KR20020053070A - Multi-tiered network access - Google Patents

Abstract

The system of the invention provides a multi-layered access to a network such as the Internet. A first device, such as a device or box with a first level of functionality, accesses the network and receives content from the network. When it is determined that the first device can handle this content, the user is informed of this fact and, if necessary, a second device such as a multifunctional computer system having a second level of functionality higher than the first level is activated and Process the contents. An application program necessary to process the above contents is driven in the second element, and the contents thereof are processed by the driven application program. When the second device is processing the content, the first device can function as a proxy between the I / O device and the second device, so that the user can control the second device via the first device. The first and second devices may be connected by a direct connection, such as a USB connection, or the devices may be connected by a home network, such as a network compliant with the HomePNA standard. An output of the second device may be provided to the second device and displayed on the display device connected to the first device.

Description

MULTI-TIERED NETWORK ACCESS}

Access to networks, including global global networks such as the Internet, has been provided in the past by using general-purpose information processing systems. A general-purpose information processing system includes numerous hardware and software components for processing various tasks or functions, regardless of how often the information processing system is called for task or function implementation. Thus, several hardware or software components remain idle for a significant amount of time until they are operated to perform the requested task. For many situations and for multiple users, the ease of ability to execute various tasks and functions when called is more important than the fact that the modules and hardware that execute the tasks and functions may remain unused for long periods of time. This model for information processing systems is particularly suitable for general purpose devices such as residential or business desktop computers that intend to use the information processing system for more than one task or function.

However, as processing power increases due to volume reduction, information processing systems tend to be used as dedicated devices rather than for general purpose devices. Rather than being designed to handle all the functions or tasks that a user wants, information processing systems are designed to optimally implement a small set of tasks or functions to reduce volume, cost, and complexity. It also maintains some general purpose level so that one or more additional features can be added to the information processing system to extend system life and provide flexibility (flexibility) as needed. This kind of dedicated information processing system is intended to imply that the information processing system is optimized to perform only a few key functions while maintaining some level of general purpose devices, and the "bell and whistle" portion of the general information processing system is It is called an "appliance" or "box" to imply that it is excluded because it is considered unnecessary to most users. This results in products such as PDAs optimized for phone number storage and retrieval, task lists, calendar functions, time management, and cost retrieval. With a structure based on a general-purpose computer, the PDA's processor will consume less power, have less memory, no hard disk drive, and a smaller instruction set operating system. Moreover, the PDA operating system can be stored in a ROM chip or a flash type memory chip rather than on a hard disk drive, so that the PDA operating system is more than the boot time of a general-purpose information processing system having a more complex and full-featured operating system that boots from the hard disk drive. Boot time can be much shorter. In the case of network access, the modem is much less feature-rich than the software found in general-purpose information processing systems, and modems can be included in the PDA or added as an upgrade so that the PDA can connect to the Internet for web browsing and e-mail functions. have. Other types of devices or boxes include set-top boxes for providing Internet browsing features to television tuning features, game console boxes with internet capabilities that allow two remote users to play each other over the Internet, and users to get home. Occasionally, there is an oven with internet capability to program the oven to prepare dinner at a remote location.

Because of the endless growth of the Internet and the benefits of interconnecting multiple information processing systems, more and more devices are designed to connect with other devices over the network, providing a higher level of control and functionality. As a result, devices, boxes, PCs, and the like are connected together via a local area network. In an office environment, this local area network is called an intranet, and in a consumer environment, this local area network is called a home network. In a home network environment, multiple devices, boxes, and one or more computers are connected together through a home network, and a common connection to a global network, such as the Internet, via a modem is shared by all devices. In this environment, this type of device or box of the information processing system will access the network using a reduced set of functions and thus operate at the first level of functionality. However, sometimes, when a device or box system accesses a network, it may need to perform tasks or functions that the system cannot perform. The application that executes this task may only be included in a general-purpose information processing system capable of operating at a second level of functionality. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for accessing a network at a multi-level, multi-layered function.

The present invention relates to the field of information processing systems, and more particularly, to network access through information processing systems.

1 is a block diagram of an information processing system operative to embody the present invention.

2 is a block diagram of a system for providing multi-tiered network access in accordance with the present invention.

3 is a block diagram of a particular embodiment of a multi-tiered network access system of the present invention.

4 is a flow chart of a method for providing a multi-tiered network access in accordance with the present invention.

5 is a flow chart of another method for providing multi-layered network access in accordance with the present invention.

