US6631418B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Server for operation with a low-cost multimedia terminal
Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Ltd
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Filing: 2000-04-05
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Granted: 2003-10-07
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Expires: 2020-04-05
Abstract
Abstract A server for providing personal computer (PC) functionality to a user at a multimedia terminal processes commands from the user. The server includes a source upgrade processor, a client software component for receiving a command signal from the user, a display updater for combining signals and a video encoder for sending a digital audio/visual (A/V) data-stream to a multimedia terminal. The server enables concurrent computer application processing for multiple simultaneous thin client users each having a multimedia terminal using a communication link to connect them to the server.
Inventors
- 👤 Daniel Watkins
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 20:35
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318; H04L; H04L65/00; H04L65/1066; H04L65/1101; H04L65/60; H04L65/61; H04L65/612; H04L65/70; H04N21/00; H04N21/40; H04N21/41; H04N21/4104; H04N21/4117; H04N21/414; H04N21/4143; H04N21/422; H04N21/47; H04N21/478; H04N21/4782; H04N21/60; H04N21/63; H04N21/637; H04N21/6377; H04N21/65; H04N21/658; H04N21/6581; H04L69/00; H04L69/30; H04L69/32; H04L69/322; H04L69/329
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A server for providing a digital audio/visual (A/V) network interface to a multimedia terminal, said multimedia terminal having a user-input device for sending a command signal from said multimedia terminal to said server, said server comprising: a source upgrade processor for processing the command signal into a client-edit command; a client software component (CSC) for receiving and processing said client-edit command to produce a response A/V data-stream; a display updater for combining said response A/V data-stream from said CSC and a digital A/V data-stream received from an application on the server to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream; and a video encoder for encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream to produce a digital A/V data-stream for sending to the multimedia terminal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
A server for providing a digital audio/visual (A/V) network interface to a multimedia terminal, said multimedia terminal having a user-input device for sending a command signal from said multimedia terminal to said server, said server comprising: a source upgrade processor for processing the command signal into a client-edit command; a client software component (CSC) for receiving and processing said client-edit command to produce a response A/V data-stream; a display updater for combining said response A/V data-stream from said CSC and a digital A/V data-stream received from an application on the server to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream; and a video encoder for encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream to produce a digital A/V data-stream for sending to the multimedia terminal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
A server according to claim 1 further including: a frame processor for producing a frame displayable on an A/V display unit in response to said response A/V data-stream from said CSC, said frame having a frame-containing A/V data-stream, said frame processor enabling said digital A/V data-stream to be displayed within said frame-containing A/V data-stream.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
55 words
A server according to claim 1 further including: an edit decoder for receiving the command signal; a frame source for providing at least one image frame; and a video mixer for combining said response A/V data-stream and at least one image frame to produce said digital updated A/V data-stream for sending to said video encoder.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
A server according to claim 1 wherein said response A/V data-stream includes a video data subset for displaying the menu on the screen display.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
84 words
A server according to claim 1 further comprising: a server processor for executing a server software program; a network processor for executing a network software program; and a frame processor for executing a frame application program to produce a frame displayable on an A/V display unit, said frame processor being associated with said server processor, said network processor and said CSC, said frame having a frame-containing A/V data-stream, wherein said frame processor enables said digital A/V data-stream to be displayed within said frame-containing data-stream.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
A server according to claim 5 further comprising: a network browser processor for executing a network browser program, said network browser processor being associated with said frame processor, for producing a web page image for displaying on said A/V display unit, and for processing a web-associated video stream.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
40 words
A server according to claim 5 wherein said network processor enables a user to select at least one bitstream source from a plurality of simultaneously available bitstream sources, wherein said at least one source is selectable by the user-input device.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
A server according to claim 5 wherein said frame processor enables the user to toggle a user switch on the user-input device for either displaying or vanishing said frame.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
A server according to claim 5 wherein said frame processor enables a user to controllably alternate between a first frame and a second frame by the user-input device.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
A server according to claim 5 wherein said frame processor enables a diagnostic data-stream to be displayed within said frame-containing data-stream.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
49 words
A server according to claim 10 wherein said frame processor enables the user to controllably adjust a frame area of said frame-containing data-stream within a display area of said A/V display unit, wherein said display area is a portion of the entire display area of said A/V display unit.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
A server according to claim 10 wherein said frame processor enables the user to controllably send a response to said diagnostic data-stream with the user-input device.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
A server according to claim 1 wherein said video stream decoder conforms to the Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG)-2 standard.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
A server according to claim 13 wherein said video adapter module conforms to the video graphics array (VGA) standard.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
A server according to claim 13 wherein said video adapter module conforms to the super video graphics array (SVGA) standard.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
A server according to claim 1 wherein said source upgrade processor is a taken from the group consisting of an application specific processor, a PC microprocessor and a multitasking processor.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
134 words
