Accessing hardware devices using web server abstractions

• US 10,142,395 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2017
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mickens, James, Zhuang, Li, Chu, David, Lin, Kaisen
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Uzma
• Application Number:
  US15/625,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20170310735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

In the new architecture, a client that desires access to a piece of hardware sends HTTP requests to a device server. The server receives a HTTP requests, accesses a device on behalf of the client, and send the device'"'"'s response back to the client in the form of an HTTP response. This architecture has three primary advantages. First, it offers a clean interface for clients where all devices are accessed as if they are web servers. Second, it helps make devices more secure whereby clients can be prevented from accessing hardware directly, and all device access is forced through the narrow HTTP access protocol and checked for compliance with a desired security policy. Third, since HTTP allows local and remote servers to be contacted, the proposed architecture makes it easy for clients to communicate with devices that are not physically co-resident with the client but which are accessible via a network connection.

Claims

1. A method for accessing remote hardware devices, the method comprising:

receiving by a web browser, configured to accept application programming interface (API) calls from a requesting application for initiating hardware device access, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request via the API;

transmitting by the web browser the HTTP request to a remote hardware device server configured to provide access to a remote hardware device, the HTTP request including a request for establishing an authenticated session with the remote hardware device, the remote hardware device server being local to the remote hardware device;

upon establishment of the authenticated session, in response to a first API call from the requesting application for an action to be taken with respect to the remote hardware device, the web browser transmitting an HTTP request, including commands corresponding to the action to be taken with respect to the remote hardware device, to the remote hardware device server; and

receiving by the web browser a second API call from the requesting application for enabling the requesting application to receive at least one event notification related to the remote hardware device from the remote hardware device server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote hardware device server is located remotely from the requesting application and the web browser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the HTTP request includes receiving device specific parameters and a data request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote hardware device is a sensor and the method further comprising providing an API to obtain a single-sample or multiple samples corresponding to a sensor-specific property of the sensor.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a status indication corresponding to the action.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transmitting by the web browser the HTTP request to the remote hardware device server configured to provide access to a hardware device comprises explicit user action.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

allowing the requesting application to selectively receive notifications from the remote hardware device.

8. A user device configured to:

receive by a web browser associated with the user device, application programming interface (API) calls from a requesting application for initiating hardware device access and receiving any resulting status and data, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request via the API;

transmit by the web browser the HTTP request to a remote hardware device server configured to provide access to a remote hardware device, the HTTP request including a request for establishing an authenticated session with the remote hardware device, the remote hardware device server being local to the remote hardware device;

upon establishment of the authenticated session, in response to a first API call from the requesting application for an action to be taken with respect to the remote hardware device, the web browser configured to transmit an HTTP request, including commands corresponding to the action to be taken with respect to the remote hardware device, to the remote hardware device server; and

receive at the web browser a second API call from the requesting application for enabling the requesting application to receive at least one event notification related to the remote hardware device from the remote hardware device server.

9. The user device of claim 8, wherein the remote hardware device server is located remotely from the requesting application and the web browser.

10. The user device of claim 8, wherein the web browser is further configured to:

receive device specific parameters and a data request as part of the HTTP request.

11. The user device of claim 8, wherein the web browser is further configured to:

receive a status indication corresponding to the action.

12. The user device of claim 8, wherein the remote hardware device is selected from a group consisting of sensors, processors, storage devices, cameras, microphones, GPS units, accelerometers, other processor cores, graphical processing units, internal memory devices and removable memory devices.

13. The user device of claim 8, wherein the web browser is further configured to:

require explicit user action to transmit the HTTP request to the remote hardware device server configured to provide access to a hardware device.

14. The user device of claim 8, wherein the web browser is further configured to:

allow the requesting application to selectively receive notifications from the remote hardware device.

15. A non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions configured to:

receive by a web browser associated with the user device, application programming interface (API) calls from a requesting application for initiating hardware device access and receiving any resulting status and data, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request via the API;

transmit by the web browser the HTTP request to a remote hardware device server configured to provide access to a remote hardware device, the HTTP request including a request for establishing an authenticated session with the remote hardware device, the remote hardware device server being local to the remote hardware device;

upon establishment of the authenticated session, in response to a first API call from the requesting application for an action to be taken with respect to the remote hardware device, the web browser configured to transmit an HTTP request, including commands corresponding to the action to be taken with respect to the remote hardware device, to the remote hardware device server; and

receive at the web browser a second API call from the requesting application for enabling the requesting application to receive at least one event notification related to the remote hardware device from the remote hardware device server.

16. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the remote hardware device server is located remotely from the requesting application and the web browser.

17. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15 further comprising instructions configured to:

receive device specific parameters and a data request as part of the HTTP request.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15 further comprising instructions configured to:

receive a status indication corresponding to the action.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15 further comprising instructions configured to:

require explicit user action to transmit the HTTP request to the remote hardware device server configured to provide access to a hardware device.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15 further comprising instructions configured to:

allow the requesting application to selectively receive notifications from the remote hardware device.