedia data from the multimedia content to generate decoded multimedia data;

re-encoding the decoded multimedia data for the multimedia content to generate re-encoded multimedia data; and

pushing the re-encoded multimedia data to the first networked media station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more networked media stations comprises:

automatically detecting the presence of the one or more networked media stations; and

determining a multimedia capability of the one or more networked media stations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein opening the communications link with the first networked media station corresponding to the entertainment device further comprises:

performing, by the computer, an authentication to determine whether the first networked media station is authorized to receive multimedia content.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising encrypting the decoded multimedia data.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising encrypting the re-encoded multimedia data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting the decoded multimedia data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting the re-encoded multimedia data.

8. An electronically readable non-transitory storage medium having encoded thereon instructions executable by a computer for performing a method comprising:

identifying one or more networked media stations connected to the network, wherein at least one of the identified one or more networked media stations has at least one entertainment device connected thereto;

providing a listing of the identified one or more networked media stations as selectable options on a user interface of the computer;

receiving a user input selecting a first networked media station from among the identified one or more networked media stations, wherein the first networked media station is coupled to the entertainment device;

opening a communications link with the first networked media station; and

pushing multimedia content stored on the computer to the first networked media station, whereby the first networked media station will output the multimedia content to the entertainment device, wherein pushing the multimedia content to the first networked media station comprises;

decoding multimedia data from the multimedia content to generate decoded multimedia data;

re-encoding the decoded multimedia data for the multimedia content to generate re-encoded multimedia data; and

pushing the re-encoded multimedia data to the first networked media station.

9. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein identifying one or more networked media stations comprises:

automatically detecting the presence of the one or more networked media stations; and

determining a multimedia capability of the one or more networked media stations.

10. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein opening the communications link with the first networked media station corresponding to the entertainment device further comprises:

performing an authentication to determine whether the first networked media station is authorized to receive multimedia content.

11. The storage medium of claim 8, further comprising encrypting the decoded multimedia data.

12. The storage medium of claim 8, further comprising encrypting the re-encoded multimedia data before pushing.

13. A computer, comprising:

a processing system;

a network interface that is coupled to a network; and

a user interface;

wherein the processing system and the network interface perform operations for;

identifying one or more networked media stations connected to the network;

providing a listing of the one or more networked media stations as selectable options on the user interface;

receiving a user input selecting a first networked media station from among the one or more networked media stations, wherein the first networked media station is coupled to an entertainment device;

opening a communications link with the first networked media station; and

pushing multimedia content stored on the computer to the first networked media station via the communications link, whereby the first networked media station outputs the multimedia content to the entertainment device, wherein pushing the multimedia content comprises;

decoding multimedia data from the multimedia content to generate decoded multimedia data;

re-encoding the decoded multimedia data for the multimedia content to generate re-encoded multimedia data; and

pushing the re-encoded multimedia data to the first networked media station.

14. The computer of claim 13, wherein, when identifying the one or more networked media stations, the processing system and the network interface perform operations for:

detecting the presence of the one or more networked media stations; and

determining a multimedia capability of the one or more networked media stations.

15. The computer of claim 13, wherein, when opening the communications link with the first networked media station, the processing system and the network interface perform operations for:

performing an authentication to determine whether the first networked media station is authorized to receive multimedia content.

16. The computer of claim 13, wherein the processing system and the network interface perform operations for encrypting the decoded multimedia data.

17. The computer of claim 13, wherein the processing system and the network interface perform operations for encrypting the re-encoded multimedia data.