WEB BROWSER-BASED DEVICE COMMUNICATION WORKFLOW

• US 20170250971A1
• Filed: 02/27/2017
• Published: 08/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tandem Diabetes Care Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tandem Diabetes Care Incorporated
• Inventors: Gillespie, Robert Windsor
• Granted Patent: US 10,541,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling a peripheral device with a web browser. A system includes a peripheral device and a user computing device executing a web browser and a device manager, the device manager configured to operate the peripheral device and including a device manager web server. An authentication token can be passed to the web browser from a web server upon coupling of the peripheral device with the user computing device and login by the user with the web browser. The web browser can pass the authentication token to the device manager through the device manager web server. The device manager can transmit the authentication token to the web server to pair the web browser with the device manager.

Claims

1. A system for initializing control of a peripheral device, the system comprising:

a peripheral device configured to be operably coupled to a user computing device; and

a user computing device operably coupled to a communications network, the user computing device comprising;

a web browser configured to present web pages to a user, and

a device manager configured to operate the peripheral device and request a login page from the web server viewable on the web browser upon coupling of the peripheral device with the user computing device, the device manager including a device manager web server configured to receive a communication from the web browser;

wherein the web browser is further configured to receive an authentication token from the web server after transmission of user login information to the web server entered through the login page and pass the authentication token to the device manager through the device manager web server, and

wherein the device manager is further configured to authenticate the device manager with the web server by transmitting the authentication token to the web server.

2. The system for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device and the user computing device are operably coupled with a USB connection.

3. The system for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the device manager is located in a user computing device system tray.

4. The system for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the web browser passes the authentication token to the device manager with a query string.

5. The system for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 4, wherein the web browser is configured to pass the authentication token by calling the device manager via the local system IP address.

6. The system for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the device manager is configured to execute absent a user interface.

7. The system for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 1, wherein access to the device manager web server is limited to the user computing device.

8. The system for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the web server is further configured to store device manager and web browser pair data in a database.

9. The system for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the device manager web server comprises a lightweight HTTP server and a port listener.

10. A method for initializing control of a peripheral device, the method comprising:

installing a device manager on a user computing device, the device manager configured to operate the peripheral device and including a device manager web server;

receiving, with a web server, login information from a web browser executing on the user computing device;

transmitting, from the web server, an authentication token to the web browser;

receiving, with the web server, the authentication token from the device manager; and

pairing the web browser and the device manager based on the shared authentication token so that peripheral device commands can be transmitted by the web server to the device manager.

11. The method for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 10, wherein login information is received after an operable coupling of the peripheral device with the user computing device.

12. The method for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 10, further comprising storing web browser and device manager pair data on the web server.

13. The method for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 12, wherein the pair data includes a socket ID for the device manager and a socket ID for the web browser.

14. The method for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 12, wherein the web server is further configured to search for a particular device manager in a web browser-device manager pair based on a web browser identifier.

15. The method for initializing control of a peripheral device of claim 10, wherein the web server is further configured to populate login fields to the web browser based on a request from the web browser.

16. A method for controlling a peripheral device with a web browser, the web browser paired to a particular device manager, the method comprising:

receiving, with a web server, a peripheral device command from a web browser executing on a user computing device;

identifying the particular device manager paired with the web browser;

routing the peripheral device command to the particular device manager identified as paired with the web browser; and

executing the peripheral device command on the peripheral device using the device manager.

17. The method for controlling a peripheral device with a web browser of claim 16, wherein identifying the particular device manager includes searching a database for a particular web browser-device manager pair.

18. The method for controlling a peripheral device with a web browser of claim 16, wherein the web browser and device manager are on the same user computing device and the peripheral device is operably coupled to the user computing device.

19. The method for controlling a peripheral device with a web browser of claim 18, wherein the peripheral device is operably coupled to the user computing device with a USB connection.

20. The method for controlling a peripheral device with a web browser of claim 16, wherein the web server is further configured to populate peripheral device commands for display by the web browser.