Home gateway apparatus

• US 7,243,151 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2002
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Kiyonori
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Korobov; V.
• Application Number:
  US10/106,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,931 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/225, 709/232, 709/236, 709/245, 709/227, 709/249, 370/401, 379/102, 715/733, 715/740
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

A home gateway apparatus that can control the power in each current carrying unit, and lower the power consumption is provided; by dividing the apparatus into a first system that has a minimum function to connect with the Internet, and a second system that has necessary functions to execute applications on the Ethernet®. Both the first and second systems are controlled individually, so that the power is turned on/off separately. Also, when the second system without the power is turned on, an Ethernet® connection controller is provided as an interface to avoid the interface connectivity problem, and an IP address is automatically obtained after turning on the power.

Claims

1. A gateway apparatus, comprising:

a first system, comprising;

a first controller configured to control the first system; and

a communicator configured to be connected to a network outside a premise in which the gateway apparatus is placed;

a second system, comprising;

a second controller configured to control the second system; and

an interface configured to be connected to a peripheral apparatus located inside the premise in which the gateway apparatus is placed; and

a power controller configured to provide electrical power to the first system without providing electrical power to the second system when the gateway apparatus turns ON, the power controller providing electrical power to the second system when the power controller detects an instruction from the peripheral apparatus to provide electrical power to the second system, the first system being distinct from the second system.

2. The gateway apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first system further comprises a server controller that assigns an IP address to the second system when the power controller provides the electrical power to the second system.

3. The gateway apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first system further comprises a connection controller that connects the first system to the second system, based on the lB address assigned to the second system by the server controller.

4. The gateway apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connection controller comprises an Ethernet interface.

5. The gateway apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface connects to at least one type of peripheral apparatus.

6. The gateway apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server controller includes a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server function.

7. The gateway apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communicator connects to a mobile communication apparatus.

8. The gateway apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communicator connects to the Internet.