The present invention is directed to a system that provides multi-layered network access. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a first device for providing a first level of functionality for network access, 2) a second device for providing a second level of functionality for network access, and a second device for the first. 3) a means such as a local area network for connecting with the device, and a situation where the first device accesses the network at the first level of functionality and the second device accesses the network at the second level of functionality as required by the first device. 4) means, such as a modem or router, to provide network access to either the first or second device.

The invention also aims at a method for providing a multi-layered access to a network. In one embodiment, the method is capable of 1) accessing the network with a first device providing a first level of functionality, 2) receiving information from the network to be processed, and 3) allowing the first device to process the received information. 4) activating a second element providing a second level of functionality if the first element fails to process received information, and 5) processing the information with the second element. .

1 is a block diagram of an information processing system that operates to embody the present invention. In the present embodiment, the processor 102, the system controller 112, the cache 114, and the data path chip 118 are each connected to the host bus 110. Processor 102 is a microprocessor such as a 486 chip, Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium III, or the like. The cache 114 provides fast local memory data (512 KB of data in one embodiment) to the processor 102 and is controlled by the system controller 112. System controller 112 loads data into cache 114 that is expected to be used soon after being placed in cache 112. Main memory 116 is coupled between system controller 112 and data path chip 118 and, in one embodiment, provides RAM between 16MB and 128MB of data. In one embodiment, main memory 116 is provided on Single In-line Memory Modules (SIMM), and in another embodiment, main memory 116 is provided on Dual In-line Modules (DIMM), Each is connected to an appropriate socket provided on the motherboard that secures these components and several of the remaining components shown in FIG. Main memory 116 includes memory technologies such as standard DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, and the like. System controller 112 controls PCI bus 120, which is a local bus for system 100 that provides a high speed data path between various peripherals and processor 102, such as video, disk, network, and the like. The data path chip 118 is also controlled by the system controller 112 to facilitate data transfer between the main memory 116, the host bus 110, and the PCI bus 120.

In one embodiment, PCI bus 120 provides a 32-bit wide data path running at 33 MHz. In another embodiment, PCI bus 120 provides a 64-bit wide data path running at 33 MHz. In another embodiment, PCI bus 120 provides a 32-bit wide, or 64-bit wide data path that runs at higher speeds. In one embodiment, PCI bus 120 provides connections for I / O bridge 122, graphics controller 127, and one or more PCI connectors 121, each of which accepts a standard PCI card. In one embodiment, I / O bridge 122 and graphics controller 127 may be integrated on the motherboard along with system controller 112 to prevent board-connector-board signal cross-interfaces and thus speed and reliability. Is improved. In the illustrated embodiment, graphics controller 127 is connected to video memory 128 including memory such as DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, VRAM, and the like, and drives VGA port 129. The VGA port 129 may be connected to a VGA-type or SVGA-type display device or the like. Another input / output card having a PCI interface may be connected to the PCI connector 121.

In one embodiment, I / O bridge 122 is a chip that provides connectivity and control for one or more standalone IDE connectors 124, 125, USB port 126, and ISA bus 130. In this embodiment, IDE connector 124 provides connections for two or more standard IDE-type devices, such as hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, DVD drives, Tape-Backup Unit (TBU) devices, and the like. In one similar embodiment, two IDE connectors 124 are provided, each providing an enhanced IDE (EIDE) structure. In the illustrated embodiment, SCSI connector 125 provides connections for up to seven or fifteen SCSI-type devices (depending on the version of SCSI supported in the embodiment). In one embodiment, I / O bridge 122 provides ISA bus 130 with one or more ISA connectors 131 (three connectors are provided in one embodiment). ISA bus 130 is coupled to I / O controller 152 to provide connectivity for two serial ports 154, 155, parallel port 156, and FDD connector 157. In one embodiment, the FDD connector 157 is connected to an FDD 158 that receives a removable medium (floppy disk) 159 in which data and program code 160 are stored. In one such embodiment, program code 160 includes code that controls programmable system 100 for carrying out the method described below. In another embodiment, serial port 154 is connectable to a computer network, such as the Internet, which has program code 160 that controls programmable system 100 for performing the methods described below. . In one embodiment, ISA bus 130 is coupled to buffer 132, buffer 132 is coupled to X bus 140, and X bus 140 is a real time clock 142, a keyboard / mouse controller ( 144 and keyboard BIOS ROM 145 and system BIOS ROM 146.

