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GB2347829A - Communication protocol translator for consumer electronic networks - Google Patents

Communication protocol translator for consumer electronic networks Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2347829A
GB2347829A GB9828850A GB9828850A GB2347829A GB 2347829 A GB2347829 A GB 2347829A GB 9828850 A GB9828850 A GB 9828850A GB 9828850 A GB9828850 A GB 9828850A GB 2347829 A GB2347829 A GB 2347829A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
computer
protocol
translator
client
tcp
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB9828850A
Other versions
GB9828850D0 (en
Inventor
Keith Goodyer
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
GEN AMERICAN ROYALTY Inc
Original Assignee
GEN AMERICAN ROYALTY Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by GEN AMERICAN ROYALTY Inc filed Critical GEN AMERICAN ROYALTY Inc
Priority to GB9828850A priority Critical patent/GB2347829A/en
Publication of GB9828850D0 publication Critical patent/GB9828850D0/en
Publication of GB2347829A publication Critical patent/GB2347829A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/60—Network structure or processes for video distribution between server and client or between remote clients; Control signalling between clients, server and network components; Transmission of management data between server and client, e.g. sending from server to client commands for recording incoming content stream; Communication details between server and client 
    • H04N21/63—Control signaling related to video distribution between client, server and network components; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients or between remote clients, e.g. transmitting basic layer and enhancement layers over different transmission paths, setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet between remote STB's; Communication protocols; Addressing
    • H04N21/643—Communication protocols
    • H04N21/64322—IP
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L69/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
    • H04L69/08—Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43—Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/438—Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
    • H04N21/4381—Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L69/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
    • H04L69/16—Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L69/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
    • H04L69/26—Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Communication Control (AREA)
  • Computer And Data Communications (AREA)

Abstract

A computer network comprises at least one provider computer (12), a number of client devices (10) and at least one protocol translator computer (11) through which each client device communicates with the provider computer. Each client device communicates with the translator computer using a thin client transfer protocol while the translator computer communicates with the provider computer using a TCP/IP compatible protocol. The thin client protocol utilizes strings of octants to define specific request and commands. Applications include connection of television sets to computer networks via a set-top box (STB).

Description

communications Protocol for Consumer Electronio Networks This invention relates to a digital communications protocol and architecture Lui communicating digital information from established computer networks, such as the Internet to simple consumer electronic devices such as televisions and set-top-boxes.
It is well known to ntworX remote computers. One such network is the Internet, which users are able to access remote information provided by information providers that are located across the world.
A disadvantage of the Internet is that it requires complex procedures and protocols to access the remotely stored information provided. It is well known to use a communications protocol known as TCP/IP (Transfer Control Protocol/InterneL Protocol) to access such remotely stored information. However it is only practical to use the TCP/IP protocol when a computer, acting as a client has sufficient computational and storage performance to operate the TCP/IP protocols.
An example of such a client, that may not have sufficient computational or storage performance to conform to the TCP/IP protocols, is a television set or a set-top-box device that is not equipped with the processing or memory requirements to implement TCP/IP protocols.
We have now devised a procedure, which alleviates the abovementioned problem and allows connection of simple consumer electronic devices such as televisions and set-top-box devices to access information from computer network3, such as the Internet without the use of TCP/IP protocols.
In accordance with this invention there is provided a computer network comprising a plurality of computers including at least one provider computer at least one protocol translator computer and at least one consumer electronics client, each provider computer having an associated source of information residing at an address, and said consumer electronics client being selectively connectable to each provider computer via the protocol translator computer.
Communication transactions between the consumer electronics client and the protocol translator are sent and received using a method defined in this invention known as Thin Client Transfer Protocol.
A request for information is sent from the consumer electronics client using Thin Client Transfer Protocol to the protocol translator computer, which re-formats such a request into a TCP/IP compatible request. The TCP/IP compatible request is then forwarded to the provider computer containing the requested information. The provider computer containing the requested information, replies with the required information using the TCP/IP protocol to the protocol translator computer, which re-formats the reply into a Thin Client Transfer Protocol format that can be understood and acted upon by the consumer electronics client, and forwards the reply to the consumer electronics client.
Thin Client Transfer Protocol communicates using octants. Whilst the most significant bit of each octant is set to zero, the least significant seven bits are coded and defined by the American Standard Code for Information Interchange X3.4-1977. Whilst the most significant bit of each octant is set to one, the least significant seven bits are undefined.
Strings of octants of a certain length defined by each specific request, are sent by the consumer electronics client to the protocol translator for translation to TCP/IP netwoik protocols. Responses from the protocol translator computer are received by the consumer electronic client in the form of strings of octants with a certain length determined by the specific request originally made.
Referring to the drawing, there is shown a computer network showing a plurality of consumer electronic clients (10) each connected ro one of a plurality of protocol translator computers (11) each bi- directionally communicating using a Thin Client Transfer Protocol (13).
Each protocol translator computer is connected to a plurality of provider computers or Internet servers (12) using a TCP/IP protocol (14).
Each consumer electronics client (10) can make a request to a protocol translator computer (11). A protocol translator computer (11) can simultaneously accept and process requests from a certain number of consumer electronic client's (10). Protocol translator computers (llj which are connected to the internet and can communicate directly with other provider computers or Internet servers (12).
In accordance with this invention the Thin Client Transfer Protocol (13) is typically carried across a physical electronic or wireless connection such as a modulated telephone line or cable TV or satellite network.
The network in accordance with this intervention allows the communication of simple consumer electronic devices with provider computers networked together on larger computer networks, such as the internet, without the use of TCP/IP protocols.

