Protocol for a remote control device to enable control of network attached devices

• US 6,853,841 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2000
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: St. Pierre, Robert P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DAVID Q
• Application Number:
  US09/696,274
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 455/420, 455/345, 709/220, 709/203, 340/539, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 455/420
• 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 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention addresses the difficulties of controlling new devices which have been added to a network. A network protocol, the NetCTL protocol, enables a remote control device to dynamically learn the command codes of a newly network attached device if the new device is executing the protocol. The intervention of a system administrator is not necessary since the dynamic teaming process happens automatically when the new device is attached to the network. Because the protocol allows the remote control device to learn the codes dynamically, there is no need to consult previously written tables of commands which can omit the codes for newly invented devices. A user of the remote control device which has “learned” the codes (i.e. acquired the codes) for a network attached device is able to control that device, regardless of the device'"'"'s physical location, by selecting and sending the network attached device a command code to perform an operation.

Claims

1. In a remote control device interfaced with a network, said network having at least one additional device coupled thereto, a method, comprising the steps of:

providing a protocol enabling the dynamic retrieval of at least one command codes for said at least one additional device, said protocol being executed by said at least one additional device and said remote control device;

dynamically locating and identifying said at least one additional device using said remote control device,

dynamically retrieving the command codes for said identified device; and

with the protocol, controlling the operations of said identified device using said dynamically retrieved command codes.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of sending communications over an Internet Protocol (IP) based network using the protocol.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

dynamically locating and identifying multiple devices with the remote control device using the protocol.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

controlling the operations of multiple devices with the remote control device using the protocol.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprise the steps of:

sending a request using said protocol from said remote control to said identified device for a list of command codes; and

receiving at said remote control a list of command codes from the identified device using the protocol.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

sending received command codes to said identified device from the remote control device using the protocol.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

displaying on the display surface of said remote control a list of the identified devices available to a user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said method comprises the step of:

selecting a device to control from among those fisted on the display surface of the remote control device, said selection performed by a user of the remote control device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

with the protocol, said identified device receiving a request for its command codes from said remote control device, and

with the protocol, said identified device providing said command codes to the remote control device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprise the step of:

with the protocol, said identified device providing its command codes and an associated text suing for each code to the remote control device in response to a request from the remote control device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

with the protocol, said identified device providing its command codes and an associated graphical image for each command code to the remote control device in response to a request from the remote control device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

with the protocol, said identified device providing its command codes and an associated graphical image and text string for each command code to the remote control device, in response to a request from the remote control device.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

with the protocol, said identified device receiving and executing one of its command codes from said remote control device.

14. A medium for use with a remote control device interfaced with a network, said network having at least one additional device coupled thereto, said medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising the steps of:

providing a protocol enabling the dynamic retrieval of at least one command codes for said at least one additional device, said protocol beg executed by said at least one additional device and said remote control device;

dynamically locating and identifying said at least one additional device using said remote control device;

dynamically retrieving the command codes for said identified device; and

with the protocol, controlling the operations of said identified device using said dynamically retrieved command codes.

15. The medium of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

with the protocol, sliding communications over an Internet Protocol (IP) based network.

16. The medium of claim 14 wherein said network is located in a motor vehicle.

17. The medium of claim 14 wherein said remote control device includes a touch pad display screen.