Server device, user interface appliance, and media processing network

1. A method of operation of a server device connected within a network of media processing devices, comprising:

initiating respective connections with multiple media processing devices;

initiating a connection with a display, printer or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof, which itself initiates one or more connections with one or more same and/or different media processing devices;

receiving and responding to a connection request from an initiating media processing device by providing a list of said connections between said initiating media processing device and said multiple media processing devices comprising responder media processing devices;

requesting and receiving device information from each connected device of the multiple media processing devices, said device information defining a user interface for each of said multiple media processing devices;

constructing a single user interface based on said user interface information for controlling more than one of said multiple connected media processing devices including at least one of said different media processing devices connected to said display, printer, or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof, wherein said user interface comprises multiple user-executable tabs indicating:

multiple functional server devices that are accessible via at least one secondary server device;

any data filters offered by a selected functional server;

media types for processing; and

any devices containing a selected data type;

connecting a chained series of peer-to-peer connections between said initiating processing device and said responder media processing devices via at least one server device and said at least one secondary server device comprising a same or different display, printer, or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof; and

requesting and receiving from the secondary server device a list of media processing devices connected to the secondary server device;

requesting and receiving from the connected secondary server device information defining a user interface for said media processing devices connected to said secondary server device;

arranging network transport of a unit of digital media from a media source or storage device, or both, to at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both;

actuating a media filtering or conversion operation, or both, on said media filtering device or media conversion device, or both;

arranging network transport of a filtered or converted version, or both, of said unit of digital media from the at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both, to at least one same or different media display, print, or rendering device, or combinations thereof; and

actuating an associated display, print or rendering function, or combinations thereof.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of said connections comprises a peer-to-peer connection between said media processing device and said server device.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of said connections comprises a chained series of peer-to-peer connections between said media processing device and said server device via at least one secondary server device.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

requesting and receiving from a connected secondary server device a list of media processing devices connected to said secondary server device; and

requesting and receiving from said connected secondary server device information defining a user interface for said media processing devices connected to said secondary server device.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

responding to a request from an initiating media processing device to provide said device information for each connected media processing device to said initiating media processing device.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said device information further defines media processing functionality.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising:

providing media processing functionality; and

responding to a request from an initiating media processing device by providing device information defining said media processing functionality to said initiating media processing device.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said device information defines control commands and input parameters for said media processing functionality and events provided by said media processing functionality, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving control commands and input parameters from said initiating media processing device;

providing said control commands and input parameters to said media processing functionality;

receiving events provided by said media processing functionality; and

providing said events to said initiating media processing device.

9. A method of operation of a graphical user interface appliance, comprising:

providing a connection to a server device;

receiving device information from the server device for multiple media processing devices connected to said server device, said device information defining a user interface for each respective media processing device;

receiving further device information from an image rendering appliance for at least one different media processing device connected to said image rendering appliance, said further device information defining a user interface for said at least one different media processing device;

constructing a single user interface based on said user interface information for controlling more than one of said multiple connected media processing devices including at least one media processing device that is connected to said server device and said at least one different media processing device connected to said image rendering appliance, wherein said user interface comprises multiple user-executable tabs indicating:

multiple functional server devices that are accessible via at least one image rendering appliance;

any data filters offered by a selected functional server;

media types for processing; and

any devices containing a selected data type;

connecting a chained series of peer-to-peer connections between said at least one media processing device and said at least one different media processing device via said at least one server device and said image rendering appliance;

requesting and receiving from the image rendering appliance a list of media processing devices connected to the image rendering appliance;

requesting and receiving from the image rendering appliance information defining a user interface for said media processing devices connected to said image rendering appliance;

arranging network transport of a unit of digital media from a media source or storage device, or both, to at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both;

actuating a media filtering or conversion operation, or both, on said media filtering device or media conversion device, or both;

arranging network transport of a filtered or converted version, or both, of said unit of digital media from the at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both, to at least one media display, print, or rendering device, or combinations thereof and

actuating an associated display, print or rendering function, or combinations thereof.

