Method for controlling services

• US 7,890,628 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stmicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics Limited (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Haydock, Steven Nicholas, Wilson, Julian Marcus, O'Connor, Brendan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt; Yves
• Application Number:
  US10/913,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20050076127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,384 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/209, 709/226, 709/228, 709/229, 455/456.1, 710/72
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for controlling services provided at a first electronic device at a second electronic device. A plurality of electronic devices connected to a network provide services in the form of providing data to the network, or allowing the data to be manipulated. Each service is represented as a manipulable data object created at the device providing the service. Each object contains sufficient information to allow the service the object represents to be controlled. The objects are transmitted over the network and are stored in an object list maintained by a master device. Any compatible device may then retrieve an object from the object list and use the information contained in it to fully control the service.

Claims

1. A method for transferring control of a service provided over a network from a first electronic device to a second electronic device, said method comprising the steps of:

performing, by the first electronic device, a first action to control the service;

in response to performing the first action to control the service, creating, by the first electronic device, a first data object representing the first action;

transmitting the first data object from the first electronic device over the network to a third electronic device for storage in a data object list that is maintained by the third electronic device; and

performing, by the second electronic device, a second action to control the service based on the first data object, so as to transfer control of the service from the first electronic device to the second electronic device.

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

creating, by a fourth electronic device, a second data object to represent the service in response to the fourth electronic device making the service available to the network;

transmitting the second data object from the fourth electronic device over the network to the third electronic device for storage in the data object list that is maintained by the third electronic device; and

performing, by the first electronic device, a third action to control the service provided at the fourth electronic device from the first electronic device based on the second data object.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

retrieving the second data object from the data object list;

using the information contained in the second data object to locate the source of the service within the network.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein in the step of creating the second data object, the fourth electronic device creates the second data object in response to the availability of data.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the data is in the form of a video and/or audio data stream, or a data block.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of performing a third action comprises the sub-steps of:

retrieving, by the first electronic device, the second data object from the data object list; and

initiating a play-back of a data stream.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first action is pausing the play-back of a data stream.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of performing a second action comprises the sub-steps of:

retrieving, by the second electronic device, the first data object from the data object list; and

resuming the play-back.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electronic devices are at different locations.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting step comprises the sub-step of periodically retransmitting the first data object to the third electronic device to confirm that the first data object remains available.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of removing, by the third electronic device, the first data object from the data object list if the first data object is not retransmitted within a period of time.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

in response to the first electronic device performing the first action to control the service, modifying a second data object in the data object list,

wherein the second data object represents the service.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of:

in response to the second electronic device performing the second action, deleting the first data object from the data object list.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

creating, by a fourth electronic device, a second data object to represent the service in response to the fourth electronic device making the service available to the network; and

in response to the second electronic device performing the second action, performing, by the fourth electronic device, the service.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of appending, by the third electronic device, additional information to the first data object before storing the first data object in the data object list that is maintained by the third electronic device.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

in response to the third electronic device receiving the first data object from the first electronic device, modifying a second data object in the data object list so as to indicate that the second data object is owned by the first electronic device and is unavailable to other electronic devices,

wherein the second data object represents the service.

17. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising a processor arranged to:

perform a first action to control a service available over a network;

analyze the first action;

extract information from the first action;

create a first data object representing the first action;

transmit the first data object over the network to a third electronic device for storage in a data object list that is maintained by the third electronic device; and

in response to a second electronic device in the network performing a second action based on the first data object, allow the second electronic device to control the service based on the first data object that was transmitted, so as to transfer control of the service from the first electronic device to the second electronic device.

18. The electronic device according to claim 17,

wherein the electronic device is further capable of providing a service over the network, and

the processor of the electronic device is further arranged to:

analyze the service;

extract information from the service;

create a second data object representing the service;

transmit the second data object over the network to the third electronic device for storage in the data object list that is maintained by the third electronic device; and

allow at least one other electronic device in the network to control the service based on the second data object that was transmitted.

19. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the first action that the electronic device is capable of performing is pausing or resuming a data stream.

20. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the processor of the electronic device is further arranged to:

retrieve a second data object from the data object list; and

control the service based on the second data object that was retrieved.

21. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the processor of the electronic device is further arranged to periodically retransmit the first data object over the network to the third electronic device.

22. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the processor of the electronic device is further arranged to:

determine if one of the other electronic devices connected to the network having responsibility of execution of one or more computer programs is inoperative, and

identify another electronic device for taking responsibility of execution of the one or more computer programs.

23. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the first data object contains information allowing the electronic device that performs the first action to be determined.

24. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the first data object is a text string.

25. The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein the text string contains a plurality of data fields.

26. The electronic device according to claim 25, wherein one of the data fields contains an indication of the status of the action.

27. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the electronic device comprises one of lap-top computer, desktop computer, games console, television set, set-top box, DVD player, MP3 player, MJPEG camera or digital movie camera.

28. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the network is connected to at least one external data source.

29. The electronic device according to claim 28, wherein the external data source includes at least one of satellite television, cable television, terrestrial digital television, terrestrial television, cable, Telco data, Telco telephone data, or one or more further networks.

30. A network comprising two or more electronic devices according to claim 17.

31. A set-top-box comprising the electronic device according to claim 17.

32. The network according to claim 30, wherein the processor of the third electronic device is arranged to maintain the data object list for storing data objects transmitted over the network by executing a controlling program.

33. The electronic device according to claim 32, wherein the processor of the third electronic device is further arranged to maintain the data object list for presentation as one or more web pages.

34. The electronic device according to claim 32, wherein the processor of the third electronic device is further arranged to delete one data object from the data object list if the one data object is not retransmitted within a period of time.

35. A computer program product having stored thereon a computer program for transferring control of a service provided over a network from a first electronic device to a second electronic device, the computer program comprising computer executable instructions that when executed on a processor cause the processor to perform the steps of:

performing, by the first electronic device a first action to control the service;

in response to performing the first action to control the service, creating, by the first electronic device, a first data object representing the first action;

transmitting the first data object from the first electronic device over the network to a third electronic device for storage in a data object list that is maintained by the third electronic device; and

performing, by the second electronic device, a second action to control the service based on the first data object, so as to transfer control of the service from the first electronic device to the second electronic device.