HK1169773A

HK1169773A - System and method applied in media gateway holding services based on locations

Info

Publication number: HK1169773A
Application number: HK12110349.3A
Authority: HK
Inventors: 菲利普．克莱因
Original assignee: 美国博通公司
Priority date: 2011-03-21
Filing date: 2012-10-18
Publication date: 2013-02-01

Description

System and method for use in a media gateway supporting location based services

Technical Field

The present invention relates to simplified user control of playback of media content. More particularly, the present invention relates to augmenting the graphical user interface of a conventional web page based on the discovery of the availability of a playback device in proximity to the user's mobile device, thereby providing an easy and natural means for selecting alternate electronic devices that may copy media content.

Background

A home network is typically a heterogeneous network composed of multiple wired and wireless technologies, where each device is treated as a single physical entity. Such arrangements generally do not provide seamless interconnectivity between stationary, nomadic and mobile devices in the home.

The interconnection between devices (and application devices) may be addressed in part by techniques provided by, for example, members of the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA). The newly released "DLNA interconnection guide version-1.5" was first highlighted in 2006, month 3, providing information about the interconnected devices. Other information about the operation of DLNA and the latest version of the "DLNA interconnection guide" can be found in "http:// www.dlna.org".

However, DLNA interconnection guidelines do not address the complexity of Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs). For example, a graphical user interface that simply lists all devices in the home for the user to select one device in a multi-level drop down menu is too cumbersome to be accepted by most users, and is an obstacle to the popularity of home services based on interconnected devices.

The current topological mapping is carried out by an integrator on an intelligent remote control board "The smart phone is realized in a full-customization or semi-customization mode. However, this mapping is limited to static mapping. Additional details of software applications that support this static mapping for apple iPad and iPhone can be found in connection technology (connecting technology) at the web site<http://www.connecting-technology.com>。

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to an apparatus, method, and system for supporting natural user selection of nearby electronic devices that may copy media content, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a media gateway supporting location based services, the method comprising:

receiving topology information from a mobile device of a user that can identify one or more electronic devices in a premise environment (premise environment);

receiving a message (message) from the mobile device for transmission to a server, the message identifying content delivered by the server to the mobile device;

receiving, from the server, content identified in the message;

determining whether the received content contains information identifying user-selectable media content;

modifying the content received from the server to be displayed on the mobile device representing one or more graphical objects of an electronic device in the prerequisite environment capable of replicating the selectable media content;

transmitting the modified content to the mobile device for display;

receiving, from the mobile device, an indication of a user selection of a graphical target representing one or more electronic devices capable of copying the media content;

sending a request to the server to deliver the media content to the media gateway; and

transmitting the received media content to one of the one or more electronic devices corresponding to the selected graphical target.

Preferably, the content comprises web page content.

Preferably, the content includes elements of a markup language that support hyperlinks to media content.

Preferably, the markup language comprises hypertext markup language (HTML).

Preferably, the mobile device of the user is one of a cellular phone, a smart phone and a portable personal computer.

Preferably, the mobile device of the user comprises a tablet computer.

Preferably, the topology information comprises identity and capability information of each of the one or more electronic devices.

Preferably, the topology information includes information representing settings (arrangement) and connections of the one or more electronic devices.

Preferably, the topology information is identified by the mobile device using wireless communication with electronic devices within a particular proximity of the mobile device.

Preferably, the modifying comprises augmenting the received content for rendering and display at the mobile device with additional information representing one or more selectable graphical objects corresponding to the one or more electronic devices capable of copying media content.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system applied in a media gateway supporting a location-based service, the system comprising:

at least one processor configured to communicatively couple a server and a mobile device of a user, the at least one processor, in operation, being configured to at least:

receiving topology information from the mobile device that can identify one or more electronic devices in a premise environment (premise environment);

receiving a message from the mobile device for transmission to the server, the message identifying content delivered by the server to the mobile device;

receiving, from the server, content identified in the message;

modifying the content received from the server for display on the mobile device of one or more graphical objects representing electronic devices in the prerequisite environment capable of replicating the selectable media content;

transmitting the modified content to the mobile device for display;

Preferably, the content comprises web page content.

Preferably, the markup language comprises hypertext markup language (HTML).

Preferably, the mobile device of the user comprises a tablet computer.

Preferably, the topology information comprises information representative of settings and connections of the one or more electronic devices.

Preferably, the topology information is determined by the mobile device using wireless communication with electronic devices within a particular proximity of the mobile device.

Preferably, the modifying comprises augmenting the received content with additional information representative of one or more selectable graphical objects for rendering and display at the mobile device, the one or more graphical objects corresponding to the one or more electronic devices capable of copying media content.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein a plurality of code segments, each code segment comprising a plurality of instructions executable by a processor, the instructions causing the processor to:

receiving, from a mobile device of a user, topology information that can identify one or more electronic devices in a premise environment;

receiving a message from the mobile device for transmission to a server, the message identifying content delivered by the server to the mobile device;

receiving, from the server, content identified in the message;

transmitting the modified content to the mobile device for display;

Preferably, the content comprises web page content.

Preferably, the markup language comprises hypertext markup language (HTML).

Preferably, the mobile device of the user comprises a tablet computer.

Preferably, the topology information is determined by the mobile device using communication with electronic devices within a particular proximity of the mobile device.

Preferably, said modifying comprises augmenting said received content with further information representative of one or more selectable graphical objects for rendering and display at said mobile device, said one or more graphical objects corresponding to said one or more electronic devices capable of copying media content.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully described in the following description and drawings.

Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates a premise environment with several electronic devices that are elements of a network in which an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be implemented;

fig. 2 illustrates coverage areas/operating ranges of several different wireless communication technologies currently employed for data communication in electronic devices in residential, small office, and commercial environments;

FIG. 3 illustrates an arrangement of IEEE802.11 (e.g., Wi-Fi) Access Points (APs), a first television TV1, a second television TV2, and a user mobile device (e.g., a cell phone, smart phone, portable personal computer, or other nomadic/mobile device in a home, small office, or business environment) in which the user mobile device utilizes the user mobile, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventionMobile devices, IEEE802.11AP, and wireless communication capabilities of TV1 and TV2 (e.g., BluetoothCompatible radio interface and IEEE802.11 radio interface) distinguishes between a first television setting TV1 and a second television setting TV2 within a similar range of an IEEE802.11(Wi-Fi) Access Point (AP).

