Communication method in a home network, network and device for implementing such a method

• US 9,736,003 B1
• Filed: 06/07/1999
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Bichot, Guillaume, Straub, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat N
• Application Number:
  US97/191,47
• Time in Patent Office: 6,644 Days
• Field of Search: 709202-203, 709206-207, 709217-219, 709225-230, 709245-246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40058 Isochronous transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention concerns a communication method in a home network comprising at least two devices connected to a communication bus, characterized in that, a first device including an internet application and a second device including means for connecting to the internet, said second device being able to manage at least one internet application protocol, said method comprises the steps of: sending a request from said first device to said second device for opening a connection between said first and second devices, wherein said request contains an internet application protocol identifier to identify the internet application protocol to be used over said connection; sending an internet protocol request under the format of said internet application protocol from said first device to said second device; forwarding said internet protocol request from said second device to an internet server; upon receipt; transferring a response from said internet server to said first device through said second device over said communication bus. The invention also concerns a network and a device for implementing the method above.

Claims

1. A communication method in a first network comprising at least first and second devices connected to a communication bus, wherein, the first device includes an internet application and second device includes means for connecting to a second network comprising an internet network, said method comprises:

sending a first request from said first device to said second device for opening a connection between said first and second devices;

sending an internet protocol request from said first device to said second device;

forwarding said internet protocol request from said second device to a third device comprising an internet server in said second network;

upon receipt, transferring a response from said third device in said second network to said first device through said second device over said communication bus; and

sending by the first device an internet application protocol identifier to the second device to identify an internet application protocol to be used between the first device and the third device in said second network for sending and/or receiving data, said internet application protocol being selected from among a plurality of protocols supported by the second device.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein a response by the second device to said request for opening a connection includes a message buffer size allocated to said connection by said second device.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein, on the communication bus, a sending device splits data to be sent to a receiving device into messages of a size which is smaller than the size of the message buffer of the receiving device.

4. A method according to claim 1, further including sending, by the first device to the second device, a request for a list of internet application protocols supported by said second device upon request from the first device.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising sending, by the first device to the second device, an address of a function of said first device, said second device sending internet responses to said first device as parameters of a call of said function.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said second device attributes a connection identifier to a connection requested by said first device, said connection identifier being sent from said first device to said second device as acknowledgment of receipt for said request for opening said connection.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said first and second devices systematically use said connection identifier as parameter for function calls by said first device to said second device or vice-versa.

8. A device for connection to a communication bus and to the Internet, said device being referred to as second device, said second device comprising an IP protocol stack, the device comprising:

a plurality of internet application protocols for forwarding requests and responses according to these protocols;

an application programmable interface for allowing an internet application of a first client device connected to the communication bus in a first network to select one of said internet application protocols by specifying an internet protocol identifier, for use between the first client device and a third device, comprising an internet server, in a second network comprising the internet network, the second device receiving from the first client device a request to open a connection between the second device and the first client device, the request including a message buffer size allocated to message reception by the first client device for the connection on the communication bus.

9. A device for connection to a communication bus and to the Internet, said device being referred to as a second device, said second device comprising an IP protocol stack, the device comprising:

a plurality of internet application protocols for forwarding requests and responses according to these protocols;

an application programmable interface configured to;

receive a first request from a first device for opening a connection between said first and second devices;

receive an internet protocol request from said first device;

forward said internet protocol request to a third device comprising an internet server in a second network;

upon receipt, transfer a response from said third device in said second network to said first device over said communication bus; and

receive from the first device an internet application protocol identifier that identifis an internet application protocol to be used between the first device and the third device in said second network for sending and/or receiving data, said internet application protocol being selected from among the plurality of protocols supported by said second device.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the application programmable interface is configured to transmit, in response to said request for opening a connection, a message including a message buffer size allocated to said connection by said second device.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein, on the communication bus, a sending device, comprising one of the first and second devices, splits data to be sent to a receiving device, comprising respective ones of the second and first devices, into messages of a size which is smaller than the size of the message buffer of the receiving device.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein the application programmable interface is further configured to receive from the first device a request for a list of internet application protocols supported by said second device upon request from the first device.

13. The device according to claim 9, wherein the application programmable interface is further configured to receive, from the first device, an address of a function of said first device, and in response send internet responses to said first device as parameters of a call of said function.

14. The device according to claim 9, wherein the application programmable interface is further configured to attribute a connection identifier to a connection requested by said first device, said connection identifier being received from said first device as acknowledgment of receipt for said request for opening said connection.

15. A device for connection to a communication bus and to the Internet, said device being referred to as a first device, said first device comprising:

an interface for connecting with a second device via the communication bus, the second device including means for connecting to a second network comprising an internet network;

an internet application, coupled with the interface for transmitting and receiving messages with the second device, the application configured to;

send a first request from said first device to said second device for opening a connection between said first and second devices;

send an internet protocol request from said first device to said second device;

receive from the second device a response from a third device, comprising an internet server in a second network, via the second device over the communication bus, the internet protocol request being forwarded from the second device to the third device; and

send an internet application protocol identifier to the second device to identify an internet application protocol to be used between the first device and the third device in said second network for sending and/or receiving data, said internet application protocol being selected from among a plurality of protocols supported by the second device.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the interface is configured to receive from the second device, in response to said request for opening a connection, a message including a message buffer size allocated to said connection by said second device.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein, on the communication bus, a sending device, comprising one of the first and second devices, splits data to be sent to a receiving device, comprising respective ones of the second and first devices, into messages of a size which is smaller than the size of the message buffer of the receiving device.

18. The device according to claim 15, wherein the interface is configured to send to the second device, a request for a list of internet application protocols supported by said second device upon request from the first device.

19. The device according to claim 15, wherein the interface is configured to send to the second device an address of a function of said first device, said second device sending internet responses to said first device as parameters of a call of said function.

20. The device according to claim 15, wherein the interface is configured to send a connection identifier to said second device as acknowledgment of receipt for said request for opening said connection, whereby said second device attributes a connection identifier to a connection requested by said first device.