Electronic device for communication within a network and method for operating an electronic device

• US 9,699,134 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2016
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mank, Armin
• Primary Examiner(s): Morlan, Robert M
• Application Number:
  US15/132,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic device for communication within a network, comprising a first interface (6) enabling communication with at least one further electronic device (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e) within a network (8) according to a first communication standard, a storage (5) for storing a first address of the at least one further electronic device (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e), said first address relating to the first communication standard, and a controller (4) for requesting a second address from said at least one further electronic device (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e), said second address relating to a second communication standard within said network (8), wherein the second address is stored together with the first address in the storage (5).

The present invention further relates to a method for operating an electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device for communicating with at least one further electronic device Ti a network, wherein each of said electronic device and said at least one further electron device has a first network address within the network for use with a first communication standard and a second network address within the network for use with a second communication standard, the electronic device comprising:

a first interface configured to communicate with said at least one further electronic device within the network according to the first communication standard, which supports a first communication bandwidth, using the first network address of the at least one further electronic device;

a second interface configured to communicate with the at least one further electronic device within the network according to the second communication standard, which supports a second communication bandwidth that is greater than the first communication bandwidth, using the second network address of the at least one further electronic device; and

a storage configured to store the first network address of the at least one further electronic device and store the second network address of the at least one further electronic device together with the first network address of the at least one further electronic device,

wherein the electronic device is configured to send a request, via the first interface and addressed with the first network address of the at least one further electronic device, for the second network address of the at least one further electronic device for communicating over the second interface with the at least one further electronic device.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic device is configured to request the second network address from a single other electronic device within the network.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic device is configured to request respective second network addresses from each of a plurality of electronic devices within the network.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the first interface enables transmission and reception of control functions.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the first network address is a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) logical address and the second network address is an Ethernet address.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the first communication standard is a High-Definition Multimedia Interface/Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI/CEC) standard, and the second communication standard is Ethernet.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising circuitry configured to receive an input from a user.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the input from the user comprises an input made by the user through at least one of a remote control, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad or speech recognition.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising circuitry configured to output an output to a user.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry configured to output the output comprises at least one of a light-emitting diode, a display or a speaker.

11. A method for communicating by an electronic device with at least one further electronic device within a network, wherein each of said electronic device and said at least one further electronic device has a first network address within the network for use with a first communication standard and a second network address within the network for use with a second communication standard, the method comprising:

communicating with the at least one further electronic device within the network via the first interface of the electronic device, the first interface being configured to communicate according to the first communication standard, which supports a first communication bandwidth, using the first network address of the at least one further electronic device;

communicating with the at least one further electronic device within the network via the second interface of the electronic device, the second interface being configured to communicate according to the second communication standard, which supports a second communication bandwidth that is greater than the first communication bandwidth, using the second network address of the at least one further electronic device;

sending a request, via the first interface and addressed with the first network address of the at least one further electronic device, for the second network address of the at least one further electronic device for communicating over the second interface with the at least one further electronic device; and

storing, in the electronic device, the first network address of the at least one further electronic device and storing, in the electronic device, the second network address of the at least one further electronic device together with the first network address of the at least one further electronic device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the first network address is a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC)logical address and the second network address is an Ethernet address.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the first communication standard is a High-Definition Multimedia Interface/Consumer Electronics Cannot (HDMI/CEC) standard, and the second communication standard is Ethernet.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

requesting a single one of said second network address from a single one of said at least one further electronic device within the network.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

requesting respective ones of said second network addresses from each of a plurality of said further electronic devices within the network.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the first interface of the electronic device enables transmission and reception of control functions.

17. An electronic device for communicating with at least one further electronic device within a network, wherein each of said electronic device and said at least one further electronic device has a first network address within the network for use with a first communication standard and a second network address within the network for use with a second communication standard, the electronic device comprising:

first means for communicating with the at least one further electronic device within the network according to the first communication standard, which supports a first communication bandwidth, using the first network address of the at least one further electronic device;

second means for communicating with the at least one further electronic device within the network according to the second communication standard, which supports a second communication bandwidth that is greater than the first communication bandwidth, using the second network address of the at least one further electronic device;

means for sending a request, via the first interface and addressed with the first network address of the at least one further electronic device, for the second network address of the at least one further electronic device for communicating over the second interface with the at least one further electronic device; and

means for storing the first network address of the at least one further electronic device and for storing the second network address of the at least one further electronic device together with the first network address of the at least one further electronic device.