Network based device for providing RFID middleware functionality
First Claim
1. A method of controlling a network, the method comprising:
- receiving a message relating to an RFID device network or a sensor network;
determining an application layer protocol that was used to transmit the message;
determining a message termination technique that is associated with the application layer protocol;
determining the message contents, based at least in part on the message termination technique; and
performing at least one action according to the message contents.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Some embodiments of the present invention provide middleware functionality integrated into a module of a network device, such as a router or switch, that is configured to provide application-oriented network (“AON”) services. Some preferred implementations of the invention provide policy-based application services for RFID data, such as conditional routing, security (encryption, identification, authentication and authorization), data translation and/or transformation, data compression, data caching, etc. Some preferred implementations can interpret an application request and route to an appropriate network address of an RFID reader. Preferably, ALE (application-level event) aggregation and filtering can also be performed on behalf of the application. Some methods of the invention allow event data to be sent to applications (including but not limited to business applications) as request-response messages. Other methods of the invention allow event data to be sent to applications in the form of asynchronous notifications.
115 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of controlling a network, the method comprising:
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receiving a message relating to an RFID device network or a sensor network; determining an application layer protocol that was used to transmit the message; determining a message termination technique that is associated with the application layer protocol; determining the message contents, based at least in part on the message termination technique; and performing at least one action according to the message contents. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A network device, comprising:
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a first plurality of network interfaces configured for communication with a plurality of RFID readers; an application layer event (“
ALE”
) adapter for processing reads from the RFID readers;a second network interface configured for communication with networked devices executing RFID-related applications; and an AON module configured to perform the following steps; receive a first ALE request from one of the networked devices; preprocess the first ALE request; issue a second ALE request to the ALE adapter; and process an ALE response from the ALE adapter; wherein the ALE adapter is further configured to make read requests to one or more selected RFID readers of the plurality of RFID readers and to create the ALE response according to at least one RFID read. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A device for controlling a network, the device comprising:
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means for receiving a message relating to an RFID device network or a sensor network; means for determining an application layer protocol that was used to transmit the message; means for determining a message termination technique that is associated with the application layer protocol; means for determining the message contents, based at least in part on the message termination technique; and means for performing at least one action according to the message contents. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification