Image display device and method of announcing a presence of an image display device over a network

An image display device including a processor, and memory including code stored thereon, wherein the code is executable by the processor to perform a method of communicating over a network an invitation to use the image display device to at least one image source connected to the network, and wherein the code includes code segments for:

• forming an invitation message, the invitation message containing an invitation for an image source to connect to the image display device to use a service hosted on the image display device and a unique identifier, wherein a plurality of services to which the image source can connect are hosted on the image display device;
• sending the invitation message to a multicast address on the network;
• sending a separate invitation message for each service, wherein each invitation message is sent from an announcement transmitter hosted on the image display device, and wherein each service is hosted on and functionally associated with only one image display device;
• the image source comparing the unique identifier in the invitation message to a stored unique identifier;
• receiving a connection request from a requesting image source over the network in the event that the received unique identifier and the stored unique identifier have a predefined relationship, forming a connection to the requesting image source, and receiving data from the requesting image source;
• processing the data received from the requesting image source into an image during an active connection with the requesting image source;
• and
• periodically sending, from the image display device, an announcement of unavailability message to the multicast address, in response to the reception of the connection request from the requesting image source, during the entire active connection with the requesting image source.

In an image display device, a method of communicating over a network an invitation to use the image display device to at least one image source connected to the network, the method comprising:

• forming an invitation message, the invitation message containing an invitation for an image source to connect to the image display device to use a service hosted on the image display device and a unique identifier;
• sending the invitation message to a multicast address on the network;
• sending a separate invitation message for each service, wherein each invitation message is sent from an announcement transmitter hosted on the image display device, and wherein each service is hosted on and functionally associated with only one image display device, and wherein the invitation message includes a time-to-live (TTL) setting of 1;
• the image source comparing the unique identifier in the invitation message to a stored unique identifier;
• receiving a connection request from a requesting image source over the network in the event that the received unique identifier and the stored unique identifier have a predefined relationship, forming a connection to the requesting image source, and receiving data from the requesting image source;
• processing the data received from the requesting image source into an image during an active connection with the requesting image source;
• and
• periodically sending, from the image display device, an announcement of unavailability message to the multicast address, in response to the reception of the connection request from the requesting image source, during the entire active connection with the requesting image source.

An image display device including a processor, and memory including code stored thereon, wherein the code is executable by the processor to perform a method of communicating over a network an invitation to use the image display device to at least one image source connected to the network, and wherein the code includes code segments for:

• forming an invitation message, the invitation message an invitation for an image source to connect to the image display device to use a service hosted on the image display device and a unique identifier;
• sending the invitation message to a multicast address on the network;
• sending a separate invitation message for each service, wherein the invitation message includes a time-to-live (TTL) setting of 1;
• the image source comparing the unique identifier in the invitation message to a stored unique identifier;
• receiving a connection request from a requesting image source over the network in the event that the received unique identifier and the stored unique identifier have a predefined relationship, forming a connection to the requesting image source, and receiving data from the requesting image source;
• processing the data received from the requesting image source into an image during an active connection with the requesting image source;
• and
• periodically sending an announcement of unavailability message to the multicast address, in response to the reception of the connection request from the requesting image source, during the entire active connection with the requesting image source.