Method for waking up a sleeping device, a related network element and a related waking device and a related sleeping device

• US 7,600,137 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Trappeniers, Lieven Leopold Albertine, Handekyn, Koen, Hendrikse, Arjen, Godon, Marc Bruno Frieda
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao; Chun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh; Jaweed A
• Application Number:
  US11/010,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 713/323, 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 715/736
• US Class Current: 713/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• 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: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method for waking up a plurality of sleeping devices. Each sleeping device is coupled to a waking device over a communications network and is adapted to provide a service feature to the waking device upon a request for the service feature from the waking device. The waking device sends a request for service to a network element of the communications network, which is always on. The network element receives the request for service, determines which features are requested by the waking device, and wakes up the sleeping devices that provide these requested features.

Claims

1. A method for waking up a sleeping device of a plurality of sleeping devices, each sleeping device of said plurality of sleeping devices being coupled to a waking device over a communications network and adapted to provide a service feature, in an awake state, to said waking device at request for said service feature from said waking device, said method comprises:

said waking device sending said request for service, said service comprising a plurality of service features to a network element of said communications network;

said network element receiving said request for service from said waking device;

said network element, at the reception of said request for service, requesting, based on said plurality of service features in said service request of said waking device, each sleeping device of said plurality of sleeping devices that corresponds to a service feature of said plurality of service features comprised by said request for service, to wake up at substantially same time.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network element analyzes the plurality of service features in the service request and based on the plurality of service features selects at least two of the sleeping devices, and wherein the selected at least two sleeping devices are woken up at substantially same time by the service request, which is a single message.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the network element issues a plurality of wake up commands, each corresponding to each of the selected sleeping devices and wherein the plurality of wake up commands are issued based on the single service request message received from the waking device and wherein the service request message comprises service features that can be implemented only by awake devices.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network element does not have a sleeping mode.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network element is an asymmetrical digital subscriber line modem.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the network element is connected to the sleeping devices via a local access network and to the waking device via a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) network.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the sleeping devices comprise at least one of a television, a digital camera, a video camera, a media player, and a storage server.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the sleeping devices comprise consumer electronic devices.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the waking device comprises at least one of a personal assistant device, a telephone set, a remote user terminal, and a terminal of a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) network.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the waking device, via a single request for service, wakes up at least two different consumer electronic devices.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the network element analyzes the request for service and wherein the network element determines the at least two different consumer electronic devices for implementing the request for service based on information in the received request for service.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network element issues a plurality of wake up commands, each corresponding to each of the selected sleeping devices and wherein the plurality of wake up commands are issued based on the single service request message received from the waking device and wherein the issued wake up commands are transmitted to the respective sleeping devices at substantially same time.

13. A network element for waking up a sleeping device of a plurality of sleeping devices, each sleeping device of said plurality of sleeping devices being coupled to a waking device over a communications network and adapted to provide a service feature, in an awake state, to said waking device at request for service from said waking device, said network element comprises:

a request reception part, adapted to receive said request for service, said service comprising a plurality of service features, forwarded by said waking device;

a request processing part, coupled with an input to an output of said request reception part and adapted to, at the reception of said request for service, generate, based on said plurality of service features in said service request of said waking device, a request to wake up at substantially same time, each sleeping device of said plurality of sleeping devices that corresponds to a service feature of said plurality of service features comprised by said request for service; and

a wake up instruction forwarding part, coupled at an input to an output of said request processing part and adapted to send said request to wake up to said each sleeping device of said plurality of sleeping devices.

14. A waking device, for waking up a sleeping device of a plurality of sleeping devices, each sleeping device of said plurality of sleeping devices being coupled to said waking device over a communications network and being adapted to provide a service feature in an awake state, to said waking device at request for service from said waking device, said waking device comprises:

a service request forwarding part, adapted to forward a request for service, destined to a network element of said communications network, where said requested service comprises a plurality of service features for at least two of the plurality of sleeping devices,

wherein a network element wakes up at substantially same time each sleeping device of said plurality of sleeping devices that corresponds to a service feature of said plurality of service features.

15. A sleeping device being coupled to a waking device over a communications network and adapted to provide a service feature, in an awake state, to said waking device at request for service from said waking device, the sleeping device comprises:

a wake up receiving part which is adapted to receive a wake up request; and

activating part adapted to interpret said request and wake up said sleeping device based on said request for service,

wherein the request to wake up is not unique to the sleeping device and comprises a plurality of service features that are executed by different sleeping devices,

wherein whether to generate the wake up request for the sleeping device is determined based on the service features in the service request, and

wherein the sleeping device is remotely located from other sleeping devices.

16. The sleeping device according to claim 15, wherein the wake up request is common to the sleeping device and at least one of the other, remotely located, sleeping devices and wherein the wake up request is a broadcast message broadcasted to the sleeping device and said at least one of the other, remotely located, sleeping devices.

17. The sleeping device according to claim 16, wherein the sleeping device is a device of a home network and wherein the sleeping device and the other sleeping devices are connected to each other via local access network.

18. The sleeping device according to claim 17, wherein the sleeping device and the other sleeping devices are consumer electronic devices.

19. The sleeping device according to claim 15, wherein the network element, that determines whether to send the wake up request based on the plurality of service features in the service request, does not have a sleeping mode.