Method of Distributing Information Regarding One or More Electrical Devices and System for the Same

• US 20120254961A1
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kim, Ryan Yong, Maurino, Ricardo Federico, Yerramsetti, Naga
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2546 Arrangements for avoiding unnecessary translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2567 for reachability, e.g. inquiring the address of a correspondent behind a NAT server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

Some embodiments concern a method of distributing information regarding one or more electrical devices using a first server. Each of the one or more electrical devices can have unique identification information, an internal IP address, and an external IP address. The method can include: receiving in the first server a first request to register a first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices, the first request to register comprises the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; storing in the first server the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices using the first server; receiving in the first server from a first client computer a first request for information regarding the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; using the first server to determine the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; redirecting the first request for the information to a first gateway device if an external IP address of the first client computer is identical to the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; and returning the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices if the external IP address of the first client computer is different from the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of distributing information regarding one or more electrical devices using a first server, each of the one or more electrical devices has unique identification information, an internal IP address, and an external IP address, the method comprising:

receiving in the first server a first request to register a first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices, the first request to register comprises the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

storing in the first server the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

receiving in the first server from a first client computer a first request for information regarding the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

using the first server to determine the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

redirecting the first request for the information to a first gateway device if an external IP address of the first client computer is identical to the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; and

returning the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices if the external IP address of the first client computer is different from the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the first gateway device to return the internal IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices if the external IP address of the first client computer is identical to the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting first authentication information from the first client computer; and

authenticating the first client computer based on the first authentication information before redirecting the first request for the information or returning the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

receiving in the first server the first request to register the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices further comprises;

receiving second authentication information from the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

the first authentication information comprises a first username and a first password;

the second authentication information comprises a second username and a second password; and

authenticating the first client computer comprises;

authenticating the first client computer unless the first username and the first password of the first authentication information is different from the second username and the second password of the second authentication information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing the second authentication information to a user of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for an IP address of the first server from the first client computer; and

providing the IP address of the first server to the first client computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a local network comprises the first gateway device, the first client computer, and the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; and

the first server is not part of the local network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a local network comprises the first gateway device and the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; and

the first server and the first client computer are not part of the local network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second request to register a second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices, the second request to register comprises the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; and

storing in the first server the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving in the first server from the first client computer a second request for information regarding the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

using the first server to determine the external IP address of the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

redirecting the second request for the information to the first gateway device if an external IP address of the first client computer is identical to the external IP address of the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; and

returning the external IP address of the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices if the external IP address of the first client computer is different from the external IP address of the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving in the first server from a second client computer a second request for information regarding the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

using the first server to determine the external IP address of the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

redirecting the second request for the information to a second gateway device if an external IP address of the second client computer is identical to the external IP address of the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; and

returning the external IP address of the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices if the external IP address of the second client computer is different from the external IP address of the second electrical device of the one or more electrical devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving in the first server from a second client computer a second request for information regarding the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

using the first server to determine the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices;

redirecting the second request for the information to the first gateway device if an external IP address of the second client computer is identical to the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices; and

returning the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices if the external IP address of the second client computer is different from the external IP address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the unique identification information of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices comprises a MAC address of the first electrical device of the one or more electrical devices.

14. A method of disseminating information regarding at least one electrical device using a registration server, the at least one electrical device has unique identification information, an internal IP address, and an external IP address, wherein the external IP address of the at least one electrical device is an IP address of a first gateway device for a first local network comprising the at least one electrical device and the first gateway device, the method comprising:

receiving in the registration server a first request to register the at least one electrical device, the first request to register includes the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the at least one electrical device;

storing in the registration server the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the at least one electrical device;

receiving in the registration server from a first client computer a first request for information regarding the at least one electrical device, the first request for the information includes the external IP address of the first client computer and the unique identification information of the at least one electrical device;

providing to the first client computer the external IP address of the at least one electrical device if the external IP address of the first client computer is different from the external IP address of the at least one electrical device; and

providing to the first client computer the internal IP address of the at least one electrical device if the external IP address of the first client computer is identical to the external IP address of the at least one electrical device,

wherein;

the registration server is not part of the first local network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

providing to the first client computer the internal IP address of the at least one electrical device comprises;

redirecting the first request for the information to the first gateway device if the external IP address of the first client computer is identical to the external IP address of the at least one electrical device.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

requesting first authentication information from the first client computer; and

authenticating the first client computer based on the first authentication information before providing to the first client computer the internal IP address of the at least one electrical device or providing to the first client computer the external IP address of the at least one electrical device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

receiving in the registration server the first request to register the at least one electrical device further comprises;

receiving second authentication information from the at least one electrical device;

the first authentication information comprises a first username and a first password;

the second authentication information comprises a second username and a second password; and

authenticating the first client computer comprises;

authenticating the first client computer if the first username and the first password are identical to the second username and the second password.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing the second authentication information to a user of the at least one electrical device.

19. A method of determining information regarding an electrical device, the electrical device having unique identification information, an internal IP address, and an external IP address, the method comprising:

requesting the internal IP address of the electrical device;

receiving the internal IP address of the electrical device;

setting-up the electrical device, wherein setting-up the electrical device comprises;

communicating to a first server the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the electrical device;

using a client computer to query the first server for at least one of the internal IP address or the external IP address of the electrical device;

using the client computer to receive at least one of the internal IP address of the electrical device or the external IP address of the electrical device;

using the client computer to access the electrical device using at least one of the internal IP address of the electrical device or the external IP address of the electrical device, wherein;

the electrical device is part of a different local network than the first server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

communicating to the first server comprises;

automatically communicating to the first server the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the electrical device.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

coupling the electrical device to a gateway device before communicating to the first server.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the electrical device is devoid of a visual user interface.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein:

using the client computer to query the first server comprises;

communicating authentication information to the first server, the authentication information comprises a username and a password.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprises:

receiving the username and the password.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

registering with the first server the username and the password using the unique identification information of the electrical device.

26. A registration server configured to provide information regarding one or more electrical devices, each of the two or more electrical devices has unique identification information, an internal IP address, and an external IP address, the registration server comprising:

a registration module configured to receive at least two requests to register each of the two or more electrical devices, each of the at least two requests to register includes the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of the two or more electrical devices;

a storage module configured to store the unique identification information, the internal IP address, and the external IP address of each of the two or more electrical devices;

a request module configured to receive one or more requests for information regarding the two or more electrical devices from one or more client computers and further configured to determine an external IP address of the one or more client computers making the one or more requests for the information; and

a return module,

wherein;

a first request of the one or more requests for the information is a request for the information about a first electrical device of the two or more electrical devices is by a first client computer of the one or more client computers;

the return module is configured to redirect the first request of the one or more requests for the information by the first client computer of the one or more client computers to a first gateway device if the external IP address of the first client computer of the one or more client computers is identical to the external IP address of the first electrical device of the two or more electrical devices; and

the return module is further configured return the external IP address of the first electrical device of the two or more electrical devices if the external IP address of the first client computer of the one or more client computers is different from the external IP address of the first electrical device of the two or more electrical devices.

27. The registration server of claim 26, wherein:

none of the two or more electrical devices has a visual user interface.