ADDRESS MAPPING IN A HDMI NETWORK

• US 20140359675A1
• Filed: 09/26/2012
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mank, Armin
• Granted Patent: US 9,736,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• 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 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• 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 21/43635 HDMI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6402 Address allocation for clients address allocation in data networks H04L61/50

Abstract

A network device for a home entertainment network including a network controller configured to provide Ethernet communication capability, HEC, and CEC, consumer electronics control, communication capability, and a database generator unit configured to generate a database containing information about a network device of the home entertainment network, and a unique identifier of the respective network device.

Claims

1. Network device for a home entertainment network comprising

a network controller adapted to provide Ethernet communication capability, HEC, and CEC, consumer electronics control, communication capability, and

a database generator unit adapted to generate a database containing

information about a network device of said home entertainment network, and

a unique identifier of the respective network device.

2. Network device of claim 1, wherein said unique identifier is a MAC address assigned to the network controller.

3. Network device of claim 1, wherein said information comprises a network address.

4. Network device of claim 1, wherein said information comprises information about an operation of said network device tasked by a user.

5. Network device of claim 1, wherein said information comprises information about preferences assigned to said network device.

6. Network device of claim 4, comprising

a detecting unit adapted to detect each device operation tasked by a user of the network device;

said generator unit adapted to generate a data record on the basis of the detected device operation, and

a storage unit adapted to store the data record in the database.

7. Network device of claim 6, wherein the data record comprises a network address of the network, an indication of the operation detected and the date/time the operation was detected.

8. Network device of claim 7, wherein the data record comprises the network address of the network devices within the network being involved in the operation.

9. Network device of claim 7, wherein the network address comprises an address according to the HDMI specification and a sub-network identifier identifying the sub-network, which the network device is part of, within the network.

10. Network device of claim 1, comprising

an evaluation unit adapted to evaluate the database, and

an operation option unit adapted to provide operation options in response to the evaluation of the database.

11. Network device of claim 4, wherein the data record further comprises information about the user tasking the operation.

12. Network device of claim 11, comprising a user identification unit adapted to identify a user.

13. Network device of claim 12, wherein said user identification unit comprises a camera unit and a face recognition unit.

14. Network device of claim 1, comprising a synchronization unit adapted to synchronize the database with respective other databases of other network devices within the network.

15. Network device of claim 14, wherein the synchronization unit uses the Ethernet or CEC communication capability for synchronizing.

16. Network device of claim 1, wherein the network device is one of a TV set, a Blu-ray player, a DVD device, an AV receiver, a video recorder device, an MP3 player, a personal computer, a mobile device (PDA), a smart phone, a tablet or any other device connected to the home entertainment network.

17. Home entertainment network comprising at least two network devices as defined in claim 1.

18. Data table stored in a memory of a network device as defined in claim 1, comprising first information indicating an operation of a particular network device (source), second information indicating the network address of said particular network-device, third information indicating the time and date of the operation and fourth information indicating a unique identifier of said network device.

19. Data table of claim 18, wherein said unique identifier is a MAC address.

20. Method for controlling and re-routing audio, video and data streams in a home entertainment network, comprising the step of:

generating a database containing

information about a network device of said home entertainment network, and

a unique identifier of the respective network device.

21. Method of claim 20, wherein said unique identifier is a MAC address of the respective network device.

22. Method of claim 20, wherein said information comprises a network address.

23. Method of claim 20, wherein said information comprises information about an operation of said network device tasked by a user.

24. Method of claim 20, wherein said information comprises information about preferences assigned to said network device.

25. Method of claim 23, comprising the steps of:

detecting an operation of a network device tasked by a user,

generating a data record on the basis of the detected network device operation, and

storing said data record in said database.

26. Method of claim 25, wherein the data record is filled with a network address of the network device, a MAC address of said network device, an indication of the operation detected and the date and time the operation was detected.

27. Method of claim 26, wherein the data record is filled with the network address of each network device being involved in the operation within the network.

28. Method of claim 20, comprising the steps:

evaluating the database, and

providing operation options in response to the evaluating step.

29. Method of claim 20, comprising the step of synchronizing the data-base of a network device with respective databases of other network devices within the network.

30. Method of claim 20, comprising the step of:

re-routing an audio, video and/or data stream from one network device to another network device on the basis of the data stored in the database.

31. Method of claim 20, comprising the step of:

presenting the user a list of network devices for selection as a source or sink network device for streaming, the list being generated on the basis of the database.

32. Method of claim 20, comprising the step of:

identifying a user tasking an operation.

33. Method of claim 32, comprising the step of

adding further information to the database, the information containing information identifying the user.

34. Method of claim 32, comprising the step of:

providing operation options based on the user identification.