XML-based language description for controlled devices

• US 7,130,895 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Leach, Paul J., Gandhi, Amar S., Ford, Peter S., Gu, Ye, Zintel, William Michael, Cai, Ting, Knight, Holly N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prieto, Beatriz
• Application Number:
  US09/811,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20020035621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,055 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/223, 715505-508, 715/513, 379/100.06, 719/318
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• 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 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A device control model provides an integrated set of addressing, naming, discovery and description processes that enables automatic, dynamic and ad-hoc self-setup by devices to interoperate with other devices on a network. This permits a computing device when introduced into a network to automatically configure so as to connect and interact with other computing devices available on the network, without a user installation experience and without downloading driver software or persisting a configuration setup for connecting and interacting with such other computing devices. Upon completing interaction with such other devices, the computing device automatically releases the setup for such other devices so as to avoid persistent device configurations that might create a configuration maintenance and management burden.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a user-selectable service on a controlled device in an ad hoc network, the method comprising:

creating a definition of the controlled device using an XML-based language, wherein the definition includes a service control protocol definition;

storing the definition on at least one computer-readable medium;

identifying a set of states in a service state table on the controlled device in accordance with the service control protocol definition for the user-selectable service;

determining a set of commands in accordance with the service control protocol definition to control the user-selectable service and to update the set of states identified byte service state table; and

generating a service control protocol in accordance with the service control protocol definition to interact with the user-selectable service, wherein the service control protocol comprises plural network messages having a content and a sequence used to interact with the user-selectable service;

wherein the definition of the controlled device comprises XML-language elements to identify on the controlled device the manufacturer, model name, and model description;

wherein the definition comprises a root device element, a unique device name element, a friendly name element, a device type element and an icon list element.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the storing comprises storing the definition on a computer-readable medium resident at the controlled device.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the storing comprises storing at least part of the definition on a computer-readable medium located remotely from the controlled device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the icon list element comprises an icon element, an icon size element, an icon color element, an icon depth element, an icon image type element, and an icon image element.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the controlled device is configured at least with one of:

networking capabilities according to Universal Plug and Play standards and transport message mechanism according to General Event Notification Architecture (GENA) standards and Simple Service Discovery protocol standards.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the service control protocol comprises a wire protocol definition, a sequence definition, and a content definition.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the definition of the controlled device further comprises a service element.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the service element comprises a service type element, a control URL element, an event subscription URL element, and a service control protocol declaration element.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the service control protocol definition comprises an XML document consisting of a root element, a service state table element, and an action list element.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the service state table element comprises a set of state variable elements to represent the set of states in the service state table.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the action list element comprises a set of action elements to specify the name of an action to invoked on the controlled device.

12. A computer-readable data-carrying media having encoded thereon a software program executable on a computing device for performing a method for accessing a user-selectable service on a controlled device in an ad hoc network the method comprising:

creating a definition of the controlled device using an XML-based language, wherein the definition includes a service control protocol definition;

storing the definition on at least one computer-readable medium;

identifying a set of states in a service state table on the controlled device in accordance with the service control protocol definition for the user-selectable service;

determining a set of commands in accordance with the service control protocol definition to control the user-selectable service and to update the set of states identified byte service state table; and

generating a service control protocol in accordance with the service control protocol definition to interact with the user-selectable service, wherein the service control protocol comprises plural network messages having a content and a sequence used to interact with the user-selectable service;

wherein the definition of the controlled device comprises XML-language elements to identify on the controlled device the manufacturer, model name, and model description;

wherein the definition comprises a root device element, a unique device name element, a friendly name element, a device type element, and an icon list element.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the icon list element comprises an icon element, an icon size element, an icon color element, an icon depth element, an icon image type element, and an icon image element.

14. The media of claim 12, wherein the controlled device is configured at least with one of:

networking capabilities according to Universal Plug and Play standards and transport message mechanism according to General Event Notification Architecture (GENA) standards and Simple Service Discovery protocol standards.

15. The media of claim 12, wherein the service control protocol comprises a wire protocol definition, a sequence definition, and a content definition.

16. The media of claim 12, wherein the definition of the controlled device further comprises a service element.

17. The media of claim 16, wherein the service element comprises a service type element, a control URL element, an event subscription URL element, and a service control protocol declaration element.

18. The media of claim 12, wherein the service control protocol definition comprises an XML document consisting of a root element, a service state table element, and an action list element.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein the service state table element comprises a set of state variable elements to represent the set of states in the service state table.

20. The media of claim 18, wherein the action list element comprises a set of action elements to specify the name of an action to invoked on the controlled device.