Apparatus and method for managing and controlling UPnP devices in home network over external internet network

• US 20030217136A1
• Filed: 08/26/2002
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Park, Kwang Roh, Kim, Dong Hee, Oh, Yeon Ju, Kim, Hyoung Su, Lim, Kyung Shik, Cho, Chunglae, Chae, Kyung Ho
• Granted Patent: US 7,376,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An apparatus and method for managing and controlling UPnP devices in a home network over an external Internet network. The apparatus comprises a client connected to the external Internet network, and a UPnP proxy server for controlling and managing the UPnP devices in the home network. The client includes a stub for providing the same application program interface (API) as a UPnP API to a user, managing information of the UPnP devices and processing a device control command from the user, and a push client for transferring the device control command processed by the stub to the UPnP proxy server and an event message from the UPnP proxy server to the stub, respectively. The UPnP proxy server includes a bridge for managing the UPnP devices in the home network and controlling a specific one of the UPnP devices in response to the device control command from the client, and an agent for transferring the device control command from the client to the bridge and a result of execution of the device control command and the event message from the bridge to the client, respectively.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing and controlling UPnP devices in a home network over an external Internet network, comprising a client connected to the external Internet network, and a UPnP proxy server for controlling and managing the UPnP devices in the home network, wherein said client includes:

a stub for providing the same application program interface (API) as a UPnP API to a user, managing information of said UPnP devices, and processing a device control command from the user; and

a push client for transferring said device control command processed by said stub to said UPnP proxy server and an event message from said UPnP proxy server to said stub, respectively; and

wherein said UPnP proxy server includes;

a bridge for managing said UPnP devices in said home network and controlling a specific one of said UPnP devices in response to said device control command from said client; and

an agent for transferring said device control command from said client to said bridge and a result of execution of said device control command and said event message from said bridge to said client, respectively.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said stub includes:

a user API section for transferring the same results as those in a UPnP API provided in Windows to said user, processing said device control command from said user and transferring the processed control command to said agent;

a message processing section for conducting communications between said push client and said agent, analyzing a message sent thereto and transferring the sent message according to a corresponding function as a result of the analysis;

a device database section for, when said user desires to control said specific UPnP device, requesting and storing a device description and service description of said specific device from said agent;

an interface managing section for managing an interface created by said user; and

an event processing section for analyzing said event message transferred from said push client, calling a callback function registered by said user and processing event information generated in said specific device in accordance with the analysis result and the called callback function.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said push client includes:

a message processing section for conducting communications with said agent and stub, analyzing a message sent from said agent or stub thereto and transferring the sent message according to a corresponding function as a result of the analysis;

a client registration section for receiving a registration message from a client desiring to receive said event message and registering the desiring client in a database on the basis of the received registration message; and

an event processing section for analyzing said event message transferred from said agent, extracting only information desired by said stub therefrom and sending the extracted information to said client registered in said database.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bridge includes:

a message processing section for conducting communications with said agent and said UPnP devices in said home network, analyzing a message sent thereto and transferring the sent message according to a corresponding function as a result of the analysis;

a device managing section for receiving description texts from said UPnP devices in said home network, storing the received description texts in a structural manner, receiving advertisement messages from said UPnP devices and managing a device list on the basis of the received advertisement messages;

a control processing section for receiving said device control command from said client through said agent and controlling said specific UPnP device in. response to the received control command; and

an event processing section for registering an event with respect to said specific UPnP device in response to an event registration message from said agent and transferring said event message from said specific UPnP device to said agent.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said agent includes:

a message processing section for transferring a message sent from said client to said bridge according to a corresponding function and transferring a message sent from said bridge to said client;

a push server for transferring said event message from said bridge to said push client;

an event registration section for receiving an event registration message from said client and analyzing and storing information of said client on the basis of the received event registration message; and

a contents translator for receiving a device list from said bridge in response to a change in state of each of said UPnP devices in said home network, translating the received device list into a Web page, sending the translated Web page to said client and translating a Web page for a wired Internet network into that for a wireless Internet network.

