Mechanism to control infrared devices via a universal plug and play device network

• US 20060004939A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Saint-Hilaire, Ylian, Edwards, James W., Kidd, Nelson F., Roe, Bryan Y., Dutta, Pronay
• Application Number:
  US10/881,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004939A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/302
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• 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

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a system is disclosed. The system includes a first Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) device having an infrared (IR) service to transmit IR commands and a first IR device to receive the IR commands from the first UPnP device and perform actions associated with the received commands.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) device having an infrared (IR) service to transmit IR commands; and

a first IR device to receive the IR commands from the first UPnP device and perform actions associated with the received commands.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second IR device to receive the IR commands from the first UPnP device and perform actions associated with the received commands.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the IR service maintains data corresponding to the first IR device and the second IR device.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the IR service maintains location information for the first IR device and the second IR device.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the IR service proxies for the first IR device and the second IR device whenever the IR devices are powered down to enable discovery of the IR devices.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the IR service transmits IR commands to the first IR device and the second IR device to power up the IR devices.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein the first IR device is a second UPnP device and the second IR device is a non-UPnP device.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the first UPnP device comprises an output port associated with the first IR device to transmit the IR commands to the first IR device.

9. The system of claim 10 wherein the IR service generates the IR commands via UPnP actions.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising a UPnP control point having an application to manage the IR service.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a request at a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) IR service to access an infrared (IR) device that is offline;

proxying for the IR device at the service to enable the IR device to be discovered;

transmitting an IR command to the IR device; and

powering up the IR device.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

discovering the IR device at the IR service upon installation of the device on a UPnP network; and

storing data corresponding to the IR device description information at the service.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising retrieving identification codes associated with the IR device from a database prior to upon receiving the request.

14. An apparatus comprising a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) service to transmit infrared (IR) commands to an IR device that performs actions associated with the transmitted commands.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the service maintains location information for the IR device.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the service proxies for the IR device on a UPnP network whenever the IR device is powered down to enable discovery of the IR device.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the service transmits IR commands to the IR device to power up the IR device.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the IR device is a second UPnP device.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the IR device is a non-UPnP device.

20. A storage medium comprising content which when executed by an accessing machine, causes the accessing machine to:

receive a request at a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) IR service to access an infrared (IR) device that is offline;

proxy for the IR device at the service to enable the IR device to be discovered;

transmit an IR command to the IR device; and

power up the IR device.

21. The storage medium of claim 20 further comprising content which, when executed by the accessing machine causes the accessing machine to:

discover the IR device at the IR service upon installation of the device on a UPnP network; and

store data corresponding to the IR device description information at the service.

22. The storage medium of claim 20 further comprising content which, when executed by the accessing machine causes the accessing machine to retrieve identification codes associated with the IR device from a database prior to upon receiving the request.

23. A system comprising:

a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) control point to store infrared (IR) codes associated with one or more IR devices;

a first UPnP device having an discovery service to retrieve the IR codes from the control point; and

a second UPnP device to receive the IR codes and to transmit IR commands to the one or more IR devices.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the discovery service includes a retrieve action that is invoked to retrieve the IR codes from the control point.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the IR codes are received at the discovery service in the form of an XML list.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the XML list includes the name, manufacturer and IR code identifier for each IR device.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein the discovery service includes a create action that is invoked to create new IR codes at the control point.

28. The system of claim 23 wherein the discovery service includes a delete action that is invoked to delete IR codes at the control point.