Method and apparatus for a home network auto-tree builder

• US 7,500,177 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2003
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Humpleman, Richard James, Harms, G. Kevin, Deacon, Michael S., Wolff, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faber; David
• Application Number:
  US10/603,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20040249851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/733, 715/200, 715205-209, 715/234, 715/255, 709217-221, 719/321
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• 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 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• 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 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 : Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• 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 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 : Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 : Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 : in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• 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: H04N 21/4108 : characterised by an identification number or address, e.g. local network address protecting specific internal or external computer components using identification number G06F21/73; network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 : home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 : User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 : Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 : Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 : Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 : involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 : for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 : using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 : End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 : IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 : for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

A method and system is provided for detecting, commanding and controlling diverse home devices currently connected to a home network. An interface is provided for accessing the home devices that are currently connected to a home network. According to the method, a device link file is generated, wherein the device link file identifies home devices that are currently connected to the home network. A device link page is created, wherein the device link page contains a device button that is associated with each home device that is identified in the device link file. A hyper-text link is associated with each device button, wherein the hyper-text link provides a link to an HTML page that is contained on the home device that is associated with the device button, and the device link page is displayed on a browser based home device.

Claims

1. A method for providing an interface for accessing home devices in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

creating a device link page for access to graphical or textual information in one or more devices currently connected to the network, wherein the device link page contains one or more device buttons each associated with a device currently connected to the network;

associating a hyper-text link with each device button, wherein the hyper-text link provides a link to graphical or textual information contained in the device that is associated with the device button; and

displaying the device link page on a display device,

wherein said network is a home network, and wherein the display device is part of a control device of the home network, and wherein the control device is separate from the one or more devices currently connected to the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said graphical or textual information is in a form of a web page or an html page.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said display device is a browser-based display device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the device link page includes the steps of:

retrieving a logical device name from a device list file;

storing the logical device name in the device link page; and

converting the logical device name to a device button.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the device link page includes the steps of:

retrieving a device ICON image from one of the one or more devices;

creating a device button based on the device ICON image; and

storing the device button in the device link page.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the device link page includes the steps of:

retrieving a device LOGO image from one of the one or more devices;

creating a manufacturer device button based on the device LOGO image; and

storing the manufacturer device button in the device link page.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating a hyper-text link with each device button comprises the steps of:

retrieving a URL from a home device, wherein the URL is part of a property file associated with the home device; and

associating the URL with the device button that is associated with the home device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of storing the manufacturer device button in the device link page includes the step of storing the manufacturer device button in a user-definable area of the device link page.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of retrieving the URL from the home device includes the steps of retrieving the URL from the property file that is stored in the home device.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of generating a device list file by:

detecting whether a device is connected to the home network;

associating a logical device name with the home device; and

storing the logical device name in the device list file.

11. A method for providing an interface for accessing home devices that are currently connected to a network, the method comprising the steps of:

creating a device link page from at least the network, wherein the device link page contains at least a device button for a device that is currently connected to the network, wherein creating the device link page further includes;

(i) generating a device list file by detecting that a device is connected to the home network, associating a logical device name with the home device, and storing the logical device name in the device list file, and (ii) retrieving a logical device name from the device link file, storing the logical device name in the device link page, and converting the logical device name to a device button;

associating a hyper-text link with each device button, wherein the hyper-text link provides a link to graphical or textual information that is contained in the device that is associated with the device button; and

displaying the device link page on a display device;

periodically refreshing the device list file by;

autonomously detecting that a home device is currently connected to the home network, associating a logical device name with the home device, and storing the logical device name in the device list file.