FIG. 4A is a schematic illustration of a window of a Graphical User Interface (GUI), which may appear, for example, as part of a web page displayed by a user's mobile device, which may be provided at the user's mobile device when viewing media content in the form of a dynamic video, according to the prior art;

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of a window of an exemplary Graphical User Interface (GUI), which may appear, for example, as part of a web page displayed by a user's mobile device (e.g., the user's mobile device of FIG. 3) in which the displayed window is augmented with graphical icons, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A illustrates the operation of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in a simplified "three-box model";

FIG. 5B is a block diagram of information flow in a simplified premise environment with a media gateway, a television, and a user mobile device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of elements and information flow of an exemplary system in which a web page provided by a web server may be automatically augmented by a media gateway using topology information collected by a user's mobile device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a block diagram of elements and information flow of an exemplary system in which a web page provided by a web server may be automatically augmented by a user mobile device using topology information collected by the user mobile device, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6C is a block diagram of the elements and information flow of an exemplary system in which a web page served by a web server may be automatically augmented by the web server using topology information collected by a user mobile device, according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7A-7B are flowcharts of an exemplary method of operation of a media gateway supporting home location-based services according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates to the simplification of user control over the playback of media content. More particularly, the present invention relates to augmenting the graphical user interface of a conventional web page based on the discovery of the availability of a playback device in proximity to the user's mobile device, thereby providing an easy and natural means for selecting alternate electronic devices that may copy media content.

Although the following discussion frequently mentions that the user mobile device may be a mobile or handheld device, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, or one of various types of personal computers, such as a palmtop, tablet, notebook, netbook, or laptop computer, the inventive concepts presented herein are not specifically limited to use with only these devices and may be applied to other electronic devices now known or in the future.

The term "stream" as used herein relates to the communication of moving image (e.g., video) or audio information. The term is used without specific limitation to the inventive concepts described herein, and the transmitted digital information may represent still images, each of which is transmitted as a specific amount of information, rather than as a continuous stream of digital content as in the communication of video and audio streams.

The term "media content" as used herein refers to still images, motion video, audio, textual and graphical image information.

The term "premise environment" as used herein refers to the available physical space, considered to be part of a residential, small office or commercial environment.

The term "topology information" as used herein refers to information representing, for example, the identity, physical setup, communication connections (i.e., connections), and capabilities of electronic devices capable of wireless communication in a premises environment.

The term "wireless communication circuitry" as used herein refers to elements of an electronic device that allow wireless communication with one or more similar devices, other types of devices, or elements of a communication infrastructure, such as wireless base stations, access points, and terminals of wireless wide area, local area, personal area, and near field networks.

It should be noted that although this disclosure describes Bluetooth in terms of compliance, for example, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11a/b/g/n, Tgac, and/or s recommendationsCommunication protocol, ZigbeeCommunication protocols, and the use of wireless communications using wireless technologies that are the specifications of the Near Field Communication (NFC) forum, the use of which do not represent specific limitations of the present invention, the techniques described herein may be practiced using wireless communication technologies other than those mentioned herein.

Fig. 1 illustrates a premise environment 100 having several electronic devices that are elements of a network in which an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be implemented. The premise environment may be, for example, a private home, a business office, or any other location having network-enabled electronic equipment. The premise environment 100 shown in fig. 1 includes a Wireless Access Point (WAP)110, a first television 120, a second television 130, a user mobile device 140, and a personal computer 150. The electronic device shown in fig. 1 is for illustrative purposes only and is not meant to be a specific limitation of the present invention. The wireless access point 110 may provide wireless local area network access to a wired or wireless local or wide area network 105, such as a digital subscriber line network, a cable television network, a satellite network, a wireless IEEE802.16(WiMax) network, or other suitable network, for electronic devices in and around the premises environment 100.

Each of first television 120, second television 130, user mobile device 140, and personal computer 150 may be equipped to communicate with wireless access point 110 using wireless communication circuitry that is IEEE802.11a/b/g/n, Tgac, and/or s, Bluetooth compliantZigbee(ieee802.15.4), Near Field Communication (NFC), Infrared (IR), or other suitable current or future wireless communication technologies. Further, use is made of, for example, IEEE802.11a/b/g/n, Tgac, or s, BluetoothZigbee(ieee802.15.4), Near Field Communication (NFC), Infrared (IR), or other suitable present or future wireless communication technology, the electronic devices shown in fig. 1 may be equipped with additional wireless communication circuitry to communicate with each other.

Fig. 2 illustrates the coverage area/operating range of several different wireless communication technologies currently used for data communication in electronic devices in residential, small office and commercial environments. Such communication techniques include, for example, the IEEE802.11a/b/g/n, Tgac, and s (aka Wi-Fi) standards, BluetoothStandards, Zigbee (ieee802.15.4), and Near Field Communication (NFC) forum specifications, which may be used in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

The example wireless communication technology illustrated in fig. 2 differs in many ways including, for example, the data transmission rate, the type of modulation used, and the transmitted signal power. The radius of coverage for devices employing the ieee802.11b and g standards using omni-directional antennas is estimated to be between 150 and 300 feet, as indicated by the outermost circle boundary in fig. 2, whereas ieee802.11a typically provides about one third of this range, and ieee802.11n provides a greater operating range than ieee802.11 b/g.

Bluetooth, shown by circle boundary 220 in FIG. 2Typically specified to be between 6 and 250 meters (approximately between 20 and 830 feet), depending on the transmit power level, transmit path characteristics, and receiver machine sensitivity. Transmission power level for radio operation according to bluetoothThe specification is classified into class 1 (100mw), class 2 (2.5mw), or class 3 (1mw), respectively.

Zigbee, illustrated by circle boundary 230 in FIG. 2The operating range of (IEEE802.15.4) is generally considered to be similar to the operating range of IEEE802.11, but ZigbeeOperating at much lower transmit power levels and bit rates than IEEE 802.11.

The operating range of Near Field Communication (NFC), shown by the circle boundary 240 in fig. 2, is extremely limited, providing only a useful range of a few tens of centimeters.

In a typical implementation of the inventionIn an example, the dynamic and self-learning mapping may be automated by extracting topology information from the relevant signal information (e.g., channel estimates, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), time synchronization …) that may be derived by any available wireless technology, such as IEEE802.11(akaWi-Fi), Bluetooth, as shown in FIG. 2IEEE802.15.4(Zigbee) And Near Field Communication (NFC) provisioning.

These communication techniques may be used alone or in conjunction with locating devices and communicating the identity and capabilities of electronic devices (e.g., the electronic device in fig. 1) in a room, home, or commercial environment.

The actual wireless technology used in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention for locating an electronic device in the premises may be any combination selected from a variety of different known methods and does not represent a specific limitation of the present invention. The details of positioning using such wireless communication techniques will not be described in detail herein.

