Home-network autoconfiguration

• US 6,314,459 B1
• Filed: 08/13/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Freeman, Lawrence Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): COURTENAY III, ST JOHN
• Application Number:
  US09/133,622
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 709/310-332, 709/200-253
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play

Abstract

Two PC'"'"'s are automatically configured in a network in order to share resources registered at the individual PC'"'"'s. Services and resources local to one PC are registered with the other PC and vice versa. The registry hides whether a service or resource is remote or local. In operational use of the network, a resource or service local to one PC is addressable from the remote PC as if it were local to the latter. A home network of PC'"'"'s is configured automatically in this manner.

Claims

1. An information processing system (100) with a first information processing sub-system (102) coupled to a second information processing sub-system (104), wherein:

the first sub-system has a first registry (124) for registering at least a first resource (108-114) local to the first sub-system;

the second sub-system has a second registry (126) for registering at least a second resource (116-122) local to the second sub-system;

the first sub-system has a first proxy client (142) registered with the first registry; and

the second sub-system has a second proxy server (146) for communicating with the first proxy client and for access of the second resource.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the second sub-system has a second proxy client (140) registered with the second registry; and

the first sub-system has a first proxy server (144) for communicating with the second proxy client and for access of the first resource.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sub-system comprises a first PC, and wherein the second sub-system comprises a second PC.

4. An information processing sub-system (102) comprising:

a registry (124) for registering a resource (108-114) local to the sub-system;

a broadcasting module (128) for broadcasting a message;

a broadcast listener (132) for receiving a response from another information processing sub-system in response to the other sub-system having received the message, and for creating a proxy client (142) thereupon;

wherein;

the proxy client is being registered with the registry as a representative of the other sub-system for the sub-system to access another resource local to the other sub-system.

5. The sub-system of claim 4, further comprising a port listener (130) for in response to receiving a further message from the other sub-system creating a proxy server (144) for enabling the other sub-system to access the resource local to the sub-system.

6. The sub-system of claim 4, comprising a PC.

7. A method for enabling sharing with a first information processing sub-system (102) a second resource (116-122) registered with a second information processing sub-system (104), the method comprising:

enabling the first sub-system to be informed about access to the second sub-system; and

enabling registering with a registry of resources that are local to the first sub-system a second interface to the second resource for access to the second resource from the first sub-system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein enabling the first sub-system to be informed about access to the second sub-system comprises:

enabling the second sub-system to broadcast a message with an IP address and with a port number;

enabling the first sub-system to set up, in response to the message, a proxy client (142) for communicating with a port of the second sub-system indicated by the port number; and

enabling the second sub-system to set up a proxy server (146) to handle a request from the proxy client for access to the second resource.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

enabling sharing with the second sub-system a first resource (108-114) registered with the first sub-system;

enabling the second sub-system to be informed about access to the first sub-system; and

enabling registering with the second sub-system of a first interface to the first resource for access to t first resource from the second sub-system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

enabling the first sub-system to be informed about access to the second sub-system comprises;

enabling the second sub-system to broadcast a message with an IP address and with a port number;

enabling the first sub-system to set up, in response to the message, a proxy client (142) for communicating with a port of the second sub-system indicated by the port number; and

enabling the second sub-system to set up a proxy server (146) to handle a request from the proxy client for access to the second resource; and

wherein enabling the second sub-system to be informed about access to the first sub-system comprises;

enabling the first sub-system to broadcast a further message with a further IP address and with a further port number;

enabling the second sub-system to set up, in response to the further message, a further proxy client (140) for communicating with a further port of the first sub-system indicated by the further port number; and

enabling the first sub-system to set up a further proxy server (144) to handle a further request from the further proxy client for access to the first resource.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second sub-systems each comprise a respective PC.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second sub-systems each comprise a respective PC.

13. A method for enabling a first information processing sub-system (102) to address a resource (116-122) registered with a second information processing sub-system (104), the method comprising:

enabling creating a proxy client (142) at the first sub-system for communication with the second sub-system, the proxy client being representative of the resource;

enabling registering the proxy client as a local resource with a registry (124) for further resources local to the first sub-system;

enabling creating a proxy server (146) at the second information processing sub-system for handling a request from the proxy client.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising enabling the second information processing sub-system to address a further resource (108-114) registered with the first information processing sub-system, the method further comprising:

enabling creating a further proxy client (140) at the second sub-system for communication with the first sub-system, the further proxy client being representative of the further resource;

enabling registering the further proxy client as a further local resource with a further registry (126) of the second sub-system;

enabling creating a further proxy server (144) at the first information processing sub-system for handling a further request from the further proxy client.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second sub-systems each comprise a respective PC.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first and second sub-systems each comprise a respective PC.

17. A method of enabling a user to configure a home network with a first information processing sub-system and a second information processing sub-system, wherein:

a first resource local to the first sub-system is registered with a first registry of the first sub-system;

a second resource local to the second sub-system is registered with a second registry of the second sub-system; and

the method comprises;

enabling creating a proxy client at the first sub-system for communication with the second sub-system, the proxy client being representative of the second resource;

enabling registering the proxy client as a local resource with the first registry; and

enabling creating a proxy server at the second information processing sub-system for handling a request from the proxy client.

18. A software application for implementing a method of enabling a user to configure a home network with a first information processing sub-system and a second information processing sub-system, wherein:

a first resource local to the first sub-system is registered with a first registry of the first sub-system;

a second resource local to the second sub-system is registered with a second registry of the second sub-system; and

the method comprises;

enabling to create a proxy client at the first sub-system for communication with the second sub-system, the proxy client being representative of the second resource;

enabling to register the proxy client as a local resource with the first registry; and

enabling to create a proxy server at the second information processing sub-system for handling a request from the proxy client.