System and method for controlling home network devices using multicast enabled remote controls

• US 9,344,772 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2009
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Murari
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal, Khawar
• Application Number:
  US12/650,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,329 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455 411- 413, 725/105, 725/131, 348/143, 348/159, 370/312
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• 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: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

A system, method, and article of manufacture for controlling home network devices using a multicast enabled remote control. The system includes a plurality of home network devices capable of receiving and/or transmitting multicast input and/or output signals and a home gateway to receive audio/video signals generated outside of the home and to transform the audio/video signals into multicast output signals. The system also includes a multicast enabled remote control to detect, aggregate, store and display all audio/video multicast output signals on the multicast enabled remote control, to enable a user to redirect an audio/video multicast output signal to one or more of the plurality of home network devices capable of receiving multicast input signals, and to control the plurality of home network devices capable of receiving and/or transmitting multicast input and/or output signals. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A home network control mechanism for a home network comprising:

a multicast enabled remote control configured to aggregate, store, and display audio/video multicast output streams, wherein the multicast enabled remote control includes a redirect mode and a control mode,

wherein the multicast enabled remote control is responsive to a redirect selection by a user to place the multicast enabled remote control in redirect mode and to redirect one or more audio/video network input devices configured to receive audio/video multicast output streams from a source device different from the remote control to listen to a selected audio/video multicast output stream received from the source device, and

wherein the multicast enabled remote control is responsive to a control selection by a user to place the multicast enabled remote control in control mode and to control audio/video and non audio/video home network devices in the home network,

wherein the audio/video multicast output streams are generated by the source device comprising at least one of a plurality of audio/video network output devices in the home network and a home gateway.

2. The home network control mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein the home gateway is configured to place incoming audio/video signals from sources outside of the home network onto multicast output channels for detection by the multicast enabled remote control, and

wherein the one or more audio/video network input devices have local multicast addresses/channels to be addressed by the home gateway on the home network.

3. The home network control mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein the non audio/video home network devices comprise digital home appliances selected from the group of light fixtures, fans, conventional ovens, heating and cooling systems, hot water heaters, washers, dryers, and other digital home appliances configured to be controlled by the multicast enabled remote control.

4. The home network control mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein the audio/video network input devices comprise compact disc players, entertainment centers, digital video disc players, digital video recorders, MP3 players, cameras, camcorders, and other audio/video network output devices configured to transmit multicast signals.

5. A method for controlling network devices comprising:

detecting and aggregating, by a remote device, transmissions multicasted by a source device different from the remote device;

storing, by the remote device, the detected transmissions in a local storage;

displaying, based on a mode setting of the remote device, a configuration for the content, wherein when the mode setting of the remote device is in a redirect mode, the display comprising a list of audio/video content local multicast assigned addresses and associated identities for each audio/video content multicast assigned address and a list of network input devices configured to utilize audio/video content on the content local multicast assigned addresses;

redirecting at least one network input device to listen to a transmission of the transmissions received by the at least one network input device from the source device in response to a redirect selection, by a user and on the remote device, of one of the audio/video content local multicast assigned addresses and at least one network input device on the remote device to enable viewing of the selected transmission on the at least one network input device; and

controlling at least one network input device based on the mode setting of the remote device and in response to a control selection by a user.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein when the mode setting of the remote device is in a control mode, the display comprising a list of all network devices configured to be controlled by the remote device, wherein a user is enabled to select one of the network devices.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the list of all network devices comprises at least one of an audio/visual device, and non audio/visual device.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the at least one non audio/video device comprises a digital home appliance selected from the group of light fixtures, fans, conventional ovens, heating and cooling systems, hot water heaters, washers, dryers, or other digital home appliances configured to be controlled by the remote device.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the at least one audio/video network input devices comprises a speaker, display, or television.

10. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

selecting by a user on the remote device, a content source for viewing or playing;

selecting by the user on the remote device, one of the list of network input devices configured to play or utilize the selected content source; and

redirecting the selected content source to the selected input device.

11. One or more non-transitory, machine readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed on a processor, cause the processor to:

detect and aggregate, by a remote device, transmissions multicasted by a source device other than the remote device;

store by the remote device, the detected transmissions in a local storage;

display, based on a mode setting of the remote device, a configuration for the content, wherein when the mode setting of the remote device is in a redirect mode, the display comprising a list of audio/video content local multicast assigned addresses and associated identities for each audio/video content local multicast assigned address and a list of network input devices configured to utilize audio/video content on the content local multicast assigned addresses;

redirect at least one network input device to listen to a transmission of the transmissions received by the at least one network input device from the source device in response to a redirect selection, by a user and on the remote device, of one of the audio/video content local multicast assigned addresses and at least one network input device on the remote device to enable viewing of the selected transmission on the at least one network input device; and

control at least one network input device based on the mode setting of the remote device and in response to a control selection by a user.

12. The medium as recited in claim 11, wherein when the mode setting of the remote device is in a control mode, the display comprising a list of all network devices configured to be controlled by the remote device, wherein a user is enabled to select one of the network devices.

13. The medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the list of all network devices comprises at least one of an audio/visual device, and non audio/visual device.

14. The medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the at least one non audio/video device comprises a digital home appliance selected from the group of light fixtures, fans, conventional ovens, heating and cooling systems, hot water heaters, washers, dryers, or other digital home appliances configured to be controlled by the remote device.

15. The medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one audio/video network input devices comprises a speaker, display, or television.

16. The medium as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

selecting by a user on the remote device, a content source for viewing or playing;

selecting by the user on the remote device, one of the list of network input devices configured to play or utilize the selected content source; and

redirecting the selected content source to the selected input device.