Method and system for aggregating the control of middleware control points

• US 20060248233A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Messer, Alan, Park, Hoyong, Kumar, Praveen, Zhu, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 8,205,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

A method of aggregating control in a first network and a second network, the first network having first devices and the second network having second devices. A communication channel is established between the first and second networks; from the first network the second devices in the second network are discovered through the communication channel; and from the first network one of the second devices in the second network is controlled through the communication channel. The first and second network can be connected but isolated. Further, the first and second networks can implement different network protocols, or the same network protocol.

Claims

1. A method of aggregating control in a first network and a second network, the first network having first devices and the second network having second devices, comprising the steps of:

establishing a communication channel between the first and second networks;

from the first network discovering the second devices in the second network through the communication channel; and

from the first network controlling a second device in the second network through the communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

maintaining a device table in the second network, wherein the device table includes a local address and a corresponding proxy address for each of one or more of the second devices.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of discovering second devices in the second network further includes the steps of obtaining the proxy address for said one or more second devices from the device table for accessing one of the second devices from the first network using the proxy address through the communication channel.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of controlling the second devices in the second network further includes the steps of obtaining the proxy address for that second device from the device table, and accessing that second device from the first network using the proxy address through the communication channel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

from the second network discovering the first devices in the first network through the communication channel; and

from the second network controlling a first device in the first network through the communication channel.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

maintaining a device table in the first network, wherein the device table includes a local address and a corresponding proxy address for each of one or more of the first devices.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of discovering the first devices in the first network further includes the steps of obtaining the proxy address for said one or more first devices from the device table for accessing a first device from the second network using the proxy address through the communication channel.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of controlling a first device in the first network further includes the steps of obtaining the proxy address for that first device from the device table, and accessing that first device from the second network using the proxy address through the communication channel.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second network are isolated.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second networks are connected.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second networks implement different network protocols.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second networks implement the same network protocol.

13. A method of aggregating control in a network including a first control point that controls a first devices and second control point that controls second devices, comprising the steps of:

providing a first aggregator for the first control point;

providing a second aggregator for the second control point;

establishing a communication channel between the first and second aggregators to enable discovering and controlling a second device by the first control point through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

the first control point discovering the second devices through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

the first control point controlling the second devices through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

maintaining a device table for the second devices, wherein the device table includes a local address and a corresponding proxy address for each of one or more of the second devices.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of discovering the second devices further includes the steps of the first control point obtaining the proxy address for said one or more second devices from the device table for accessing one of the second devices using the proxy address through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of controlling the second device further includes the steps of the first control point obtaining the proxy address for said one or more second device from the device table, and accessing one of the second devices using the proxy address through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

the second control point discovering the first devices through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the steps of:

the second control point controlling one the first devices through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the steps of:

maintaining a device table for the first devices, wherein the device table includes a local address and a corresponding proxy address for each of one or more of the first devices.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of discovering the first devices further includes the steps of the second control point obtaining the proxy address for said one or more first devices from the device table for accessing one of the first devices using the proxy address through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of controlling one of the first devices further includes the steps of the second control point obtaining the proxy address for that first device from the device table, and accessing that first device using the proxy address through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

24. A system for aggregating control in a first network and a second network, the first network having a first control point and first devices and the second network having a second control point and second devices, the system comprising:

a first aggregator for the first network;

a second aggregator for the second network;

wherein the first and second aggregators establish a communication channel therebetween whereby the first control point discovers and controls the second devices in the second network via the communication channel.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a device table in the second network, wherein the device table includes a local address and a corresponding proxy address for one or more of the second devices.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the first control point discovers the devices in the second network by further obtaining the proxy address for each of one or more second devices from the device table.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the first control point further obtains the proxy address for one of the second devices from the device table to control that second device using the proxy address through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the second control point discovers the first devices in the first network through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the second control point further controls one of the first devices in the first network through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

30. The system of claim 29 further comprising a device table in the first network, wherein the device table includes a local address and a corresponding proxy address for each of one or more of the first devices.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the second control point further discovers the first devices in the first network by obtaining the proxy address for said one or more first devices from the device table.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the second control point further controls a first device in the first network by obtaining the proxy address for that first device from the device table, and accessing that first device using the proxy address through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

33. A network comprising:

a first control point for controlling first devices;

a second control point for controlling second devices; and

a system for aggregating control in the network, the system including;

a first aggregator and a second aggregator, wherein the first and second aggregators establish a communication channel therebetween whereby the first control point discovers and controls the second devices in the network via the communication channel.

34. The network of claim 33 further comprising:

a device table including a local address and a corresponding proxy address for each of one or more of the second devices.

35. The network of claim 34 wherein the first control point discovers the second devices by further obtaining the proxy address for said one or more second devices from the device table.

36. The network of claim 34 wherein the first control point further obtains the proxy address for a second device from the device table to control that second device using the proxy address through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

37. The network of claim 36 wherein the second aggregator functions as proxy controller for the first control point to control said second device in the second network.

38. The network of claim 33 wherein the second control point discovers the first devices in the network through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

39. The network of claim 38 wherein the second control point further controls one of the first devices in the network through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

40. The network of claim 39 further comprising a device table, wherein the device table includes a local address and a corresponding proxy address for each of one or more of the first devices.

41. The network of claim 40 wherein the second control point further discovers the first devices in the network by obtaining the proxy address for said one or more first devices from the device table.

42. The network of claim 40 wherein second control point further controls one of the first devices by obtaining the proxy address for that first device from the device table, and accessing that first device using the proxy address through the communication channel via the first and second aggregators.

43. The network of claim 42, wherein the first aggregator functions as proxy controller for the second control point to control said first device in the first network.

44. The network of claim 42, wherein an eventing layer in the first control point responds to local device events and forwards them to the second control point via the first aggregator.

45. The network of claim 44 wherein the second control point interprets the events.

46. The network of claim 42, wherein an invocation layer in the first control point responds to local device calls and forwards them to the second control point via the first aggregator.