Method and apparatus interfacing between an application and a library of a master for network managing

• US 20060161893A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Sang Kyun, Park, Jun Hyung, Park, Jin Sung, Han, Sun Mi
• Granted Patent: US 8,019,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/546 Xcast
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• 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 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

The present invention relates to method and apparatus for interfacing for controlling a device between various applications operated on a home network and a library to ensure their compatibility. An interfacing method according to the present invention discloses processes to initialize a library being executed in a device for managing a home network, to set a home code for managing a home network exclusively, to manage address of each device on a home network, and to set conditions necessary for device monitoring.

Claims

1. A method in which an application starts in a device for managing a network, comprising:

(a) requesting initialization to a library in the device;

(b) requesting the library to obtain list of devices connected to the network and information on the devices; and

(c) requesting the library to register an event, which is generated on a device on the network, and a call-back function to handle the event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of loading a user interface program before the step (a).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application further delivers basic information for controlling each device to the library in the step (a).

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of calling the registered call-back function whose routines are included in the application if the event is generated, the calling being conducted by the library.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of requesting release of the event and call-back function registered by the step (c).

6. A method for setting a network, comprising:

(a) transmitting an arbitrary broadcast message over the network;

(b) determining whether either initial setup of the network or adding of a device is to be conducted, based on whether there is a response to the arbitrary broadcast message;

(c) commanding a network adaptor to create a home code, transmitting an arbitrary broadcast message, and checking whether there is a response to the broadcast message, if it is determined that initial setup of the network is to be conducted; and

(d) broadcasting a command message for setting the home code over the network, if there is no response to the broadcast message transmitted at the step (c).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the steps (a) to (d) are conducted by a library when an application calls a function of the library for setting a home code.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of broadcasting a command message for setting a present home code over the network, if it is determined that adding of a device is to be conducted.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the step (b) determines that initial setup of the network is to be conducted if there is no response to the arbitrary broadcast message after transmitting the arbitrary broadcast message at least twice.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of commanding the network adaptor to delete the created home code and to create a new home code, and transmitting an arbitrary broadcast message over the network, if there is a response to the broadcast message transmitted at the step (c).

11. A method for setting a network, comprising:

(a) calling a library of a library for setting a home code entered from a user with an input argument carrying the home code, the calling being conducted by an application; and

(b) requesting a network adaptor to set the entered home code, the requesting being conducted by the library.

12. An apparatus for managing devices on a network, comprising:

an adaptor for transmitting/receiving data through the network; and

a library for transmitting an arbitrary broadcast message over the network according to request of home code setting, determining whether either initial setup of the network or adding of a device is to be conducted, based on whether there is a response to the arbitrary broadcast message,

wherein if it is determined that initial setup of the network is to be conducted the library commands the adaptor to create a home code and broadcasts a command message for setting the created home code over the network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein if it is determined that initial setup of the network is to be conducted, the library transmits an arbitrary broadcast message after commanding the adaptor to create a home code, and broadcasts the command message over the network if there is a response to the broadcast message.

14. A method for exchanging commands and/or responses between an application and a library of a device managing a network, comprising:

(a) calling a function of a library for setting a time with an input argument carrying time information, the time information being used to determine whether a device is alive or not, the calling being conducted by the application; and

(b) transmitting a first message to devices connected to the network, the first message commanding the devices to send a second message to notify alive periodically at an interval that is specified by the time information, the transmitting being conducted by the library.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of determining whether a device is alive or not based on whether the device sends the second message at the period, the determining being conducted by the library.

16. A method for exchanging commands and/or responses between an application and a library of a device managing a network, comprising:

(a) calling a function of a library for setting present time with an input argument carrying information on present time, the calling being conducted by the application; and

(b) transmitting a message including the information on present time to devices connected to the network, the message commanding the devices to set present time with the information, the transmitting being conducted by the library.

17. A method for exchanging commands and/or responses between an application and a library of a device managing a network, comprising:

(a) calling a function of a library for setting event reporting action to active/inactive with an input argument carrying a value indicative of active or inactive, the calling being conducted by the application; and

(b) transmitting a message to at least one device connected to the network, the message commanding the at least one device to set event reporting action to one state of active and inactive, the one state being specified by the value carried by the input argument, the transmitting being conducted by the library.

18. An apparatus for managing devices connected to a network, comprising:

an application for conducting managing of the devices; and

a library for exchanging information with the devices according to requests from the application,

wherein the library comprises;

a first function for sending devices connected to the network a first message commanding the devices to send a second message to notify alive periodically at an interval that is specified by an input argument accompanied by function calling;

a second function for sending devices connected to the network a message commanding the devices to set present time with time information specified by an input argument accompanied by function calling; and

a third function for sending at least one device connected to the network a message commanding the at least one device to set event reporting action to one state of active and inactive, the one state being specified by an input argument accompanied by function calling.

19. A method for allocating an address to a device on a network, comprising:

(a) receiving a first message informing that a first device is connected to the network;

(b) searching a database for an unassigned address, and transmitting a second message commanding to set the unassigned address to the first device;

(c) changing the unassigned address to assigned address if success of address setting is responded from the first device; and

(d) transmitting a third message commanding to update another database to a second device that manages the another database, if the second device exists on the network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second device is a master on the network.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of requesting additional information to the first device and, if the additional information is obtained, registering the obtained additional information in the database.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the second message includes fields of an existing address and a new address to allocate.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the field of an existing address is filled with a default address if the first device is connected to the network for the first time.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the step (b) is conducted when a function for processing reception of the first message is called back by a library, the function being registered in the library by request of an application.

25. An apparatus for managing devices connected to a network, comprising:

an application for managing address allocation for the devices; and

a library for calling a first function registered by the application when receiving a first message informing that an arbitrary device is connected to the network,

wherein the first function requests the library to search a database for an unassigned address and to transmit a second message commanding to set the unassigned address to the arbitrary device.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the application comprises a second function that changes the unassigned address to assigned address on the database if success of address setting is responded from the arbitrary device.