1 illustrates only one embodiment of the present invention, but other bus structures and memory arrangements may be contemplated. In one embodiment, I / O bridge 122 is a chip that provides connectivity and control for one or more standalone IDE connectors 124, 125, USB port 126, ISA bus 130. In this embodiment, the IDE connector 124 provides a connection for up to two standard IDE-type devices, such as a hard disk drive or a CD-ROM drive, and likewise the IDE connector 125 connects up to two IDE-type devices. To provide a connection. In one such embodiment, IDE connectors 124 and 125 each provide an EIDE structure. In one embodiment, I / O bridge 122 provides an ISA bus 130 having one or more ISA connectors 131 (in one embodiment, three ISA connectors are provided). In one embodiment, ISA bus 130 is coupled to I / O controller 152 and then provides connections for two serial ports 154, 155, parallel port 156, and FDD connector 157. In one embodiment, ISA bus 130 is coupled to buffer 132, buffer 132 is coupled to X bus 140, and X bus 140 is a real time clock 142, a keyboard / mouse controller ( 144 and keyboard BIOS ROM 145, and system BIOS ROM 146.

In Figure 2, a block diagram of a system for providing multi-layered network access in accordance with the present invention is shown. System 200 includes a first information processing system 210 and a second information processing system 212, each of which functions, features, hardware, and software of information processing system 100 discussed with respect to FIG. Provide more than a portion of the system. The information processing system 210 is preferably a "device" type information processing system in that it includes only the hardware necessary to execute one task or a limited range of tasks. For example, the information processing system 210 may include a processor 102, a bus 110, a cache 114, a main memory 116, a graphics controller 127, a video memory 128, a VGA port 129, a real time clock. 142, keyboard / mouse controller 144, BIOS ROM 144, system BIOS ROM 146, and I / O controller 152 with one or more of ports 154-156, and This is a structure that provides less features and capacity than the information processing system 212. As an example, the information processing system 210 may be a set-top box for a television set that receives a multimedia signal, decodes the multimedia signal, and displays the decrypted signal content on a display device connected to the information processing system 210. In the present embodiment, the display device corresponds to the output device 224. The output device 224 may be any device or system connected to the information processing system 210 that provides an output or response appropriate to the functional structure of the information processing system 210. For example, when the information processing system 210 is configured with a video processing device (eg, a television tuner, a web browser), the output device 224 is video information received from and processed by the information processing system 210. It will be a display device for displaying the. In the case where the information processing system 210 is composed of an audio processing device (eg, an MPEG-3 player), the output device 224 is sound in the air in accordance with an audio signal received from and processed by the information processing system 210. It may be a speaker or a speaker and amplifier system for regenerating. Additionally, output device 224 may include a combination of one or more output systems that operate in conjunction with information processing system 210. In this example, the output device 224 may include both a display system for displaying video information and a speaker and amplifier system for sound reproduction, such that the multimedia processing information is received and processed by the information processing system 210. Information can be played back to the user. I / O system 220 includes one or more input / output devices for controlling information processing system 210. Typically, such an I / O device translates input or commands provided by a human into a machine-readable format. I / O device 220 may thus include a keyboard, mouse, remote control, joystick, trackball, trackpad, or similar input device. I / O devices may include devices, systems, or transducers for converting input provided by a person into machine recognizable input. In one embodiment, I / O device 220 includes a microphone system that translates voice commands into electronic commands for controlling information processing system 210.

Information processing system 210 is coupled to a modem or router 216 to access network 218 via connection system 214. The network 218 may be, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a telephone network, a mobile telephone network, a worldwide global network (eg, the Internet), or the like. The connection system 214 may be compliant with the Home Phone Network Alliance (HomePNA) home network standard, a USB type network, and the like, to provide interconnection of two or more devices, such as information processing systems 210 and 212. In a preferred embodiment, the information processing system 212 provides at least one function, capacity, or hardware or software component that the information processing system 210 does not provide. Typically, the information processing system 212 is provided with full features and functionality while in the case of the information processing system 210 the boot time is minimal because features and modules are minimally provided. The information processing systems 210, 212 may alternatively or additionally be connected via a direct connection 222.

In FIG. 3, one embodiment of the multilayer network access system of the present invention will be described. In one example, information processing system 210 has the function of a digital television tuner. The digital television signal may be received by the digital TV tuner 210 and displayed on the display device 224. I / O system 220 is a remote control (remote control) for controlling digital TV tuner 210 to provide commands such as channel selection, volume control, on / off, and the like. The digital TV tuner 210 is further provided with a web browser to access some HTML content through a worldwide network, and text-based email capabilities are also provided. The connection system 214 is a local home network, which allows the digital TV tuner 210 to share the use of a common modem 216 to share access to the global network 218. Direct connection 222 may be a direct VGA output from information processing system 212 to information processing system 210.