Currently, electronic devices, such as those typically found in home, small office and business environments, are now often treated as a single physical entity, however, as shown below, these physical devices can be dynamically linked as virtual multi-mode devices that provide content and manageability through a multi-mode approach by, for example, selecting a stream (stream) on a mobile device and then displaying the stream on a nearby television set (whose TV screen is at the original resolution). Providing a "natural Graphical User Interface (GUI)" (where "natural" is the same as it is in "natural language"), the electronic devices can be made aware of their topological location in the home/small office/business environment, thereby providing a nomadic/mobile user with a simple way to use the electronic devices that are immediately available in his/her current environment.

AsAs an illustrative, non-limiting example, in a first scenario, a person may enter a family room in a home with his cellular phone and wish to share a video clip on a television in the family room and on the people present (e.g., from YouTube)). In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a GUI displayed on the display screen of a cellular handset may provide the option to transfer the video clip to a television in a family room, rather than forcing the user to display the clip on the small screen of her cellular handset, or scrolling down a menu listing all display devices connected in the home.

As another illustrative, non-limiting example, in a second scenario, a person may browse a web page using his/her electronic device. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the displayed web pages may be simultaneously displayed on a television screen in the room in which they are located. The person may use his/her portable electronic device to display an electronic "TV guide" and send commands to the television set.

As yet another illustrative, non-limiting example, in a third scenario, a wireless handheld device may be utilized to initiate game play on a television while a person is in the living room. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the user may then move to a second display device, e.g., a television in another room in the home, while seamlessly continuing to play the game on the display device in the second room.

FIG. 3 illustrates an arrangement of an IEEE802.11 (i.e., Wi-Fi) Access Point (AP)310, a first TV 1320, a second TV 2330, and a user mobile device 340 (e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone, a portable personal computer, or other nomadic/mobile device in a home, small office, or business environment) in which the user mobile device 340 utilizes the user mobile device 340, IEEE802.11AP 310, and the wireless communication capabilities of TV 1320 and TV 2330 (e.g., Blu-ray), according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventionToothCompatible radio interface and IEEE802.11 radio interface) distinguishes between a first television setting TV 1320 and a second television setting TV 2330 that are within a similar range of an IEEE802.11(Wi-Fi) Access Point (AP) 310.

As shown in FIG. 3, Wi-FiAP 310 may be equipped to communicate with TV 1320 and TV 2330 over IEEE802.11 compliant wireless radio frequency communication paths 315 and 325, respectively. The user mobile device 340 may also communicate with the Wi-Fi AP310 over an IEEE 802.11-compliant wireless RF communication path 335. In addition, TV 1320 and TV 2330 may be equipped to utilize wireless communication protocols (e.g., by BluetoothProtocols described by the specification) to communicate with the user mobile device 340 over the wireless communication paths 355 and 345, respectively.

Although the discussion of FIG. 3 illustrates the use of radio frequency signals in compliance with the IEEE802.11 standard and BluetoothIn a representative embodiment of the present invention, other suitable techniques for locating nearby electronic devices capable of receiving, processing and replicating informational content may be used by user mobile device 340 and other electronic devices such as television TV 1320, TV 2330 and AP 310.

In the example of fig. 3, television TVs 1320 and 2330 may be equipped to receive and display media content such as still images, motion video, web pages, and other digital information transmitted over wireless communication paths 315 and 325, respectively, through AP 310. The user mobile device 340 is also capable of receiving and displaying media content, such as still images, motion video, web pages, and other digital content transmitted by the AP 310. In some typical embodiments, the user mobile device 340 may use additional wireless communication paths to receive media content for display/play.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the user mobile device 340 may be equipped to utilize wireless signals transmitted by the Wi-Fi AP310, the TV 1320, the TV 2330, and/or other electronic devices in proximity to the location of the user mobile device 340 to learn about the presence and capabilities of these other electronic devices. The user mobile device 340 may utilize characteristics of or information transmitted on signals transmitted from one electronic device to another to identify the geographic location and topology of the user mobile device 340 and electronic devices proximate to the user mobile device 340. For example, this process may be accomplished using received signal strength information measured by a receiver in an electronic device (e.g., AP310, TV 1320, TV 2330, and user mobile device 340). Other characteristics of the wireless signal may also be used alone or in combination with the received signal strength.

The user mobile device 340 of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may also be aware of the identity and capabilities of the electronic device accessing the user mobile device 340 and any electronic devices in the vicinity of the user mobile device 340 may be aware of the identity and capabilities of the user mobile device 340. Illustrative, non-limiting examples of the capabilities of the electronic device of fig. 3 include the ability to generate, store, play, and/or copy one or more streams of video and/or audio information, and the ability to generate, store, play, and/or copy still pictures, to name a few.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device, such as user mobile device 340, may enter a residential, small office, or commercial environment, such as premise environment 100 of FIG. 1. User mobile device 340 may discover one or more electronic devices within proximity of the user mobile device, e.g., one or both of TV 1320 and TV 2330 in fig. 3, and may receive identity and capability information from TV 1320, TV 2330, and AP 310. Although fig. 3 illustrates radio frequency communication paths 335, 345, and 355, one or more of those possible communication paths may not conform to the criteria set by the manufacturer and/or the user of the user mobile device 340 for locating electronic devices (e.g., AP310, TV 2330, and TV 1320) within a certain distance or proximity of the user mobile device 340 to make these electronic devices available to or accessible by the user mobile device 340, respectively.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, information about discovered electronic devices in a premise environment, along with identity and capability information, may be used to create a collection or database of topology information. In some exemplary embodiments, topology information, including identity and capability information, is collected in this manner and then stored in memory of the user mobile device 340. The stored information may be selected or categorized according to manufacturer/user defined criteria for classifying the target electronic device as accessible or available. In other exemplary embodiments, topology information including identity and capability information of the handset may be stored in a memory of an electronic device in the premise environment other than or in addition to the user mobile device 340 and/or in a memory of an electronic device external to the premise environment, as will be explained further below.

Although the user mobile device 340 may be equipped with circuitry to communicate with electronic devices in the surrounding environment using one or more wireless communication techniques, it may be necessary for the user of the user mobile device 340 to help resolve any initial uncertainty generated by locating the user mobile device 340 in the premises environment by answering some of the questions posed by a simple wizard-type application on the user mobile device 340. For example, referring now to fig. 1, the user mobile device 140 may discover that the first television 120 and the second television 130 satisfy the criteria for both of them to access the user mobile device 140. The user may wish to identify or "map" the whereabouts of each accessible electronic device in the premise environment 100 to allow the user of the user mobile device 140 to then clearly select, for example, one of the first and second televisions 120, 130.

