Patent ID: 7401166

Claim:
Method for controlling and/or exchanging of data for multimedia appliances, including electronics entertainment appliances, in which the multimedia appliances are connected through a bus, wherein each activated multimedia appliance sends at least one message through the bus to the other activated multimedia appliances within a predetermined first time duration (T AM ), and wherein each of the other activated multimedia appliances receiving the messages can recognize the sending multimedia appliances with the aid of the messages if the multimedia appliance receiving the message is activated, wherein the other multimedia appliances can no longer recognize one of the multimedia appliances as being active when no message was received at least after the elapse of a second predetermined time duration (M*T AM ) and wherein a multimedia appliance, which is activated for the first time or repeatedly, sends its own messages through the bus to the other activated multimedia appliances after the first or repeated activation only after a time period which is longer than or equal to a predetermined third time duration (N*T AM ).