NETWORK SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120219008A1
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Dong Ik, Hwang, Dong Yun, Chun, Jai Ick
• Granted Patent: US 8,792,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

Disclosed is a network system and a control method thereof, the network system including a gateway connected to a plurality of home appliances through a home area network, an outdoor apparatus connected to the gateway through a network, and a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server to manage dynamic internet protocol (IP) address information about an apparatus using a dynamic IP address. A communication connection is achieved through a dynamic IP between a gateway inside the home and an apparatus outside the home in a smart grid network environment, so a user can easily access in-home services based on a dynamic IP. In addition, unauthorized traffic, which may be introduced into the home, is automatically blocked, so that the quality of the home network service is improved.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a gateway connected to a plurality of appliances through a home area network;

an external apparatus connectable to the gateway through a network and using a dynamic internet protocol (IP) address; and

a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server connected to the external apparatus and the gateway through a network, configured to manage dynamic IP address information about the external apparatus, and upon a request made by the gateway, provides the gateway with dynamic IP address information about the external apparatus, wherein

if the external apparatus makes a request for connection, the gateway requests the DDNS server to provide IP address information about the external apparatus having requested the connection, receives the requested IP address information and permits or blocks the connection of the external apparatus depending on whether the received IP address information matches IP address information about the external apparatus having requested the connection.

2. The network system of claim 1, wherein in order for the external apparatus to request a connection to the gateway, the external apparatus requests the DDNS server to provide an IP address corresponding to a domain name of the gateway, receives the requested IP address and accesses the received IP address, thereby requesting the connection to the gateway.

3. The network system of claim 1, wherein the gateway stores a lookup table having an access control list that stores uniform resource locator (URL) information about the external apparatus, which is permitted connection, and IP address information corresponding to the URL information, and

the gateway receives the IP address information about the external apparatus having requested the connection and updates the access control list of the lookup table by use of the received IP address information.

4. The network system of claim 3, wherein the access control list stores the URL information about the external apparatus in a chronological order.

5. The network system of claim 1, wherein the external apparatus and the gateway are registered in the DDNS server, and uniform resource locator (URL) information and IP address information of both the external apparatus and gateway are stored in the DDNS server.

6. The network system of claim 1, wherein the DDNS server receives a changed IP address of the external apparatus from an internet service provider (ISP) that is connected to the DDNS server through a network, and manages IP address information about the external apparatus.

7. A network system comprising:

a gateway connected to a plurality of appliances through a home area network (HAN) and using a dynamic internet protocol (IP) address;

an external apparatus connectable to the gateway through a network; and

a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server connected to the external apparatus and the gateway through a network and configured to manage dynamic IP address information about the gateway, and upon a request made by the external apparatus, provides the external apparatus with dynamic IP address information about the gateway, wherein

if the gateway makes a request for connection, the external apparatus requests the DDNS server to provide IP address information about the gateway having requested the connection, receives the requested IP address information and permits or blocks the connection of the gateway depending on whether the received IP address information matches IP address information about the gateway having requested the connection.

8. The network system of claim 7, wherein in order for the gateway to request a connection to the internet protocol apparatus, the gateway requests the DDNS server to provide an IP address corresponding to a domain name of the internet protocol apparatus, receives the requested IP address and accesses the received IP address, thereby requesting the connection to the internet protocol apparatus.

9. The network system of claim 7, wherein the internet protocol apparatus stores a lookup table having an access control list that stores uniform resource locator (URL) information about the gateway, which is permitted connection, and IP address information corresponding to the URL information, and

the internet protocol apparatus receives the IP address information about the gateway having requested the connection and updates the access control list of the lookup table by use of the received IP address information.

10. The network system of claim 9, wherein the access control list stores the URL information about the gateway in a chronological order.

11. The network system of claim 7, wherein the external apparatus and the gateway are registered in the DDNS server, and uniform resource locator (URL) information and IP address information of both the external apparatus and gateway are stored in the DDNS server.

12. The network system of claim 7, wherein the DDNS server receives a changed IP address of the gateway from an internet service provider (ISP) that is connected to the DDNS server through a network, and manages IP address information about the gateway.