As an illustrative, non-limiting example, when an "unmapped" television is first discovered by a nomadic/mobile electronic device (e.g., user mobile device 340 in fig. 3), the user of the electronic device is prompted, using a simple GUI, to identify the room in which the discovered television is located. The electronic device (e.g., user mobile device 340) then transmits the location provided by the user to the discovered television. During discovery, once the discovered television knows its location, it can publish or share its location to other electronic devices, such as mobile handset 340. Over time, as more and more electronic and electrical applications are discovered and mapped in a home/small office/business environment, the location of nomadic/mobile electronic devices can be more accurate by moving the nomadic/mobile electronic devices through a range of known locations of static electronic and electrical applications in the home/small office/business environment.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, topology information including identity and capability information collected by nomadic/mobile electronic devices during discovery and mapping of static electronic devices and electrical applications can be used to provide a user interface to replace the cumbersome traditional menu schemes now in use, by providing a mechanism (e.g., automatically expanding a displayed web page, "on the fly" usage) to, for example, a web server proxy or media gateway in a home/small office/business environment to include topology options into the displayed content.

Fig. 4A is a schematic diagram of a window 400 of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) according to the prior art, according to which window 400 may appear, for example, as part of a web page displayed by a user's mobile device at which window 400 may be provided when viewing media content in the form of dynamic video. Such a graphical user interface may be used to view, for example, a motion video file encoded according to the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) encoding method. The window 400 includes a progress bar 420 representing the entirety of the dynamic video file and an indicator 415 for indicating the relative position of the currently displayed image in the displayed file. The actual indication of the current elapsed time and total time for the motion video file is shown as elapsed and total time indicator 435. A graphical icon 440 is displayed to allow the viewer to begin viewing the dynamic video file on the display of the user's mobile device by simply selecting the image icon 440. During viewing, the location of indicator 415 along progress bar 420 represents the relative progress of the dynamic video file playing.

Fig. 4B is a schematic diagram of a window 400 of an exemplary Graphical User Interface (GUI) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, where window 400 may appear, for example, as part of a web page displayed by a user mobile device (e.g., user mobile device 340 of fig. 3) in which displayed window 400 is augmented with a graphical icon 450. The graphical icon 450 displayed as part of the window 400 allows the user to transfer media content accessed by the user mobile device 340 (e.g., media content played or copied on an appropriate electronic device proximate to the user mobile device 340). The graphical icon 450 is displayed to the user of the user mobile device 340 based on a determination that the electronic device proximate to the user mobile device 340 is the appropriate electronic device available to display/play/copy the media content accessed by the user of the user mobile device 340. Such identification uses topology information created during discovery by the user mobile device 340 proximate to the electronic device to which the user mobile device 340 is easily accessible. Although fig. 4B shows only one icon (e.g., icon 450) representing a single electronic device for displaying/playing/copying media content accessed by the user's mobile device 340, this is not meant to be a specific limitation of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a user mobile device (e.g., user mobile device 340) displays graphical icons, such as icon 450 in FIG. 4B, for a number of suitable electronic devices accessible by the user mobile device 340 to allow a user of the user mobile device 340 to select an accessible electronic device proximate to the user mobile device 340 to receive media content accessed by the user of the user mobile device 340.

FIG. 5A illustrates the operation of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in a simplified "three-box model" form. The model shown in fig. 5A includes entities that are the source of media content 502, e.g., a web server, entities that perform modifications of media content 520, e.g., a media gateway, entities that render media content 575, e.g., a web browser application in a mobile device. The model in FIG. 5A can be implemented in a variety of ways.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the entities that are the source of the media content, the modifier of the media content, and the renderer of the media content may be divided as shown in FIG. 5A, with the web server first sending the web content to the media gateway that performs the modification of the web content, which in turn sends the modified web content to the user's mobile device with a web browser application that processes the received web content and renders it for viewing.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the entity that is the source of the web page content may also implement the modification of the web page content. In such an arrangement, the web server can modify the web page content in a manner to be described below, before sending to the browser application of the user's mobile device for rendering and viewing.

In yet another third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an entity that is the source of the web page content may send the requested web page content to a user mobile device that can modify the received web page content in a manner to be described below before the modified web page content is rendered for viewing.

Fig. 5B is a block diagram of the flow of information in a simplified premise environment 500 having a media gateway 520, a television 550, and a user mobile device 560 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Upon power-up or upon entering the premise environment 500, the user mobile device 500 performs topology discovery to identify whether any electronic devices are in proximity to the user mobile device 560. The communication of identity and capability information collected by the user's mobile device 560 when performing topology discovery is represented by information flow 555 in fig. 5B. Subsequent to topology discovery, the user mobile device 560 shares the topology information collected during topology discovery with the media gateway 520 via information flow 535. After a period of time, the user accesses a web page from a web server (not shown) using a web browser. The web server sends the requested web page (represented by information flow 515 in fig. 5B) to media gateway 520. Information stream 515 may be in the form of, for example, a stream of hypertext markup language (HTML) language constructs that define/describe the content of the graphical elements of the requested web page.

When receiving the information stream 515 representing a web page requested by the user's mobile device 560, the media gateway 520 processes the information stream 515 using the topology information received earlier from the user's mobile device 560. If the information stream 515 representing the requested web page includes language constructs that support accessing the stream of media content, the media gateway 520 examines the topology information received from the user mobile device 560 to determine if any electronic devices suitable for displaying/playing/copying the stream of media content are found within the proximity of the user mobile device 560 during the topology discovery process. If no electronic device suitable for displaying/playing/copying the stream of media content is found, the information stream 515 is still passed on unchanged to the user mobile device 560.

However, if during topology discovery, an electronic device suitable for displaying/playing/copying a stream of media content is ascertained, media gateway 520 augments the web page content transmitted in stream 515 such that language constructs representing one or more additional graphical icons (e.g., icon 450 in FIG. 4B) are appropriately inserted into stream 515. Each additional graphical icon (the information of which is inserted into information stream 515) represents an electronic device found during topology discovery that is deemed suitable for displaying/playing/copying a stream of media content. The inserted information for each graphical icon is arranged to facilitate selection of the graphical icon to send a command to media gateway 520 that may indicate that playback of the associated stream of media content is selected and parameters that may identify the electronic device represented by the selected graphical icon. The augmented web page including information representing the additional graphical icons is then sent by the media gateway 520 to the user's mobile device 560 as an information stream 540.

When the augmented web page represented by information stream 540 is received by user mobile device 560, a web browser in user mobile device 560 renders the augmented web page content to the display screen of user mobile device 560 to display the original web page content represented by information stream 515 and any additional graphical icons representing the electronic devices found during the discovery process as appropriate to display/play/copy the requested stream of media content. The user of user mobile device 560 may then view the original web content on user mobile device 560 and select from the graphical elements or icons represented by information stream 540, information stream 540 including additional graphical icons (e.g., icon 450 in fig. 4B) representing electronic devices suitable for displaying/playing/copying streams of media content accessible through the web page.