A method for providing a network interface to a user through a server, said server sending a digital audio/visual (A/V) data-stream to a multimedia terminal, wherein said multimedia terminal can send a command signal from said user to said server, said method for said server comprising: receiving the command signal from the user-input device by a client software component (CSC); processing the command signal via said CSC to produce a digital response A/V data-stream; combining said digital response A/V data-stream from said CSC and an application A/V data-stream from the server by a display updater to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream; encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream by a video encoder to produce the digital encoded A/V data-stream; and transmitting the digital encoded A/V data-stream via the network to an A/V display unit.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
134 words
A method for providing a network interface to a user through a server, said server sending a digital audio/visual (A/V) data-stream to a multimedia terminal, wherein said multimedia terminal can send a command signal from said user to said server, said method for said server comprising: receiving the command signal from the user-input device by a client software component (CSC); processing the command signal via said CSC to produce a digital response A/V data-stream; combining said digital response A/V data-stream from said CSC and an application A/V data-stream from the server by a display updater to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream; encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream by a video encoder to produce the digital encoded A/V data-stream; and transmitting the digital encoded A/V data-stream via the network to an A/V display unit.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
84 words
A method for providing a network interface to a user through a server according to claim 17 further comprising: first executing a server software program, said server software program being executed via a server processor; second executing a network software program, said network software program being executed via a network processor; and third executing a frame application program, said frame application software program being executed via a frame processor, said frame processor being associated with said server processor, said network processor and said CSC.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
205 words
A method for providing a network interface to a user through a server system, said user connecting to a network, said server system having a multimedia terminal for receiving a digital audio/visual (A/V) data-stream from said network, and a server for transmitting said digital A/V data-stream from said network to said multimedia terminal, said method comprising: sending a command signal via a user-input device on the multimedia terminal through a server port to a client software component (CSC) on the server; processing said command signal in said CSC to produce a digital response A/V data-stream; combining said digital response A/V data-stream and an A/V data-stream from an application on the server by a display updater on the server to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream; encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream by a video encoder on the server to produce the digital A/V data-stream; transmitting the digital A/V data-stream from said video encoder via the network to the multimedia terminal; receiving the digital A/V data-stream from the server via said server port on the multimedia terminal; decoding the digital A/V data-stream from said server port via a video stream decoder to produce a display signal; and transmitting said display signal to an A/V display unit.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
205 words
A method for providing a network interface to a user through a server system, said user connecting to a network, said server system having a multimedia terminal for receiving a digital audio/visual (A/V) data-stream from said network, and a server for transmitting said digital A/V data-stream from said network to said multimedia terminal, said method comprising: sending a command signal via a user-input device on the multimedia terminal through a server port to a client software component (CSC) on the server; processing said command signal in said CSC to produce a digital response A/V data-stream; combining said digital response A/V data-stream and an A/V data-stream from an application on the server by a display updater on the server to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream; encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream by a video encoder on the server to produce the digital A/V data-stream; transmitting the digital A/V data-stream from said video encoder via the network to the multimedia terminal; receiving the digital A/V data-stream from the server via said server port on the multimedia terminal; decoding the digital A/V data-stream from said server port via a video stream decoder to produce a display signal; and transmitting said display signal to an A/V display unit.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
153 words
A programmable storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for providing a network interface to a user through a server, said server sending a digital encoded audio/visual (A/V) data-stream to a multimedia terminal, wherein said multimedia terminal can send a command signal from said user to said server, said method steps comprising: receiving the command signal from the user-input device by a client software component (CSC); processing the command signal via said CSC to produce a digital response A/V data-stream; combining said digital response A/V data-stream from said CSC and an application A/V data-stream from the server by a display updater to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream; encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream by a video encoder to produce the digital encoded A/V data-stream; and transmitting the digital encoded A/V data-stream via the network to an A/V display unit.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
153 words
A programmable storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for providing a network interface to a user through a server, said server sending a digital encoded audio/visual (A/V) data-stream to a multimedia terminal, wherein said multimedia terminal can send a command signal from said user to said server, said method steps comprising: receiving the command signal from the user-input device by a client software component (CSC); processing the command signal via said CSC to produce a digital response A/V data-stream; combining said digital response A/V data-stream from said CSC and an application A/V data-stream from the server by a display updater to produce a digital updated A/V data-stream; encoding said digital updated A/V data-stream by a video encoder to produce the digital encoded A/V data-stream; and transmitting the digital encoded A/V data-stream via the network to an A/V display unit.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
86 words
A programmable storage device for providing a network interface to a user through a server according to claim 20 further comprising: first executing a server software program, said server software program being executed via a server processor; second executing a network software program, said network software program being executed via a network processor; and third executing a frame application program, said frame application software program being executed via a frame processor, said frame processor being associated with said server processor, said network processor and said CSC.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US6009470A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-10-06 | 2007-04-07 | 2007-10-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-10-06 | 2011-04-07 | 2011-10-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-10-06 | 2015-04-07 | 2015-10-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |