METHOD AND DEVICE FOR INTEROPERABILITY IN HETEROGENEOUS DEVICE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20090113088A1
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David E. Kahn
• Original Assignee: DARTDevices Corp. (Covia Labs, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bernstein, Bruce, Mirabella, Richard, Pieb, Wolfgang, Illowsky, Daniel, Wenocur, Michael, Tiberi, Richard, Sidney, Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/449 Object-oriented method invocation or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 : the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 : considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 : Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 : Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 : via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 : Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 : In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 : Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 : Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 : Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1072 : Discovery involving ranked list compilation of candidate peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 : Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 : Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/328 : in the presentation layer [OSI layer 6]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 : having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 : Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

System, device, method, and computer program and computer program products for providing communicating between devices having similar or dissimilar characteristics and facilitating seamless interoperability between them. Computer program software and methods of and systems and devices for sharing of content, applications, resources and control across similar and dissimilar permanently or intermittently connected electronic devices. Devices, systems, appliances, and the like communicating and/or interoperating within the framework provided. Interoperability device, such as a DartDevice, provides a highly interoperable device by virtue of its running a compliant player such as a DartPlayer containing an engine such as a DartEngine and at least one communications protocol for connecting to other devices.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a physical processor coupled with a physical memory configured for autonomously performing general computation and input/output operations;

at least one communication means for two way communication with other external devices over a communications link; and

an interoperability engine executing interoperability instructions and running on the processor, the interoperability engine comprises logic for executing the instructions of an executable application package which encapsulates all that is needed to carry out the purpose of the interoperability application on a device to carry out an intended purpose.

2. A device as in claim 1, wherein the other external devices comprise other external heterogeneous autonomous external and physically distinct devices and wherein the device is adapted to dynamically form, break, and reform the communications link with the other physically distinct devices.

3. A device as in claim 1, wherein the nature and characteristics of the other heterogeneous autonomous devices and the communication to be conducted between and among them while supported need not be known at the time of manufacture of the device or the other external devices.

4. A device as in claim 1, wherein the interoperability engine is encapsulated in an interoperability player embodied in an executable format loadable and executable on the device.

5. A device as in claim 4, further comprising the interoperability player.

6. A device as in claim 1, wherein the interoperability engine being encapsulated in a device specific application package player and providing a common execution and runtime environment which allows recruitment and renditioning to establish efficient teams of devices and spread their executable computer program code, data, and content for carrying out the intended purpose of the encapsulated applications.

7. A device as in claim 1, wherein the executable application package comprises a binary image file format to encapsulate a plurality of possible combinations of data, content, codes, procedures, semantics and other information that may be necessary to run, save, optimize, copy and/or share the data, content, code, procedures, or other information optimally or near optimally on any device or subsystem that contains both the interoperability engine and a means for delivering the executable application package to the interoperability device for processing.

8. A device as in claim 1, wherein the applications package comprise information specifying a plurality of program renditions and the code content and data needed for a packaged application interoperability application.

9. A device as in claim 8, wherein the applications package further comprises means for extending the languages constructs commonly used to specify a single executable program targeted to a specific device, into a language which can also specify the procedures necessary for intelligent recruitment of teams of devices and the renditions needed for these teams of devices so that there is a suitable rendition is available to send to run on each recruited device to carry out that device'"'"'s portion of the intended purpose of the application.

10. A device as in claim 1, wherein the application package player includes a C-based language program logic compiled to the native instruction set of the interoperability device processor.

11. A device as in claim 1, wherein the application package player comprises:

processing logic for executing computer program instructions from an instruction set, each of the computer program instructions including at least one operation code (opcode) with optional parameters.

12. A device as in claim 11, wherein the computer program instructions include a plurality of operation codes (opcodes) with parameters.

13. A device as in claim 12, wherein the instructions include native instructions to the application player and include single high level instructions.

14. A device as in claim 13, wherein the single high-level instructions are selected from the set consisting of:

a single instruction to decompress a JPEG picture into a buffer, a single instruction to move the picture in buffers to a particular place on the physical screen in the correct format, and a single instruction to save the entire state of the running application package and all its code and data, and a single instruction to perform all three of these tasks in combination.

15. A device as in claim 13, wherein the single high-level instructions include a full set of 2-dimensional (2D) graphics primitives.

16. A device as in claim 13, wherein the single high-level instructions include advanced user input processing.

17. A device as in claim 13, wherein the single high-level instructions include audio decompression processing instructions.

18. A device as in claim 1, further comprising a device specific hardware abstraction layer (HAL) that is responsible for a low-level sending and receiving of communication blocks.

19. A device as in claim 1, wherein the application package player further comprises means for:

(i) setting up secure communications sessions, (ii) sending events with associated data, code and content, (iii) the automatic requesting and processing of blocks that have been lost in transit, and (iv) the automatic recovery of communications sessions temporarily lost between devices.

20. A device as in claim 6, wherein the recruitment is used by a single application package to forms teams of devices based on their capabilities and content and then to intelligently spread portions of the single application package to the teams of devices which then work together to carry out the intended purpose of the application package.

