Communication management system

• US 20030187920A1
• Filed: 12/16/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Redkar, Tejaswi
• Application Number:
  US10/320,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187920A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration

Abstract

The invention described herein pertains to residential and telemetry gateway networks. More particularly, the invention pertains to managing communication between service providers and residential and/or telemetry gateways by providing a communication management system that is independent of the vendor of gateway used.

Claims

1. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, which when executed by a machine cause said machine to perform a method comprising:

coupling a service provider with multi-type gateways;

communicating information between said service provider and said multi-type gateways using functions that are independent of a vendor of any of said multi-type gateways;

managing communication between said service provider and said multi-type gateways.

2. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein said managing comprises retrieval of real-time data from said multi-type gateways.

3. The machine-readable medium of claim 2 wherein said communicating comprises communicating said real-time data within a communication management system (CMS).

4. The machine-readable medium of claim 3 wherein said communicating further comprises communicating said real-time data to receivers outside of said CMS.

5. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein said managing comprises performing functions to support coupling additional gateways to said service provider dynamically.

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein said managing comprises performing functions to support de-coupling of said multi-type gateways and said additional gateways from said service provider dynamically.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 wherein said managing comprises scheduling events supported by said multi-type gateways and said additional gateways.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising managing communication between a plurality of service providers of a plurality of types and a plurality of gateways of a plurality of types.

9. A system comprising:

a service provider coupled to a plurality of gateways;

a communication management system (CMS) to manage communication between said plurality of gateways and said service provider, said CMS comprising a plurality of gateway vendor-independent units to perform a plurality of communication management functions between said plurality of gateways and said service provider.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said CMS comprises a user interface manager, said user interface manager being gateway vendor-independent.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said CMS comprises a real-time communications manager, said real-time communications manager being gateway vendor-independent.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said CMS comprises a gateway event manager, said gateway event manager being gateway vendor-independent.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said CMS comprises a configuration manager, said configuration manager being gateway vendor-independent.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said CMS comprises a gateway alerts manager, said gateway alerts manager being gateway vendor-independent.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said CMS comprises a web services manager, said web services manager being gateway vendor-independent.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said CMS comprises a gateway schedule manager, said gateway schedule manager being gateway vendor-independent.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said CMS comprises a gateway connection manager, said gateway connection manager being gateway vendor-independent.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said CMS comprises a security manager, said security manager being gateway vendor-independent.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said CMS comprises a dynamic component cache, said dynamic component cache being gateway vendor-independent.

20. The system of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of gateways from a plurality of vendors;

21. A method comprising:

managing communication between a service provider and a gateway, said managing comprising performing a function that is independent of a vendor of the gateway if a corresponding gateway-specific component is not instantiated;

exchanging data between said service provider and said gateway.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said managing comprises searching a dynamic display cache to determine whether said gateway-specific component is instantiated.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said managing comprises managing a user interface between said service provide and said gateway.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein said managing comprises managing real-time communications between said service provide and said gateway.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein said managing comprises managing a gateway event.

26. The method claim 22 wherein said managing comprises managing a configuration of said gateway.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein said managing comprises managing alerts from said gateway.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein said managing comprises managing web services available to said gateway from said service provider.

29. The method of claim 21 wherein said managing comprises managing a schedule of events corresponding to the gateway.

30. The method of claim 21 wherein said managing comprises managing a connection between said service provide and said gateway.

31. The method of claim 21 wherein said managing comprises managing security between said service provide and said gateway.

32. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of gateway type-independent functional units comprising;

a user interface management unit;

a real-time communications management unit;

a gateway event management unit;

a configuration management unit;

a gateway alerts management unit;

a web services management unit;

a gateway schedule management unit;

a gateway connection management unit;

a security management unit;

a dynamic component cache.

33. A system comprising:

a plurality of functional units to perform a plurality of communication management functions between a service provider and a plurality of gateways that are independent of a plurality of proprietary gateway software interfaces from a plurality of gateway vendors, said plurality of functional units comprising;

a unit to manage a user interface;

a unit to manage real-time communications;

a unit to manage a gateway event;

a unit to manage a configuration;

a unit to manage gateway alerts;

a unit to manage web services;

a unit to manage gateway scheduling;

a unit to manage a gateway connection;

a unit to manage security;

a dynamic component cache.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein said plurality of functional units are software functions.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein said plurality of functional units are computer system hardware units.

36. The system of claim 33 wherein said plurality of functional units are partially computer system hardware units and partially software functions.