Switching facility having a control panel with relegendable buttons

• US 9,621,426 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Grass Valley USA LLC (Vislink Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Grass Valley USA LLC (Vislink Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nelsen, Mark E., Lyons, Kieran J., Crabb, Thomas B., Waters, Gary M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US12/104,596
• Time in Patent Office: 3,281 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A switching facility has a plurality of input ports for connection to signal sources in multiple categories, each category having multiple members, a plurality of output ports for connection to signal destinations in multiple categories, each category having multiple members, and a switch fabric configurable by a control system to connect any selected input port to any unique group of one or more output ports. A control panel interacts with the control system and has a plurality of actuatable elements and a display area associated with each actuatable element for displaying a legend associated with the actuatable element. The control system is functionally connected to the control panel and is operative to change the legend associated with an actuatable element.

Claims

1. A media router control panel, comprising:

a network interface in communication with a media router control system comprising a media router connected to a plurality of audio or video inputs or outputs of a plurality of media devices, each of said media devices belonging to a category of one or more predetermined categories; and

a plurality of relegendable buttons, each including within said relegendable button a display;

wherein

in an initial state, a display within a first button is configured to display a media destination legend,

responsive to selection of the first button, the media router control panel is configured to transition to a second state in which the displays within the plurality of buttons are reconfigured to display the one or more predetermined categories,

responsive to selection of a button corresponding to a first category of the one or more categories, the media router control panel is configured to transition to a third state in which the displays within the plurality of buttons are reconfigured to display media devices belonging to the first category, and

responsive to selection of a button corresponding to a first media device of the media devices belonging to the first category, the media router control panel is configured to transition to a fourth state in which the network interface is configured to transmit an identification of the input of the first media device to the media router control system, wherein, in the fourth state, a display within a second button is configured to display a media source legend,

responsive to selection of the second button, the media router control panel is configured to transition to a fifth state in which the displays within the plurality of buttons are reconfigured to display the one or more predetermined categories,

responsive to selection of a button corresponding to a second category of the one or more categories, the media router control panel is configured to transition to a sixth state in which the displays within the plurality of buttons are reconfigured to display media devices belonging to the second category, and

responsive to selection of a button corresponding to a second media device of the media devices belonging to the second category, the network interface is configured to transmit an identification of the output of the second media device to the media router control system, and a request to connect an audio or video output of the second media device to a corresponding audio or video input of the first media device, and the media router control panel is configured to transition to the initial state.

2. The media router control panel of claim 1, wherein receipt of the request to connect the audio or video output of the second media device to the corresponding audio or video input of the first media device causes the media router control system to connect an input port of a plurality of input ports of the media router control system connected to the audio or video output of the second media device to an output port of a plurality of output ports of the media router control system connected to the corresponding audio or video input of the first media device.

3. The media router control panel of claim 1, further comprising a processor maintaining an identification of the state of the media router control panel.

4. The media router control panel of claim 3, further comprising a database management system maintaining label data corresponding to the one or more predetermined categories and media devices belonging to each category, and wherein, responsive to transitioning to a new state, the processor is configured to retrieve label data from the database management system corresponding to the new state for display in the displays within the plurality of buttons, and update the displays within the plurality of buttons with the retrieved label data.

5. The media router control panel of claim 1, wherein the network interface is further configured to communicate with a processor of the media router control system maintaining an identification of the state of the media router control panel.

6. The media router control panel of claim 5, wherein the network interface is further configured to, for each transition between states:

transmit an identification of a selected button to the media router control system; and

receive label data corresponding to the new state for display in the displays within the plurality of buttons; and

wherein the media router control panel is configured to update the displays within the plurality of buttons with the received label data.

7. The media router control panel of claim 5, wherein the network interface is further configured to receive, from the media router control system, iterative requests for a status of each button of the plurality of relegendable buttons;

and transmit, responsive to each request, an identification of a status of a corresponding button.

8. The media router control panel of claim 7, wherein the network interface is further configured to receive, from the media router control system, label data corresponding to a subsequent state for display in the displays within the plurality of buttons, transmitted responsive to transmission, by the network interface, of an identification of a status of a button different from a previously transmitted identification of the status of the button.

9. A method of controlling a media router control system, comprising:

detecting, by a processor of a media router control panel in communication via a network interface with a media router connected to a plurality of audio or video inputs or outputs of a plurality of media devices, each of said media devices belonging to a category of one or more predetermined categories, a press of a first button of a plurality of relegendable buttons of the media router control panel, the media router control panel in an initial state and a display of the first button configured to display a media destination legend;

responsive to detection of the press of the first button, reconfiguring displays of the plurality of relegendable buttons to display the one or more predetermined categories during transition to a second state of the media router control panel;

detecting, by the processor, a press of a second button of the plurality of relegendable buttons displaying, in the second state, a first category of the one or more predetermined categories;

responsive to detection of the press of the second button, reconfiguring displays of the plurality of relegendable buttons to display media devices belonging to the first category during transition to a third state of the media router control panel;

detecting, by the processor, a press of a third button of the plurality of relegendable buttons displaying, in the third state, a first media device of the media devices belonging to the first category;

responsive to detection of the press of the third button, transmitting an identification of the input of the first media device to the media router control system during transition to a fourth state of the media router control panel;

responsive to detection of the press of the third button, reconfiguring a display of a fourth button of the plurality of relegendable buttons to display a media source legend;

detecting, by the processor, a press of the fourth button;

responsive to detection of the press of the fourth button, reconfiguring displays of the plurality of relegendable buttons to display the one or more predetermined categories during transition to a fifth state of the media router control panel;

detecting, by the processor, a press of a fifth button of the plurality of relegendable buttons displaying, in the fifth state, a second category of the one or more predetermined categories;

responsive to detection of the press of the fifth button, reconfiguring displays of the plurality of relegendable buttons to display media devices belonging to the second category during transition to a sixth state of the media router control panel;

detecting, by the processor, a press of a sixth button of the plurality of relegendable buttons displaying, in the sixth state, a second media device of the media devices belonging to the second category; and

responsive to detection of the press of the sixth button, transmitting an identification of the output of the second media device to the media router control system and a request to connect an audio or video output of the second media device to a corresponding audio or video input of the first media device, during transition to the initial state.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receipt of the request to connect the audio or video output of the second media device to the corresponding audio or video input of the first media device causes the media router control system to connect an input port of a plurality of input ports of the media router control system connected to the audio or video output of the second media device to an output port of a plurality of output ports of the media router control system connected to the corresponding audio or video input of the first media device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising maintaining, by the processor, an identification of the state of the media router control panel.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

maintaining, by a database management system of the media router control panel, label data corresponding to the one or more predetermined categories and media devices belonging to each category; and

responsive to transitioning to a new state, retrieving, by the processor, label data from the database management system corresponding to the new state for display in the displays of the plurality of buttons, and updating the displays within the plurality of buttons with the retrieved label data.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising communicating, by the network interface, with a processor of the media router control system maintaining an identification of the state of the media router control panel.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, for each transition between states:

transmitting, by the network interface, an identification of a selected button to the media router control system;

receiving, by the network interface, label data corresponding to the new state for display in the displays within the plurality of buttons; and

updating, by the processor, the displays within the plurality of buttons with the received label data.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving, by the network interface from the media router control system, iterative requests for a status of each button of the plurality of relegendable buttons;

and transmitting, responsive to each request, an identification of a status of a corresponding button.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving, by the network interface from the media router control system, label data corresponding to a subsequent state for display in the displays within the plurality of buttons, transmitted responsive to transmission, by the network interface, of an identification of a status of a button different from a previously transmitted identification of the status of the button.