21. A device as in claim 20, wherein the recruitment is implemented without use of either a client/server or a peer-to-peer device interoperability model.

22. A device as in claim 6, wherein:

the renditioning provides a segmenting of an interoperability application into a plurality of tightly integrated, yet separately executable programs; and

individual renditions are chosen during the recruitment process to be sent to run on other devices to provide coordinated access to the capabilities and content of the individual devices.

23. A device as in claim 6, wherein the runtime comprises an interoperability runtime that is adapted to establish a tight coordination of control, data, and operations between separate processing units of the device and the other external devices running an application package independent of whether the processing units are running on a single device or across a team of recruited devices.

24. A device as in claim 23, wherein the tight coordination is accomplished by an event driven system which ensures the serialization and synchronization of events flowing thorough all processing units of all devices executing the application so that all processing units of all the devices can have access to all the directives in the same order needed to coordinate and synchronize the data and operations between the processing units.

25. A device as in claim 1, wherein:

the other external devices comprise other external heterogeneous autonomous external and physically distinct devices and wherein the device is adapted to dynamically form, break, and reform the communications link with the other physically distinct devices;

the nature and characteristics of the other heterogeneous autonomous devices and the communication to be conducted between and among them while supported need not be known at the time of manufacture of the device or the other external devices;

the interoperability engine being encapsulated in a device specific application package player and providing a common execution and runtime environment which allows recruitment and renditioning to establish efficient teams of devices and spread their executable computer program code, data, and content for carrying out the intended purpose of the encapsulated applications;

the executable application package comprises;

a binary image file format to encapsulate a plurality of possible combinations of data, content, codes, procedures, semantics and other information that may be necessary to run, save, optimize, copy and/or share the data, content, code, procedures, or other information optimally or near optimally on any device or subsystem that contains both the interoperability engine and a means for delivering the executable application package to the interoperability device for processing;

information specifying a plurality of program renditions and the code content and data needed for a packaged application interoperability application; and

means for extending the languages constructs commonly used to specify a single executable program targeted to a specific device, into a language which can also specify the procedures necessary for intelligent recruitment of teams of devices and the renditions needed for these teams of devices so that there is a suitable rendition is available to send to run on each recruited device to carry out that device'"'"'s portion of the intended purpose of the application;

the application package player comprises processing logic for executing computer program instructions from an instruction set, each of the computer program instructions including at least one opcode with optional parameters, and the application package player further comprises means for;

(i) setting up secure communications sessions, (ii) sending events with associated data, code and content, (iii) the automatic requesting and processing of blocks that have been lost in transit, and (iv) the automatic recovery of communications sessions temporarily lost between devices;

the instructions include native instructions to the application player and include single high level instructions, and the single high-level instructions are selected from the set consisting of;

a single instruction to decompress a JPEG picture into a buffer, a single instruction to move the picture in buffers to a particular place on the physical screen in the correct format, and a single instruction to save the entire state of the running application package and all its code and data, and a single instruction to perform all three of these tasks in combination;

the recruitment is used by a single application package to forms teams of devices based on their capabilities and content and then to intelligently spread portions of the single application package to the teams of devices which then work together to carry out the intended purpose of the application package;

the renditioning provides a segmenting of an interoperability application into a plurality of tightly integrated, yet separately executable programs; and

individual renditions are chosen during the recruitment process to be sent to run on other devices to provide coordinated access to the capabilities and content of the individual devices;

the runtime comprises an interoperability runtime that is adapted to establish a tight coordination of control, data, and operations between separate processing units of the device and the other external devices running an application package independent of whether the processing units are running on a single device or across a team of recruited devices; and

the tight coordination is accomplished by an event driven system which ensures the serialization and synchronization of events flowing thorough all processing units of all devices executing the application so that all processing units of all the devices can have access to all the directives in the same order needed to coordinate and synchronize the data and operations between the processing units.

37. A device as in claim 1, wherein the interoperability instructions include a set of instructions used to represent the code portions of an executable application package which are executed by the engine and the interoperability instruction set including instructions to enhance the speed of operations, carry out interoperability methodologies, and expose the capabilities and content of the devices to each other including instructions for exposing and for enabling access to and use of unique capabilities and content of devices to other device even when the other devices have no prior knowledge of the unique capabilities and content.

26. In a device having a physical processor coupled with a physical memory configured for performing general computation and input/output operations, a method comprising:

establishing at least one two way communication between the device and a different external devices over a communications link including sending and receiving communications between said device and the other different external devices; and

executing interoperability instructions on the physical processor, the executing interoperability instructions including executing instructions of an executable application package which encapsulates all that is needed to carry out the purpose of the interoperability application on a device to carry out an intended purpose.

27. A method as in claim 26, wherein the other external devices comprise other external heterogeneous autonomous external and physically distinct devices and wherein the device is adapted to dynamically form, break, and reform the communications link with the other physically distinct devices.