10. A method as in claim 9 , further comprising:

receiving device information from the server device defining media processing functionality available via said server, said device information including control commands and input parameters for said media processing functionality and events provided by said media processing functionality;

providing control commands and input parameters to said server in response to user interaction with said user interface;

receiving events from said server provided by said media processing functionality; and

updating said user interface according to said received events.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

indicating each server device to which said appliance is connected;

indicating media processing functionality available on each server device;

indicating each media processing device to which each server device is connected; and

indicating media stored on said media processing devices.

12. A method as in claim 11 , further comprising responding to user interaction to display respective indicators of media stored on a user selected media processing device.

13. A method as in claim 12 , further comprising responding to user interaction to request user selected media processing functionality of user selected media stored on a user selected media processing device.

14. A method as in claim 13 , wherein said media processing functionality comprises a user selected series of filtering operations.

15. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied thereon, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method of operation of a server device connected within a network of media processing devices, the method comprising:

initiating respective connections with multiple media processing devices;

initiating a connection with a further appliance which itself initiates a connections with at least one different media processing device;

receiving and responding to a connection request from an initiating media processing device by providing a list of said connections between said initiating media processing device and said multiple media processing devices comprising responder media processing devices;

requesting and receiving device information from each connected device of the multiple media processing devices, said device information defining a user interface for each of said multiple media processing devices;

constructing a single user interface based on said user interface information for controlling more than one of said multiple connected media processing devices including said at least one different media processing device, wherein said user interface comprises multiple user-executable tabs indicating;

multiple functional server devices that are accessible via at least one secondary server device;

any data filters offered by a selected functional server;

media types for processing; and

any devices containing a selected data type;

connecting a chained series of peer-to-peer connections between said initiating processing device and said responder media processing devices via at least one server device and said at least one secondary server device comprising a display, printer or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof;

requesting and receiving from the secondary server device a list of media processing devices connected to the secondary server device;

requesting and receiving from the connected secondary server device information defining a user interface for said media processing devices connected to said secondary server device;

arranging network transport of a unit of digital media from a media source or storage device, or both, to at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both;

actuating a media filtering or conversion operation, or both, on said media filtering device or media conversion device, or both;

arranging network transport of a filtered or converted version, or both, of said unit of digital media from the at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both, to at least one same or different media display, print, or rendering device, or combinations thereof; and

actuating an associated display, print or rendering function, or combinations thereof.

16. A one or more storage devices of claim 15 , wherein at least one of said connections comprises a peer-to-peer connection between said media processing device and said server device.

17. The one or more storage devices of claim 15 , wherein at least one of said connections comprises a chained series of peer-to-peer connections between said media processing device and said server device via at least one secondary server device.

18. The one or more storage devices of claim 15 , the method further comprising:

requesting and receiving from a connected secondary server device a list of media processing devices connected to said secondary server device; and

requesting and receiving from said connected secondary server device information defining a user interface for said media processing devices connected to said secondary server device.

19. The one or more storage devices of claim 15 , the method further comprising responding to a request from an initiating media processing device to provide said device information for each connected media processing device to said initiating media processing device.

20. The one or more storage devices of claim 15 , wherein said device information further defines media processing functionality.

21. The one or more storage devices of claim 20 , the method further comprising:

providing media processing functionality; and

responding to a request from an initiating media processing device by providing device information defining said media processing functionality to said initiating media processing device.

22. The one or more storage devices of claim 21 , wherein said device information defines control commands and input parameters for said media processing functionality and events provided by said media processing functionality, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving control commands and input parameters from said initiating media processing device;

providing said control commands and input parameters to said media processing functionality;

receiving events provided by said media processing functionality; and

providing said events to said initiating media processing device.

23. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied thereon, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method of operation of a graphical user interface appliance, the method comprising:

providing a connection to a server device;

receiving device information from the server device for multiple media processing devices connected to said server device, said device information defining a user interface for each respective media processing device;

receiving further device information from a display, printer or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof, for at least one different media processing device connected to said display, printer or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof, said further device information defining a user interface for said at least one different media processing device; and

constructing a single user interface based on said user interface information for controlling more than one of said multiple connected media processing devices including at least one media processing device that is connected to said server device and said at least one different media processing device connected to said display, printer or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof, wherein said user interface comprises multiple user-executable tabs indicating:

multiple functional server devices that are accessible via at least one display, printer, or rendering appliance, or combination thereof;

any data filters offered by a selected functional server;

