Gateway apparatus for controlling apparatuses on home network

• US 6,957,275 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2000
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Kiyonori
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, KENNY S
• Application Number:
  US09/577,569
• Time in Patent Office: 1,972 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/245, 709/246, 709/226, 709/202, 709/232, 709/236, 370/401, 370/352, 370/329, 370/466, 370/392, 725/82, 725/74, 345/717, 379/92, 379/25
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/636 IEEE1394 identification numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

The gateway apparatus has an IP address table that relates a plurality of apparatuses, each of which is one of components constructing a home network, to IP addresses respectively assigned to the apparatuses to store, a reception section that receives data with a destination indicative of one of the apparatuses constructing the home network, a recognition section that recognizes the apparatus with an IP address matching the IP address indicative of the destination contained in received data using the IP address table, and a distribution section that transmits the received data to the recognized apparatus.

Claims

1. A gateway apparatus capable of connecting to the Internet, the gateway apparatus being one of a plurality of components in a home network, the home network including a transmitting apparatus not having an IP address connected to the gateway apparatus and an input device connected to the gateway apparatus, the gateway apparatus comprising:

a communicator that is configured to communicate with a receiving apparatus through the Internet;

a controller that is configured to receive data from the transmitting apparatus not having the IP address, to configure the data for Internet transmission, to generate an Internet-frame based on the data received from the transmitting apparatus not having the IP address and based on an IP address which is assigned to a receiving apparatus, the IP address assigned to the receiving apparatus being input by the input device, the transmitting apparatus not having a capability of inputting the IP address, the data received from the transmitting apparatus not including a destination address of the receiving apparatus, and to send the Internet-frame to the receiving apparatus through the communicator.

2. The gateway apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input device is a personal computer.

3. The gateway apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller configures the data into TCP packets for Internet transmission and generates an Internet-frame based on the TCP packets.

4. The gateway apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting apparatus not provided with an IP address is at least one of a printer, a scanner, a television, a digital camera, a refrigerator, a hot-water supply, an electric power meter and a water meter.

5. The gateway apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input device is a device external of the transmitting apparatus not having the IP address.

6. A gateway apparatus capable of connecting to the Internet, the apparatus being one of a plurality of components in a home network, the apparatus comprising:

an interface that is configured to connect with a receiving apparatus not having an IP address;

a communicator that is configured to communicate with a transmitting apparatus through the Internet;

a memory that is configured to store an IP address corresponding to the receiving apparatus not having the IP address and an application program which converts received data into data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can interpret, the application program being related to a property of the receiving apparatus not having the IP address, the property indicating at least a product type of the receiving apparatus not having the IP address; and

a controller that is configured to receive an Internet-frame including the IP address corresponding to the receiving apparatus not having the IP address and data from the transmitting apparatus, to search the memory for the receiving apparatus not having the IP address to which the data is to be transferred, based on the corresponding IP address included in the Internet-frame, and to transfer the data to the receiving apparatus not having the IP address,

wherein said controller converts the received data into data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can interpret, by utilizing the application program in the memory, when the received data is data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can not interpret.

7. A gateway apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the data from the receiving apparatus is configured into TCP packets.

8. A gateway apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the receiving apparatus not having an IP address is at least one of a printer, a scanner, a television, a digital camera, a refrigerator, a hot-water supply, an electric power meter and a water meter.

9. A method for transmitting data from a transmitting apparatus not having an IP address in a home network through the Internet to a receiving apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving data from the transmitting apparatus not having the IP address;

configuring the data for Internet transmission;

generating an Internet-frame based on the data received from the transmitting apparatus not having the IP address and based on an IP address which is assigned to a receiving apparatus, the IP address assigned to the receiving apparatus being input by an input device, the transmitting apparatus having not a capability of inputting the IP address, the data received from the transmitting apparatus not including a destination address of the receiving apparatus; and

sending the Internet-frame to the receiving apparatus.

10. The method for transmitting data according to claim 9, the IP address assigned to the receiving apparatus is input by a device external of the transmitting apparatus not having the IP address.

11. A method for receiving data from a transmitting apparatus through the Internet, a memory storing an IP address corresponding to a receiving apparatus not having the IP address and an application program which converts received data into data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can interpret, the method comprising:

receiving an Internet-frame including the IP address corresponding to the receiving apparatus not having the IP address and data from the transmitting apparatus;

searching the memory for the receiving apparatus not having the IP address to which the data is to be transferred, based on the corresponding IP address included in the Internet-frame;

converting the received data into data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can interpret, by utilizing the application program in the memory, when the received data is data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can not interpret, the application program being related to a property of the receiving apparatus not having the IP address, the property indicating at least a product type of the receiving apparatus not having the IP address; and

transferring the data to the receiving apparatus not having the IP address.

12. A gateway apparatus capable of connecting to the Internet, the apparatus being one of a plurality of components in a home network, the apparatus comprising:

an interface that is configured to connect with a receiving apparatus not having an IP address;

a communicator that is configured to communicate with a transmitting apparatus through the Internet;

a memory that is configured to store an IP address corresponding to the receiving apparatus not having the IP address and an application program which converts received data into data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can interpret, the application program being related to a property of the receiving apparatus not having the IP address, the property indicating at least a product type of the receiving apparatus not having the IP address; and

a controller that is configured to receive an Internet-frame including the IP address corresponding to the receiving apparatus not having the IP address and data from the transmitting apparatus, to search the memory for the receiving apparatus not having the IP address to which the data is to be transferred, based on the corresponding IP address included in the Internet-frame, and to transfer the data to the receiving apparatus not having the IP address,

wherein said controller converts the received data into data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can interpret, by utilizing the application program in the memory, when the received data is data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can not interpret; and

wherein the transmitting apparatus is a scanner dealing with RGB data, the receiving apparatus not having the IP address is a printer dealing with YMCK data, and the application program stored in the memory is a program which converts RGB data received from the scanner into YMCK data which the printer can interpret.

13. A method for receiving data from a transmitting apparatus through the Internet, a memory storing an IP address corresponding to a receiving apparatus not having the IP address and an application program which converts received data into data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can interpret, the method comprising:

receiving an Internet-frame including the IP address corresponding to the receiving apparatus not having the IP address and data from the transmitting apparatus;

searching the memory for the receiving apparatus not having the IP address to which the data is to be transferred, based on the corresponding IP address included in the Internet-frame;

converting the received data into data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can interpret, by utilizing the application program in the memory, when the received data is data which the receiving apparatus not having the IP address can not interpret, the application program being related to a property of the receiving apparatus not having the IP address, the property indicating at least a product type of the receiving apparatus not having the IP address; and

transferring the data to the receiving apparatus not having the IP address;

wherein,

the transmitting apparatus is a scanner dealing with RGB data, the receiving apparatus not having the IP address is a printer dealing with YMCK data, and the application program stored in the memory is a program which converts RGB data received from the scanner into YMCK data which the printer can interpret.