Virtual device control modules and function control modules implemented in a home audio/video network

• US 6,963,784 B1
• Filed: 10/16/1998
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gibbs, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Michalski, Justin
• Application Number:
  US09/174,078
• Time in Patent Office: 2,580 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 710/72, 710/10
• US Class Current: 700/94
• 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 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances

Abstract

A virtual device control module for interfacing with a target device is disclosed. A DCM (device control module) is operable for interfacing with the target device, wherein the DCM includes a first FCM (function control module) and a second FCM operable for controlling respective first and second functional components of the target device. The first FCM can be a physical FCM operable for controlling the operation of the first functional component, and the second FCM can be a virtual FCM operable for controlling the operation of a second functional component.

Claims

1. A system for providing software based extended functionality of a target device in a home audio video network, the system comprising:

a computer system included within a host device coupled to the home audio video network, the computer system having a processor coupled to a memory via a bus, the computer system configured to enable proxy control of a target device coupled to the home audio video network by executing software stored in the memory, wherein the software causes the computer system to implement;

a DCM (device control module) operable for interfacing with the target device, wherein the DCM includes a first FCM (function control module) and a second FCM operable for controlling respective first and second functional components of the target device;

the first FCM being a physical FCM operable for controlling the operation of the first functional component; and

the second FCM being a virtual FCM operable for controlling the operation of a second functional component, wherein the second functional component is a virtual functional component implemented using software executing on the computer system within the host device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the DCM is configured to provide a standardized DCM interface operable to enable proxy control of the target device by an external device coupled to the home audio video network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual FCM is configured to provide a standardized interface for the virtual functional component to enable control of the virtual functional component via the standardized DCM interface.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual functional component is a software based process executing on the host device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first FCM and the second FCM are configured to present standardized control interfaces and standardized content interfaces to an external device coupled to the home audio video network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second FCM is adapted to be transferred to the host device from an external device via the home audio video network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second FCM is implemented in Java bytecode.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the home audio video network is HAVI (Home Audio Video Interoperability) specification compliant.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein the virtual FCM controls the operation of the virtual functional component by assembling a plurality of different FCMs from a corresponding plurality of different devices.

27. The system of claim 1 wherein the virtual functional component corresponds to a virtual device assembled from a plurality of different devices.

9. A system for extending the functionality of a home audio video network through the implementation of a virtual device, the system comprising:

a host device coupled to a home audio video network;

a computer system included within the host device, the computer system having a processor coupled to a memory via a bus, the computer system configured to enable proxy control of a target device coupled to the home audio video network by executing software stored in the memory, wherein the software causes the computer system to implement;

a virtual DCM (device control module) operable for interfacing with a virtual device, wherein the virtual DCM includes a first FCM (function control module) and a second FCM operable for controlling respective first and second functional components of the virtual device; and

a standardized interface operable to enable proxy control of the virtual device by an external device coupled to the home audio video network, wherein the standardized interface is provided by the virtual DCM.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the virtual DCM wherein the first functional component is a physical component in a first device, and the second functional component is a physical component in a second device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first FCM and the second FCM is a virtual FCM operable for controlling the operation of a virtual functional component implemented using software executing on the computer system within the host device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual functional component is a software based process executing on the host device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual functional component is configured to present a standardized control interface.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual functional component is configured to present a standardized content interface to an external device coupled to the home audio video network.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual FCM is implemented in Java bytecode.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the virtual DCM is implemented in Java bytecode.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the home audio video network is HAVI (Home Audio Video Interoperability) specification compliant.

18. In a computer system included within a host device coupled to a home audio video network, a method for providing software based extended functionality of a target device coupled to the home audio video network, the method implemented by the computer system, wherein the computer system includes a processor coupled to a memory via a bus, the memory storing software which when executed by the processor cause the processor to implement the steps of:

a) interfacing with a target device coupled to a home audio video network via a DCM (device control module), wherein the DCM includes a first FCM (function control module) and a second FCM operable for controlling respective first and second functional components of the target device;

b) controlling the operation of the first functional component using the first FCM, wherein the first FCM is a physical FCM;

c) controlling the operation of the second functional component using the second FCM, wherein the second FCM is a virtual FCM and wherein the second functional component is a virtual functional component implemented using software executing on the computer system within the host device; and

d) implementing proxy control of the target device by an external device coupled to the home audio video network, wherein the external device controls the target device via the DCM.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the DCM is configured to provide a standardized DCM interface operable to enable proxy control of the target device by an external device coupled to the home audio video network.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the virtual FCM is configured to provide a standardized interface for the virtual functional component to enable control of the virtual functional component via the standardized DCM interface.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the virtual functional component is a software based process executing on the host device.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the first FCM and the second FCM are configured to present standardized control interfaces and standardized content interfaces to an external device coupled to the home audio video network.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the second FCM is adapted to be transferred to the host device from an external device via the home audio video network.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the second FCM is implemented in Java bytecode.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the home audio video network is HAVI (Home Audio Video Interoperability) specification compliant.