If the user selects a graphical element or icon displayed on the display screen of the user's mobile device 560, the browser responds by sending a command to the media gateway 520 that will be used by the server (not shown) from which the web page represented by the information stream 515 is sent. Based on the received command, the media gateway 520 utilizes the command and some parameters, as well as topology information previously received from the user's mobile device 560, to identify whether the received command was sent in response to the user's selection of one of the graphical icons (included in the information stream 540 by the media gateway 520). If the received command was not sent in response to a user selection of one of the graphical icons (included by the media gateway in information flow 540), the command and associated parameters are forwarded to the server and any media content sent by the server to the media gateway is forwarded to the user's mobile device for rendering and display.

If, however, media gateway 520 determines that the received command was sent in response to a user selection of one of the graphical icons (inserted by the media gateway into information stream 540), media gateway 520 transmits a subsequent stream of media content received from the server, e.g., media content 510 in fig. 5B, to the electronic device corresponding to the graphical icon selected by the user of user mobile device 560. The media gateway 520 sends the command information represented by information flow 530 and the stream of media content represented by information flow 525 to the electronic device represented by the selected graphical icon using the command and some parameters and the topology information previously received from the user's mobile device 560. Such communication employs a wireless communication path supported by the electronic device represented by the graphical icon selected by the user. In this manner, the user of the user mobile device 560 employs a simple extension to the well-known graphical user interface (i.e., web page) to communicate a desired stream of media content that would normally be rendered at the user mobile device 560 such that the desired stream is instead rendered on one of the appropriate electronic devices in the premises environment in which the user mobile device 560 is located.

It should be noted that the above description applies to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Other exemplary embodiments of the present invention may support the delivery of the stream of media content of the information stream 510 to the user mobile device 560 and one or more appropriate electronic devices in the premises environment in which the user mobile device is located.

Fig. 6A is a block diagram of the elements and information flow of an exemplary system 600 in which a web page 615 provided by a web server 602 may be automatically augmented by a media gateway 620 using topology information 645 collected by a user mobile device 660, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 6A, the system 600 includes a web server 602 with storage 605, a communication network represented as network 630, a media gateway 620 with a topology database 655, and a user mobile device 660 with a browser 675. The web server 602 may be any suitable computer capable of running web server software from any of a number of providers, such as open source Apache web server software, although other suitable web server software may be used. In addition to storing program code and data for the operation of web server 602, memory 605 may also be used to store web pages distributed by web server 602. The media gateway 620 may be, for example, any suitable residential gateway or personal computer configured with software that provides the functionality as described herein.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the user mobile device 660 may be any of a number of mobile/nomadic electronic devices, such as a browser-equipped cellular telephone or smartphone, wireless personal digital assistant, wireless laptop, notebook, tablet, or netbook-type personal computer, or other suitable electronic device capable of receiving web pages from the web server 602 and displaying/rendering the web pages. The system 600 shown in FIG. 6A also includes an electronic device 680 capable of rendering media content from the web server 602 for the purposes of this discussion. However, for clarity, not shown in FIG. 6A, the user mobile device 660 and the electronic device 680 are equipped with wireless communication circuitry to allow them to communicate with each other when in proximity to each other.

As described in more detail with respect to fig. 5B, in an exemplary embodiment of the invention, in a premise environment, during topology discovery and mapping activities, a user mobile device 660 may generate topology information 645. In the exemplary embodiment of fig. 6A, the user mobile device 660 is able to recognize that the electronic device 680 shown in fig. 6A is accessible by the user mobile device 660 and may collect identity and capability information from the electronic device 680, create topology information 645 regarding any electronic devices discovered in the proximity of the user mobile device, and then send the topology information 645 to the media gateway 620, which may store the topology information in the topology database 655.

After completing the discovery process for a period of time, the user of the user mobile device 660 may access the web page 615 from the web server 602 using the browser 675. Although referred to herein as a "web server," server 602 in an exemplary embodiment of the invention is not particularly limited in its functionality in this role, and server 602 may be part of any suitable communication network. The web page server 602 responds to web pages accessed by a user of the user mobile device 660 by transmitting content, such as web pages 615, to, for example, the user mobile device 660 using a communication network, including, for example, the internet (i.e., network 630) and the media gateway 620. The web page 615 may be represented in a language, such as HTML, and may include a language structure that is rendered by the browser 675 into selectable graphical icons representing additional content that may be selected for access by the user. The additional content may be provided, for example, via a web page 615 that includes selectable icons representing streaming media content.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, if, based on receipt of web page 615, media gateway 620 identifies that web page 615 contains a language structure for access, e.g., streaming media content, media gateway 620 may modify or augment the information representative of web page 615 by inserting a language structure representative of an additional graphical icon into the data representative of web page 615. The media gateway 620 of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can automatically generate a language structure suitable for a graphical icon representing each electronic device (e.g., electronic device 680) that is found proximate to and accessible by the user mobile device 660 and that is capable of receiving and rendering media content for display/play/copy. The media gateway 620 then modifies or "augments" the media content of the web page 615 by appropriately inserting the generated information representing the additional graphical icons into the media content representing the web page 615 such that when the modified/augmented web page 640 is subsequently rendered and displayed by the browser 675 of the user mobile device 660, the additional graphical icons appear in logical association with the relevant media content available for display/play/copy. The media gateway 620 then sends the modified/augmented web page 640 to the user mobile device 660 for rendering and display.

If the user selects a graphical element or icon displayed on the screen of the user mobile device 660, the browser 675 responds by sending a command to the media gateway 620 to the web server 602 that will be used to send the web page 615. Upon receiving the command, the media gateway 620 utilizes the command and some parameters, along with topology information previously received from the user's mobile device 660 and stored in the topology database 655, to determine whether the received command was sent in response to the user's selection of one of the graphical icons (included by the media gateway 620 in the modified/augmented webpage 640). If the received command is not sent in response to a user selection of one of the graphical icons (included by the media gateway 620 in the modified/augmented webpage 640), the command and associated parameters are forwarded to the web server 602 and any media content sent by the server to the media gateway 620 is forwarded to the user mobile device 660 for rendering and display by the browser 675.

However, if the media gateway 620 determines that the received command was sent in response to a user selection of one of the graphical icons (inserted by the media gateway 620 into the modified/augmented webpage 640), the media gateway 620 transmits media content subsequently received from the webpage server 602, e.g., media content 610 in FIG. 6A, to the electronic device corresponding to the graphical icon selected by the user of the user mobile device 660, as shown in this example by media content 625 being sent to electronic device 680. The media gateway 620 sends the command information and media content represented in fig. 6A by information stream 625 to the electronic device 680 using the command and any associated parameters and topology information previously received from the user mobile device 660 and stored in the topology database 655 using the wireless communication path supported by the electronic device 680. In this manner, with simple extensions to well-known web interfaces, a user of the user mobile device 660 may deliver desired media content to an appropriate electronic device in the premises environment in which the user mobile device 660 is located. Additionally, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the media gateway 620 may generate media content suitable for rendering and display on the user mobile device 660 (as shown by the dashed line representing the media content 635 in FIG. 6A) to allow a user of the user mobile device 660 to view the same content on the user mobile device 660 as the media gateway 620 transmitted content for rendering and display on the electronic device 680.

Fig. 6B is a block diagram of the elements and information flow of an exemplary system 600 in which a web page 615 provided by a web server 602 may be automatically augmented by a user mobile device 660 using topology information 645 collected by the user mobile device 660 in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6B, the system 600 includes a web server 602 with storage 605, a communication network represented as a web page 630, and a user mobile device 660 with a browser 675 and a topology database. The web server 602 may be any suitable computer capable of running web server software from any of a number of providers, such as open source Apache web server software, although other suitable web server software may be used. In addition to storing program code and data for the operation of web server 602, memory 605 may also be used to store web pages distributed by web server 602.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the user mobile device 660 may be any of a number of mobile/nomadic electronic devices, such as a browser-equipped cellular telephone or smartphone, wireless personal digital assistant, wireless laptop, notebook, tablet, or netbook-type personal computer, or other suitable electronic device capable of receiving web pages from the web server 602 and displaying/rendering the web pages. The system 600 shown in FIG. 6B also includes an electronic device 680 capable of rendering media content from the web server 602 for the purposes of this discussion. As shown in fig. 6B, the user mobile device 660 and the electronic device 680 are equipped with wireless communication circuitry to allow them to communicate with each other when in proximity to each other.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, in a premise environment, during topology discovery and mapping activities, the user mobile device 660 may generate topology information 645, and the topology information 645 may be stored in a database (such as the topology database 655 shown in FIG. 6B) contained in the memory of the user mobile device 660. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6B, the user mobile device 660 is able to determine that the electronic device 680 shown in FIG. 6B is accessible by the user mobile device 660, and may collect identity and capability information from the electronic device 680, create topology information 645 regarding any electronic devices discovered in the proximity of the user mobile device (e.g., the electronic device 680), and store the topology information in the topology database 655.

After completing the discovery process for a period of time, the user of the user mobile device 660 may access the web page 615 from the web server 602 using the browser 675. The web page server 602 responds to web pages accessed by a user of the user mobile device 660 by transmitting content, such as web page 615, to, for example, the user mobile device 660 using a communications network, including, for example, the internet (i.e., web page 630). The web page 615 may be represented in a markup language, such as HTML, that supports hyperlinks to media content and may include a language structure that is rendered by the browser 675 into selectable graphical icons that represent additional content that may be selected for access by the user. The additional content may be provided, for example, via a web page 615 that includes selectable icons representing streaming media content.

Upon receiving a web page 615 containing language structures, e.g., streaming media content, for access, the user's mobile device 660 in the example of FIG. 6B may modify or augment the information representing the web page 615 by inserting language structures representing additional graphical icons. The user mobile device 660 of such an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may automatically generate a language structure suitable for graphical icons representing each electronic device (e.g., electronic device 680) that is found proximate to and accessible by the user mobile device 660 and is capable of receiving and rendering media content for display/play/copy, such as the electronic device 680 shown in fig. 6B. The user mobile device 660 then modifies or "augments" the media content of the web page 615 by appropriately inserting the generated information representing the additional graphical icons into the media content representing the web page 615 to provide a modified/augmented web page 640 such that, when rendered by the browser 675, the additional graphical icons appear in logical association with the relevant media content available for display/play/copy. The browser 675 then renders and displays the modified/augmented web page 640 on the user mobile device 660.

If the user selects a graphical element or icon displayed on the screen of the user mobile device 660, the software in the user mobile device 660 determines whether the selected graphical icon is one of the graphical icons inserted into the modified/augmented webpage 640 by the user mobile device 660. If the selected graphical icon is not one of the graphical icons added to the web page 640 by the user mobile device 660, a command and associated parameters for accessing the desired media content are sent by the user mobile device 660 to the web page server 602. In response, web server 602 sends the requested media content to user mobile device 660. Media content received by the user mobile device 660 is then rendered and displayed by the browser 675.

However, if the user mobile device 660 determines that the selected graphical icon is one of the graphical icons inserted by the user mobile device 660 into the modified/augmented webpage 640, a command and associated parameters for accessing the desired media content is sent by the user mobile device 660 to the web server 602, and the user mobile device 660 transfers the media content subsequently received from the web server 602, e.g., the media content 610 in FIG. 6B, to the electronic device corresponding to the graphical icon selected by the user of the user mobile device 660, as shown in this example by the media content 625 being sent to the electronic device 680. The user mobile device 660 sends the command information and media content, represented in fig. 6A by information flow 625, to the electronic device 680 using the command and some associated parameters and topology information previously received from the user mobile device 660 and stored in the topology database 655, using the wireless communication path supported by the electronic device 680 and the user mobile device 660. In this manner, with simple extensions to well-known web interfaces, a user of the user's mobile device 660 may deliver desired media content to the appropriate electronic device in the premises environment in which the user's mobile device 660 is located.

Fig. 6C is a block diagram of the elements and information flow of an exemplary system 600 in which a web page 615 provided by a web server 602 may be automatically augmented by the web server 602 using topology information 645 collected by a user mobile device 660 according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6C, the system 600 includes a web server 602 with storage 605 and a topology database 655, a communication network represented as an Intranet (Intranet)630, and a user mobile device 660 with a browser 675. The web server 602 may be any suitable computer capable of running web server software from any of a number of providers, such as open source Apache web server software, although other suitable web server software may be used. In addition to storing program code and data for the operation of web server 602, memory 605 may also be used to store web pages distributed by web server 602.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the user mobile device 660 may be any of a number of mobile/nomadic electronic devices, such as a browser-equipped cellular telephone or smartphone, wireless personal digital assistant, wireless laptop, notebook, tablet, or netbook-type personal computer, or other suitable electronic device capable of receiving web pages from the web server 602 and displaying/rendering the web pages. The system 600 shown in FIG. 6C also includes an electronic device 680 capable of rendering media content from the web server 602 for the purposes of this discussion. However, for clarity, not shown in FIG. 6C, the user mobile device 660 and the electronic device 680 are equipped with wireless communication circuitry to allow them to communicate with each other when in proximity to each other.

