Sony Corporation

Sony Electronics Inc

Other

Harold A. Ludtke

Bruce Fairman

Scott D. Smyers

Scott D Smyers

Bruce Alan Fairman

Glen David Stone

Hisato Shima

Harold Aaron Ludtke

Mark Eyer

Richard A Bardini

David V James

Jose L Diaz

Jung-Jen Liu

Steve Pham

Kevin K Lym

Gerard J Boetje

Thomas Ulrich Swidler

Peter A Dare

Andrew M Proehl

Rodger J Lea

Chenchu Lakshmi Chilamakuri

Motoyuki Koike

Richard K Scheel

Bruce Alan Faiman

Kazonubu Toguchi

Particular embodiments provide recommendations based on community affiliation. In one embodiment, the method determines a query from a target user. A community in which the target user is a member is then determined. The community may include a plurality of members that have joined the community based on a common interest. User activity information is analyzed for at least a portion of the members of the community to determine a recommendation for the query. The user activity information is determined to be of interest to the target user based on the target user's membership in the community. For example, based on the user's membership in the community, recommendations as to what other members in the community liked can be correlated to the query for the target user. Thus, the recommendation may be provided to the user based on what other users in the community liked.

Amassing information about community participant behaviors

An isochronous back channel is configured between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The isochronous back channel provides retransmission and flow control information from the receiving device to the transmitting device related to a stream of isochronous data packets transmitted from the transmitting device to the receiving device. An isochronous back channel packet for indicating a retransmission or flow control function to perform is configured and transmitted from the receiving device to the transmitting device over the isochronous back channel. A transmitting plug is configured on the receiving device and a receiving plug is configured on the transmitting device for implementing the isochronous back channel. The isochronous back channel packet includes a control instruction that instructs the transmitting device to either reset, stop or resume transmission of the stream of isochronous data packets being transmitted from the transmitting device to the receiving device.

Method of flow control for data transported using isochronous packets over an IEEE 1394-2000 serial bus network

Particular embodiments provide home network use recommendations to a user. The home network use recommendations may involve recommendations on items, which may include devices, applications, and/or services. When users connect an item (e.g., a device) to a home network, information associated with the item may be received. Metadata for the information is generated that describes the information. The metadata may be stored in storage in a user profile for the user. The user profile may then be analyzed to determine home network use recommendations. For example, recommendations may be how to use or configure the home network.

Generation of home network use recommendations based on collected metadata of prior connected items

A combined IEEE 1394-2000 and ethernet network allows devices on the network to operate according to both the IEEE 1394-2000 protocol and the ethernet protocol. The devices within the network are able to send IEEE 1394-2000 isochronous data, IEEE 1394-2000 asynchronous data and ethernet data. Both IEEE 1394-2000 and ethernet devices within the network are coupled to modified hubs (MHubs) to form a local cluster. The MHubs are coupled to an ethernet switch which controls communications between devices in different local clusters. The ethernet switch and the MHubs obey an isochronous interval in which all isochronous data transfers will be allowed. Preferably, on a regular and reoccurring period, the ethernet switch sends an isotick signal to begin the isochronous interval. Any bandwidth left after the isochronous interval is then allocated to the traditional ethernet traffic and the IEEE 1394-2000 asynchronous traffic, until the start of the next isochronous interval.

Method of and apparatus for providing isochronous services over switched ethernet including a home network wall plate having a combined IEEE 1394 and ethernet modified hub

In one embodiment, a method of controlling a virtual shopping center can include: receiving a user input at a query input engine; aggregating an output from the query input engine with a user preference, such as a purchase history or other expressed interest, to form a search criteria; searching a database using the search criteria; and displaying an image associated with a matching product or service resulting from the search of the database.

Virtual shopping center

In one embodiment, a method of tagging content can include: accessing a frame of a digital media production; identifying an object for tagging within the frame; defining a metadata tag for the object; and storing the metadata tag in association with the identified object and the frame in the digital media production. In one embodiment, a method of substituting content can include: receiving tagged digital media in a controller; identifying an object for substitution by searching through objects and metadata tags in the tagged digital media; retrieving a substitute object using the controller; and re-rendering the tagged digital media to produce a customized digital media using the substitute object in place of the identified object.

Digital media recasting

A combined IEEE 1394-2000 and ethernet network allows devices to operate according to both the IEEE 1394-2000 protocol and the ethernet protocol. The devices within the network are able to send IEEE 1394-2000 isochronous data, IEEE 1394-2000 asynchronous data and ethernet data. Both IEEE 1394-2000 and ethernet devices are coupled to modified hubs (MHUBS) to form a local cluster. The MHUBS are coupled to an ethernet switch which controls communications between devices in different local clusters. The ethernet switch and the MHUBS obey an isochronous interval in which all isochronous data transfers and asynchronous data transfers from ethernet devices with an allocation of reserved bandwidth will be allowed. The ethernet switch sends a periodic isotick signal to begin the isochronous interval. Bandwidth remaining after the isochronous interval is then allocated to the IEEE 1394-2000 asynchronous traffic, until the start of the next isochronous interval.