In FIG. 4, a flowchart of a method for providing a multi-tiered network access according to the present invention is disclosed. The method 400 includes a step 410 of accessing the network 218 with a first information processing system 210 that is connected to the network 218 by connecting to the modem / router 216 via the connection system 214. Include. In a preferred embodiment, the information processing system 210 is set up as a set-top box that provides the output device 224 with content received from the network 218, where the output device 224 is a display device or a television, Connection system 214 is a home PNA compliant network, modem 216 is a cable modem, and network 218 is a global network, such as the Internet. Information processing system 210 provides a first level of Internet communication capabilities, including HTML processing and e-mail capabilities. In step 412, the content is received from the network and the information processing system 210 alone processes the content normally. A determination is made at step 414 as to whether the information processing system 210 can process the received network content, eg, whether a particular application program for processing this content is available. If it is determined that there is a required application, at step 416, the content is processed by the information processing system 210 using the available application. Thus, information processing system 210 can continue to receive content from network 218 and continue to process the content as long as the application maintains an available level. If the required application is not available, a second element, such as information processing system 212, is activated at step 418. The second device may execute an application program required in operation 420 to process the contents in operation 422. For communication between the first element and the second element, a determination is made whether there is a direct connection between the first element and the second element (step 424). In the absence of a direct connection between the first and second devices, the devices are in communication at 426 via a local area network, such as a connection system 214 (eg, a HomePNA compliant network). If there is a direct connection, the first element and the second element are connected via a direct connection in step 428. In either case, the result of executing and processing the contents by the second element is provided to the first element (step 430).

As a result of the operation of one embodiment of the present invention, although the second information processing system 212 has the maximum network and Internet capabilities, the first information processing system 210 for a job designed for the information processing system 210 to be implemented. Is not convenient for a user to use, and the information processing system 210 has limited network and internet functions compared to the information processing system 212. This arrangement allows the user to easily perform basic Internet functions and provide sufficient capability by switching to the second information processing system 212 if they wish to provide higher levels of Internet functions and capabilities. In one embodiment, where the information processing system 210 is located near the information processing system 212, the information processing systems may be connected by a direct connection 222 to provide a VGA and USB connection, etc., between the two devices. have. In another embodiment, the information processing systems can communicate via the connection system 214, such as when the information processing system 212 enables the maximum Internet content for the information processing system 210, thereby processing the information. The system can be placed in any position with respect to the position of other systems in a home or similar environment and does not have to be placed adjacent to each other. In FIG. 5, a flowchart of another method for providing a multi-layered network approach in accordance with the present invention will be discussed. The method 500 begins when a first system (eg, the information processing system 210) approaches the network 218 in step 510, and content is received from the network 218 in step 512. It is determined at step 514 whether the content received from the network 218 is supported by the first information processing system 210. If the content is supported, the content is processed by the first information processing system 210 in step 516. If it is determined that the content is not supported, the user is informed at step 518. It is determined in step 520 whether to activate the second information processing system 212. The decision may be made by the user or, for example, if the content is known to be supported by the second information processing system 212, the decision may be made by the first information processing system 210 according to the specified conditions. If it is decided not to activate the second information processing system, the specific content is reserved at step 522 and other content is received at step 512. If it is determined to activate the second information processing system 212, the second information processing system 212 is activated at step 524. An application suitable for processing this content is driven by the second information processing system 212 in step 526 and the current content, such as a URL, is provided to the second information processing system 212 in step 528. The display device 214 is switched to the second information processing system 212 at step 530, so that the output of the second information processing system 212 can be displayed. In one embodiment, display device 224 is switched using a full screen switch between display devices of two information processing systems, or by providing a video overlay with pixel-by-pixel multiplexing between the two display devices. In an alternative embodiment, the second information processing system 212 may enable this content with pixels being transmitted on the connection system 214 up to the first information processing system 210 for actual display. When the second information processing system 212 is activated to process the content, the first information processing system 210 is proxied or proxyed between the I / O device 220 and the second information processing system 212 at step 532. Can act as a server. The second information processing system 212 can process this content at step 534 and provide the processing results to the first information processing system via a direct connection 222 or network 214.

