Method and architecture to support interaction between a host computer and remote devices

• US 20090319695A1
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jim W. Edwards, Ylian Saint-Hilaire
• Original Assignee: Jim W. Edwards, Ylian Saint-Hilaire
• Inventors: Saint-Hilaire, Ylian, Edwards, Jim W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation

Abstract

A method and architecture for enabling interaction between a remote device and a host computer. A service provided by the remote device is discovered, and a description pertaining to the service is retrieved by the host computer. A network communication link is the established between the remote device and the host computer based on connection information provided by the description. Host-side and client-side software service modules are run on the host and remote devices to enable interaction between the devices using a service protocol that is specific to the service. Various service protocols are provided, including a display service protocol and an input service protocol. Using commands provided by each protocol, the host computer is enabled to control the service remotely by pushing data and appropriate commands to the remote device, whereupon these commands are processed by the client-side service module to perform service operations that employ the sent data.

Claims

1. ) A method for controlling a remote display device, comprising:

defining a service-specific protocol to facilitate remote control of a service provided by the remote display device, wherein the service-specific protocol defines display commands that are used to display content on the display device by sending display commands and data pertaining to the display content from the host computer to the remote device over a network communication link, wherein the display content is displayed on a television, and wherein the service specific protocol additionally accepts input from the remote display device to the host computer;

sending data corresponding to the service provided by the remote display device via a host-side software module running on the host computer in a format defined by the service-specific protocol from the host computer to the remote display device over the network communication link; and

sending control commands from the host computer to the remote display device based on the service-specific protocol to cause the remote display device to perform the service using the data that are sent to the remote display device.

2. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the service-specific protocol further defines commands that are used to display streaming video on the television by sending streaming video commands and data pertaining to the streaming video content from the host computer to the remote display device over the network communication link.

4. ) The method of claim 1, wherein data is input to the display device by a user through a remote control device.

5. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a display input adapter and a television.

6. ) The method of claim 5 wherein the display input adapter comprises a network interface, a memory, and a display driver.

7. ) A machine-readable media on which a plurality of instructions are stored that when executed by the processor of a host computer perform the operations of:

interacting with a remote display device to discover a service provided by the remote display device, wherein the remote display device comprises an input adapter and a television;

interacting with the remote display device to establish a network communication link between the remote display device and the host computer

sending data corresponding to the service provided by the remote display device from the host computer to the remote display device over the network communication link; and

sending commands from the host computer to the remote display device over the network communication link based on a service protocol that is specific to the service provided by the remote display device to cause the remote display device to perform service operations specified by the commands that employ the data sent to the remote device, wherein the service protocol includes input primitives to enable input data to be sent from the remote device to the interpreted by the host-side software module running on the host computer.

3. ) The method of claim 8, wherein display streaming video on the television is in response to a request from the display device to display the streaming video.

8. ) The machine-readable media of claim 7, wherein the service protocol further defines commands that are used to display streaming video on the television.

9. ) The machine-readable media of claim 7, wherein the service protocol further defines commands that are used to display streaming video on the television in response to a request by a viewer.

10. ) The method of claim 9 wherein the input adapter comprises a network interface, a memory, and a display driver.