HTML device tags to control operational features of devices in an internet of things

• US 10,140,381 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trikha, Nitesh, Dry, William N., Pignataro, Carlos M., Srivastava, Pankaj, Radja, Coumara
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Manglesh M
• Application Number:
  US14/204,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20150261876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 715234, 715200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

A web browser executes on a device that has controllable operational features, such as sensor, actuator, and process-related features, and that is connected to other devices via a network. The web browser receives a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document including HTML device tags. Each of the HTML device tags includes a command configured to control a corresponding one of the operational features of the device. The web browser determines, based on each HTML device tag, the command therein to control the corresponding operational feature. The web browser issues the determined command to the corresponding operational feature so as to control the operational feature.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a web browser configured to execute on a displayless Internet of Things (IoT) device that has controllable operational features and is configured to connect to other devices via a network;

receiving a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document including HTML device tags each including a command configured to control a corresponding one of the operational features;

accessing a device object model (DOM) that represents the operational features of the displayless IoT device;

parsing each of the HTML device tags based on the DOM to identify the command included therein;

determining if a particular HTML device tag of the HTML device tags is applicable to the displayless IoT device based on a device name, make, and model indicated in the particular HTML device tag;

if it is determined that the particular HTML device tag is applicable to the displayless IoT device, issuing the command to the corresponding operational feature to control a physical aspect of the corresponding operational feature; and

if it is determined that the particular HTML device tag is not applicable to the displayless IoT device, sending the HTML document to a next one of other IoT devices in the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the operational features of the displayless IoT device include a sensor, an actuator, and a process that is performed by the displayless IoT device;

collectively, the HTML device tags include commands intended to control the sensor, the actuator, and the process; and

the issuing includes issuing the commands to corresponding ones of the sensor, the actuator, and the process to control the sensor, the actuator, and the process responsive to the HTML device tags.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the issuing includes issuing the commands to cause actions that identify, configure, collect information from, and activate various ones of the sensor, actuator, and the process.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the DOM represents the operational features of the displayless IoT device as different objects and defines hierarchical relationships between the different objects and parsing based on the DOM further comprises:

interpreting each of the HTML device tags based on the different objects and the hierarchical relationships of the DOM.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the DOM includes accessing:

a process object of the DOM corresponding to a first operational feature including a process performed by the displayless IoT device;

an actuator object of the DOM corresponding to a second operational feature including a device actuator associated with the process; and

a sensor object of the DOM corresponding to a third operational feature including a device sensor associated with the process.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the HTML document and the HTML device tags included therein are formatted according to the HTML5 standard.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayless IoT device is an edge computing device that is connected at an edge of the network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the HTML document to the next one of the other IoT devices comprises:

sending a web browser-to-web browser communication using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

9. A displayless Internet of Things (IoT) apparatus comprising:

a network interface unit configured to send and receive communications over a network;

a processor coupled to the network interface unit and configured to;

execute a web browser configured to communicate with a set of application program interfaces through which the web browser controls controllable operational features of the displayless IoT apparatus;

receive, by the web browser, a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document including HTML device tags each including a command configured to control a corresponding one of the operational features;

access, by the web browser, a device object model (DOM) that represents the operational features of the displayless IoT apparatus;

parse, by the web browser, each of the HTML device tags based on the DOM to identify the command included therein;

determine if a particular HTML device tag of the HTML device tags is applicable to the displayless IoT apparatus based on an apparatus name, make, and model indicated in the particular HTML device tag;

if it is determined that the particular HTML device tag is applicable to the displayless IoT apparatus, issue, by the web browser, the command to the corresponding operational feature to control a physical aspect of the corresponding operational feature;

if it is determined that the particular HTML device tag is not applicable to the displayless IoT apparatus, send the HTML document to a next one of other IoT apparatuses in the network.