One of the embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a set of instructions residing in main memory 116 of one or more computer information processing systems configured as shown in FIG. Until the computer system needs it, this instruction set may be stored in another computer-readable memory, such as the information processing medium 159 of FIG. Examples include removable disks such as optical disks used in hard disk drives or CD-ROM drives, floppy disks used in floppy disk drives, floppy disks for use in floptical drives, or personal computers. There is a PC memory card for use in the card slot. Moreover, the instruction set can be stored in the memory of another computer and, if necessary, transmitted over a global or local area network such as the Internet. Additionally, commands can be sent over the network in the form of applets (programs that run inside another application), and are servlets (applets executed by the server) that are decomposed or compiled after the transfer of the computer system rather than before the transfer. ) Can be transmitted over the network. It is readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the physical storage of an instruction set, applet, or servlet can be changed to a variety of storage media, including electrical, magnetic, chemical, physical, optical, and holographic methods. have.

Claims (22)

A first means for accessing the network while providing a first level of functionality, A second means for accessing the network while providing a second level of functionality, Connecting means for connecting said first means with said second means, and The first means or the second means such that the first means accesses the network with a first level of functionality and the second means can access the network with a second level of functionality when requested by the first means. Means for connecting to said connecting means for providing network access to any one of the means. The system of claim 1, wherein the second level is higher than the first level. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection means is compliant with Home Phone Network Alliance (HomePNA) standards. The system of claim 1, wherein said connecting means is compliant with USB standards. The system of claim 1, wherein said connecting means is compliant with the VGA standard. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said connecting means is compliant with the IEEE 1394 standard. Access the network with a first device providing a first level of functionality, Receiving information to be processed from the network, Determine whether the first element can process received information, If it is determined that the first device cannot process the received information, activate a second device that provides a second level of functionality, For processing information with a second element, Method comprising the above steps. The method of claim 7, wherein Determine whether there is a direct connection between the first and second elements, Communication is made by direct connection between the first and second elements when it is determined that a direct connection exists, The method further comprises the above steps. The method of claim 7, wherein Determine whether there is a direct connection between the first and second elements, If it is determined that a direct connection exists, communication is carried out by means of a direct connection between the first and second elements, Communication between the first element and the second element via a local area network if no direct connection exists, The method further comprises the above steps. The method of claim 7, wherein Providing the result of said processing step to a first device; And further comprising a step. Access to the network with a first system providing a first level of functionality, Receiving information to be processed from the network, -Determine whether the content received from the network is supported by the first system, If it is determined that the first system does not support the received content, inform the user that the first system does not support the received content, Determine whether to activate a second system having a second level of capability to support incoming content, When determining to activate the second system, to activate the second system, To process said contents with a second system, Method comprising the above steps. The method of claim 11, Switching a display device connected to the first system to display the output of the second system, And further comprising a step. The method of claim 11, Providing a first system as a proxy between the I / O device and the second system, And further comprising a step. The method of claim 11, Running an application suitable for content processing on a second system, And further comprising a step. Access the network with a first device providing a first level of functionality, Receiving information to be processed from the network, Determine whether the first element can process received information, If it is determined that the first device cannot process the received information, activate a second device that provides a second level of functionality, For processing information with a second element, A program of instructions storable on a computer readable medium, causing the information processing system to execute the above steps to provide multi-layer network access. The method of claim 15, Determine whether there is a direct connection between the first and second elements, Communication is made by direct connection between the first and second elements when it is determined that a direct connection exists, A program of instructions storable on a computer readable medium, causing the information processing system to execute further for providing multi-layer network access. The method of claim 15, Determine whether there is a direct connection between the first and second elements, If it is determined that a direct connection exists, communication is carried out by means of a direct connection between the first and second elements, Communication between the first element and the second element via a local area network if no direct connection exists, A program of instructions storable on a computer readable medium, causing the information processing system to execute further for providing multi-layer network access. The method of claim 15, Providing the result of said processing step to a first element, A program of instructions storable on a computer readable medium, causing the information processing system to execute further to provide multi-layer network access. The method of claim 15, If it is determined that the first element does not support the received content, informing the user that the first element does not support the received content, A program of instructions storable on a computer readable medium, causing the information processing system to execute further to provide multi-layer network access. The method of claim 15, Switching a display device connected to the first element for displaying the output of the second element, A program of instructions storable on a computer readable medium, causing the information processing system to execute further to provide multi-layer network access. The method of claim 15, Providing a first element as a proxy between the I / O element and the second element, A program of instructions storable on a computer readable medium, causing the information processing system to execute further to provide multi-layer network access. The method of claim 15, Running an application suitable for content processing on the second element, A program of instructions storable on a computer readable medium, causing the information processing system to execute further to provide multi-layer network access.