METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING AND MONITORING AN APPARATUS FROM A REMOTE COMPUTER USING SESSION INITIATION PROTOCOL (SIP)

• US 20080016157A1
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CentralTouch Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: CentralTouch Technology Inc.
• Inventors: FIROUZBAKHT, Hassan, SAHRAIE, Kurosh
• Application Number:
  US11/770,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20080016157A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A system for using Session Initiation Protocol for network element monitoring can issue network monitoring commands to embedded agents over a number of different network topologies. The embedded agents are SIP aware and can be designed for a number of different platforms allowing thin client systems to perform the required actions to respond to the SIP monitoring request and to create a SIP response. This system can be used to monitor any of a number of networked elements, and their associated peripherals, operating systems, applications, file systems, or hardware components.

Claims

1. A method performed by a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) User Agent installed in a computer to allow monitoring, controlling, and data retrieval from another SIP User Agent installed on another apparatus by sending and receiving formatted text messages as part of one or several SIP Messages or Subscription/Notification messages, the method comprising:

preparing an instructional message which is embedded as part of a SIP message;

sending the instructional message to another SIP User Agent installed on another apparatus;

receiving, extracting, parsing, and interpreting the instructional message by a SIP User Agent installed on an apparatus; and

,

performing one or more of;

gathering data related to the apparatus, and sending the data as part of a SIP message to another SIP User Agent for further processing;

performing action on the apparatus based on instructions received as part of a SIP message;

informing another SIP User Agent about the results of an action performed on an apparatus initiated by a SIP User Agent, in which case the information is embedded as part of a SIP message; and

preparing and sending notification information embedded as part of a SIP message related to an event triggered on an apparatus and detected by a SIP User Agent installed on the apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the formatted SIP message comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted data is included as part of an SDP (Session Description Protocol) section of the SIP message.

4. A method performed by a SIP User Agent installed on an apparatus to monitor and report information on one or more of:

the state of the apparatus, attached peripherals, sensors, software applications, services, operating system, and file system (“

remote entity”

) to a remote computer (“

controller”

) via SIP Protocol, the method comprising;

performing one or more of;

detecting the state of the apparatus, wherein detecting comprises monitoring variables associated with the apparatus, the monitoring occurring independently of communications with the remote computer;

detecting the state of the peripherals or sensors attached to the apparatus, wherein detecting comprises monitoring variables associated with the peripherals or sensors, the monitoring occurring independently of communications with the remote computer; and

,

detecting the state of any application, service, or executable software, wherein detecting comprises monitoring the process state, application state, file system, log system, or through any software specific programming interface, the monitoring occurring independently of communications with the remote computer; and

generating a SIP message that reports the information or state of the apparatus, peripherals, sensors, executable software, services, operating system, or file system using a formatted text message as part of the SIP message, wherein generating is performed periodically, in response to a request message from the controller, or in response to a deviation in the state; and

sending the message to the remote computer using the SIP protocol.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein gathering of the data or detecting the state comprises receiving the variables from the apparatus.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein gathering the information or detecting the state comprises receiving the variables from an operating system of the apparatus.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein gathering the information or detecting the state comprises receiving the variables from a file system of the apparatus.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein gathering the information or detecting the state comprises receiving the variables from one or more sensors attached to the apparatus.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein gathering the information or detecting the state comprises receiving the variables from a software application executed on the apparatus.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the message comprises a formatted SIP message.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the message is carried to a remote computer as part of a SIP message.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein the formatted SIP message comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

13. The method of claim 4, wherein the information or state of the apparatus is included as part of an SDP (Session Description Protocol) section of the SIP message.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein the information or state is included as part of an attribute of the message.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein the SIP message includes past information or state data.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the SIP message includes a unique identifier that corresponds to the apparatus.

17. A method, performed by a computer, for requesting and obtaining a state of one or more of:

an apparatus, attached peripheral, software application, service, or file system from an apparatus, the method comprising;

sending a text formatted control message as part of a SIP message from one SIP User Agent installed on one computer to a second SIP User Agent installed on a second apparatus in order to request information about one or more of the second apparatus'"'"'s operating system, software, hardware, attached peripherals, sensors, services, or file system; and

receiving a message from the SIP User Agent that reports the state information of the apparatus, attached peripheral, software application, service, or file system using a formatted message as part of one or several SIP Messages, the message being received periodically, in response to a formatted request message, or in response to a deviation in the state.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the message comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising passing the requested information to an issue tracking system.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the SIP User Agent is embedded in the apparatus.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer or software application sends a formatted text message to request specific data including information on the state of an apparatus, attached peripheral, sensor, software application, service, or file system as part of one or several SIP messages.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer or software application sends a formatted text message to request specific data including information on the state of an apparatus, attached peripheral, sensor, software application, service, or file system as part SDP section of one or several SIP messages.

23. A method, performed by a computer, for sending action instructions to a SIP User Agent installed on an apparatus wherein the SIP User Agent receives the action instructions as part of a SIP message, interprets the action instructions, and then perform actions based on the content of the SIP Message, wherein the method comprises:

sending a formatted SIP Message containing specific instructions to be executed on the apparatus by a SIP User Agent immediately, at an instructed time, based on a deviation in the state, or at an instructed recurring interval for a specified duration;

receiving the formatted SIP Message containing specific instructions to be executed by the SIP User Agent;

further executing actions based on instructions received as part of a SIP Message; and

further executing actions based on instructions received as part of a SIP Message and then replying to the SIP Message by a new SIP Message containing the information related to the results of the execution of instructions to the first computer'"'"'s SIP User Agent.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the message comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the message is embedded as part of the SDP section of the SIP Message.

26. A method, performed by a SIP User Agent, installed in an apparatus, for sending information to another SIP User Agent as part of a SIP Message to inform the second SIP User Agent about any changes in state of the apparatus, any change of state in the attached peripheral to the apparatus, any change of state in the sensors attached to the apparatus, any change of status in the apparatus'"'"'s operating system, any change of state in any software application installed on the apparatus, any change of state in the services of the apparatus, any change of state in the file system of the apparatus.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the message comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the message is embedded as part of the SDP section of the SIP Message.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the status or state information embedded in the message can be interpreted as an alert or notification by the receiving SIP User Agent.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the status or state information embedded in the message can be further propagated to a trouble tracking system, customer relation management system, or storage system such as file, or database by the receiving SIP User Agent.