13. A control method in a network system comprising a gateway connected to a plurality of appliances through a home area network, an external apparatus connectable to the gateway through a network and using a dynamic internet protocol (IP) address, and a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server connected to the external apparatus and the gateway through a network and configured to manage dynamic IP address information of the external apparatus, the control method comprising:

at the external apparatus, requesting a connection to the gateway;

at the gateway, accessing the DDNS server and requesting the DDNS server to provide IP address information about the external apparatus having requested the connection;

at the DDNS server, in response to the request by the gateway, providing the gateway with IP address information about the external apparatus having requested the connection;

at the gateway, receiving the requested IP address information about the external apparatus from the DDSN server;

at the gateway, determining whether the received IP address information matches IP address information about the external apparatus having requested the connection; and

at the gateway, permitting or blocking the connection of the external apparatus based on a result of the determination.

14. The control method of claim 13, wherein the requesting for the IP address information about the external apparatus from the DDNS server comprises:

at the gateway, requesting the DDNS server to provide a dynamic IP address corresponding to a domain name of the external apparatus having requested the connection.

15. A control method in a network system comprising a gateway connected to a plurality of appliances through a home area network and using a dynamic internet protocol (IP) address, an external apparatus connectable to the gateway through a network, and a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server connected to the external apparatus and the gateway through a network and configured to manage dynamic IP address information about the gateway, the control method comprising:

at the gateway, requesting a connection to the external apparatus;

at the external apparatus, accessing the DDNS server and requesting the DDNS server to provide IP address information about the gateway having requested the connection;

at the DDNS server, in response to the request by the external apparatus, providing the external apparatus with IP address information about the gateway having requested the connection;

at the external apparatus, receiving the requested IP address information about the gateway from the DDSN server;

at the external apparatus, determining whether the received IP address information matches IP address information about the gateway having requested the connection; and

at the external apparatus, permitting or blocking the connection of the gateway based on a result of the determination.

16. The control method of claim 15, wherein the requesting for the IP address information about the gateway from the DDNS server comprises:

at the external apparatus, requesting the DDNS server to provide a dynamic IP address corresponding to a domain name of the gateway having requested the connection.

17. A control method in a network system comprising a gateway connected to a plurality of appliances through a home area network, an external apparatus connectable to the gateway through a network and using a dynamic Internet protocol (IP) address, and a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server connected to the external apparatus and the gateway through a network and configured to manage dynamic IP address information of the external apparatus, the control method comprising:

if the external apparatus makes a request for connection to the gateway, at the gateway, requesting the DDNS server to provide IP address information about the external apparatus having requested the connection and receiving the requested IP address;

at the gateway, determining whether the received IP address information matches IP address information that is directly received from the external apparatus having requested the connection; and

permitting the connection of the external apparatus if a result of the determination is that the IP address information received from the DDNS server matches IP address information directly received from the external apparatus, and blocking the connection of the external apparatus if a result of the determination is that the IP address information received from the DDNS server does not match the IP address information directly received from the external apparatus.

18. A control method in a network system comprising a gateway connected to a plurality of appliances through a home area network and using a dynamic internet protocol (IP) address, an external apparatus connectable to the gateway through a network, and a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server connected to the external apparatus and the gateway through a network and configured to manage dynamic IP address information about the gateway, the control method comprising

if the gateway makes a request for connection to the external apparatus, at the external apparatus, requesting the DDNS server to provide IP address information about the gateway having requested the connection and receiving the requested IP address;

at the external apparatus, determining whether the received IP address information matches IP address information that is directly received from the gateway having requested the connection; and

permitting the connection of the gateway if a result of the determination is that the IP address information received from the DDNS server matches the IP address information directly received from the gateway, and blocking the connection of the gateway if a result of the determination is that the IP address information received from the DDNS server does not match the IP address information directly received from the gateway.

19. A control method for a gateway device using a dynamic internet protocol (IP) address in a network system, the control method comprising:

receiving a request for a connection from an external device;

requesting IP address information about the external device from a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server, when the external device requests the connection;

receiving the requested IP address from the DDNS server;

determining whether the received IP address information matches IP address information directly received from the external device which requested the connection; and

permitting the connection to the external device if the IP address information received from the DDNS server matches the IP address information directly received from the external device, and blocking the connection to the external device if the IP address information received from the DDNS server does not match.

20. A control method for an external device using a dynamic internet protocol (IP) address in a network system, the control method comprising:

receiving a request for a connection from a gateway device;

requesting IP address information about the gateway device from a dynamic domain name system (DDNS) server, when the gateway device requests the connection;

receiving the requested IP address from the DDNS server;

determining whether the received IP address information matches IP address information directly received from the gateway device which requested the connection; and

permitting the connection to the gateway device if the IP address information received from the DDNS server matches the IP address information directly received from the gateway device, and blocking the connection to the gateway device if the IP address information received from the DDNS server does not match.