Device service provider interface

• US 7,701,341 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2005
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Agarwal, Abhishek, Goteti, Janaki Ram, Reddy, Vamshidhar G. R., Ahmed, Mohamed Fakrudeen, Sriram, Balasubramanian, Kumar, Anush, Anantharaman, Vinod
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/061,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20060053234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,887 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 340/10.5, 340/10.52, 340/568.1, 235/375, 700/221, 709/250
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

The subject invention provides a system and/or a method that facilitates interacting with a device component to provide uniform communication, discovery, and management. A device service provider interface (DSPI) component can provide a uniform manner to communicate and/or manage a radio frequency identification (RFID) device. The DSPI component can include a receiver component that receives one or more RFID server data and RFID device data. The DSPI component can define an interface that facilitates communication of the one or more of RFID server data and RFID device data between an RFID device and an RFID server in a uniform manner. The interface(s) can be defined to handle discovery, configuration, communication, and connection management.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates interacting with a device, the system comprising a processor and one or more physical computer readable storage media operatively coupled to the processor, the computer readable storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, implement the following:

a receiver component that receives a protocol translation that relates to a device having an associated provider;

a device service provider interface (DSPI) component that defines an interface to uniformly communicate to the device and to expose functionality of the device regardless of a device vendor and the protocol standard, wherein the associated provider implements the interface to expose the functionality of the device by utilizing a device command which abstracts a device specific detail and is a processor independent platform assembly; and

a request response component that defines a message exchange that is a command and a response object.

2. The system of claim 1, the device vendor is a third-party vendor that utilizes the DSPI component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the command and the response are asynchronous and matched utilizing a message ID.

4. The system of claim 3, the message exchange is a request response pair being at least one of the following:

a command;

a property; and

a notification.

5. The system of claim 1, the device is at least one of the following:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, a real-time sensor, a sensor, a device extensible to a web service, and a real-time event generation system.

6. The system of claim 1, the DSPI component separates a logical event source and a physical event source, wherein there is one instantiation and such instantiation is utilized to work with the device regardless of at least one of the following:

a location, a type, the device vender, the protocol standard.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a device interface component that defines a layer, wherein the layer is one of:

a message layer; and

a transport layer.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a device discovery interface component that defines an device discovery mechanism utilizing a markup language defined string encapsulating device connection data, wherein the device discovery mechanism instantiates one DSPI component per provider.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an SPI container component that loads a DSPI provider, wherein the SPI container component provides one of the following:

a compatible SPI version;

a digital authentication of a driver; and

a driver registration.

10. The system of claim 1, the DSPI component utilizes a security component that provides one of the following:

a secure connection;

an authentication of a provider; and

a verification of the device.

11. A method implemented within a computing system that includes a processor and memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, implement the method that facilitates interacting with a device, the method comprising:

receiving a protocol translation that relates to a device having an associated provider; and

defining an interface to uniformly communicate to the device and to expose functionality of the device regardless of a device vendor and the protocol standard, wherein the associated provider implements the interface to expose the functionality of the device by utilizing a device command which abstracts a device specific detail and is a processor independent platform assembly.

12. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method of claim 11.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

loading a provider into an RFID server;

defining a message layer and a transport layer; and

discovering and configuring the device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising a message exchange pair that is asynchronous.

15. The method of claim 14, the message exchange pair is one of the following:

a request and a response;

a request and a reply;

a request and a notification; and

a request and a property.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising separating a logical event source and a physical event source.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising extending the interface to at least one of a third party device vendor, a web service, and a real-time sensor device.

18. A data packet that communicates between a receiver component and the interface, the data packet facilitates the method of claim 11.

19. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method that facilitates interacting with a RFID device, the method comprising:

receiving a protocol translation that relates to a RFID device;

defining a device service provider interface (DSPI) to uniformly communicate to the RFID device and to expose functionality of the RFID device regardless of a device vendor and the protocol standard;

loading a RFID provider into an RFID server;

defining a message layer and a transport layer that provide communication capabilities from the RFID device to the DSPI; and

discovering and configuring the device.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the RFID device is associated with the RFID provider, and wherein the associated RFID provider implements the DSPI to expose the functionality of the RFID device by utilizing a device command which abstracts a device specific detail and is a processor independent platform assembly.