Method and system for device recruitment interoperability and assembling unified interoperating device constellation

• US 7,788,663 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2005
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David E. Kahn
• Original Assignee: Covia Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Bernstein, Bruce, Mirabella, Richard, Pieb, Wolfgang, Illowsky, Daniel, Wenocur, Michael, Sidney, Ramond, Tiberi, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam; Tuan Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wei; Zheng
• Application Number:
  US11/176,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,910 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/449 Object-oriented method invocation or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 : the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 : considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 : Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 : Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 : via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 : Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 : In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 : Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 : Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 : Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1072 : Discovery involving ranked list compilation of candidate peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 : Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/328 : in the presentation layer [OSI layer 6]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 : having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 : Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

System, device, method, and computer program and computer program products for providing communicating between devices having similar or dissimilar characteristics and facilitating seamless interoperability between them. Computer program software and methods of and systems and devices for sharing of content, applications, resources and control across similar and dissimilar permanently or intermittently connected electronic devices. Devices, systems, appliances, and the like communicating and/or interoperating within the framework provided. A recruitment interoperability method and model provide an alternative to the conventional client-server and peer-to-peer device interoperability models. Recruitment is used by a software application package to forms teams of devices based on their capabilities and content and then intelligently spread portions of itself to the teams of devices which then work together to carry out the intended purpose of the application package.

Claims

1. In a system including an initiating device and a plurality of other reachable devices formed and coupled for communication as a device team and each other reachable device having a unification engine executing a unification program, a method of executing an individual cross-device pre-linked software application contained in a single binary image across the device team;

the cross-device pre-linked software application including a plurality of different sub-execution units initially only existing on said initiating device, configured on execution to programmatically determine and select which ones of a set of said other reachable devices different from the initiating device, should be formed into said device team;

said other reachable devices each running said unification program that is configured to execute said sub-execution units and being discoverable by the initiating device over one or more communications links when said other reachable devices are each running said unification program;

said devices in said formed device team simultaneously running said cross-device pre-linked software application program after receiving one or more sub-execution units optimized for execution on each of said other devices from said initiating device to run on each said selected other reachable device of the said device team, by automatically maintaining and synchronizing event queues on each teamed device to implement a virtual single unified event queue of the events that drive the cross-device pre-linked software application, resulting upon execution in one single synchronized and serialized event-driven runtime process running across all of said teamed devices to make use of their combined resources and capabilities to carry out the cross-device pre-linked software application, the method comprising;

performing an enumeration of said reachable other devices over said one or more communication links by a recruiting sub-execution unit running on the initiating device;

sending an inspection sub-execution unit over said one or more communications link to each said reachable other device that when run on said other reachable device unification program in a unification engine inspects said reachable other device the inspection sub-execution unit is running on for needed resources or capabilities, and then said other reachable device sending a return response back to the said recruiting sub-execution unit running on the said initiating device;

receiving by the initiating device said return response from each of said other reachable devices directly or indirectly over a communication links;

analyzing, by an initiating sub-execution unit executing on said initiating device, the received return responses from all responding other reachable devices to programmatically determine a utilization plan identifying a combination of capabilities and resources of the initiating source device in combination with the responding other reachable devices to optimally execute the cross-device pre-linked software application; and

distributing, by said initiating sub-execution unit executing on the initiating device, a runtime execution unit of the said sub-execution units to at least one of each of said other reachable devices identified as having a needed resource or capability according to the determined utilization plan.

2. The method of claim of 1, wherein each said sub-execution unit includes:

(a) executable code that is a linear contiguous proper subset range inside of the same one linear code space of the cross-device pre-linked software application.

3. The method of claim of 1, wherein each said sub-execution unit includes (a) program data that is a linear contiguous proper subset range inside of the same one linear data space of the cross-device pre-linked software application.

4. The method of claim of 1, wherein said cross-device pre-linked software application efficiently takes advantage of the different physical resources and capabilities of the other reachable devices formed into the team, in addition to efficiently utilizing the computational and storage resources of the other reachable devices, by sending only the particular sub-execution units needed to access each individual devices inspected resources and capabilities, wherein the particular sub-execution units may be different for different ones of the other reachable devices.

5. The method of claim of 1, wherein the method is performed without the participation of a central server.

6. The method of claim of 1, wherein the method is performed without prior knowledge of what tasks a device perform.

7. The method of claim of 1, wherein the method is performed without prior knowledge of what tasks a device perform, and the method further including exposing the low-level capabilities and resources of the reachable other device which are determined independently of any current or future application when the Unification program is written.

