Active control of collaborative devices

• US 7,231,424 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2002
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Thorson, Derral Charles, Bodin, William Kress
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US10/322,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20040143629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Controlling collaborative devices, including providing at least two collaborative devices, in which each collaborative device includes a client device and a client communications application, each collaborative device being coupled for data communications to an OSGi-compliant services gateway, and providing registry records describing collaborative devices, in which each registry record represents a capability of the collaborative device pertinent to a tertiary relationship for control of collaborative devices, each registry record including data elements describing, for each collaborative device, at least one capability, at least one tertiary relationship, and at least one network connectivity. Embodiments include providing, in dependence upon the tertiary relationship, a service bundle including at least one predetermined algorithm for controlling the collaborative devices, and controlling the collaborative devices in accordance with the predetermined algorithm.

Claims

1. A method of control of collaborative devices, the method comprising:

providing at least two collaborative devices, wherein each collaborative device comprises a client device and a client communications application, each collaborative device being coupled for data communications to an OSGi-compliant services gateway;

providing registry records describing collaborative devices, wherein each registry record represents a capability of the collaborative device pertinent to a tertiary relationship for control of collaborative devices, each registry record comprising data elements describing, for each collaborative device, at least one capability, at least one tertiary relationship, and at least one network connectivity;

providing, in dependence upon the tertiary relationship, a service bundle comprising at least one predetermined algorithm for controlling the collaborative devices, wherein the predetermined algorithm is dedicated to a particular tertiary relationship; and

controlling the collaborative devices in accordance with the predetermined algorithm, including finding a registry record bearing a set point for the particular tertiary relationship, reading a sensor value of the particular tertiary relationship, comparing the set point and the sensor value, producing a comparison, finding, in dependence upon the comparison, a registry record having an identified capability appropriate to the comparison result for the particular tertiary relationship, effecting the identified capability from the found registry record.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein effecting the identified capability from the found registry record includes requesting, by use of an HTTP request, a URL identified in the found registry record as a network connectivity.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein reading a sensor value further comprises:

finding a registry record for a sensor for the particular tertiary relationship;

effecting the capability identified in the found registry record for the sensor.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein effecting the identified capability from the found registry record for the sensor includes requesting, by use of an HTTP request, a URL identified in the found registry record for the sensor.

5. A system for control of collaborative devices, the system comprising:

means for providing at least two collaborative devices, wherein each collaborative device comprises a client device and a client communications application, each collaborative device being coupled for data communications to an OSGi-compliant services gateway;

means for providing registry records describing collaborative devices, wherein each registry record represents a capability of the collaborative device pertinent to a tertiary relationship for control of collaborative devices, each registry record comprising data elements describing, for each collaborative device, at least one capability, at least one tertiary relationship, and at least one network connectivity;

means for providing, in dependence upon the tertiary relationship, a service bundle comprising at least one predetermined algorithm for controlling the collaborative devices, including the predetermined algorithm dedicated to a particular tertiary relationship; and

means for controlling the collaborative devices in accordance with the predetermined algorithm, including means for finding a registry record bearing a set point for the particular tertiary relationship, means for reading a sensor value of the particular tertiary relationship, means for comparing the set point and the sensor value, producing a comparison, means for finding, in dependence upon the comparison, a registry record having an identified capability appropriate to the comparison result for the particular tertiary relationship, means for effecting the identified capability from the found registry record.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein means for effecting the identified capability from the found registry record includes means for requesting, by use of an HTTP request, a URL identified in the found registry record as a network connectivity.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein means for reading a sensor value further comprises:

means for finding a registry record for a sensor for the particular tertiary relationship;

means for effecting the capability identified in the found registry record for the sensor.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein means for effecting the identified capability from the found registry record for the sensor includes means for requesting, by use of an HTTP request, a URL identified in the found registry record for the sensor.

9. A computer program product for control of collaborative devices, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing at least two collaborative devices, wherein each collaborative device comprises a client device and a client communications application, each collaborative device being coupled for data communications to an OSGI-compliant services gateway;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing registry records describing collaborative devices, wherein each registry record represents a capability of the collaborative device pertinent to a tertiary relationship for control of collaborative devices, each registry record comprising data elements describing, for each collaborative device, at least one capability, at least one tertiary relationship, and at least one network connectivity;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing, in dependence upon the tertiary relationship, a service bundle comprising at least one predetermined algorithm for controlling the collaborative devices, including the predetermined algorithm dedicated to a particular tertiary relationship; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for controlling the collaborative devices in accordance with the predetermined algorithm, including means, recorded on the recording medium, for finding a registry record bearing a set point for the particular tertiary relationship, means, recorded on the recording medium, for reading a sensor value of the particular tertiary relationship, means, recorded on the recording medium, for comparing the set point and the sensor value, producing a comparison, means, recorded on the recording medium, for finding, in dependence upon the comparison, a registry record having an identified capability appropriate to the comparison result for the particular tertiary relationship, means, recorded on the recording medium, for effecting the identified capability from the found registry record.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for effecting the identified capability from the found registry record includes means, recorded on the recording medium, for requesting, by use of an HTTP request, a URL identified in the found registry record as a network connectivity.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for reading a sensor value further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for finding a registry record for a sensor for the particular tertiary relationship;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for effecting the capability identified in the found registry record for the sensor.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for effecting the identified capability from the found registry record for the sensor includes means, recorded on the recording medium, for requesting, by use of an HTTP request, a URL identified in the found registry record for the sensor.