Method and system for filtering home-network content

• US 20070168051A1
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Bodlaender, Maarten, Bronnenberg, Wilhelmus Josephus
• Granted Patent: US 8,713,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; 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 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• 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 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for filtering and storing information about content, which is available on a network device in a network, wherein said network further comprises network rendering devices adapted for rendering content, the method comprising filtering the information by removing information about content, which cannot be rendered by at least one of said network devices adapted for rendering content, storing the filtered information and making it available on the network. When the network is a UPnP network, then control points have faster reaction times when they browse the content directory service, the content directory being the stored filtered information. Further, less load on the content directory service, the control point and the network is obtained when the control point browses the content directories. Further, the content presented to the user on the user screen of a control point only comprises content, which can be used.

Claims

1. A method of filtering and storing information about content, which is available on a network device in a network, wherein said network further comprises network rendering devices adapted for rendering content, the method comprises the steps of:

periodically filtering said information by removing information about content, which cannot be rendered by at least one of said network devices adapted for rendering content,

storing said filtered information in a content directory and making said stored information available on the network.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein content, which cannot be rendered by a network rendering device comprises content having a content format, which is not compatible with the network rendering devices.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein content, which cannot be rendered by a network rendering device comprises content having a transport protocol, which is not compatible with the network rendering devices.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein content which cannot be rendered by a network rendering device comprises content having a DRM system, which is not supported by any of the network rendering devices.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said method of filtering and storing information about content is performed in predefined time intervals.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said method of filtering and storing information about content is performed when a new network rendering device enters the network.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said method of filtering and storing information about content is performed when a network rendering device is removed from the network.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said method of filtering and storing information about content is performed when a network device has been removed for a predefined time interval.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network is a UPnP network, and the information about content being available on a network device is the content information stored by an UPnP content directory service.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises storing said removed information about content, which cannot be rendered by at least one of said network devices adapted for rendering content and making said stored information available on the network.

11. A filtering device adapted for filtering and storing information about content, which is available on a network device in a network, wherein said network further comprises network rendering devices adapted for rendering content, the network device further comprises:

means for periodically filtering said information by removing information about content, which cannot be rendered by at least one of said network devices adapted for rendering content,

means for storing said filtered information in a content directory and making said stored information available on the network.

12. (canceled)