Data driven interaction for networked control of a DDI target device over a home entertainment network

• US 6,456,892 B1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dara-Abrams, Joseph Alexander, Birmingham, Thomas Edward, Bronnenberg, Wim, Matthews, Neil David, Yanagawa, Yoshifumi, Ludtke, Harold Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US09/183,163
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 700/11, 700/12, 700/17, 700/83, 710/8, 710/10, 710/12, 710/72, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/220, 709/321, 709/328, 345/173, 345/326, 345/339, 345/327, 345/718, 345/746, 345/764, 345/810, 712/1
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25057 Configuration stored in distributed database for real time use
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25083 For each subsystem a configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25092 Customized control features, configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25324 Modules connected to serial bus
• 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 12/2814 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 providing a user interface for a networked target device within a home audio/visual network. The DDI allows any DDI target to describe its physical appearance including controls and displays, etc., to a DDI controller. The controller can be a remote physical device or can be a software program resident on the same or separate device as the target. The controller interfaces with the target to obtain the DDI data and generates a user interface for the target including: 1) interactive controls; and 2) user display information pertinent to the target. The DDI allows the controller to trigger actions on the target as if a user had physically manipulated the controls of the target. The controller and the target are connected to the same communication network. A particular embodiment operates within the HAVi architecture. The controller communicates with the user by using the input and output devices of (typically) the device upon which the controller is executing. This communication can be done in a controller-implementation-dependent manner. The target can be a DCM that controls its device in a implementation-dependent manner. The controller may be written in a generic manner that does not need to be implemented with knowledge of a particular target in mind; all target-dependencies are represented in the DDI data provided by the target to the controller.

Claims

1. In a network of electronic devices including a target and a plurality of controllers, a method of controlling said target comprising the steps of:

a) a controller requesting information from said target regarding controlling said target;

b) said target sending elements of a user interface to said controller, said target maintaining in memory a structured description of said user interface including organizational and non-organizational elements;

c) said controller generating said user interface based on said control elements and based on the display capabilities of said controller, said controller also allowing a user to interact with said user interface and sending user event messages to said target in response thereto;

d) said target interpreting said user event messages, and in response, altering an operational state of said target and generating a state change message for said plurality of controllers; and

e) said plurality of controllers updating their respective user interface based on said state change message from said target, said target thereby maintaining consistency among all of said plurality of controllers.

2. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said organizational elements define logically grouped functionality of said target and comprise panel elements and group elements.

3. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said non-organizational elements comprise a text element for representing a text string, a button element for representing a button and a choice element for representing a discrete set of possible input values.

4. A method as described in claim 3 wherein said non-organizational elements further comprise an entry element for allowing a user to enter a value and a range element for representing a predefined range.

5. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said step a) comprises the step of generating a message to said target requesting a root element identification.

6. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said controller includes a user input device and a display device for generating said user interface and wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

said target updating its operational state based on input that is not directly related to said user event messages; and

said target communication its updated operational state to said controller.

7. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said user event messages of said step c) each comprise an element identification and an action code and wherein said state change message of said step d) comprises an element identification and a state code.

8. A method as described in claim 1 further comprising the step of said controller subscribing to said target device for control thereof.

9. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said controller is a software program resident on a first electronic device.

10. A method as described in claim 9 wherein said target is a software program resident on a second electronic device.

11. In an audio/visual network of consumer electronic devices including a target means and a plurality of controller means, a system for providing networked control of said target means, said system comprising:

a) a controller means for requesting information from said target means regarding controlling said target means;

b) said target means for sending elements of a user interface to said controller means, said target means for maintaining in memory a structured description of said user interface including organizational and non-organizational elements;

c) said controller means also for generating said user interface based on said control elements and based on the display capabilities of said controller means, said controller means also for allowing a user to interact with said user interface and for sending user event messages to said target means in response thereto;

d) said target means also for interpreting said user event messages, and in response, altering an operational state of said target means and for generating a state change message for said plurality of controller means; and

e) said plurality of controller means also for updating their respective user interface based on said state change message from said target means, said target means thereby maintaining consistency of among all of said plurality of controller means.

12. A system as described in claim 11 wherein said organizational elements define logically grouped functionality of said target means and comprise panel elements and group elements.

13. A system as described in claim 11 wherein said non-organizational elements comprise a text element for representing a text string, a button element for representing a button and a choice element for representing a discrete set of possible input values.

14. A system as described in claim 13 wherein said non-organizational elements further comprise an entry element for allowing a user to enter a value and a range element for representing a predefined range.

15. A system as described in claim 11 wherein said step a) comprises the step of generating a message to said target means requesting a root element identification.

16. A system as described in claim 11 wherein said controller means includes a user input device and a display device for generating said user interface.

17. A system as described in claim 11 wherein said user event messages of said step c) each comprise an element identification and an action code and wherein said state change message of said step e) comprises an element identification and a state code.

18. A system as described in claim 11 wherein said controller means is a set-top-box unit.

19. A system as described in claim 11 wherein said audio/visual network is compliant with the HAVi architecture.

20. A system as described in claim 19 wherein said target means is a Device Control Module (DCM) software program resident on an electronic device.

21. A system as described in claim 19 wherein said target means is a software program resident on an electronic device.

22. A network of electronic devices comprising:

a common network bus;

a target coupled to said network bus; and

a plurality of controllers coupled to said network bus, wherein;

a controller generates a request to said target for information to control said target;

responsive to said request, said target operable to send said controller elements of a user interface, said target maintaining in memory a structured description of said user interface including organizational and non-organizational elements;

responsive to said elements and based on the display capabilities of said controller, said controller generating said user interface and allowing a user to interact therewith, said controller sending user event messages to said target;

said target interpreting said user event messages and based thereon altering an operational state of said target and for generating a state change message to said plurality of controllers in response thereto; and

said plurality of controllers operable to update their respective user interface based on said state change message from said target, said target thereby maintaining consistency among all of said plurality of controllers.

23. A network as described in claim 22 wherein said organizational elements define logically grouped functionality of said target and comprise panel elements and group elements and wherein said non-organizational elements comprise a text element for representing a text string, a button element for representing a button and a choice element for representing a discrete set of possible values.

24. A network as described in claim 22 wherein said user event messages each comprise an element identification and an action code and wherein said state change message comprises an element identification and a state code.