METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR DATA TRANSMISSION BASED ON DLNA NETWORK

• US 20090222422A1
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Oh, Yun Je, YOON, Won Shik, Kim, Joon Oo, Kim, Chul Seung, Kwon, Won Sang
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• 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 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, apparatus, and system for data transmission based on a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) network that classifies contents files which are stored in a DMS according to a support of the DLNA network to make a contents list. Support is provided to convert a file attribute of a selected file into a file attribute which can be applied to the DLNA network to generate, in case a user selects a non-supported file which is not applied to the DLNA network. The invention outputs the selected file to a display unit, captures the outputted image to convert into a file which can be applied to the DLNA network.

Claims

1. A method for data communications based on a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA network), the method comprising:

searching stored contents files by a digital media server (DMS) in response to a request;

extracting a non-supported file which the DLNA network does not support from among the contents files;

assigning a name of virtual file which can be checked in the DLNA network for the extracted non-supported file; and

generating a contents list including a support file which the virtual file and the DLNA network support.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to search stored contents is made by of a digital media controller (DMC), and said method further comprising:

selecting one of the generated contents list, by the DMC;

determining whether the selected contents file is a non-support file, by the DMS;

generating a conversion file by converting a file attribute by the DMS, in case of the non-support file; and

transmitting the conversion file to a digital media renderer (DMR) by the DMS.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the selected contents file is a non-supported file comprises determining whether the selected contents file has a virtual file name corresponding to a virtual file.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein generating a conversion file comprises:

outputting an image comprising the non-supported file to a display unit of the DMS;

generating a capture image by capturing the outputted image; and

encoding the capture image into a file type which is supported in a DLNA network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating a capture image comprises:

outputting an additional image corresponding to a signal input from an input unit of the DMS to the display unit; and

capturing both of the additional image and the outputted image.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein generating a capture image comprises capturing the image outputted to the display unit on a real time basis.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the conversion file to a DMR comprises transmitting the conversion file to the DMR by the DMS with streaming.

8. An apparatus for data communications based on a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) network, the apparatus comprising:

a contents storage unit for storing contents files;

a contents management unit for classifying contents files stored in the contents storage unit according to a support function of the DLNA network; and

a contents directory service unit for generating a contents list by making use of a list of the classified contents files.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the contents management unit generates a virtual file for a non-supported file which the DLNA network does not support among the contents files, and assigns a virtual file name for the generated virtual file.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the contents directory service unit generates a contents list including a support file which the DLNA network supports and the virtual file name.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising

a display unit outputting the contents list;

an input unit for generating an input signal for selecting one of the contents files from the outputted contents list;

a contents transmission unit for transmitting the selected contents file to a digital media renderer (DMR); and

a file converter for converting a file attribute, in case the selected contents list comprises a non-supported file which the DLNA network does not support.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the file converter outputs the contents file corresponding to the selected contents list to the display unit, captures the outputted image, and converts the file attribute into a file attribute which the DLNA network supports.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the file converter captures both of an additional image and the outputted image, the additional image corresponding to a signal input from the input unit that is output to the display unit.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the file converter captures the outputted image which is outputted to the display unit on a real time basis and generates a capture image.

15. A system for data communications based on a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) network, the system comprising:

a digital media server (DMS) which stores a contents file for subsequent selection in accordance with a request;

a digital media controller (DMC) which requests the contents file for regeneration among a plurality of contents files; and

a digital media renderer (DMR) which regenerates requests by the DMC,

wherein the DMS generates a virtual file corresponding to a non-supported file, and generates a contents list which includes the generated virtual file and a support file which a DLNA network supports, in case of inclusion of a non-supported file which the DLNA network does not support among the stored contents files.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the DMS further comprises:

a file converter for generating a conversion file by converting a file attribute of a selected contents file, in response to the digital media controller selecting the non-supported file of the generated contents list;

a display unit for displaying the selected contents file; and

a contents transmission unit for transmitting the conversion file to the DMR.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the file converter outputs a contents file corresponding to the selected contents list to the display unit, captures the outputted image, and converts the file attribute into a file attribute which a DLNA network supports.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the file converter captures both of an additional image and the outputted image, the additional image corresponding to a signal which is input from the DMC and output to the display unit.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the file converter generates a conversion file after generating a capture image by capturing an image outputted to the display unit on a real time basis.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the contents transmission unit transmits the conversion file to the DMR with a streaming type.