10. The displayless IoT apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the web browser is configured to communicate with other web browsers executing on other IoT devices via the network;

the operational features include a sensor, an actuator, and a process;

collectively, the HTML device tags include commands intended to control the sensor, the actuator, and the process; and

the processor is configured to issue the commands to corresponding ones of the sensor, the actuator, and the process to control the sensor, the actuator, and the process responsive to the HTML device tags.

11. The displayless IoT apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to issue the commands to cause actions that identify, configure, collect information from, and activate various ones of the sensor, actuator, and the process.

12. The displayless IoT apparatus of claim 9, wherein the DOM represents the operational features of the displayless IoT apparatus as different objects and defines hierarchical relationships between the different objects and the processor is configured to parse by:

interpreting each of the HTML device tags based on the different objects and the hierarchical relationships of the DOM.

13. The displayless IoT apparatus of claim 9, wherein the DOM includes:

a process object of the DOM corresponding to a first operational feature including a process performed by the displayless IoT apparatus;

an actuator object of the DOM corresponding to a second operational feature including an apparatus actuator associated with the process; and

a sensor object of the DOM corresponding to a third operational feature including an apparatus sensor associated with the process.

14. The displayless IoT apparatus of claim 9, wherein the HTML document and the HTML device tags included therein are formatted according to the HTML5 standard.

15. The displayless IoT apparatus of claim 9, wherein the displayless IoT apparatus is an edge computing device that is connected at an edge of the network.

16. The displayless IoT apparatus of claim 9, wherein in sending the HTML document to the next one of the other IoT devices, the processor:

sends a web browser-to-web browser communication using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

17. A non-transitory processor readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

execute a web browser configured to communicate with a set of application program interfaces through which the web browser controls controllable operational features of a displayless Internet of Things (IoT) device connected to a network of other IoT devices;

receive, by the web browser, a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document including HTML device tags each including a command configured to control a corresponding one of the operational features;

access, by the web browser, a device object model (DOM) that represents the operational features of the displayless IoT device;

parse, by the web browser, each of the HTML device tags based on the DOM to identify the command included therein; and

determine if a particular HTML device tag is applicable to the displayless IoT device based on a device name, make, and model indicated in the particular HTML device tag;

if it is determined that the particular HTML device tag is applicable to the displayless IoT device, issue, by the web browser, the command to the corresponding operational feature to control a physical aspect of the corresponding operational feature; and

if it is determined that the particular HTML device tag is not applicable to the displayless IoT device, send the HTML document to a next one of the other IoT devices connected to the network.

18. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 17, wherein:

the web browser is configured to communicate with other web browsers executing on the other IoT devices;

collectively, the HTML device tags include commands intended to control a sensor, an actuator, and a process of the displayless IoT device; and

the instructions to cause the processor to issue include instructions to cause the processor to issue the commands to corresponding ones of the sensor, the actuator, and the process to control the sensor, the actuator, and the process responsive to the HTML device tags.

19. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions to cause the processor to issue include instructions to cause the processor to issue the commands to cause actions that identify, configure, collect information from, and activate various ones of the sensor, actuator, and the process.

20. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 17, wherein the DOM represents the operational features of the displayless IoT device as different objects and defines hierarchical relationships between the different objects and the instructions to cause the processor to parse include instruction to cause the processor to:

interpret each of the HTML device tags based on the different objects and the hierarchical relationships of the DOM.

21. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 17, wherein the DOM includes:

a process object of the DOM corresponding to a first operational feature including a process performed by the displayless IoT device;

an actuator object of the DOM corresponding to a second operational feature including a device actuator associated with the process; and

a sensor object of the DOM corresponding to a third operational feature including a device sensor associated with the process.

22. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 17, wherein the HTML document and the HTML device tags included therein are formatted according to the HTML5 standard.

23. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 17, wherein the displayless IoT device is an edge computing device that is connected at an edge of the network.

24. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions that cause the processor to send the HTML document to the next one of the other IoT devices comprise instructions that cause the processor to:

send a web browser-to-web browser communication using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).