Apparatus and method for managing and controlling UPnP devices in home network over external internet network

• US 7,325,057 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2006
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Park, Kwang Roh, Kim, Dong Hee, Oh, Yeon Ju, Kim, Hyoung Su, Lim, Kyung Shik, Cho, Chunglae, Chae, Kyung Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue; Larry D.
• Application Number:
  US11/440,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20060230130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-224, 717/118, 717/120
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An apparatus and method for managing and controlling UPnP devices in a home network over an external Internet network. The apparatus comprises a client connected to the external Internet network, and a UPnP proxy server for controlling and managing the UPnP devices in the home network. The client includes a stub for providing the same application program interface (API) as a UPnP API to a user, managing information of the UPnP devices and processing a device control command from the user, and a push client for transferring the device control command processed by the stub to the UPnP proxy server and an event message from the UPnP proxy server to the stub, respectively. The UPnP proxy server includes a bridge for managing the UPnP devices in the home network and controlling a specific one of the UPnP devices in response to the device control command from the client, and an agent for transferring the device control command from the client to the bridge and a result of execution of the device control command and the event message from the bridge to the client, respectively.

Claims

1. A method for managing and controlling UPnP devices in a home network over an external Internet network using a UPnP proxy system which has a client connected to the external Internet network, wherein the client includes a stub for providing the same application program interface (API) as a UPnP API to a user, and a UPnP proxy server for controlling and managing the UPnP devices in the home network, said method comprising the steps of:

a) allowing said UPnP proxy server to discover said UPnP devices in said home network, acquire information of said UPnP devices, create a device list on the basis of the acquired information and create a Web page of the created device list, by allowing said proxy server to receive advertisement messages from said UPnP devices, manage said device list on the basis of the received advertisement messages, receive a device description from a new UPnP device and store the received device description in a structural manner; and

allowing said proxy server to convert said device list into a Web page interpretable by said client in response to a change in its connection with said specific UPnP device,

b) allowing said client to select a specific one of said UPnP devices, to be controlled by a user, from said Web page and acquire information of the selected specific UPnP device;

c) allowing said proxy server to register an event with respect to said specific UPnP device and control said specific device in response to a device control command from said client;

d) allowing said proxy server to receive an event message from said specific UPnP device in response to a change in state of said specific device and send the received event message to said client; and

e) ending the control for said specific UPnP device and releasing the event registration.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said allowing said client to select a specific one of said UPnP devices includes the step of:

1) allowing said client to request and store a device description and service description of said specific UPnP device from said proxy server.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said allowing said client to select a specific one of said UPnP devices further includes the step of:

1) allowing said proxy server to request and receive said service description from said specific UPnP device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said allowing said proxy server to register an event includes the steps of:

1) allowing said client to send a device control command message to said proxy server;

2) allowing said proxy server to search for said information of said specific UPnP device and send said device control command message to said specific UPnP device in said home network through a UPnP application program interface (API); and

3) allowing said proxy server to, if the control for said specific UPnP device is completed, receive a control result message from said specific device and send it to said client.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said allowing said proxy server to register an event includes the steps of:

1) allowing said proxy server to store event registration information with respect to said specific UPnP device in response to an event registration message from said client;

2) allowing said proxy server to send said event registration message to said specific UPnP device in said home network; and

3) allowing said proxy server to send an event registration confirm message to said client if the event registration of said specific UPnP device is completed.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said allowing said proxy server to register an event includes the steps of:

1) allowing said proxy server to receive an event registration request message from said client;

2) allowing said proxy server to request and receive a wireless presentation page and wireless service description from said specific UPnP device; and

3) allowing said proxy server to register said event with respect to said specific UPnP device and send an event registration result to said client.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said allowing said proxy server to receive includes the step of:

1) allowing said proxy server to, if said event message from said specific UPnP device is an event message of a previously registered device, convert it into a message interpretable by said client and send the converted message to said client.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said allowing said proxy server to receive further includes the steps of:

2) allowing said client to request and receive a presentation page from said UPnP proxy server upon receiving the converted event message from said proxy server.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said client is adapted to receive said device control command from said user through the same API as a UPnP API and send a result of execution of said control command to said user through the same API.