Methods and systems for multiple-device session synchronization

• US 8,341,238 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2007
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shivaji-Rao, Vishnu Kumar, Hanley, Mark G., Barton, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US11/838,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20070274422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,961 Days
• Field of Search: 725 10- 11, 725/38, 725/47, 725 60- 61, 709/203, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/64 Means for preventing incorrect coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/18 for television
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 29/00 Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, programmable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to systems and methods for session synchronization between multiple devices connected to a server system.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing communication between a first device and a second device, said method comprising:

receiving, at a server system comprising real-time-request (RTR) management logic, a first request from a first device, wherein said first device and said server system are communicatively coupled and said first request uses a base location identifier associated with said server system;

establishing, on said server system, using said RTR management logic, a real-time request (RTR) database construct linking said first device and a second device, wherein said RTR database construct comprises a linked list of database entries wherein each entry represents a step in a storyline for said first device;

using said RTR management logic, entering said first request in said RTR database construct, thereby producing a first entry in said RTR database construct;

through said RTR management logic, assigning a first session identifier associated with said first entry;

entering said first session identifier in a session-identification field associated with said first entry in said RTR database construct;

through said RTR management logic, assigning a first entry identifier associated with said first entry;

entering said first entry identifier in an entry-identification field associated with said first entry in said RTR database construct;

through said RTR management logic, populating a response field associated with said first entry in said RTR database construct with a command to set a session identifier to said first session identifier and a first next-location identifier, wherein said first next-location identifier comprises a reference to said first entry identifier;

detecting said populated response field associated with said first entry in said RTR database construct;

copying said command to set a session identifier to said first session identifier and said first next-location identifier from said response field associated with said first entry in said RTR database construct to a first response;

sending said first response to said first device;

receiving, from said first device at said server system, a call to said first next-location identifier;

using said RTR management logic, creating a second entry in said RTR database construct, wherein said second entry in said RTR database construct is linked to said first entry in said RTR database construct through said reference in said first next-location identifier to said first entry identifier;

through said RTR management logic, assigning a second entry identifier associated with said second entry in said RTR database construct;

entering said second entry identifier in an entry-identification field associated with said second entry in said RTR database construct;

receiving, at said server system, a first data request for said first device from said second device, wherein said second device and said server system are communicatively coupled;

through said RTR management logic, populating a response field associated with said second entry in said RTR database construct with a command associated with said first data request and a second next-location identifier, wherein said second next-location identifier comprises a reference to said second entry identifier;

detecting said populated response field associated with said second entry in said RTR database construct;

copying said a command associated with said first data request and said second next-location identifier from said response field associated with said second entry in said RTR database construct to a second response;

sending said second response to said first device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said base location identifier is a URL.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said first request comprises first-device credentials for said first device.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said second response comprises second-device credentials for said second device.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said call to said first next-location identifier comprises first-device credentials for said first device.

6. A method according to claim 1 further comprising receiving, from said first device at said server system, a call to said second next-location identifier.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said call to said second next-location identifier comprises data requested in said first data request.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein:

said data requested in said first data request is detected in said call to said second next-location identifier by said RTR management logic; and

said data requested in said first data request is entered in a third entry in said RTR database construct by said RTR management logic.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said data requested in said first data request is entered in an XML response field associated with said third entry in said RTR database construct by said RTR management logic.

10. A method according to claim 6 further comprising:

using said RTR management logic, creating a third entry in said RTR database construct, wherein said third entry in said RTR database construct is linked to said second entry in said RTR database construct through said reference in said second next-location identifier to said second entry identifier;

through said RTR management logic, assigning a third entry identifier associated with said third entry in said RTR database construct; and

entering said third entry identifier in an entry-identification field associated with said third entry in said RTR database construct.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein said first device is a television.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said second device is associated with a customer service representative.

13. A method according to claim 1 further comprising maintaining said RTR database construct when said first device and said server system are no longer communicatively coupled.

14. A method according to claim 1 further comprising sending from said server system to said second device graphical user interface information.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said graphical user interface information comprises an HTML page.

16. A system for synchronizing communication between a first device and a second device, said system comprising:

in a server system, a request receiver for receiving a first request from a first device, wherein said server system is remotely located in relation to said first device and said first request uses a base location identifier associated with said server system;

wherein the server system comprises a memory and a processor;

a session-identifier recorder for entering a first session identifier in a session-identification field associated with a first entry in a real-time-request (RTR) database construct;

a first entry-identifier recorder for entering a first entry identifier in an entry-identification field associated with said first entry in said RTR database construct;

a first response-field detector for detecting a populated response field associated with said first entry in said RTR database construct;

a first command copier for copying a command to set a session identifier to said first session identifier and a first next-location identifier from said response field associated with said first entry in said RTR database construct to a first response;

a first response transmitter for sending said first response to said first device;

a call receiver for receiving, from said first device at said server system, a call to said first next-location identifier;

a second entry-identifier recorder for entering a second entry identifier in an entry-identification field associated with a second entry in said RTR database construct;

a data-request receiver for receiving, at said server system, a first data request for said first device from said second device, wherein said second device and said server system are communicatively coupled;

a second response-field detector for detecting a populated response field associated with said second entry in said RTR database construct;

a second command copier for copying a command associated with said first data request and a second next-location identifier from said response field associated with said second entry in said RTR database construct to a second response;

a second response transmitter for sending said second response to said first device; and

real-time-request (RTR) management logic for;

establishing, on said server system, said real-time-request (RTR) database construct linking said first device and said second device, wherein said RTR database construct comprises a linked list of database entries wherein each entry represents a step in a storyline for said first device;

entering said first request in said RTR database construct, thereby producing said first entry in said RTR database construct;

assigning said first session identifier associated with said first entry;

assigning said first entry identifier associated with said first entry;

populating said response field associated with said first entry in said RTR database construct with said command to set a session identifier to said first session identifier and said first next-location identifier, wherein said first next-location identifier comprises a reference to said first entry identifier;

creating said second entry in said RTR database construct, wherein said second entry in said RTR database construct is linked to said first entry in said RTR database construct through said reference in said first next-location identifier to said first entry identifier;

assigning said second entry identifier associated with said second entry; and

populating said response field associated with said second entry in said RTR database construct with said command associated with said first data request and said second next-location identifier, wherein said second next-location identifier comprises a reference to said second entry identifier.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein said first response comprises a data request.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein said second request comprises data in response to said data request.

19. A system according to claim 16, wherein said first device is a television.

20. A system according to claim 16, wherein said second device is associated with a customer server representative.