Controller networks for an accessory management system

• US 10,177,933 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Burks, Andrew, Nadathur, Anush G., Rama, Srinivas, McLaughlin, Kevin P., Abuan, Joe, Mathews, Dennis, Lucas, Matthew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mathew, Max
• Application Number:
  US14/725,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20150351145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 370252
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/60 Security, fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Controllers can be used to control the operation of various accessories. Controllers with access to a particular accessory (or group of accessories) can be organized into a controller network to facilitate control. The controller network can include various proxy devices including bridge and tunnel proxies that can relay messages to and from accessories, perform protocol translations, and/or provide communication security. Some proxy devices can include decision logic to enable coordinated control over one or more accessories by the controllers in the controller network.

Claims

1. A method executable by a controller device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the controller device, a user input requesting an interaction with an accessory device, wherein the interaction identifies an operation corresponding to the accessory device to be performed;

identifying a proxy device that is configured to communicate with the accessory device, wherein the controller device has previously established a pairing with the proxy device;

establishing communication with the proxy device, wherein establishing communication with the proxy device includes establishing a pair-verified session with the proxy device based on the previously established pairing, the pair-verified session having a first session key;

generating a request message to the accessory to perform the operation, wherein the request message includes a data item encrypted with a second session key that is not shared by the proxy device, and wherein an instruction message for the accessory device includes the data item; and

communicating, via the pair-verified session, the request message to the proxy device to instruct the accessory device to perform the operation, wherein the request message is configured to be relayed to the accessory device by the proxy device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the proxy device includes:

obtaining a list of potential proxy devices; and

selecting the proxy device from the list according to a selection rule.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein obtaining the list of potential proxy devices includes:

during a pair-verified session with the accessory device that occurs prior to receiving the user input, obtaining from the accessory device a list of paired controller devices; and

subsequently using the list of paired controller devices as the list of potential proxy devices.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein obtaining the list of potential proxy devices includes accessing a list of paired controller devices for the accessory that is maintained at a cloud-based data service.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein each potential proxy device is assigned a device type of a plurality of device types, and wherein the selection rule is based at least in part on a hierarchy of the plurality of device types.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein selecting the proxy device includes:

selecting a first proxy device from the list; and

in the event that the first proxy device is not available, selecting a different proxy device from the list.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the proxy device includes communicating with a cloud-based data service to identify a preferred proxy device from a list of devices having access to the accessory.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting, at the controller device, a user interface that identifies a plurality of accessory operations corresponding to an accessory device, wherein the operation of the requested interaction is one of the plurality of accessory operations.

9. A method executable by a proxy device configured to communicate with an accessory device, the method comprising:

establishing a pairing with a controller device;

thereafter establishing a pair-verified session with the controller device based on the previously established pairing with the controller device, the pair-verified session having a first session key;

receiving, via the pair-verified session with the controller device, a request message indicating an operation of the accessory device to be performed by the accessory device, wherein the request message received from the controller device includes a data item encrypted with a second session key that is not shared by the proxy device, and wherein an instruction message for the accessory device includes the data item;

sending the instruction message to the accessory device to perform the operation based on the received request message; and

sending to the controller device, via the pair-verified session with the controller device, a response message responsive to the received request message.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving an instruction-response message from the accessory device responsive to the instruction message,

wherein the response message sent to the controller device is based on the instruction-response message received from the accessory device.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

interpreting the received request message to determine the operation to be performed; and

generating the instruction message to the accessory device based on the interpreting.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein interpreting the received request message includes determining that the controller device has permission to perform the accessory action.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein interpreting the received request message includes resolving a conflict among a plurality of received request messages from a plurality of controller devices.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the request message received from the controller device conforms to a first protocol for communicating with accessories and the proxy device translates the received request message to an instruction message conforming to a second protocol for communicating with accessories.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising, prior to receiving the request message from the controller device:

obtaining accessory information from the accessory device, the accessory information including a first set of identifiers of accessory characteristics conforming to the second communication protocol; and

constructing a mapping of the set of identifiers of the accessory characteristics to a second set of identifiers conforming to the first communication protocol,

wherein translating the received request message includes using the mapping to translate the request message from the second communication protocol to the first communication protocol.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the data item represents a value to be written to an accessory characteristic of the accessory device, wherein writing the value to the accessory characteristic results in changing an aspect of a state of the accessory device.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein establishing the pairing with the controller device occurs while the controller device is present in a local environment with the proxy device and receiving the request message from the controller device occurs while the controller device is absent from the local environment.

18. A method executable by a controller device, the method comprising:

establishing a first pairing with an accessory device;

establishing a second pairing with a proxy device;

receiving, at the controller device, a user input requesting an operation corresponding to the accessory device to be performed; and

in response to the user input;

establishing, based on the second pairing, a first pair-verified session with the proxy device, the first pair-verified session having a first session key that is shared by the controller device and the proxy device but not by the accessory device;

communicating, via the first pair-verified session, with the accessory device to establish a second pair-verified session with the accessory device, the second pair-verified session having a second session key that is shared by the controller device and the accessory device but not by the proxy device;

generating a request message to the proxy device to be relayed to the accessory based on the requested operation, wherein generating the request message includes encrypting at least a portion of the request message using the second session key;

encrypting the request message using the first session key;

sending the request message to the proxy device;

receiving a response message from the proxy device;

decrypting the response message using the first session key;

extracting, from the decrypted response message, an included item from the accessory device; and

decrypting the included item using the second session key.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the accessory device and the proxy device are both located in a local environment and wherein establishing the first pairing and establishing the second pairing are performed at a time when the controller device is present in the local environment.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein establishing the first pair-verified session and establishing the second pair-verified session are performed at a time when the controller device is absent from the local environment.

21. A controller device comprising:

a communication interface to communicate with one or more other devices including one or both of an accessory device or a proxy device;

a user interface to receive input from a user; and

a processing subsystem coupled to the communication interface and the user interface and configured to;

receive, via the user interface, a user input requesting an interaction with an accessory device, wherein the interaction identifies an operation corresponding to the accessory device to be performed;

identify a proxy device that is configured to communicate with the accessory device, wherein the controller device has previously established a pairing with the proxy device;

establish communication with the proxy device, wherein establishing communication with the proxy device includes establishing a pair-verified session with the proxy device based on the previously established pairing, the pair-verified session having a session key;

generate a request message to the accessory to perform the operation, wherein the request message includes a data item encrypted with a second session key that is not shared by the proxy device, and wherein an instruction message for the accessory device includes the data item; and

communicate, within the pair-verified session, an instruction to the proxy device to instruct the accessory device to perform the operation.

22. A proxy device comprising:

a communication interface to communicate with one or more other devices including one or both of a controller device or an accessory device; and

a processing subsystem coupled to the communication interface and configured to;

establish a pairing with a controller device;

establish a pair-verified session with the controller device based on the previously established pairing with the controller device, the pair-verified session having a first session key;

receive, via the pair-verified session with the controller device, a request message indicating an operation of the accessory device to be performed by the accessory device, wherein the request message received from the controller device includes a data item encrypted with a second session key that is not shared by the proxy device, and wherein an instruction message for the accessory device includes the data item;

send the instruction message to the accessory device based on the received request message; and

send to the controller device, via the pair-verified session with the controller device, a response message responsive to the received request message.