System and method for combining memory resources for use on a personal network

• US 9,077,766 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2004
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm Atheros Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Julia, Luc, Serghine, Maklouf, Le Nerriec, Yohan, Bing, Jehan, Dubreuil, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US10/888,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20060047843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,015 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1048 Departure or maintenance mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1076 Resource dissemination mechanisms or network resource keeping policies for optimal resource availability in the overlay network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1078 Resource delivery mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

A personal network may be established by interconnecting a plurality of satellites as part of the personal network. Each satellite may be configured to communicate with one or more other satellites. On any given one of the plurality of satellites, data indicating a connectivity status for the one or more other satellites is automatically received, and information indicating a capability of the one or more other satellites is automatically received. The given satellite may be configured to enable at least one other corresponding satellite in the plurality of satellites to be made available for use, so that a capability of the at least one other corresponding satellite is made available for the given satellite.

Claims

1. A method for using a personal network, the method being implemented by one or more processors that perform steps comprising:

interconnecting a plurality of network enabled devices that are owned or controlled by a user of the personal network to form at least a part of the personal network;

identifying a plurality of network locations that are provided on the personal network, wherein at least some of the plurality of network locations correspond to locations in memory on at least two of the plurality network enabled devices that are connected to and communicate with one another across a network;

identifying a plurality of media sources that are available to or provided by the plurality of network enabled devices, each media source being accessible for selection at one or more of the plurality of network locations in order to output media content;

enabling the user to select which of the plurality of network enabled devices are to display an aggregate presentation;

on the selected network enabled device, generating an aggregate presentation that identifies the plurality of media sources, wherein generating the aggregate presentation includes linking the plurality of network locations that correspond to locations in memory on at least two network enabled devices in the personal network, so that the plurality of media sources are represented on the aggregate presentation independent of the network location or network enabled device from which individual media sources are made available to or provided by;

wherein generating the aggregate presentation further includes displaying information about content that can be outputted from one or more media sources that are provided by one or more of the plurality of network enabled devices other than the selected network enabled device;

enabling the user to use the aggregate presentation in operating the selected network device in order to provide input for selecting (i) any one of the plurality of media sources, including media sources that are available to or provided by one or more of the plurality of network enabled devices other than the selected network enabled device, and (ii) an output device from the plurality of network enabled devices on which the content corresponding to the selected media source is to be outputted;

responding to the user providing the input, causing content corresponding to the selected media source to be outputted on the selected output device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a change in what media sources are provided at each of the network locations; and

in response to detecting the change, altering the presentation to reflect the change.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the change in media sources are provided includes detecting that a media source or item has been added, altered or deleted from one of the plurality of network locations.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in the plurality of network locations; and

in response to detecting the change, altering the presentation to reflect the change in the plurality of network locations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a plurality of media sources includes identifying a plurality of media files.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a plurality of media sources includes identifying, on the personal network, one or more of a television reception source, a video camera, or an Internet streaming source.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a plurality of media sources includes identifying a compilation comprising one or more of (i) a set of images, (ii) one or more media sources, or (iii) one or more files containing recorded video and/or audio.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein causing data from the selected media source to be outputted includes transmitting data corresponding to the selected media source, from a first one of the plurality of network enabled devices that stores or has access to the selected media source to the selected output device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second network enabled devices are different than the device on which the aggregate presentation is provided.

10. A method for using a personal network, the method being implemented using one or more processors that perform steps comprising:

interconnecting a plurality of devices to form at least a part of a personal network, the plurality of devices being interconnected across one or more networks so that each of the plurality of devices is separated from one another by one or more networks;

identifying a plurality of memory resources that reside with the plurality of devices of the personal network;

on one of the plurality of devices selected by a user, forming a presentation that links memory resources provided with each of the plurality of devices;

displaying, as part of the presentation, information that identifies each of a plurality of media sources that is provided or accessible to one or more devices of the personal network, said information (i) identifying that media source independently of a particular one of the plurality of devices in the personal network on which the media source is provided or made accessible, and (ii) identifying content that can be outputted from one or more media sources that are provided by one or more of the plurality of network enabled devices other than the selected device;

wherein forming the presentation includes making the presentation available on at least the selected device, so that the selected device is operable by the user to display the presentation;

enabling the presentation to be used on the selected device in order to select (i) one or more media sources, and (ii) one of the devices as an output device to output content from the media source;

upon receiving a request, sending data that corresponds to media of the selected media source to the selected output device, in order to output content from the selected one or more media sources.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more networks that interconnect the plurality of devices includes a home network or the Internet.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending data to the selected device includes sending the data in a manner that accommodates a capability of the selected device to receive data or output the content from the data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein sending the data includes compressing the data.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein sending the data includes formatting the data to accommodate a display capability of the output device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the selected device includes cellular phone capabilities, and wherein sending data includes streaming one or more media files identified in the presentation to the selected device using a cellular network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more media files correspond to one or more of a video file, an audio file, or a picture.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a search interface as part of the presentation, in order to enable a user of the personal network to locate one or more items of content from the plurality of media sources using a search criteria.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of associating, with one or more devices that comprise the personal network, a set of data corresponding to a capability of that device, and wherein sending data to the selected device includes sending that in a manner that is based at least in part on the capability that is associated with the selected device.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein sending the data includes streaming the data.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the capability of the one or more devices corresponds to one of a processing capability, a memory availability, a type of memory, a display capability, or a bandwidth of a network connection of that device.

21. The method of claim 10, further comprising

automatically detecting a change in which the media sources are provided at each of the plurality of devices;

and

in response to detecting that change, altering the presentation to include a plurality of the media resources that reflect the change.

22. The method of claim 10, wherein making the presentation available includes making the presentation available on any two or more devices that are selected by the user to display the presentation.