Patent ID: 7000018

Claim:
A data processing system, comprising: a plurality of devices interconnected in a local area network, each of at least three of the devices having multiple source modes each identifying at least one other mutually different device of the plurality of devices to receive data from the each device without identifying any of the devices to provide data to the each device, and multiple sink modes each identifying at least one other device of the plurality of devices to provide data to the each device without identifying any of the devices to receive data from the each device; a streaming controller to select among the multiple source modes and the multiple sink modes independently of each other for any of the at least three devices, so as to establish a data streaming connection among certain of the plurality of devices as identified by the selected source and sink modes, such that, during a time period when the connection exists, at least a first of the three devices is adapted to provide data to a second of the devices in the plurality without providing data to a third device in the plurality, and is adapted to receive data from the third device without receiving data from the second device.