Bridging local device communications across the wide area

• US 20050232283A1
• Filed: 03/28/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Assets 20 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Famolari, David, Moyer, Stanley, Marples, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,549,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation 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 12/2836 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 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

In a network of devices having a plurality of local domains, each local domain is likely to comprise a plurality of networks or communities of devices that communicate using a shared native protocol such as Jini, UPnP, Bluetooth, HAVi, WiFi, WiMAX or other standard architectures and protocols. The Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi) created a platform and method for various networks to communicate with one another in a local domain. OSGi does not, however, solve the problems associated with communication across local domains. An instant messaging protocol such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and a remote services register are used to provide a means for communication between local devices in a plurality of local OSGi domains using native communications protocols.

Claims

1. A system for enabling the communication between a first device on a first network associated with a first domain and a second device on a second network associated with a second domain comprising:

a first services gateway in communication with the first network associated with the first domain wherein said first services gateway comprises device drivers, a local service registry, an instant messaging protocol bundle and an integrated services application;

a second services gateway in communication with the second network associated with the second domain wherein said second services gateway comprises device drivers, a local service registry, an instant messaging protocol bundle and an integrated services application; and

,

a remote services registry in communication with the integrated services application of each of said first and second services gateways.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote services registry communicates with the integrated services application of each of said first and second services gateways through the instant messaging protocol bundle of each gateway.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote service registry comprises a database containing the address/location of the devices/services that may be shared across domains.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the integrated services application of a gateway periodically queries the remote services registry to determine if there are any additional devices on another network in another domain which are available for communication.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the instant messaging protocol bundle is based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) standard.

5. The system of claim 5 wherein the integrated services application of a gateway communicates with the remote services registry using the instant messaging protocol bundle.

7. A method for communicating between a first device on a first network associated with a first domain having a service gateway comprising a local service registry, device drivers, an instant messaging protocol bundle and an integrated services application (ISA) and a second device on a second network associated with a second domain having a services gateway comprising a local service registry, device drivers, an instant messaging protocol bundle and an integrated services application (ISA) using a remote services registry comprising the steps of:

registering the first device with the first network in the local service registry;

determining at the ISA of the first domain the existence of the registered first device;

determining at the ISA whether services associated with registered first device should be discoverable in other domains;

registering discoverable services at the remote services registry.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

determining at the ISA of the second domain whether any additional discoverable services associated with devices in the first domain exist in the remote services registry;

sending information on discoverable services from the remote services registry to the ISA of the second domain;

storing information on the discoverable services in the local service registry of the second domain.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of registering discoverable services at the remote services registry further comprises sending an instant messaging protocol command from the instant messaging protocol bundle of the services gateway of the first domain to the remote services registry.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of sending information from the remote services agency to the ISA of the second domain comprises sending an instant messaging protocol command to the instant messaging protocol bundle of the services gateway of the second domain.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the instant messaging protocol bundle converts the information to OSGi format prior to storing such information in the local services registry.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the instant messaging protocol bundle is based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) standard.