6. A method for managing and controlling UPnP devices in a home network over an external Internet network using a UPnP proxy system which has a client connected to the external Internet network, and a UPnP proxy server for controlling and managing the UPnP devices in the home network, said method comprising the steps of:

a) allowing said UPnP proxy server to discover said UPnP devices in said home network, acquire information of said UPnP devices, create a device list on the basis of the acquired information and create a Web page of the created device list;

b) allowing said client to select a specific one of said UPnP devices, to be controlled by a user, from said Web page and acquire information of the selected specific UPnP device;

c) allowing said proxy server to register an event with respect to said specific UPnP device and control said specific device in response to a device control command from said client;

d) allowing said proxy server to receive an event message from said specific UPnP device in response to a change in state of said specific device and send the received event message to said client; and

e) ending the control for said specific UPnP device and releasing the event registration.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said step a) includes the steps of:

a-1) allowing said proxy server to receive advertisement messages from said UPnP devices, manage said device list on the basis of the received advertisement messages, receive a device description from a new UPnP device and store the received device description in a structural manner; and

a-2) allowing said proxy server to convert said device list into a Web page interpretable by said client in response to a change in its connection with said specific UPnP device.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein said step b) includes the step of:

b-1) allowing said client to request and store a device description and service description of said specific UPnP device from said proxy server.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step b) further includes the step of:

b-2) allowing said proxy server to request and receive said service description from said specific UPnP device.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein said step c) includes the steps of:

c-1) allowing said client to send a device control command message to said proxy server;

c-2) allowing said proxy server to search for said information of said specific UPnP device and send said device control command message to said specific UPnP device in said home network through a UPnP application program interface (API); and

c-3) allowing said proxy server to, if the control for said specific UPnP device is completed, receive a control result message from said specific device and send it to said client.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein said step c) includes the steps of:

c-1) allowing said proxy server to store event registration information with respect to said specific UPnP device in response to an event registration message from said client;

c-2) allowing said proxy server to send said event registration message to said specific UPnP device in said home network; and

c-3) allowing said proxy server to send an event registration confirm message to said client if the event registration of said specific UPnP device is completed.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein said step c) includes the steps of:

c-1) allowing said proxy server to receive an event registration request message from said client;

c-2) allowing said proxy server to request and receive a wireless presentation page and wireless service description from said specific UPnP device; and

c-3) allowing said proxy server to register said event with respect to said specific UPnP device and send an event registration result to said client.

13. The method according to claim 6, wherein said step d) includes the step of:

d-1) allowing said proxy server to, if said event message from said specific UPnP device is an event message of a previously registered device, convert it into a message interpretable by said client and send the converted message to said client.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said step d) further includes the steps of:

d-2) allowing said client to request and receive a presentation page from said UPnP proxy server upon receiving the converted event message from said proxy server.

15. The method according to claim 6, wherein said client is adapted to receive said device control command from said user through the same API as a UPnP API provided in Windows and send a result of execution of said control command to said user through the same API.

16. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a program configured to execute a method for managing and controlling UPnP devices in a home network over an external Internet network using a UPnP proxy system which has a client connected to the external Internet network, and a UPnP proxy server for controlling and managing the UPnP devices in the home network, said method comprising the steps of:

a) allowing said UPnP proxy server to discover said UPnP devices in said home network, acquire information of said UPnP devices, create a device list on the basis of the acquired information and create a Web page of the created device list;

b) allowing said client to select a specific one of said UPnP devices, to be controlled by a user, from said Web page and acquire information of the selected specific UPnP device;

c) allowing said proxy server to register an event with respect to said specific UPnP device and control said specific device in response to a device control command from said client;

d) allowing said proxy server to receive an event message from said specific UPnP device in response to a change in state of said specific device and send the received event message to said client; and

e) ending the control for said specific UPnP device and releasing the event registration.