Delivery of non-multimedia content via a standardized network architecture
Non-multimedia information may be produced from devices such as alarms, appliances, automobiles, building systems, weather stations, home automation systems, and the like. A method and devices communicate non-multimedia content via a standardized network architecture. Non-multimedia data is received from a remote device with a standardized network aliasing device. The standardized network aliasing device is able to communicate on a network that conforms, for example, to a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) protocol. The non-multimedia data is formatted with the standardized network aliasing device into a standardized-format file. The standardized-format file conforms to a selected media class. The standardized-format file is exposed on the network that conforms to the DLNA protocol and communicated to a remote DLNA-enabled device that is also coupled to the network that conforms to the DLNA protocol.
1. A Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) aliasing apparatus, comprising:
a network interface;
aliasing logic;
a DLNA interface in direct communication with the network interface and in separate direct communication with the aliasing logic, wherein the DLNA interface exposes the DLNA aliasing apparatus as a DLNA-enabled device to a DLNA device that is in communication with the network interface;
a non-DLNA interface in direct communication with the network interface and in separate direct communication with the aliasing logic, wherein the non-DLNA interface exposes the DLNA aliasing apparatus as a non-DLNA-enabled device to a non-DLNA device that is in communication with the network interface; and
a processor coupled to the aliasing logic and arranged to execute software instructions to:
establish a communications link between the aliasing logic and the non-DLNA device, wherein communications sent to and received from the non-DLNA device are passed through the non-DLNA interface and the network interface;
retrieve at least one static datum from the non-DLNA device;
convert the at least one static datum to a multimedia format file; and
enable sharing of the multimedia format file with the DLNA device via a DLNA protocol by passing data through the DLNA interface to the network interface for access by the DLNA device.
2. The DLNA aliasing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the DLNA apparatus is embedded in a weather station device.
3. The DLNA aliasing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multimedia format file conforms to at least one Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image file format.
4. The DLNA aliasing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multimedia format file conforms to at least one Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) video encoding protocol.
5. The DLNA aliasing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor coupled to the aliasing logic is further arranged to execute software instructions to:
communicate the multimedia format file via the DLNA interface to a DLNA-enabled device via a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) network.
6. The DLNA aliasing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the DLNA-enabled device is configured as a Digital Media Player (DMP) or Mobile Digital Media Player (M-DMP) device.
7. The DLNA aliasing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the processor coupled to the aliasing logic is further arranged to execute software instructions to:
expose a file system structure to DLNA-enabled devices coupled to the UPnP network.
8. The DLNA aliasing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor coupled to the aliasing logic is further arranged to execute software instructions to:
automatically transmit a DLNA acknowledgement message in response to a received DLNA message.
9. The DLNA aliasing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the processor coupled to the aliasing logic is further arranged to execute software instructions to:
expose the DLNA aliasing apparatus as a Digital Media Server (DMS) apparatus at a first time; and
expose the DLNA aliasing apparatus as at least one of a Digital Media Player (DMP), a Digital Media Renderer (DMR), and a Digital Media Controller (DMC) at a second time.
10. A system, comprising:
a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compatible network;
a non-DLNA compatible device; and
a DLNA aliasing apparatus, the DLNA aliasing apparatus including:
a network interface in communication with the DLNA compatible network and the non-DLNA compatible device;
aliasing logic;
a DLNA interface in direct communication with the network interface and in separate direct communication with the aliasing logic, wherein the DLNA interface includes a first aliasing logic interface in communication with the aliasing logic and a first network communications driver in communication with the network interface to expose the DLNA aliasing apparatus as a DLNA-enabled device to a DLNA deice that is in communication with the network interface;
a non-DLNA interface in direct communication with the network interface and in separate direct communication with the aliasing logic, wherein the non-DLNA interface includes a second aliasing logic interface in communication with the aliasing logic and a second network communications driver in communication with the network interface to expose the DLNA aliasing apparatus as a non-DLNA-enabled device to a non-DLNA device that is in communication with the network interface; and
wherein the aliasing logic is arranged to coordinate passage of information between the DLNA interface and the non-DLNA interface via the first aliasing logic interface and the second aliasing logic interface.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein the non-DLNA compatible device is a weather station.
12. The system of claim 10 wherein the non-DLNA compatible device is an electronic device selected from the group of a refrigerator, a laundry machine, and a device configured to cook food.
13. The system of claim 10 wherein the non-DLNA compatible device is an electronic device associated with an automobile.
14. The system of claim 10 wherein the DLNA aliasing apparatus is integrated within the non-DLNA compatible device.
15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one static datum is non-multimedia data.
16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one static datum is static weather data.
17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one static datum is data indicating one or more of: a weather time stamp, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, predicted weather.