8. The method of claim of 1, wherein the method is performed without building or distributing separate executable code.

9. The method of claim of 1, wherein the method is performed without needing common standardized calling conventions that need to be the same for all the separately built application programs and every combination of versions of the application programs.

10. The method of claim of 1, wherein the plurality of different sub-execution units of the cross-device pre-linked software application includes:

an initiating sub-execution unit that executes on the initiating device acting as a source device and then self-distributes other sub-execution units of the reachable other devices;

an inspection sub-execution unit that is communicated from the initiating device to the reachable other devices and operable on execution to which devices to recruit into the device team; and

a runtime sub-execution unit that collectively runs one the initiating device and at least one other device in the device team after the distribution of the at least one runtime execution unit to carry out the cross-device pre-linked software application over the device team.

11. The method in claim 1, wherein the method further including:

forming the cross-device pre-linked software application to include said plurality of different sub-execution units.

12. The method in claim 1, wherein the method further including:

the cross-device pre-linked software application including a plurality of different sub-execution units initially only existing on said initiating device, configured on execution to programmatically determine and select which ones of a set of said other reachable devices different from the initiating device, should be formed into said device team.

13. The method in claim 1, wherein the method further including:

running said unification program on each of said other reachable devices.

14. The method in claim 1, wherein the method further including:

forming said devices in said formed device team.

15. The method in claim 14, wherein the method further including:

simultaneously running said cross-device pre-linked software application program after receiving said one or more sub-execution units to generate said one single synchronized and serialized event-driven runtime process running across all of said teamed devices.

16. The method in claim 14, wherein the reachable other devices comprise a plurality of heterogeneous devices having different hardware configurations and different operating systems executing therein.

17. The method in claim 1, wherein the inspection sub-execution unit execution within each reachable device determines a best rendition of an initiating package of one or more sub-execution units embodied application according to a rendition determination rule to be sent to the or each particular other reachable device and sends back an identifier of the determined best sub-execution unit as part of the returned data.

18. The method in claim 17, wherein the sub-execution unit determination rule is embodied in as at least one procedure which is adapted to perform any needed computations of any complexity and to access any needed profile information through a profile instruction to determine the resources, capability, and/or state of the other reachable device.

19. The method in claim 17, wherein the inspection sub-execution unit execution determines the best sub-execution unit from a plurality of sub-execution unit by reference to rules that define an order of sub-execution unit, and checking each other reachable device to determine if all the requirements of each of the plurality of sub-execution unit are met in a predefined order of sub-execution unit preferences until the first sub-execution unit in the ordered plurality of sub-execution unit is found that meets all of the sub-execution unit requirements.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the team of devices dynamically extends the team to include other reachable devices or reduce the team of devices to exclude reachable devices during the lifetime or defined period of time for execution of the application.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is embodied in a single binary image which contains all the program code that is distributed to all the other reachable devices.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises synchronization, serialization, and coordination of activates on the team of devices, and the synchronization, serialization and coordination is accomplished wholly by the passing or exchanging of events alone or optionally with a file associated with events.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the events are automatically copied and/or synchronized across event queues of any number of teamed devices by a device platform specific event driven implementation, so that events which are identified for automatic synchronization and which are placed on an event queue appear in the event queues of any number of teamed devices in an automatically serialized and synchronized manner.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the automatic serialization and synchronization are accomplished by a procedure for automatic serialization and synchronization of event driven cooperative sub-execution unit running across a plurality of cooperating teamed devices including an initiating device and at least one of the other reachable devices, the method further comprising:

instantiating a connection manager object instance on the initiating device by an application for each inter-device cooperative function desired;

communicating a list of event types to be synchronized over all cooperating teamed devices procedurally by the application to the connection manager;

establishing the team of cooperating devices having one connection manager on each of the teamed other reachable device and sharing the same list of synchronization event types; and

maintaining, by the connection manager, a sessions list identifying teamed devices and event types to be synchronized; and

examining, by the connection manager, all events to be put in the event queue, and if a particular event examined is an event type the connection manager knows from the sessions list should be synchronized, then marking the event as an event to be synchronized with the other sessions and placing the event in the event queues of the devices listed in the connection manager.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein all events to be placed on cooperating teamed device event queues by the any one of the event driven cooperative applications functions or renditions are serialized by not allowing an event to be placed on the any one teamed device'"'"'s event queue until it receives acknowledgement that all cooperating teamed device event queues to which the event has been sent directly by the any one device has successfully been placed on the cooperating teamed devices'"'"' event queues.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein all events to be placed on cooperating teamed device event queues received by any one of the event driven cooperative applications sub-execution unit are serialized by not allowing an event to be placed on the receiving any one teamed device'"'"'s event queue until it receives acknowledgement that all cooperating device event queues to which the event has been sent by the any receiving one device has successfully been placed on the cooperating devices'"'"' event queues.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the event comprises a package of data or notification information passed between cooperating asynchronous processes to coordinate there operations.

