Legacy device bridge for residential or non-residential networks
First Claim
1. A method for controlling a consumer electronic device via a network that communicates information in accordance with a packet-based communication protocol, wherein the consumer electronic device is not adapted for communication in accordance with the packet-based communication protocol, comprising:
- receiving a command from a device communicatively coupled to the network, wherein the command is formatted in accordance with the packet-based communication protocol;
determining if the command originated from a particular control server communicatively coupled to the network;
in response to determining that the command did originate from the particular control server,converting the command into a format suitable for communication with the consumer electronic device; and
transmitting the converted command to the consumer electronic device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A legacy device bridge for use in a network, such as a wired or wireless residential network, is provided. The legacy device bridge performs protocol conversion to enable a network-attached entity that uses a packet-based communication protocol to communicate with and control legacy devices, such as consumer electronics, that rely exclusively on infrared (IR) or serial communication protocols. The legacy device bridge also performs a virtualization function that allows legacy devices to be advertised to the network as devices that comply with a packet-based discovery and control protocol, and to be controlled as such. The legacy device bridge is also adapted to probe, deduce and publish information relating to the state of a legacy device to other entities on the network.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a consumer electronic device via a network that communicates information in accordance with a packet-based communication protocol, wherein the consumer electronic device is not adapted for communication in accordance with the packet-based communication protocol, comprising:
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receiving a command from a device communicatively coupled to the network, wherein the command is formatted in accordance with the packet-based communication protocol; determining if the command originated from a particular control server communicatively coupled to the network; in response to determining that the command did originate from the particular control server, converting the command into a format suitable for communication with the consumer electronic device; and transmitting the converted command to the consumer electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A legacy device bridge for controlling a consumer electronic device via a network that communicates information in accordance with a packet-based communication protocol, wherein the consumer electronic device does not communicate in accordance with the packet-based communication protocol, the legacy device bridge comprising:
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a network interface that receives a command from a device communicatively coupled to the network, wherein the command is formatted in accordance with the packet-based communication protocol; determining means for determining if the command originated from a particular control server communicatively coupled to the network; conversion means for converting the command into a format suitable for communication with the consumer electronic device; and a legacy device interface for transmitting the converted command to the consumer electronic device; wherein the conversion means and the legacy device interface operate only responsive to a determination by the determining means that the command originated from the particular control server. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A network system, comprising:
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a network that communicates information in accordance with a packet-based communication protocol; a consumer electronic device that does not communicate in accordance with the packet-based communication protocol; a legacy device bridge coupled to the network; and a controller device coupled to the network that generates a command for controlling the consumer electronic device, wherein the command is formatted in accordance with the packet-based communication protocol; wherein the legacy device bridge receives the command via the network, determines if the command originated from a particular control server communicatively coupled to the network, and, in response to a determination that the command did originate from the particular control server; converts the command into a format suitable for communication with the consumer electronic device, and transmits the converted command to the consumer electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification