Detection of RVU capable devices

• US 9,398,119 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2013
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MaxLinear Communications, LLC (f/k/a Entropic Communications, LLC) (Maxlinear Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Entropic Communications, LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Li, Guohua, Jogadhenu, Sagar, Hu, Zhifeng
• Primary Examiner(s): SMARTH, GERALD A
• Application Number:
  US14/084,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20150138997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

Devices and methods for quickly and definitively detecting whether or not a device is RVU capable. Aspects of the disclosed method and apparatus make use of the RVU messaging protocol, which include a Discovery phase and a Description phase. In one embodiment, a stand-alone testing device includes functionality that can test for the existence of RVU capability in a network connected device; in another embodiment, a cable/data network interface device may be modified to include such functionality. One detection method exams messages transmitted by a device during a Discovery phase for unique indicia of RVU compliance by the device. Another detection method reads a data structure from a device during a Description phase and looks for unique indicia of RVU compliance by the device. An installation method provides a process for quickly and definitively detecting an RVU compliant device.

Claims

1. A method for detecting whether or not a device is RVU capable, including:

(a) detecting data packets received from a device to be tested;

(b) determining if any of the received data packets are of a specific type; and

(c) indicating if at least one received data packet of the specific type contains an indicia of RVU capability.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific type of data packet is an M-SEARCH packet.

3. A method for detecting whether or not a device is RVU capable, including:

(a) connecting a testing device to a device to be tested, the test device embodying the method

of claim 1 detecting whether or not a device is RVU capable;

(b) connecting a video conversion device to the tested device if the tested device is not RVU capable; and

(c) connecting a cable/data network interface device to the tested device if the tested device is RVU capable.

4. A test device for detecting whether or not a device is RVU capable, including:

(a) a network interface configured to be coupled to a device to be tested; and

(b) a processor programmed to receive data packets from the device to be tested;

determine if any of the received data packets are of a specific type; and

indicate if at least one received data packet of the specific type contains an indicia of RVU capability.

5. The test device of claim 4, wherein the specific type of data packet is an M-SEARCH packet.

6. The test device of claim 4, wherein the test device is a cable/data network interface device.

7. A test device for detecting whether or not a device is RVU capable, including:

(a) network interface circuitry configured to be coupled to a device to be tested; and

(b) receiver circuitry configured for receiving data packets from the device to be tested, determining if any of the received data packets are of a specific type, and indicating if at least one received data packet of the specific type contains an indicia of RVU capability.

8. The test device of claim 7, wherein the specific type of data packet is an M-SEARCH packet.

9. The test device of claim 7, wherein the test device is a cable/data network interface device.

10. A method for detecting whether or not a device is RVU capable, including:

(a) transmitting a first data packet type to a device to be tested;

(b) receiving a second data packet type from the device to be tested, the second data packet

type containing an address to a data structure in the device to be tested;

(c) reading the data structure from the device to be tested; and

(d) indicating if the read data structure contains an indicia of RVU capability.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first data packet type is an M-SEARCH packet, and the second data packet type is an M-NOTIFY packet.

12. A test device for detecting whether or not a device is RVU capable, including:

(a) a network interface configured to be coupled to a device to be tested;

(b) a processor programmed to transmit a first data packet type to the device to be tested;

receive a second data packet type from the device to be tested, the second data packet type containing an address to a data structure in the device to be tested;

read the data structure from the device to be tested; and

indicate if the read data structure contains an indicia of RVU capability.

13. The test device of claim 12, wherein the first data packet type is an M-SEARCH packet, and the second data packet type is an M-NOTIFY packet.

14. The test device of claim 12, wherein the test device is a cable/data network interface device.

15. A test device for detecting whether or not a device is RVU capable, including:

(a) network interface circuitry configured to be coupled to a device to be tested;

(b) transmitter circuitry configured for transmitting a first data packet type to a device to be tested;

receiving a second data packet type from the device to be tested, the second data packet type containing an address to a data structure in the device to be tested;

reading the data structure from the device to be tested; and

indicating if the read data structure contains an indicia of RVU capability.

16. The test device of claim 15, wherein the first data packet type is an M-SEARCH packet, and the second data packet type is an M-NOTIFY packet.

17. The test device of claim 16, wherein the test device is a cable/data network interface device.