media types for processing; and

any devices containing a selected data type;

connecting a chained series of peer-to-peer connections between said at least one media processing device and said at least one different media processing device via said at least one server device and said display, printer or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof;

requesting and receiving from the printer appliance a list of media processing devices connected to the display, printer or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof;

requesting and receiving from the display, printer or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof, information defining a user interface for said media processing devices connected to said display, printer or rendering appliance, or combinations thereof;

arranging network transport of a unit of digital media from a media source or storage device, or both, to at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both;

actuating a media filtering or conversion operation, or both, on said media filtering device or media conversion device, or both;

arranging network transport of a filtered or converted version, or both, of said unit of digital media from the at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both, to at least one same or different media display, print, or rendering device, or combinations thereof; and

actuating an associated display, print or rendering function, or combinations thereof.

24. The one or more storage devices of claim 23 , the method further comprising:

receiving device information from the server device defining media processing functionality available via said server, said device information including control commands and input parameters for said media processing functionality and events provided by said media processing functionality;

providing control commands and input parameters to said server in response to user interaction with said user interface;

receiving events from said server provided by said media processing functionality; and

updating said user interface according to said received events.

25. The one or more storage devices of claim 24 , the method further comprising:

indicating each server device to which said appliance is connected;

indicating media processing functionality available on each server device;

indicating each media processing device to which each server device is connected; and

indicating media stored on said media processing devices.

26. The one or more storage devices of claim 25 , the method further comprising responding to user interaction to display respective indicators of media stored on a user selected media processing device.

27. The one or more storage devices of claim 26 , the method further comprising responding to user interaction to request user selected media processing functionality of user selected media stored on a user selected media processing device.

28. The one or more storage devices of claim 27 , wherein said media processing functionality comprises a user selected series of filtering operations.

29. A networked control point appliance, comprising

(a) a user interface subsystem;

(b) a user input subsystem;

(c) a user interface configuration that is determined dynamically from a plurality of devices registered on the network; and

(d) a control point subsystem;

(e) wherein the user interface configuration includes a user interface component associated with each of the plurality of devices, and

(e2) wherein said user interface configuration comprises multiple user-executable tabs indicating;

multiple functional server devices that are accessible via at least one control point subsystem;

any data filters offered by a selected functional server;

media types for processing; and

any devices containing a selected data type;

(f) wherein the plurality of devices comprises

(i) a media source or storage device or both;

(ii) a media display, print or rendering device, or combinations thereof; and

(iii) a media filtering device or media conversion device, or both; and

(g) wherein responsive to a first user selection of a unit of digital media on the media source or storage device, or both, a second user selection of at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both, and a third user selection of at least one media display, print or rendering device, or combinations thereof, said control point subsystem is configured to:

(1) arrange network transport of said unit of digital media from the media source or storage device, or both, to the at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both;

(2) actuate a media filtering or conversion operation, or both, on said media filtering device or media conversion device, or both;

(3) arrange network transport of a filtered or converted version, or both, of said unit of digital media from the at least one media filtering device or media conversion device, or both, to the at least one media display, print, or rendering device, or combinations thereof; and

(4) actuate an associated display, print or rendering function, or combinations thereof.

30. The appliance of claim 29 , wherein the user interface subsystem comprises a visual display screen and the user input subsystem comprises a touchscreen interface.

31. The appliance of claim 29 , wherein the second user selection includes selection of at least one media filtering operation on said at least one media filtering device.

32. The system of claim 29 where the second user selection is followed by one or more additional selections of one or more media filters on said media filtering device.

33. The system of claim 29 , wherein the second user selection is followed by at least one selection of an additional media filtering device, and wherein the control point subsystem is further configured to:

(5) arrange network transport from the first media filtering device to the at least one additional media filtering device, and

(6) actuate the at least one selected media filter prior to arranging network transport of the filtered media stream to the at least one media display device.

34. The appliance of claim 33 , wherein the at least one selection of the additional media filtering device is followed by selection of at least one media filter on said additional media filtering device.

35. The appliance of claim 33 , wherein an order of application of two or more selected media filters is predetermined within said filtering device.

36. The appliance of claim 33 , wherein an order of application of two or more selected media filters comprises an order of selection by a user.