28. A method as in claim 26, wherein the nature and characteristics of the other heterogeneous autonomous devices and the communication to be conducted between and among them while supported need not be known at the time of manufacture of the device or the other external devices.

29. A method as in claim 26, wherein the interoperability engine is encapsulated in an interoperability player embodied in an executable format loadable and executable on the device.

30. A method as in claim 26, further including the interoperability engine executing the instructions of an executable application package which encapsulates all that is needed to carry out the purpose of the interoperability application on a device to carry out an intended purpose.

31. A method as in claim 30, further including encapsulating the interoperability engine in a device specific application package player and providing a common execution and runtime environment which allows recruitment and renditioning to establish efficient teams of devices and spread their executable computer program code, data, and content for carrying out the intended purpose of the encapsulated applications.

32. A method as in claim 31, further comprising using the recruitment by a single application package to forms teams of devices based on their capabilities and content and then to intelligently spread portions of the single application package to the teams of devices which then work together to carry out the intended purpose of the application package.

33. A method as in claim 32, further comprising implementing the recruitment without use of either a client/server or a peer-to-peer device interoperability model.

34. A method as in claim 31, wherein the renditioning further includes segmenting of an interoperability application into a plurality of tightly integrated, yet separately executable programs;

and individual renditions are chosen during the recruitment process to be sent to run on other devices to provide coordinated access to the capabilities and content of the individual devices.

35. A method as in claim 31, wherein the runtime comprises an interoperability runtime that is adapted to establish a tight coordination of control, data, and operations between separate processing units of the device and the other external devices running an application package independent of whether the processing units are running on a single device or across a team of recruited devices.

36. A method as in claim 35, wherein the tight coordination is accomplished by an event driven system which ensures the serialization and synchronization of events flowing thorough all processing units of all devices executing the application so that all processing units of all the devices can have access to all the directives in the same order needed to coordinate and synchronize the data and operations between the processing units.

38. A method as in claim 26, wherein the interoperability instructions include a set of instructions used to represent the code portions of an executable application package which are executed by the engine and the interoperability instruction set including instructions to enhance the speed of operations, carry out interoperability methodologies, and expose the capabilities and content of the devices to each other including instructions for exposing and for enabling access to and use of unique capabilities and content of devices to other device even when the other devices have no prior knowledge of the unique capabilities and content.

39. A method for operating an autonomous interoperability device in an interoperability mode with other similar or dissimilar autonomous interoperability devices, the method comprising:

(1) providing a physical Turing complete instruction set executable within a processor coupled with a physical memory and in combination capable of autonomously performing general computation and input/output operations;

(2) sending and receiving two-way communications over a communications link between at least the autonomous interoperability device and other heterogeneous autonomous external and physically distinct devices and which is adapted to dynamically form, break, and reform the communications link with the other physically distinct devices, and wherein the nature of the other heterogeneous autonomous devices and the communication to be conducted while supported need not be known at the time of manufacture of the interoperability device or the other devices; and

(3) operating an interoperability engine including executing interoperability instructions on the processor and encapsulated in an interoperability player embodied in an executable format loadable and executable on the device; and

wherein the interoperability engine includes an engine that comprises at least one of software and hardware and the engine executes instructions contained in executable application packages on a device and carries out the instruction intended purpose, the executable application package encapsulating the code, data, and content needed for an interoperability application which can then be loaded and run on the devices containing a running engine; and

the engine and a device specific application package player, in which the engine is encapsulated, providing a common execution and runtime environment which allows a recruitment process and a renditioning process to establish efficient teams of devices and spread code, data, and content as best to carry out the intended purpose of the executable application package.

40. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system or information appliance, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising:

a program module that directs the computer system or information appliance to function in a specified manner for operating an autonomous interoperability device in an interoperability mode with other similar or dissimilar autonomous interoperability devices, the program module including instructions for;

(1) providing a physical Turing complete instruction set executable within a processor coupled with a physical memory and in combination capable of autonomously performing general computation and input/output operations;

(2) sending and receiving two-way communications over a communications link between at least the autonomous interoperability device and other heterogeneous autonomous external and physically distinct device and which is adapted to dynamically form, break, and reform the communications link with the other physically distinct devices, and wherein the nature of the other heterogeneous autonomous devices and the communication to be conducted while supported need not be known at the time of manufacture of the interoperability device or the other devices; and

(3) operating an interoperability engine including executing interoperability instructions on the processor and encapsulated in an interoperability player embodied in an executable format loadable and executable on the device; and

wherein the interoperability engine includes an engine that comprises at least one of software and hardware and the engine executes instructions contained in executable application packages on a device and carries out the instruction intended purpose, the executable application package encapsulating the code, data, and content needed for an interoperability application which can then be loaded and run on the devices containing a running engine; and

the engine and a device specific application package player, in which the engine is encapsulated, providing a common execution and runtime environment which allows a recruitment process and a renditioning process to establish efficient teams of devices and spread code, data, and content as best to carry out the intended purpose of the executable application package.