In the exemplary embodiment of fig. 6C, the user mobile device 660 can determine that the electronic device 680 shown in fig. 6C is accessible by the user mobile device 660, and can collect identity and capability information from the electronic device 680, create topology information 645 for any electronic devices discovered in the proximity of the user mobile device (e.g., the electronic device 680), and send the topology information 645 to the web server 602, which stores the topology information in the topology database 655.

After completing the discovery process for a period of time, the user of the user mobile device 660 may access the web page 615 from the web server 602 using the browser 675. The web page server 602 may respond to web pages accessed by a user of the user mobile device 660 by accessing content such as the web page 605, for example, by the user mobile device 660. The web page 615 may be represented in a markup language, such as HTML, that supports hyperlinks to media content and may include a language structure that renders the content to selectable graphical icons by the browser 675 of the user mobile device 660 that represent additional content that may be selected for access by the user. The additional content may be provided, for example, via a web page 615 that includes selectable icons representing streaming media content.

If web server 602 determines that web page 615 contains language structures for access, e.g., streaming media content, web server 602 operating in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may modify or augment the information representing web page 615 by inserting language structures representing additional graphical icons. The web server 602 of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can automatically generate a language structure suitable for graphical icons representing each electronic device (e.g., electronic device 680) that is found proximate to and accessible by the user mobile device 660 and is capable of receiving and rendering media content for display/play/copy, as identified by the information stored in the topology database 655. The web server 602 then modifies or "augments" the media content of the web page 615 by appropriately inserting the generated information representing the additional graphical icons into the media content representing the web page 615 such that when the modified/augmented web page 640 is subsequently rendered and displayed by the browser 675 of the user mobile device 660, the additional graphical icons appear in logical association with the relevant media content available for display/play/copy. The web server 602 then sends the modified/augmented web page 640 to the user mobile device 660 for rendering and display by the browser 675.

If the user selects a graphical element or icon displayed on the screen of the user's mobile device 660, the browser 675 responds by sending a command and associated parameters to the web server 602 where the web page 615 was sent. Upon receiving the command, the web server 602 utilizes the command and associated parameters, along with topology information previously received from the user's mobile device 660 and stored in the topology database 655, to determine whether the received command was sent in response to the user's selection of one of the graphical icons (inserted by the web server 602 into the modified/augmented web page 640). If the received command is not sent in response to a user selection of one of the graphical icons (included in the web page 640 by the web server 602), the requested media content is sent by the web server 602 to the user mobile device 660 for rendering and display by the browser 675.

However, if the media gateway 620 determines that the received command was sent in response to a user selection of one of the graphical icons (inserted by the web server 602 into the modified/augmented web page 640), the web server 602 causes the media content to be delivered to the electronic device 680. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the web server 602 may transmit the media content 610 to the electronic device 680 by transmitting (address to) a data packet containing the streaming media content to the electronic device 680 as shown in fig. 6C using the information in the topology database 655. In this manner, a user of the user mobile device 660 may deliver desired media content to an appropriate electronic device in the premises environment of the user mobile device 660 using simple extensions to well-known web interfaces.

Fig. 7A-7B are flowcharts of an exemplary method of operating a media gateway supporting home location-based services according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The methods of fig. 7A-7B described below refer to elements in fig. 6A.

The method of fig. 7A begins after a media gateway (e.g., media gateway 620 of fig. 6A) is powered on. After some point in time, at block 710, the user mobile device (e.g., user mobile device 660 in fig. 6A) enters a premise environment served by the media gateway and performs discovery to identify whether any electronic devices are within proximity of the user mobile device 660. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, discovery by the user's mobile device is an ongoing process that can identify, at any point in time, electronic devices that are within proximity of and accessible by the user's mobile device 660. After some period of discovery is complete, for example, at the time the user mobile device detects the presence of the media gateway 620, and/or periodically thereafter, the user mobile device 660 and the media gateway 620 share topology information collected by the user mobile device 660.

From now on, at block 710, the media gateway 620 receives topology information collected by the user mobile device 660. The collected topology information includes identity and capability information of any electronic devices proximate to the user mobile device 660. The media gateway 620 stores the received topology information in a database, such as topology database 655. Some time later, at block 712, the media gateway 620 receives a web page request from the user mobile device 660. The media gateway 620 then sends the received web page request to the web page server 602 at block 714, and shortly thereafter, the media gateway 620 receives the requested web page at block 716. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the received web page may be described in the form of, for example, hypertext markup language (HTML) or any markup language structure that supports links to media content.

Next, at block 718, the media gateway 620 determines whether the received web page includes language constructs for accessing media content. If not, the method of FIG. 7A proceeds to block 728, where the media gateway 620 sends the received web page to the user mobile device 660, block 728, and to block 730 of FIG. 7B, described below. However, if the received web page is found to include a language structure for accessing media content, the method proceeds to block 720, where the media gateway 620 utilizes topology information received from the user mobile device 660 to determine whether some electronic devices proximate to the user mobile device 660 are suitable for displaying the requested media content, block 720. If, at block 722, the media gateway 620 determines that the electronic device suitable for displaying the requested media content is not accessible by the user mobile device 660, the method of FIG. 7A passes to block 728, where the media gateway 620 sends the received web page to the user mobile device 660. The method of fig. 7A again passes to block 730 of fig. 7B, described below.

However, if at block 722 the method of FIG. 7A determines that an electronic device suitable for displaying the requested media content is accessible by the user mobile device 660, the method proceeds to block 724, at block 724, and the media gateway 620 may utilize the topology information to modify the received web page by inserting a language structure to be rendered and displayed as additional graphical icons by the browser 675 of the user mobile device 660. The additional icons added to the received web page for display by the user mobile device 660 represent electronic devices accessible by the user mobile device 660 that are adapted to display the media content via the received web page. The method of FIG. 7A then, at block 726, sends the modified web page including the language structure to display the additional icons to the user mobile device 660 for rendering and display. The method then passes to block 730 in fig. 7B.

The method proceeds to block 730, at which point the media gateway 620 receives a command and associated parameters for requesting media content from the user mobile device 660. The method of fig. 7B then determines, at block 732, whether the request for media content results from a user selection of an icon added by media gateway 620. If the request for media content received from the user mobile device 660 is the result of a user's selection of an icon added to the web page by the media gateway 620, the method of FIG. 7B, then at block 734, the requested media content is sent to the electronic device represented by the selected icon, causing the requested media content to be rendered and displayed on the selected electronic device. If, however, at block 732, the media gateway determines that the request for media did not result from the user's selection of the icon added by the media gateway 620, then at block 736, the media gateway of the method of FIG. 7B sends the media content to the user mobile device 660 for rendering and display by the browser 675.

