Application services gateway

• US 7,209,945 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2002
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hicks, III, John A., Zimler, Randy, Bilsel, Mustafa S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUONG
• Application Number:
  US10/317,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20040054718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/218, 709/219, 709/224, 709/225, 379/102
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Application services gateways that execute electronic application programs/services allows the application programs/services to be managed and administered out of a network rather than locally. The application services gateways are elements in a services delivery system that execute application programs/services that control or otherwise interact with systems and devices of a home or business such as a heating and cooling system or a security system. The application services gateways have a LAN connection to a communication gateway that in turn communicates over a WAN to a remote services gateway. The remote services gateway channels data from a remote service platform to provide application programs/services and management services over the WAN to the communications gateway where it is then channeled to the application services gateways. The installation and management of the application programs/services residing and/or being executed at the local site on the application services gateways relieves the consumer of such responsibilities.

Claims

1. A method of providing application services to a consumer, comprising:

providing an application services gateway connected to a communications gateway for the consumer,

enabling the application services gateway to provide execution of the application services;

configuring the application services gateway to implement a services framework to allow execution, remote installation, and lifecycle management of the application services, wherein the services framework manages the execution, versioning, and configuration of the application services and allows a verified network location to manage the installation of the application services, the application services being downloaded by the verified network location using the services framework which is configured to monitor a network connection for an in-coming notification of activity from the verified network location, the verified network location being verified based on a network address;

configuring the services framework to be executed on a virtual machine operating on an operating system executing on the application services gateway; and

administering the application services of the application services gateway from the verified network location in communication with the application services gateway through the communications gateway, wherein administering the application services comprises;

sending a start execution instruction to the application services gateway when execution of at least one of the application services should begin; and

sending a stop execution instruction to the application services gateway when execution of the at least one of the application services should stop.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application services gateway communicates with an external system of the consumer when executing the application services.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a home page in the network that allows the consumer to select the applications service to execute through the application services gateway; and

upon receiving a selection from the consumer at the home page for an application service, sending an instruction to the application services gateway from the network location.

4. An application services gateway, comprising:

a services interface to an external system;

a local area network interface; and

a processing device comprising;

means for receiving administration commands through the network interface,

means for executing application programs to bring about application services in accordance with the administration commands, wherein the application services result in interaction with the external system through the services interface,

means for implementing a services framework configured to allow execution, remote installation, and lifecycle management of the application programs, the services framework being configured to be executed on a virtual machine operating on an operating system executing on the processing device, wherein the services framework is configured to manage the execution, versioning, and configuration of the application programs and a verified network location being configured to manage the installation of the application programs, wherein the verified network location is configured to install the application programs using the services framework to monitor the network interface for the in-coming administration command from the verified network location, the verified network being verified based on the address of the verified network location, and

means for administering the application services of the application services gateway from the verified network location in communication with the application services gateway through a communications gateway, wherein the means for administering the application services comprises;

means for sending a start execution instruction to the means for executing application programs when execution of at least one of the application services should begin; and

means for sending a stop execution instruction to the means for executing application programs when execution of the at least one of the application services should stop.

5. The application services gateway of claim 4, further comprising storage for maintaining the application programs that is accessible by the processing device.

6. The application services gateway of claim 4, wherein the processing device is configured to receive administration commands and execute application programs in accordance with the administration commands by implementing a service framework that operates upon the administration commands to control the execution of the application programs.

7. The application services gateway of claim 6, wherein the service framework that operates upon the administration commands is executed through an operating system of the application services gateway.

8. The application services gateway of claim 4, wherein the services gateway is a powerline modem.

9. The application services gateway of claim 4, wherein the processing device implements a real-time operating system to execute the application programs.

10. An application services gateway system, comprising:

storage containing an application program;

a local area network interface; and

a processing device comprising;

means for executing a real-time operating system,

means for executing a virtual machine atop the operating system,

means for executing a services framework atop the virtual framework, and

means for executing the application program, to bring about an application service, from storage atop the services framework, wherein the execution of the services framework provides for reception of administration instructions through the local area network interface to control execution of the application program, the services framework being configured to allow execution, remote installation, and lifecycle management of the application program, wherein the services framework is configured to manage the execution, versioning, and configuration of the application program and a verified network server is configured to install the application program and wherein the services framework being configured to monitor the network interface for the in-coming administration instruction from the verified network server,

means for administering the application service of the application services gateway system from the verified network server, wherein the means for administering the application service comprises;

means for sending a start execution instruction to the means for executing the application program when execution of the application service should begin; and

means for sending a stop execution instruction to the means for executing the application program when execution of the application service should stop.

11. The application services gateway system of claim 10, wherein the storage is remotely located from the local area network and the processing device.

12. The application services gateway system of claim 10, wherein the local area network is Ethernet.

13. The application services gateway system of claim 10, further comprising an interface to an external system and wherein execution of the application program results in interaction through the interface to the external system.

14. A system for providing application services to a consumer, comprising:

a network services gateway connected to a network and having access to a store of application programs;

a communications gateway connected to the network remotely from the network services gateway; and

an application services gateway connected to the communications gateway, the application services gateway comprising;

means for receiving application programs and instructions for controlling execution of the application programs from the network services gateway through the communications gateway, and

means for implementing a services framework configured to allow execution, remote installation, and lifecycle management of the application programs, the services framework being configured to be executed on a virtual machine operating on an operating system executing on the application services gateway, wherein the services framework is configured to manage the execution, versioning, and configuration of the application programs and a verified network server is configured to automatically install the application programs and wherein the services framework is configured to monitor the network for an in-coming application program instruction from the verified network server,

means for administering the application services of the application services gateway from the verified network server in communication with the application services gateway through the communications gateway, wherein the means for administering the application services comprises;

means for sending a start execution instruction to the application services gateway when execution of at least one of the application services should begin; and

means for sending a stop execution instruction to the application services gateway when execution of the at least one of the application services should stop.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the network services gateway provides a home page for the consumer and wherein the homepage includes selections for the application programs that the network services gateway can access such that upon the consumer selecting an application program at the homepage, the network services gateway sends the application program to the application services gateway and sends an instruction to the application services gateway to begin execution of the application program.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the communications gateway comprises a modem.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the communications gateway further comprises a router.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the application services gateway is connected to the communications gateway through a local area network.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the application services gateway is also connected to an external system and interacts with the external system upon executing one of the application programs.