INTEGRATED HOME SERVICE NETWORK

• US 20110213891A1
• Filed: 05/09/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Christie, Samuel H. IV
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing

Abstract

The present invention provides a centralized home controller that is used to coordinate a plurality of associated packet communication clients. The home controller provides a centralized and unified control and messaging system for the various packet communication clients. The home controller also allows the packet communication clients to establish and control packet sessions among the associated packet communication clients, as well as between any one of the packet communication clients and remote clients. The packet communication clients are provided in consumer electronics devices, and the associated packet sessions support data, voice, audio, or video content. In one embodiment, the home controller acts as a proxy for the various communications between the packet communication clients.

Claims

1. A home controller comprising:

at least one packet communications interface adapted to facilitate packet communications with a plurality of associated packet communication clients provided by a plurality of consumer electronics devices associated with a residence; and

a control system associated with the at least one packet communications interface and adapted to;

receive an instruction from a first of the plurality of associated packet communication clients via the at least one packet communications interface to establish or control a media session between a second of the plurality of associated packet communication clients and a third of the plurality of associated packet communication clients; and

enable the second of the plurality of associated packet communication clients to establish or control the media session between the second of the plurality of associated packet communication clients and the third of the plurality of associated packet communication clients according to the instruction.

2. The home controller of claim 1 wherein the control system is further adapted to communicate with the plurality of associated packet communication clients using a uniform message protocol.

3. The home controller of claim 1 wherein the control system is further adapted to function as a proxy for packet communications involving the plurality of associated packet communication clients.

4. The home controller of claim 1 wherein one of the associated packet communication clients is adapted to emulate a handset for a cordless telephone, and further comprising a public switched telephone interface cooperating with the control system and the at least one packet communications interface to emulate a base station for the cordless telephone, such that telephony communications are provided with the one of the associated packet communication clients, the public switched telephone interface adapted to provide a gateway to facilitate interworking between the at least one packet communications interface and a public switched telephone network.

5. The home controller of claim 1 wherein the at least one packet communications interface comprises a local wireless interface adapted to facilitate wireless communications with at least certain of the plurality of associated packet communication clients.

6. The home controller of claim 1 wherein the at least one packet communications interface comprises a wired interface adapted to facilitate wired communications with at least certain of the plurality of associated packet communication clients.

7. The home controller of claim 6 wherein the at least one packet communications interface further comprises a local wireless interface adapted to facilitate wireless communications with others of the plurality of associated packet communication clients.

8. The home controller of claim 7 further comprising a router associated with the wired interface and the local wireless interface and adapted to facilitate communications between the wired interface and the local wireless interface.

9. The home controller of claim 8 further comprising a broadband interface associated with the router.

10. The home controller of claim 1 further comprising a firewall.

11. The home controller of claim 1 wherein the media session is at least one of a group consisting of data, audio, video, and voice.

12. The home controller of claim 1 wherein the control system is further adapted to provide a simple mail transfer protocol host for handling email associated with at least one of the plurality of associated packet communication clients.

13. The home controller of claim 1 wherein the control system further comprises memory for storing information received from at least one of the plurality of associated packet communication clients and is further adapted to deliver the information from the memory to at least one other of the plurality of associated packet communication clients.

14. The home controller of claim 13 wherein the information includes video content and associated audio content.

15. The home controller of claim 1 wherein the control system is further adapted to communicate with at least one of the associated packet communication clients using different message protocols.

16. A method for integrating consumer electronics devices comprising:

receiving, at a home controller, an instruction from a first of a plurality of associated packet communication clients via at least one packet communications interface to establish or control a media session between a second of the plurality of associated packet communication clients and a third of the plurality of associated packet communication clients, the plurality of associated packet communication clients provided by a plurality of consumer electronics devices associated with a residence; and

enabling, at the home controller, the second of the plurality of associated packet communication clients to establish or control the media session between the second of the plurality of associated packet communication clients and the third of the plurality of the associated packet communication clients according to the instruction.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising communicating, at the home controller, with the associated plurality of packet communication clients using a uniform message protocol.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising functioning, at the home controller, as a proxy for packet communications involving the plurality of associated packet communication clients.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one packet communications interface comprises a local wireless interface adapted to facilitate wireless communications with at least certain of the plurality of associated packet communication clients.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one packet communications interface comprises a wired interface adapted to facilitate wired communications with at least certain of the plurality of associated packet communication clients.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the at least one packet communications interface further comprises a local wireless interface adapted to facilitate wireless communications with others of the plurality of associated packet communication clients.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising a router associated with the wired interface and the local wireless interface and adapted to facilitate communications between the wired interface and the local wireless interface.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising a broadband interface associated with the router.

24. A method for integrating consumer electronics devices comprising:

sending an instruction from a first of a plurality of associated packet communication clients to a packet communications interface of a home controller to establish or control a media session between a second of the plurality of associated packet communication clients and a third of the plurality of associated packet communication clients, the plurality of associated packet communication clients provided by a plurality of consumer electronics devices associated with a residence, wherein the home controller enables the second of the plurality of associated packet communication clients to establish or control the media session between the second of the plurality of associated packet communication clients and the third of the plurality of the associated packet communication clients according to the instruction.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the first of the plurality of associated packet communication clients is a cellular mobile terminal.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the first of the plurality of associated packet communication clients sends the instruction using local wireless communication technology.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the local wireless communication technology is Bluetooth.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the local wireless communication technology is an IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks.