Method for managing objects in a communication network and implementing device

• US 7,680,911 B1
• Filed: 04/21/1999
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Buerklin, Helmut, Coez, Fabienne, Pirat, Patrick, Bichot, Guillaume, Straub, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Van H
• Application Number:
  US09/673,897
• Time in Patent Office: 3,982 Days
• Field of Search: 709/310, 709/313, 709/316, 709221-224, 709/217, 709/219, 709/225, 709/226, 709/229, 719310-316, 710/8, 710/72, 710/104, 370/257
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] 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 12/40117 Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping

Abstract

A method for distributed management of a catalogue of objects in a communication network comprising devices. The method comprises the step of registering local objects present in a device in a local registry managed at the level of the device, wherein a local object may formulate a request for a list of objects, and receive a collected response. The request is transmitted to the single local registry of the device hosting the local object and propagated through the local registry to distant registries. The responses are collected by the local registry and the collected response is transmitted to the local object that formulated the initial request. The invention applies in particular within the context of home communication networks.

Claims

1. A method for distributed management of a plurality of resources in a communication network comprising devices, the method comprising the steps of:

registering local resources hosted by a device only in a local registry managed by the device;

sending a request for a list of resources from a local resource to the local registry of the device hosting the local resource;

propagating the request through the local registry to local registries of other devices;

collecting responses to the request by the local registries of said other devices and a response of the local registry; and

transmitting the responses collected to the local resource which sent the request.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a local registry comprises for each resource registered therein an identifier of the resource in the network, the identifier being unique for the communication network, as well as attributes of the resource.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the identifier comprises an identifier of the device in which the resource is present, the device identifier being unique in the communication network, as well as of a local identifier unique to the resource at the level of the device.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein a type of request formulated by resource is a request comprising at least one selection criterion pertaining to resource attribute.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a function of resource is an attribute stored by the local registry in respect of the resource.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of propagating the request comprises the step of determining the devices connected to the network which themselves comprise a registry.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of determining the devices comprises the determination of the types of the devices present in the network, the type of a device indicating whether it hosts a registry or whether it does not host one.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a type of request formulated by resource is a request comprising selection criteria for at least two lists of objects, as well as at least one operator for processing the lists.

9. A device in a communication network comprising:

memory for storing local resources;

means for storing a local registry for containing a list of resources local to the device;

means for connecting the device to the communication network;

means for propagating a request for a list of resources sent by a local resource to local registries of other devices; and

means for collecting responses of the local registries of the other devices and a response of the local registry and for transmitting the responses to the resource having sent the request.

10. The device according to claim 9, further comprising means for determining the addresses of said other devices of the communication network comprising registries.