Systems and methods for providing a discovery protocol

• US 20050154794A1
• Filed: 01/14/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Deshpande, Sachin Govind
• Application Number:
  US10/757,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20050154794A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/10 Streamlined, light-weight or high-speed protocols, e.g. express transfer protocol [XTP] or byte stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing and utilizing a discovery protocol that allows a computer device and a television (TV) to discover each other on a network. A combination of a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) broadcast request and a unicast reply transaction is employed for implementing the discovery procedure. Support is provided for versioning to allow the TV to only accept and make connections to the correct version of a home personal computer. Further, responses can be handled from multiple computer devices.

Claims

1. In a networked system that includes a client and a server, a method for discovering particular information on the networked system, the method comprising:

initiating a request at the client to discover the particular information, wherein the request is made using at least one of;

(i) a broadcast procedure; and

(ii) a multicast procedure;

receiving a response to the request from a server after a random delay time; and

establishing a connection with the server.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request is further made using a randomized exponential backoff strategy.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the request identifies a particular part of a server where the particular information may be located.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the client is a television that is configured to provide programming content.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the client is a television and the server is a computer device.

6. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising a step for receiving a second response to the request from a second server after the random delay time.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the step for establishing a connection further comprises a step for determining not to connect to the second sever.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the step for determining not to connect to the second server is based on at least one of:

(i) whether the client has established a connection with another server; and

(ii) a characteristic of the server which the client establishes a connection.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the characteristic of the server is a version of the server.

10. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

discovering a network disconnect;

initiating a second request at the client to discover the particular information, wherein the second request is made using at least one of;

(i) a broadcast procedure; and

(iii) a multicast procedure;

receiving a subsequent response to the second request from the server after a random delay time; and

establishing a second connection with the server.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the request is further made using a randomized exponential backoff strategy.

12. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the request uses a user datagram protocol.

13. A networked system comprising:

a server coupled to a network; and

a client coupled to the network, wherein the client is configured to selectively provide a request on the network to discover the server, wherein the client is configured to selectively provide programming content to a viewer, and wherein the a request is made at least one of (i) a broadcast procedure and (ii) a multicast procedure.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the request is further made using a randomized exponential backoff strategy.

15. A networked system as recited in claim 14, wherein the network is a home network.

16. A networked system as recited in claim 14, wherein the request identifies a particular part of the server where desirable information is located.

17. A networked system as recited in claim 14, wherein the client is a television.

18. A networked system as recited in claim 17, wherein the client is a TV and the server is a computer device.

19. A networked system as recited in claim 14, wherein the request uses a user datagram protocol.

20. A computer program product for implementing within a computer system a method for discovering particular information on the networked system, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium for providing computer program code means utilized to implement the method, wherein the computer program code means is comprised of executable code for implementing the steps for;

initiating a request at the client to discover the particular information, wherein the request is made using at least one of;

(i) a broadcast procedure; and

(ii) a multicast procedure;

receiving a response to the request from a server after a random delay time; and

establishing a connection with the server.

21. A computer program product as recited in claim 20, wherein the request is further made using a randomized exponential backoff strategy.

22. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the client is a television that is configured to provide programming content.

23. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the client is a television and the server is a computer device.

24. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the computer program code means is further comprised of executable code for implementing a step for receiving a second response to the request from a second server after the random delay time.

25. A computer program product as recited in claim 24, wherein the step for establishing a connection further comprises a step for determining not to establish a connection to the second sever.

26. A computer program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the step for determining not to establish a connection to the second server is based on at least one of:

(i) whether the client has established a connection with another server; and

(ii) a characteristic of the server with which the client establishes a connection.

27. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the characteristic of the server is a version of the server.

28. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the computer program code means is further comprised of executable code for implementing:

discovering a network disconnect;

initiating a second request at the client to discover the particular information, wherein the second request is made using at least one of;

(i) a broadcast procedure; and

(ii) a multicast procedure;

receiving a subsequent response to the second request from the server after a random delay time; and

establishing a second connection with the server.

29. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein the request is further made using a randomized exponential backoff strategy.