METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMMAND SYNCHRONIZATION

• US 20140172948A1
• Filed: 02/03/2014
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jianrong Chen, Kecheng Lu, Lejun Zhu, Wei Zhang, Yanbing Zhu, Yuman Zhang
• Original Assignee: Lejun Zhu
• Inventors: Lu, Kecheng, Zhu, Lejun, Zhang, Wei, Zhu, Yanbing, Chen, Jianrong, Zhang, Yuman
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/02 Standardisation; Integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

Method and apparatus for command synchronization is described. In some embodiments, a remote system may set up a user interactive session with a local device according to a user interaction protocol. The remote system may insert a predetermined execution time into a first command and send the first command to a local device according to the user interaction protocol. The first command, when executed on the local device, causes a second command compliant with the user interaction protocol to execute on the local device at the predetermined execution time.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising instructions, which, when executed by a processor of a device, provide the device with a command execution module to:

receive a synchronous command and a protocol command from a remote system, wherein the protocol command is associated with content received by the remote system; and

execute the synchronous command, when the synchronous command is executable, to cause the protocol command to be scheduled for execution at a time specified by the synchronous command, wherein the time specified by the synchronous command is indicated in terms of;

a time that elapses after rendering of an identified content frame, of the received content, by the device,

a predetermined universal time, or

an identifier of a content frame, of the received content, to be rendered by the device.

22. The computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the command execution module is further to:

determine whether the synchronous command is executable prior to execution of the synchronous command; and

send a notification that the synchronous command is unexecutable to the remote system, when it is determined that the synchronous command is unexecutable.

23. The computer-readable media of claim 22, wherein the command module is further to:

immediately execute the protocol command when it is determined that the synchronous command is unexecutable.

24. The computer-readable media of claim 22, wherein the command execution module is further to send a current time of the device to the remote system upon a request from the remote system to enable the remote system to determine a time at which to cause the protocol command to execute on the device, when it is determined that the synchronous command is unexecutable.

25. The computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the synchronous command and the protocol command are received by the remote system, via a user interactive session with the remote system.

26. The computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the protocol command is received at a later time than the synchronous command.

27. The computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the protocol command is compliant with the extended device remote transfer (XRT) protocol.

28. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising instructions, which, when executed by a processor of a system, provide the system with a command module to:

generate a synchronous command indicating a time at which a remote device is to execute a protocol command, wherein the protocol command is associated with content transmitted to the remote device; and

transmit the synchronous command and the protocol command to the remote device for execution, wherein execution of the synchronous command causes the protocol command to be scheduled for execution at the time indicated by the synchronous command where the time indicated by the synchronous command is indicated in terms of;

a time that elapses after rendering of an identified content frame, of the transmitted content, by the remote device,

a predetermined universal time, or

an identifier of a content frame, of the transmitted content, to be rendered by the remote device.

29. The computer-readable storage media of claim 28, wherein the command module is further to:

receive a notification from the remote device indicating that the synchronous command is unexecutable;

continuously transmit requests for a local time of the remote device to determine a current time at the remote device that is proximal or equal to the execution time indicated by the synchronous command; and

send the protocol command for immediate execution when it is determined that the current time at the remote device is proximal or equal to the execution time indicated by the synchronous command.

30. The computer-readable storage media of claim 28, wherein the synchronous command and the protocol command are transmitted via a user interactive session established over the network with the remote device.

31. The computer-readable storage media of claim 28, wherein the protocol command is transmitted at a time after the transmission of the synchronous command.

32. The computer-readable storage media of claim 28, wherein the protocol command is compliant with an extended device remote transfer (XRT) protocol.

33. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

a network card, coupled with the processor, to communicatively couple the computing device with a network; and

a command execution module, coupled with the processor, which, when operated by the processor, causes the computing device to;

receive a synchronous command and a protocol command from a remote system over the network, wherein the protocol command is associated with content received by the computing device over the network; and

execute the synchronous command, when the synchronous command is executable, to cause the protocol command to be scheduled for execution at a time specified by the synchronous command, wherein the time specified by the synchronous command is indicated in terms of;

a time that elapses after rendering of an identified content frame, of the received content, by the device,

a predetermined universal time, or

an identifier of a content frame, of the received content, to be rendered by the device.

34. The computing device of claim 33, wherein the command execution module further causes the computing device to:

determine whether the synchronous command is executable prior to execution of the synchronous command; and

transmit a notification that the synchronous command is unexecutable to the remote system, when it is determined that the synchronous command is unexecutable.

35. The computing device of claim 34, wherein the command execution module further causes the computing device to immediately execute the protocol command when it is determined that the synchronous command is unexecutable.

36. The computing device of claim 34, wherein the command execution module further causes the computing device to send a current time of the computing device to the remote system, upon a request from the remote system, to enable the remote system to determine a time at which to cause the protocol command to execute on the computing device, when it is determined that the synchronous command is unexecutable.

37. The computing device of claim 33, wherein the synchronous command and the protocol command are received via a user interactive session established over the network with the remote system.

38. The computing device of claim 33, wherein the protocol command is received at a later time than the synchronous command.

39. The computing device of claim 33, wherein the protocol command is compliant with an extended device remote transfer (XRT) protocol.

40. A computing system comprising:

a processor;

a network card, coupled with the processor, to communicatively couple the computing system with a network; and

a command module, coupled with the processor, which, when operated by the processor, causes the computing system to;

generate a synchronous command indicating a time at which a remote device is to execute a protocol command, wherein the protocol command is associated with content transmitted to the remote device; and

transmit the synchronous command and the protocol command to the remote device for execution, wherein execution of the synchronous command causes the protocol command to be scheduled for execution at the time indicated by the synchronous command where the time indicated by the synchronous command is indicated in terms of;

a time that elapses after rendering of an identified content frame, of the transmitted content, by the remote device,

a predetermined universal time, or

an identifier of a content frame, of the transmitted content, to be rendered by the remote device.

41. The computing system of claim 40, wherein the command module further causes the computing system to:

receive a notification from the remote device indicating that the synchronous command is unexecutable;

continuously transmit requests for a local time of the remote device to determine a current time at the remote device that is proximal or equal to the execution time indicated by the synchronous command;

transmit the protocol command for immediate execution by the remote device when it is determined that the current time at the remote device is proximal or equal to the execution time indicated by the synchronous command.

42. The computing system of claim 40, wherein the synchronous command and the protocol command are transmitted via a user interactive session established over the network with the remote device.

43. The computing system of claim 40, wherein the protocol command is transmitted at a time after the transmission of the synchronous command.

44. The computing system of claim 40, wherein the protocol command is compliant with an extended device remote transfer (XRT) protocol.