Methods, systems and computer program products for the automated discovery of a services menu

• US 6,477,576 B2
• Filed: 06/17/1999
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Singhal, Sandeep Kishan, Hild, Stefan Georg, Angwin, Alastair J., Bevis, David George
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US09/335,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20020059405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/225, 709/226, 709/227, 709/228, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18597 Arrangements for system physical machines management, i.e. for construction, operations control, administration, maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for the automated discovery of a services menu of a processing system such as a pervasive computing device by broadcasting to a plurality of devices connected to a network, a Request Services Menu message. The Request Services Menu message provides information about the pervasive computing device broadcasting the message. In response to the broadcast message, a services menu associated with the pervasive computing device is received and provided to a user of the pervasive computing device. The services menu may also be updated by sending a Services Menu Update to the device.

Claims

1. A method for discovering the service directory of a data processing system connected to a network, the method comprising the steps of:

broadcasting to a plurality of devices connected to the network, a Request Services Menu message;

receiving, in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message, a services menu associated with the data processing system; and

providing the received services menu to a user of the data processing system.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data processing system is a pervasive computing device.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the Request Services Menu message provides information about the data processing system broadcasting the message.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the services menu received in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message is a pointer to a services menu file, the method further comprising the step of requesting the services menu file utilizing the pointer received in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the Request Services Menu message includes at least one of, information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network, the method further comprising the steps of:

selecting a pointer to a services menu file based on the at least one of information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network included in the Request Services Menu message; and

transmitting, in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message, the selected pointer to a services menu to the pervasive computing device.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the pointer is a universal resource locator (URL).

7. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

generating a services menu for transmission to the pervasive computing device in response to receiving a broadcast Request Services Menu message from the pervasive computing device; and

transmitting the services menu to the pervasive computing device.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the step of generating a services menu comprises the step of accessing a services menu database.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the Request Services Menu message includes at least one of, information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network, and

wherein the services menu database is accessed based on the at least one of information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network included in the Request Services Menu message.

10. A method according to claim 2, wherein the services menu received by the pervasive computing device comprises pointers to additional services menus accessible to the pervasive computing device.

11. A method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the services associated with the services menu received by the pervasive computing device is a telephony service.

12. A method according to claim 2, wherein the services menu received by the pervasive computing device comprises credentials for presentation by the pervasive computing device to access services identified in the services menu.

13. A method according to claim 2, wherein the received services menu is encrypted.

14. A method according to claim 12 further comprising the step of decrypting the received services menu.

15. A method for discovering the service directory of a data processing system connected to a network, the method comprising the steps of:

broadcasting to a plurality of devices connected to the network, a Request Services Menu message;

receiving, in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message, a services menu associated with the data processing system;

providing the received services menu to a user of the data processing system, wherein the data processing system is a pervasive computing device;

receiving a Services Menu Update message containing information associated with a modification to the services menu of the pervasive computing device; and

revising the services menu displayed to the user to incorporate the modifications to the services menu contained in the Services Menu Update message.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the Services Menu Update message contains at least one of information regarding a delete operation, information regarding an add operation and information regarding a replace operation.

17. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

determining if a change to the services menu of the pervasive computing device has occurred; and

transmitting a Services Menu Update message to the pervasive computing device if a change to the services menu of the pervasive computing device has occurred.

18. A system for discovering the service directory of a data processing system connected to a network, comprising:

means for broadcasting to a plurality of devices connected to the network, a Request Services Menu message;

means for receiving, in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message, a services menu associated with the data processing system; and

means for providing the received services menu to a user of the data processing system.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the data processing system is a pervasive computing device.

20. A system according to claim 18, wherein the Request Services Menu message provides information about the data processing system broadcasting the message.

21. A system according to claim 19, wherein the services menu received in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message is a pointer to a services menu file, further comprising means for requesting the services menu file utilizing the pointer received in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message.

22. A system according to claim 20, wherein the Request Services Menu message includes at least one of, information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network, further comprising:

means for selecting a pointer to a services menu file based on the at least one of information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network included in the Request Services Menu message; and

means for transmitting, in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message, the selected pointer to a services menu to the pervasive computing device.

23. A system according to claim 21, wherein the pointer is a Universal Resource Locator (URL).

24. A system according to claim 19, further comprising:

means for generating a services menu for transmission to the pervasive computing device in response to receiving a broadcast Request Services Menu message from the pervasive computing device; and

means for transmitting the services menu to the pervasive computing device.

25. A system according to claim 24, wherein the means for generating a services menu comprises the means for accessing a services menu database.

26. A system according to claim 25, wherein the Request Services Menu message includes at least one of, information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network, and

wherein the services menu database is accessed based on the at least one of information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network included in the Request Services Menu message.

27. A system according to claim 19, wherein the services menu received by the pervasive computing device comprises pointers to additional services menus accessible to the pervasive computing device.