Claims (6)

  1. Claims: 1. A computer arrangement comprising at least one provider computer, at least one protocol translator computer and at least one client device arranged to be connected to the translator computer for transfer of information using one protocol while the translator computer is arranged to transfer information between the provider computer and itself using a second protocol different to the first.
  2. 2. A computer arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the second protocol is a TCP/IP compatible protocol.
  3. 3. A computer arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first protocol is a thin client transfer protocol.
  4. 4. A computer arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the first protocol comprises a plurality of octants.
  5. 5. A computer arrangement according to claim 4, wherein a defined number of octants constitute a string.
  6. 6. A computer arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
GB9828850A 1998-12-30 1998-12-30 Communication protocol translator for consumer electronic networks Withdrawn GB2347829A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9828850A GB2347829A (en) 1998-12-30 1998-12-30 Communication protocol translator for consumer electronic networks

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9828850A GB2347829A (en) 1998-12-30 1998-12-30 Communication protocol translator for consumer electronic networks

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9828850D0 GB9828850D0 (en) 1999-02-17
GB2347829A true GB2347829A (en) 2000-09-13

Family

ID=10845176

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9828850A Withdrawn GB2347829A (en) 1998-12-30 1998-12-30 Communication protocol translator for consumer electronic networks

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2347829A (en)

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2264374A (en) * 1992-02-24 1993-08-25 Systems Limited Kk Programmable protocol converter.
EP0560706A2 (en) * 1992-03-10 1993-09-15 International Business Machines Corporation A combined terminal adapter for SMDS and frame relay high speed data services
EP0727909A2 (en) * 1995-02-06 1996-08-21 Sony Corporation Interface for audio/video subscriber equipment and telecommunications line
GB2309619A (en) * 1996-01-24 1997-07-30 Madge Networks Ltd Protocol coverter card for ATM/Token ring
GB2324182A (en) * 1995-12-28 1998-10-14 Intel Corp A method and apparatus for interfacing a device compliant to first bus protocol to an external bus

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2264374A (en) * 1992-02-24 1993-08-25 Systems Limited Kk Programmable protocol converter.
EP0560706A2 (en) * 1992-03-10 1993-09-15 International Business Machines Corporation A combined terminal adapter for SMDS and frame relay high speed data services
EP0727909A2 (en) * 1995-02-06 1996-08-21 Sony Corporation Interface for audio/video subscriber equipment and telecommunications line
GB2324182A (en) * 1995-12-28 1998-10-14 Intel Corp A method and apparatus for interfacing a device compliant to first bus protocol to an external bus
GB2309619A (en) * 1996-01-24 1997-07-30 Madge Networks Ltd Protocol coverter card for ATM/Token ring

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9828850D0 (en) 1999-02-17

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)