Method of and apparatus for providing reserved bandwidth to ethernet devices over switched ethernet including a home network wall plate having a combined IEEE 1394 and ethernet modified HUB

Particular embodiments generally relate to providing information to a user. In one embodiment, a first information delivery device detects a headset associated with a user. The headset is detected when it is within a range of the first information delivery device. The first information delivery device contacts the headset using pairing information for the headset. After the pairing operation, information to deliver to the user is then determined. The information may be determined based on a user identifier associated with the user. For example, personalized information may be delivered to the headset. This personalized information may be information about the store or shopping center. In one example, the headset may be automatically contacted by information delivery device, which may cause the headset to ring. The user may decide to answer and can then hear the personalized information.

Automatic information delivery using a plurality of networked devices

An asynchronous data pipe (ADP) automatically generates transactions necessary to complete asynchronous data transfer operations for an application over a bus structure. The ADP includes a register file which is programmed and initiated by the application. The register file includes the bus speed, transaction label, transaction code, destination node identifier, destination offset address, length of each data packet, packet counter, packet counter bump field, control field and a status field. During a data transfer operation, the ADP generates the transactions necessary to complete the operation over the appropriate range of addresses, using the information in the register file as a template. The ADP increments the value in the destination offset address field for each transaction according to the length of each data packet, unless the incrementing feature has been disabled and the transactions are to take place at a fixed address. The packet counter represents the number of transactions remaining to be generated. The packet counter value is decremented after each packet of data is transferred. The application can increment the packet counter value by writing to the packet counter bump field. A multiplexer is included within a system having multiple ADPs for multiplexing the information from the ADPs onto the bus structure. A demultiplexer is included within a system having multiple ADPs for routing information from the bus structure to the appropriate ADP.

Asynchronous data pipe for automatically managing asynchronous data transfers between an application and a bus structure

A media storage device records a meta-data header with packets received by the media storage device. The meta-data headers include a cycle mark value and a cycle count value. The cycle mark value has a specific pattern which is then used to locate cycle boundaries within the recorded stream of data. The cycle count value specifies the value of the isochronous cycle number on which the packet was received. Preferably, the media storage device includes an embedded stream processor which is responsible for appropriately adding the meta-data header to the packets within the recorded stream of data. The embedded stream processor is also integral to the playback of recorded data, and is used to retrieve data from the storage media, strip the meta-data headers from retrieved data being played back and recover from any error conditions encountered during the playback of previously recorded data. The meta-data headers stored within the recorded stream of data are also utilized to recover from any error conditions and resynchronize the transmission of the data during playback.

Method of and apparatus for writing and reading time sensitive data within a storage device

In a first embodiment, an applications programming interface (API) implements and manages isochronous and asynchronous data transfer operations between an application and a bus structure. During an synchronous transfer the API includes the ability to transfer any amount of data between one or more local data buffers within the application and a range of addresses over the bus structure using one or more asynchronous transactions. An automatic transaction generator may be used to automatically generate the transactions necessary to complete the data transfer. The API also includes the ability to transfer data between the application and another node on the bus structure isochronously over a dedicated channel. During an isochronous data transfer, a buffer management scheme is used to manage a linked list of data buffer descriptors. During isochronous transfers of data, the API provides implementation of a resynchronization event in the stream of data allowing for resynchronization by the application to a specific point within the data. Implementation is also provided for a callback routine for each buffer in the list which calls the application at a predetermined point during the transfer of data. An isochronous API of the preferred embodiment presents a virtual representation of a plug, using a plug handle, to the application. The isochronous API notifies a client application of any state changes on a connected plug through the event handle. The isochronous API also manages buffers utilized during a data operation by attaching and detaching the buffers to the connected plug, as appropriate, to manage the data flow.

Application programming interface for data transfer and bus management over a bus structure

A combined IEEE 1394-2000 and ethernet network allows devices to operate according to both the IEEE 1394-2000 protocol and the ethernet protocol. The devices within the network are able to send IEEE 1394-2000 ischronous data, IEEE 1394-2000 asynchrounous data and ethernet data. Both IEEE 1394-2000 and ethernet devices are coupled to modified hubs (MHUBS) to form a local cluster. The MHUBS are coupled to an ethernet switch which controls communications between devices in different local clusters. The ethernet switch and the MHUBS obey an ischronous interval in which all isochronous data transfers and asynchronous data transfers from ethernet devices with an allocation of reserved bandwidth will be allowed. The ethernet switch sends a periodic isotick signal to begin the ischronous interval. Bandwidth remaining after the ischronous interval is then allocated to the IEEE 1394-2000 asynchronous traffic, until the start of the next isochronous interval.

Method of and apparatus for providing reserved bandwidth to ethernet devices over switched ethernet including a home network wall plate having a combined IEEE 1394 and ethernet modified hub

Growing community of inventors

Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Scott D Smyers