Method in an embedded environment for arranging functionality of a remote device

• US 7,260,618 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2002
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ahonen, Petri
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/303,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20030110238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/220, 709/223, 709/219, 709/228, 709/221, 709/222, 719/315, 717/174, 717/168, 717/170, 717/171, 717/172, 717/173, 707/203, 707/120, 707168-176
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• 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: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A method in an embedded environment for arranging functionality of a remote device, wherein a connection with a data network is arranged for at least one remote device and at least one server machine. A gateway can be connected to data network, and can be arranged between the at least one server machine and the data network, wherein the at least one remote device and at least one server machine and the gateway operate in an environment based on an ORB (Object Request Broker) core.

Claims

1. A method in an embedded environment for arranging functionality of a remote device, wherein at least one remote device, at least one server machine, at least a processor, storage media and terminal equipment communicate in a data network, wherein a connection is arranged for the at least one remote device and the at least one server machine between the data network, and wherein the at least one remote device and the at least one server machine function in an environment based on an ORB (Object Request Broker) core, the method for arranging functionality of the at least one remote device comprising:

implementing measures required to form a functionality request using at least one of the at least one remote device and the at least one server machine;

supplying the functionality request to the server machine;

interpreting the functionality request at the server machine;

implementing measures at the server machine which are required for bringing about the requested functionality, said server machine processing a result obtained as a consequence of the implemented measures in accordance with an established criterion;

wherein the functionality request comprises a method call to order the requested functionality from the server machine, the server machine collects from the storage media program code of a software component comprising the result which is defined in the method call and which implements the requested functionality, said program code of the software component being transmitted, relayed via a gateway arranged in connection with the data network and received during each step processed by the ORB core at the terminal equipment of the remote device, and in which the gateway is arranged to implement measures in order to minimize an amount of communication, and the program code of the software component received by the remote device is stored in its storage media, a virtual processor is activated at the remote device for which the program code of the software component is intended to arrange the functionality thereof, the program code of the software component is executed at the virtual processor,

wherein the program code of the software component containing the functionality is removed from the storage media of the remote device after execution of the program code of the software component, the result obtained from the execution is processed in accordance with the established criterion, and the virtual processor is rendered passive at the storage media of the remote device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data network comprises a wireless mobile station network.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the code containing the functionality is preserved at the remote device (13.1) as a network cache memory.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the code is a native processor code, which is in a form that can be directly interpreted by the virtual processor (27).

5. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the code is in some high level language, such as e.g. Java, which is interpreted during the processing.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the program code of the software component is arranged in a Java 2, Micro Edition (J2ME) format.

7. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that the virtual processor (27) is in accordance with the J2ME specification.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the virtual processor is a Java virtual processor for use in limited environments.

9. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that in connection with the method call a routing map is arranged, in accordance with which the method call is processed in at least two remote devices (13.1, 13.2) and wherein finally the result obtained in consequence of routing is relayed to the party who initiated the method call.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gateway functions in an environment based on the ORB core.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless mobile station network comprises a GSM network or a network based on 3G technology.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the high level language comprises Java.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the limited environments comprise a K Virtual Machine (KVM).