Method and apparatus for sharing functions between devices via a network

• US 10,484,195 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2017
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Keum-koo, Choo, Hee-jeong, Sung, Ju-yun, Kwahk, Ji-young
• Primary Examiner(s): Bilgrami, Asghar H
• Application Number:
  US15/490,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20170222826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

A method of sharing a function via a network includes providing, to a first device, a device list including identification of a second device having a shared function which the first device is unable to perform, transmitting a response to the first device for authorizing a linkage with the first device, receiving multimedia content which is unplayable by the first device via the linkage, processing the multimedia content with the shared function to enable the first device to play the multimedia content, and transmitting result data comprising the processed multimedia content to the first device via the linkage.

Claims

1. A method of sharing a function between devices via a network, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a second device, in response to a selection by a first device, of the second device capable of performing at least one of an encoding function and a decoding function which is unavailable at the first device, from among devices connected to the network, a response to the first device for authorizing a linkage with the first device;

receiving, by the second device, multimedia content which is unplayable by the first device based on an encoding incapability or a decoding incapability of the first device, via the linkage;

processing the multimedia content by at least one of encoding and decoding the multimedia content to enable the first device to play the processed multimedia content; and

transmitting result data comprising the processed multimedia content to the first device via the linkage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processed multimedia content provides a format supported by the first device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the multimedia content comprises receiving identification of the first device with the multimedia content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, to the first device, information of a shared function indicating that the multimedia content can be processed at the second device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the result data is generated by combining a transport stream with the processed multimedia content.

6. An apparatus for sharing a function between devices via a network, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver configured to transmit, in response to a selection by a first device, of the apparatus capable of performing at least one of an encoding function and a decoding function which is unavailable at the first device, from among devices connected to the network, a response to the first device for authorizing a linkage with the first device based on an encoding incapability or a decoding incapability of the first device, and to receive multimedia content which is unplayable by the first device via the linkage; and

a processor configured to process the multimedia content by at least one of encoding and decoding the multimedia content to enable the first device to play the processed multimedia content,

wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit result data comprising the processed multimedia content to the first device via the linkage.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to perform a shared function in correspondence to types of result data to be acquired by performing the shared function as defined in information received together with the multimedia content.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processed multimedia content provides a format supported by the first device.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive identification of the first device with the multimedia content.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transceiver is further configured to provide, to the first device, information of a shared function indicating that the multimedia content can be processed at the apparatus.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the result data is generated by combining a transport stream with the processed multimedia content.

12. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for implementing a method of sharing a function between devices via a network, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a second device, in response to a selection by a first device, of the second device capable of performing at least one of an encoding function and a decoding function which is unavailable at the first device, from among devices connected to the network, a response to the first device for authorizing a linkage with the first device;

receiving, by the second device, multimedia content which is unplayable by the first device based on an encoding incapability or a decoding incapability of the first device, via the linkage;

processing the multimedia content by at least one of encoding and decoding the multimedia content to enable the first device to play the processed multimedia content; and

transmitting result data comprising the processed multimedia content to the first device via the linkage.