# US 2022/0045897 A1 · Systems, Methods and Devices for Networked Media Distribution

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- Number: US 2022/0045897 A1
- Document ID: US20220045897A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/376,730
- Filed: 2021-07-15
- Published: 2022-02-10
- Earliest claimed: 2017-01-18
- Assignees: Audinate Holdings Pty Limited
- Applicants: Audinate Holdings Pty Limited
- Inventors: Geetha Varuni Witana; James Henry Westendorp; Christopher Ware; Muhammad Naeem Bacha
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220045897A1

## CPC

- H04N 21/4751: {for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children}
- G06F 21/6218: {to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database}
- H04L 7/0016: {correction of synchronization errors}
- H04L 41/0213: Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
- H04L 41/069: using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
- H04L 41/0894: Policy-based network configuration management
- H04L 41/20: {Network management software packages}
- H04L 43/045: for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
- H04L 61/4511: using domain name system [DNS]
- H04L 63/20: {for managing network security; network security policies in general (filtering policies H04L63/0227)}
- H04N 21/242: Synchronisation processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Programme Clock References] {(arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18)}
- H04N 21/2541: {Rights Management (protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)}
- H04N 21/4305: {Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets (arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083)}
- H04N 21/4627: Rights management {associated to the content (security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)}
- H04L 41/0893: Assignment of logical groups to network elements
- H04L 41/34: Signalling channels for network management communication
- H04L 41/5019: Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
- H04L 41/509: {wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV}
- H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

A domain manager configured to manage and/or configure an audio-video (AV) system but not directly participate in networked media transmission or clock synchronization. The domain manager may include a database; an endpoint manager configured to communicate with the database, the endpoint manager being configured to setup and maintain secure connections to and from media devices and controllers; and at least one management module configured to communicate with the database and provide services to the media devices and controllers. In embodiments, the at least one management module may include at least one of a manager for managing credentials and grouping devices into domains, a device directory for managing device registrations and lookup, and an access controller for managing and/or evaluating access control policy.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A domain manager comprising:
a database;
an endpoint manager configured to communicate with the database, the endpoint manager being configured to setup and maintain secure connections to and from media devices and controllers; and
at least one management module configured to communicate with the database and provide services to the media devices and controllers;
wherein the at least one management module includes at least one of a manager for managing credentials and grouping devices into domains, a device directory for managing device registrations and lookup, and an access controller for managing and/or evaluating access control policy.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein domain manager is configured to manage and configure an audio-video (AV) system but does not not directly participate in networked media transmission or clock synchronization.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager is virtualized and/or provided as a service delivered by cloud technology.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager enables one or more of networked media distribution over routed networks, management of large scale media networks, and fault tolerant media networks.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein media flows and clocking are maintained even if the domain manager is temporarily unavailable because the system is configured to detect and switch to another unicast-capable master clock (from the previously selected candidates) even if the domain manager is not present.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager incorporates a device metadata database and associated processes that are reactive to changes in device metadata.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager provides prompt notification to controllers and other devices when media devices are connected and disconnected from the network, or when media device metadata changes.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager allows controllers to discover a subset of the media devices in a large network, where that subset is defined using flexible queries based on device metadata.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager facilitates network management by centralizing information and/or control of devices in a networked media system.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager is implemented in software and is configured to manage clocking configuration and media configuration.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager provides the ability for a network administrator to define access control policies.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager provides the ability for a network administrator to assign access control policies to security principals (for example users (e.g., with associated passphrases/keys), device keys (for controller embedded within media devices), and/or controller API keys (e.g., for controllers that do not support the ability for user login—such as a wall mounted controller)).

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager provides the ability to evaluate access control policies on the domain manager by forwarding configuration messages via the domain manager to permit complex, fine grain access control policies to be enforced.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager provides the ability for access control policies to be pushed from the domain manager to media devices so they can be cached and evaluated on the device without requiring the configuration message to be forwarded via the domain manager.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager provides the ability to manage a database of users, passwords, roles, and/or access keys that can be used to assign access controls.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager provides the ability to connect to an external sign-on service such as active directory to authenticate and manage users.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager improves the collection and display of statistics and performance information in one or more of the following manners: acting as a centralized storage for this information; collecting both live and historical information; interfacing via appropriate APIs with external data analytic services to better analyze and visualize this information; using appropriate data storage architectures such as time series databases so that the data can be easily analyzed and aggregated; generating alerts in the event of errors or performance information reaching particular thresholds; and converting alerts to a form such as simple network management protocol (SNMP) so they can be received by third party network management tools.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein a single domain manager can manage multiple domains.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager may be able to handle both legacy and domain-aware devices.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The domain manager of claim 1, wherein the domain manager further comprises a component that can re-time media signals between two clock domains and generate a tie line packet stream.

### Claim at position 21

21-30. (canceled)