The present invention provides a method for operating a media gateway that supports location-based services. The method includes receiving topology information from a mobile device of a user that identifies one or more electronic devices in a premise environment, and receiving a message from the mobile device for transmission to a server, the message information determinable to identify content delivered by the server to the mobile device. The method may receive content from the server identified in the information, determine whether the received content includes information identifying user-selectable media content, and modify the content received from the server for display on the mobile device representing one or more graphical objects of an electronic device in the prerequisite environment that is capable of replicating the selectable media content.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the modified content may be transmitted to the mobile device for display, an indication of a user selection of a graphical target representing one or more electronic devices capable of copying the media content may be received from the mobile device, and a request to deliver the media content to the media gateway may be sent to the server. Such an exemplary embodiment may also transmit the received media content to one of the one or more electronic devices corresponding to the selected graphical target.

In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the content comprises web page content and includes elements of a markup language that support hyperlinks to media content. In some exemplary embodiments of the invention, the markup language comprises hypertext markup language (HTML). The mobile device of the user is one of a cellular phone, a smart phone, and a portable personal computer, and may include a tablet computer. The topology information includes identity and capability information for each of the one or more electronic devices and may include information representative of settings and connections of the one or more electronic devices. The topology information can be identified by the mobile device using wireless communication with electronic devices within a particular proximity of the mobile device. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the modifying includes augmenting the received content with additional information representative of one or more selectable graphical objects for rendering and display at the mobile device, the one or more graphical objects corresponding to the one or more electronic devices capable of copying media content.

The invention provides a system for use in a media gateway supporting location based services. The system may include at least one processor configured to communicatively couple a server and a mobile device of a user. The at least one processor, in operation, receives topology information from the mobile device that identifies one or more electronic devices in a premise environment, and receives a message from the mobile device for transmission to the server that identifies content delivered to the mobile device by the server. The at least one processor may also receive content identified in the information from the server, determine whether the received content contains information identifying user-selectable media content, modify the content received from the server to be displayed on the mobile device representing one or more graphical objects of an electronic device in the prerequisite environment that is capable of replicating the selectable media content.

The at least one processor of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may transmit the modified content to the mobile device for display and receive from the mobile device an indication of a user selection of a graphical target representing one or more electronic devices capable of copying the media content. The at least one processor may send a request to the server for delivery of the media content to the media gateway and transmit the received media content to one of the one or more electronic devices corresponding to the selected graphical target.

In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the content comprises web page content and includes elements of a markup language that support hyperlinks to media content. In some exemplary embodiments of the invention, the markup language comprises hypertext markup language (HTML). The mobile device of the user is one of a cellular phone, a smart phone, and a portable personal computer, and may include a tablet computer.

The topology information includes identity and capability information for each of the one or more electronic devices and may include information representative of settings and connections of the one or more electronic devices. The topology information can be determined by the mobile device using wireless communication with electronic devices in a particular proximity of the mobile device.

The modifying includes augmenting the received content with other information representative of one or more selectable graphical objects for rendering and display at the mobile device, the one or more graphical objects corresponding to the one or more electronic devices capable of copying media content.

The present invention provides a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein a plurality of code segments, each code segment comprising a plurality of instructions executable by a processor. The instructions cause the processor to perform operations including receiving topology information from a mobile device of a user that identifies one or more electronic devices in a premise environment, and receiving a message from the mobile device for transmission to a server, the message identifying content delivered by the server to the mobile device. The instructions may also cause the processor to receive content identified in the information from the server, determine whether the received content includes information identifying user-selectable media content, and modify the content received from the server to be displayed on the mobile device representing one or more graphical objects of an electronic device in the prerequisite environment that is capable of replicating the selectable media content.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the instructions may cause transmitting the modified content from the processor to the mobile device for display, receiving from the mobile device an indication of a user selection of a graphical target representing one or more electronic devices capable of copying the media content, and sending a request to the server for delivery of the media content to the media gateway. Further, the instructions may cause the processor to transmit the received media content to one of the one or more electronic devices corresponding to the selected graphical target. The content includes web page content and includes elements of a markup language that support hyperlinks to media content. In some exemplary embodiments of the invention, the markup language comprises hypertext markup language (HTML). The mobile device of the user is one of a cellular phone, a smart phone, and a portable personal computer, and may include a tablet computer.

In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the topology information includes identity and capability information of each of the one or more electronic devices, and may include information representing settings and connections of the one or more electronic devices. The topology information can be determined by the mobile device using wireless communication with electronic devices in a particular proximity of the mobile device. The modifying includes augmenting the received content with other information representative of one or more selectable graphical objects for rendering and display at the mobile device, the one or more graphical objects corresponding to the one or more electronic devices capable of copying media content.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software could be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein. The method is implemented in a computer system using a processor and a memory unit.

The present invention can also be implemented by a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods of the invention and which, when loaded in a computer system, is able to carry out these methods. The computer program in the present document refers to: any expression, in any programming language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduced in different formats to implement specific functions.

While the invention has been described with reference to several particular embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This patent application has priority to U.S. provisional patent application No.61/454,782 entitled "home location based services" filed on 3/21/2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. A method for operating a media gateway supporting location-based services, the method comprising:

receiving, from the server, content identified in the message;

transmitting the modified content to the mobile device for display;

sending a request to the server for delivery of the media content to the media gateway; and

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises elements of a markup language that support hyperlinks to media content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device of the user is one of a cellular phone, a smart phone, and a portable personal computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device of the user comprises a tablet computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the topology information comprises identity and capability information for each of the one or more electronic devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the topology information comprises information representative of settings and connections of the one or more electronic devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the topology information is determined by the mobile device using wireless communication with electronic devices within a particular proximity of the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying comprises augmenting the received content with additional information representative of one or more selectable graphical objects for rendering and display at the mobile device, the one or more graphical objects corresponding to the one or more electronic devices capable of copying media content.

9. A system for use in a media gateway supporting location-based services, the system comprising:

receiving, from the mobile device, topology information that can identify one or more electronic devices in a premise environment;

receiving, from the server, content identified in the message;

transmitting the modified content to the mobile device for display;

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a plurality of code segments stored therein, each code segment comprising a plurality of instructions executable by a processor, the instructions causing the processor to:

receiving, from the server, content identified in the message;

transmitting the modified content to the mobile device for display;