Synchronizing a data driven interaction controller and a non-data driven interaction controller

• US 6,259,707 B1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fairhurst, Jon, Balaraman, Arunachalam, Gibbs, Simon J., Dara-Abrams, Joseph Alexander, Matthews, Neil David
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): VANDERPUYE, KENNETH N
• Application Number:
  US09/183,158
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.24, 340/825.25, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/825.06, 709/230, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/400, 370/486, 370/489, 370/490, 370/487, 370/465, 370/466, 710/100, 710/126
• US Class Current: 370/486
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A method and system for communicating state information for a target consumer electronic device in a home network to multiple controller devices, where the controller devices are each implementing a controller software element that conforms to a different protocol than the other. The target consumer electronic device is represented within the home network by a target software element. A first controller software element conforming to a data driven interaction (DDI) protocol accesses the target software element. A second controller software element conforming to a protocol different from the DDI protocol concurrently accesses the target software element. The first controller software element and the second controller software element cause a change in state of the consumer electronic device. The target software element notifies the first controller software element and the second controller software element of the state information for the target consumer electronic device. The target software element notifies the first controller software element according to the DDI protocol and notifies the second controller software element according to the protocol different from the DDI protocol. The first controller software element and the second controller software element use the state information to manage their respective user interfaces such that consistency is maintained between the user interfaces.

Claims

1. A home network comprising:

a target consumer electronic device;

a first controller device conforming to a data driven interaction (DDI) protocol and coupled to said target consumer electronic device via a bus;

a second controller device conforming to a protocol different from said DDI protocol and coupled to said target consumer electronic device via said bus;

said first controller device and said second controller device each causing a change in state of said target consumer electronic device;

said target consumer electronic device notifying said first controller device of state information for said target consumer electronic device using said DDI protocol and notifying said second controller device of said state information using said protocol different from said DDI protocol; and

said first controller device and said second controller device using said state information to manage their respective user interfaces such that consistency is maintained between said respective user interfaces.

2. The home network of claim 1 wherein said target consumer electronic device notifies said first controller device and said second controller device of a change in state of said target consumer electronic device caused by direct user interaction with a physical panel of said target consumer electronic device.

3. The home network of claim 1 wherein said bus is an IEEE 1394 communication bus.

4. The home network of claim 1 wherein said target consumer electronic devices are selected from the group consisting of:

television, integrated receiver/decoder, video cassette recorder, digital video system, home server, computer system, and digital audio system.

5. The home network of claim 1 wherein said second controller device registers with said target consumer electronic device.

6. The home network of claim 5 wherein said second controller device identifies a specific state for which notification is to be provided.

7. The home network of claim 5 wherein said second controller device identifies a specific target consumer electronic device for which notification is to be provided.

8. The home network of claim 1 wherein said target consumer electronic device notifies said second controller device of said state information according to a home audio/visual interoperability (HAVI)-compliant protocol.

9. In a home network comprising a plurality of target consumer electronic devices coupled to a bus, a method for communicating state information of a target consumer electronic device, said method comprising the steps of:

a) a first controller software element accessing said target consumer electronic device, said first controller software element conforming to a data driven interaction (DDI) protocol;

b) a second controller software element accessing said target consumer electronic device, said second controller software element conforming to a protocol different from said DDI protocol;

c) said first controller software element and said second controller software element each causing a change in state of said target consumer electronic device;

d) said target consumer electronic device notifying said first controller software element of said state information using said DDI protocol and notifying said second controller software element of said state information using said protocol different from said DDI protocol; and

e) said first controller software element using said state information to manage a first user interface and said second controller software element using said state information to manage a second user interface such that consistency is maintained between said first user interface and said second user interface.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said target consumer electronic device notifies said first controller software element and said second controller software element of a change in state of said target consumer electronic device caused by direct user interaction with a physical panel of said target consumer electronic device.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said bus is an IEEE 1394 communication bus.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said target consumer electronic devices are selected from the group consisting of:

television, integrated receiver/decoder, video cassette recorder, digital video system, home server, computer system, and digital audio system.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising a target software element that executes on said target consumer electronic device in said home network, and wherein said first controller software element executes on a first intelligent controller device in said home network and said second controller software element executes on a second intelligent controller device in said home network.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein said step b) further comprises said second controller software element registering with said target consumer electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises said second controller software element identifying a specific state for which notification is to be provided.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises said second controller software element identifying a specific target consumer electronic device for which notification is to be provided.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein step d) further comprises said target consumer electronic device notifying said second controller software element according to a home audio/visual interoperability (HAVI)-compliant protocol.

18. In a home network having a target consumer electronic device, a first controller device and a second controller device, a software-implemented system for communicating state information for said target consumer electronic device, said system comprising:

a target software means for representing said target consumer electronic device within said home network and for notifying said first controller device and said second controller device of said state information for said target consumer electronic device;

a first controller software means for providing access by said first controller device to said target consumer electronic device using a data driven interaction (DDI) protocol and for causing a change in state of said target consumer electronic device;

a second controller software element means for providing access by said second controller device to said target consumer electronic device using a protocol different from said DDI protocol and for causing a change in state of said target consumer electronic device; and

a user interface means for maintaining consistency of said state information between a user interface of said first controller software element and a user interface of said second controller software element and for displaying a subset of said state information to remote users.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said target consumer electronic devices are selected from the group consisting of:

television, integrated receiver/decoder, video cassette recorder, digital video system, home server, computer system, and digital audio system.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said second controller software means registers with said target software means.

21. The home network of claim 20 wherein said second controller software means identifies a specific state for which notification is to be provided.

22. The home network of claim 20 wherein said second controller software means identifies a specific target consumer electronic device for which notification is to be provided.

23. The home network of claim 18 wherein said target software means notifies said first controller software means according to said DDI protocol and notifies said second controller software means according to a home audio/visual interoperability (HAVI)-compliant protocol.