Data communications

• US 7,565,210 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dynamical Systems Research Ltd., ST-Ericcson SA (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Sala, Stefano, Bianchessi, Marco, Sojat, Zorislav, Reynolds, Derek Martin, Mrsic-Flogel, Janko
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr.; Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US11/640,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20070101011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 700 17- 20, 700/83, 700/1, 700/9, 700 65- 66, 700 86- 88, 717/106, 717121-122, 717/140, 709217-219, 709/230
• US Class Current: 700/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention provides methods of, computer programs for and apparatus for control and/or observation of a device with communication capabilities by a controller device with hypertext or hypermedia communication capabilities. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to methods of, computer programs for and apparatus for control and observation of a consumer electronics device with communications capability from a mobile controller device with hypertext or hypermedia communications capability over a proximity bearer.

Claims

1. A method of providing a remote data processing device with control data that enables a user to control the operation of a consumer electronics device, the method comprising:

generating, in the consumer electronic device, a hypermedia data message, the hypermedia data message comprising a command set representing one or more menu options, the menu options corresponding to one or more actions configured to be performed by the consumer electronics device in response to receiving a control message corresponding to one or more of the menu options; and

sending the hypermedia data message to the remote data processing device using a hypermedia data communications protocol, wherein the remote data processing device is operable to present the one or more menu options represented by the command set to the user using a man-machine interface,

wherein both the remote data processing device and the consumer electronics device are configured to communicate using the hypermedia data communications protocol, and

wherein the consumer electronic device is configured to operate in each of a plurality of operational states, the consumer electronic device having a different command set defining one or more actions which it may validly perform when operating in each of said states, and wherein the command set of the hypermedia data message does not comprise commands representing menu options corresponding to actions which may not be validly performed by the consumer electronics device in dependence on the current operational state of the consumer electronics device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating and sending to the consumer electronics device a hypermedia request message corresponding to selected menu options in response to a user instruction.

3. A method of operating a consumer electronics device using a remote data processing device, the method comprising:

sending a first hypermedia request message from the remote data processing device to the consumer electronics device using a hypermedia data communications protocol;

in response to receiving the first hypermedia request message, the consumer electronic device generating a first hypermedia response message comprising a command set representing one ore more menu options the menu options corresponding to one or more actions configured to be performed by the consumer electronics device; and

sending the first hypermedia response message from the consumer electronic device to the remote data processing device using the hypermedia data communications protocol;

in response to receiving the first hypermedia response message, the remote data processing device presenting the one or more menu options represented by the command set to a user via a man-machine interface;

a user of the remote data processing device selecting one of the presented menu options using the man-machine interface;

in response to the user selection, the remote data processing device generating, and sending to the consumer electronics device, a second hypermedia request message; and

in response to receiving the second hypermedia request message, the consumer electronics device performing the action corresponding to the selected menu option, and

wherein the consumer electronics device is configured to operate in each of a plurality of operational states, the consumer electronics device having a different command set defining one or more actions which it may validly perform when operating in each of said states, and wherein the first hypermedia response message does not comprise commands representing menu options corresponding to actions which may not be validly performed by the consumer electronics device in dependence on the current operational state of the consumer electronics device.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising generating the hypermedia data message in two or more hypermedia mark-up languages.

5. An apparatus for providing a remote data processing device with data representing the operational state of a consumer electronics device, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating a hypermedia data message, the hypermedia data message comprising a command set representing one or more menu options, the menu options corresponding to one or more actions configured to be performed by the consumer electronics device in response to receiving a control message corresponding to one or more of the menu options; and

means for sending the hypermedia data message to the remote data processing device using a hypermedia data communications protocol, wherein the remote data processing device is operable to present the one or more menu options represented by the command set to the user using a man-machine interface,

wherein both the remote data processing device and the consumer electronics device are configured to communicate using the hypermedia data communications protocol, and

wherein the consumer electronics device is configured to operate in each of a plurality of operational states, the consumer electronics device having a different command set defining one or more actions which it may validly perform when operating in each of said states, and wherein the command set of the hypermedia data message does not comprise commands representing menu options corresponding to actions which may not be validly performed by the consumer electronics device in dependence on the current operational state of the consumer electronics device.