28. A system according to claim 19, wherein at least one of the services associated with the services menu received by the pervasive computing device is a telephony service.

29. A system according to claim 19, wherein the services menu received by the pervasive computing device comprises credentials for presentation by the pervasive computing device to access services identified in the services menu.

30. A system according to claim 19, wherein the received services menu is encrypted.

31. A system according to claim 30 further comprising means for decrypting the received services menu.

32. A system for discovering the service directory of a data processing system connected to a network, comprising:

means for broadcasting to a plurality of devices connected to the network, a Request Services Menu message;

means for receiving, in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message, a services menu associated with the data processing system;

means for providing the received services menu to a user of the data processing system, wherein the data processing system is a pervasive computing device;

means for receiving a Services Menu Update message containing information associated with a modification to the services menu of the pervasive computing device; and

means for revising the services menu displayed to the user to incorporate the modifications to the services menu contained in the Services Menu Update message.

33. A system according to claim 32, wherein the Services Menu Update message contains at least one of information regarding a delete operation, information regarding an add operation and information regarding a replace operation.

34. A system according to claim 32, further comprising:

means for determining if a change to the services menu of the pervasive computing device has occurred; and

means for transmitting a Services Menu Update message to the pervasive computing device if a change to the services menu of the pervasive computing device has occurred.

35. A computer program product for discovering the service directory of a data processing system connected to a network, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium, said computer-readable program code means comprising;

computer-readable program code means for broadcasting to a plurality of devices connected to the network, a Request Services Menu message;

computer-readable program code means for receiving, in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message, a services menu associated with the data processing system; and

computer-readable program code means for providing the received services menu to a user of the data processing system.

36. A computer program product according to claim 35, wherein the data processing system is a pervasive computing device.

37. A computer program product according to claim 35, wherein the Request Services Menu message provides information about the data processing system broadcasting the message.

38. A computer program product according to claim 36, wherein the services menu received in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message is a pointer to a services menu file, further comprising computer-readable program code means for requesting the services menu file utilizing the pointer received in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message.

39. A computer program product according to claim 38, wherein the Request Services Menu message includes at least one of, information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network, further comprising:

computer-readable program code means for selecting a pointer to a services menu file based on the at least one of information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network included in the Request Services Menu message; and

computer-readable program code means for transmitting, in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message, the selected pointer to a services menu to the pervasive computing device.

40. A computer program product according to claim 38, wherein the pointer is a Universal Resource Locator (URL).

41. A computer program product according to claim 36, further comprising:

computer-readable program code means for generating a services menu for transmission to the pervasive computing device in response to receiving a broadcast Request Services Menu message from the pervasive computing device; and

computer-readable program code means for transmitting the services menu to the pervasive computing device.

42. A computer program product according to claim 41, wherein the computer-readable program code means for generating a services menu comprises the computer-readable program code means for accessing a services menu database.

43. A computer program product according to claim 42, wherein the Request Services Menu message includes at least one of, information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network, and

wherein the services menu database is accessed based on the at least one of information regarding a user of the pervasive computing device, information regarding the type of pervasive computing device and information regarding the connection between the pervasive computing device and the network included in the Request Services Menu message.

44. A computer program product according to claim 36, wherein the services menu received by the pervasive computing device comprises pointers to additional services menus accessible to the pervasive computing device.

45. A computer program product according to claim 36, wherein at least one of the services associated with the services menu received by the pervasive computing device is a telephony service.

46. A computer program product according to claim 36, wherein the services menu received by the pervasive computing device comprises credentials for presentation by the pervasive computing device to access services identified in the services menu.

47. A computer program product according to claim 36, wherein the received services menu is encrypted.

48. A computer program product according to claim 47 further comprising computer-readable program code means for decrypting the received services menu.

49. A computer program product for discovering the service directory of a data processing system connected to a network, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium, said computer-readable program code means comprising;

computer-readable program code means for broadcasting to a plurality of devices connected to the network, a Request Services Menu message;

computer-readable program code means for receiving, in response to the broadcast Request Services Menu message, a services menu associated with the data processing system;

computer-readable program code means for providing the received services menu to a user of the data processing system, wherein the data processing system is a pervasive computing device;

computer-readable program code means for receiving a Services Menu Update message containing information associated with a modification to the services menu of the pervasive computing device; and

computer-readable program code means for revising the services menu displayed to the user to incorporate the modifications to the services menu contained in the Services Menu Update message.

50. A computer program product according to claim 49, wherein the Services Menu Update message contains at least one of information regarding a delete operation, information regarding an add operation and information regarding a replace operation.

51. A computer program product according to claim 49, further comprising:

computer-readable program code means for determining if a change to the services menu of the pervasive computing device has occurred; and

computer-readable program code means for transmitting a Services Menu Update message to the pervasive computing device if a change to the services menu of the pervasive computing device has occurred.