Bridged distributed device control over multiple transports method and apparatus

• US 8,762,446 B1
• Filed: 11/02/1999
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Staats, Erik P.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU HA T
• Application Number:
  US09/432,997
• Time in Patent Office: 5,348 Days
• Field of Search: 709/232, 709/315, 709/217, 709/219, 709227-228, 709/226, 709/236, 709/249, 709/202, 709/200, 709/203, 709/224, 709/250, 709/220, 709/231, 709/246, 709/321, 709/327, 709/301, 370/401, 370/235, 370/465, 707/9, 707/203, 713/201, 718/107, 719/310
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a bridged distributed driver messaging system. This system is especially applicable in IEEE 1394 architectures and AV/C devices, but not limited to such applications. The distributed driver message system includes a means for mapping transports to device IDs without regard to protocols. The bridge aspect disclosed also allows for disparate cabling media to be utilized in a multinode system without regard to protocols, but only with regard to transports.

Claims

1. A method for sending a message from a host device to a target device, wherein the host device is adapted to transmit messages that are compliant with a first transport protocol, and the target device is adapted to receive messages that are compliant with a second transport protocol, the method comprising in combination:

maintaining a list of available drivers and a list of devices accessible through drivers on the list of available drivers, the list of devices comprising at least one of said host device and said target device;

broadcasting the list of available drivers and the list of devices to connected devices comprising the host device and the target device;

formatting the message to be compliant with the first transport protocol;

associating the message with a target ID corresponding to the target device, at a bridge node;

mapping said target ID to a transport instance at the bridge node, wherein said mapping is based at least in part upon a list of target IDs maintained within a distributed driver layer of a distributed driver messaging system configured to control the target device;

passing the message using said first transport protocol corresponding to the transport instance;

receiving the message at the bridge node;

reformatting the message to be compliant with the second transport protocol;

forwarding the message from the bridge node to the target device associated with said target ID; and

causing the target device to execute the forwarded message compliant with the second transport protocol;

wherein said first and said second transport protocols differ from one another.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a list of transport protocols and transport instances in a message transport layer of said distributed driver messaging system.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising maintaining said mapping list within a message protocol layer of said distributed driver messaging system.

4. A method for facilitating communications between nodes in a network, the method comprising:

assigning a unique identifier to one or more display devices directly or indirectly connected to a host node, wherein the host node comprises a device driver adapted to transmit a control message to said one or more display devices;

identifying a first plurality of transports connected to the host node, wherein each transport comprises a first transport protocol;

identifying a second plurality of transports connected to a target node, wherein each transport comprises a second transport protocol;

mapping each unique identifier to a corresponding transport;

reformatting a control message received according to the second transport protocol to be compliant with the first transport protocol; and

transmitting the reformatted control message to manipulate the one or more display devices according to the first transport protocol;

wherein each display device that is indirectly connected to the source node and that is adapted to receive messages from the source node via said second transport protocol is adapted to communicate with a bridge node via the second transport protocol; and

wherein said plurality of transports as well as each of said unique identifiers are stored locally on the bridge node, the bridge node enabling the transmission of control messages over the first transport protocol and the second transport protocol simultaneously; and

wherein said first and said second transport protocols differ.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising creating a virtual device at the bridge node for each display device that is indirectly connected to the host node and that is adapted to receive messages from the host node via said second transport protocol.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of said virtual devices is adapted to appear to the host node as a controllable device.

7. A method for facilitating communications between nodes in a network, the method comprising:

assigning a unique identifier to each device of an enumeration of devices connected to a source node;

providing an enumeration of transports connected to the source node, wherein each transport comprises a first transport protocol;

mapping each unique identifier to a corresponding transport in a bridge node, wherein a mapped association is stored within a message protocol layer of a distributed driver messaging system;

converting one or more received control commands compliant with a second transport protocol for a respective device into one or more control commands compliant with the first transport protocol based at least in part on the mapped association; and

transporting the converted one or more received control commands over the first transport protocol and transporting the one or more received control commands over the second transport protocol simultaneously;

wherein the first and the second transport protocols differ.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the source node comprises an application configured to transmit the one or more received control commands to one or more remote devices.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the application comprises a device driver.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising creating a virtual device at the bridge node for each device that is indirectly connected to the source node to receive the one or more received control commands via the first transport protocol, wherein each virtual device is further configured to appear to the source node as a controllable device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each virtual device is further configured to forward the one or more received control commands to the one or more remote devices.

12. A bridging apparatus configured for use between a source node and one or more display devices, the bridging apparatus configured to facilitate communications between nodes in a network, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising one or more instructions which when executed by the processor, causes the bridging apparatus to;

generate an enumeration of the one or more display devices, the one or more display devices directly or indirectly connected to the source node via a second transport protocol;

assign a unique identifier to each display device of the enumeration;

generate an enumeration of transports connected to the source node, wherein each transport comprises a first transport protocol;

map each unique identifier to a corresponding transport; and

broadcast the enumeration of the one or more display devices to the nodes in the network, the nodes in the network comprising the source node;

wherein;

the first and the second transport protocols differ; and

the source node comprises an application configured to transmit a control message to the one or more display devices.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the source node comprises an application.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the application comprises a device driver.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising instructions which when executed by the processor, further causes the bridging apparatus to determine the appropriate second transport protocol for sending out a given control message for the display device, the appropriate second transport protocol being determined based at least in part upon the unique identifier assigned to the one or more display devices.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising instructions which when executed by the processor, further causes the bridging apparatus to detect the presence of new transports connected to the source node.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the network comprises a high-speed serial bus network.

18. A method for sending a message from a host device to a target device, the host device configured to transmit messages that are compliant with a first transport protocol, the target device configured to receive messages that are compliant with a second transport protocol, the method comprising:

receiving a broadcast message comprising a list of available drivers and a list of devices accessible through the available drivers maintained within a distributed driver layer of a distributed driver messaging system, the list of devices accessible through the available drivers comprising a target ID corresponding to the target device;

formatting the message to be compliant with the first transport protocol;

associating the message with the target ID corresponding to the target device, the message formatted so as to be compliant with the first transport protocol;

mapping the target ID to a transport instance, the mapping based at least in part upon the list of devices accessible through the available drivers configured to control the target device;

passing the message using said first transport protocol corresponding to the transport instance;

receiving and reformatting the message to be compliant with the second transport protocol;

forwarding the message to the target device associated with the target ID; and

causing the target device to execute the forwarded message compliant with the second transport protocol;

wherein the first transport protocol comprises a different protocol than the second transport protocol.