28. In a system including an initiating device and a plurality of other reachable devices coupleable for communication as a device team, a method of executing an individual cross-device pre-linked software application contained in a single binary image across the device team;

the cross-device pre-linked software application including a plurality of different sub-execution units;

the method comprising;

identifying other devices that are reachable over said one or more communication links by a recruiting sub-execution unit running on said initiating device;

sending an inspection sub-execution unit to each said identified reachable other device that when executed inspects said device to identify any resources or capabilities needed to carry-out the function of the cross-device pre-linked software application;

receiving, by a recruiting sub-execution unit in the initiating device, a return response from said inspected other reachable device identifying any said needed resource or capabilities over said one or more communication links;

analyzing, by the said initiating sub-execution unit, the received return responses from all responding other reachable devices and programmatically determining a utilization plan identifying a combination of capabilities or resources and members of a device team including the initiating source device in combination with one or more of the responding other reachable devices to optimally execute the cross-device pre-linked software application;

distributing, by said initiating sub-execution unit, a runtime sub-execution unit to said members of the device team according to the determined utilization plan; and

wherein said device team members in combination execute said cross-device pre-linked software application program in one single simultaneous synchronized and serialized event driven runtime process by automatically maintaining and synchronizing event queues on each teamed device to implement a virtual single unified event queue of the events that drive the cross-device pre-linked software application, running across all of said teamed devices to make use of their combined resources and capabilities to carry out the cross-device pre-linked software application.

29. The method in claim 28, wherein:

each other reachable device has a unification engine executing a unification program; and

the cross-device pre-linked software application including the plurality of different sub-execution units initially only existing on said initiating device, and configured on execution to programmatically determine and select which ones of a set of said other reachable devices different from the initiating device, should be formed into said device team;

said other reachable devices each running said unification program that is configured to execute said sub-execution units and being discoverable by the initiating device over one or more communications links when said other reachable devices are each running said unification program.

30. The method of claim of 29, wherein each said sub-execution unit includes:

(a) executable code that is a linear contiguous proper subset range inside of the same one linear code space of the cross-device pre-linked software application.

31. The method of claim of 29, wherein each said sub-execution unit includes (a) program data that is a linear contiguous proper subset range inside of the same one linear data space of the cross-device pre-linked software application.

32. The method of claim of 29, wherein said cross-device pre-linked software application efficiently takes advantage of the different physical resources and capabilities of the other reachable devices formed into the team, in addition to efficiently utilizing the computational and storage resources of the other reachable devices, by sending only the particular sub-execution units needed to access each individual devices inspected resources and capabilities, wherein the particular sub-execution units may be different for different ones of the other reachable devices.

33. The method of claim of 29, wherein the method is performed without the participation of a central server.

34. The method of claim of 29, wherein the method is performed without prior knowledge of what tasks a device perform.

35. The method of claim of 29, wherein the method is performed without prior knowledge of what tasks a device perform, and the method further including exposing the low-level capabilities and resources of the reachable other device which are determined independently of any current or future application when the Unification program is written.

36. The method of claim of 29, wherein the method is performed without building or distributing separate executable code.

37. The method of claim of 29, wherein the method is performed without needing common standardized calling conventions that need to be the same for all the separately built application programs and every combination of versions of the application programs.

38. The method of claim of 29, wherein the plurality of different sub-execution units of the cross-device pre-linked software application includes:

an initiating sub-execution unit that executes on the initiating device acting as a source device and then self-distributes other sub-execution units of the reachable other devices;

an inspection sub-execution unit that is communicated from the initiating device to the reachable other devices and operable on execution to which devices to recruit into the device team; and

a runtime sub-execution unit that collectively runs one the initiating device and at least one other device in the device team after the distribution of the at least one runtime execution unit to carry out the cross-device pre-linked software application over the device team.

39. The method in claim 29, wherein the method further including:

forming the cross-device pre-linked software application to include said plurality of different sub-execution units.

40. A system for executing an individual cross-device pre-linked software application contained in a single binary image across a device team formed from an initiating device and at least one other reachable device;

the cross-device pre-linked software application including a plurality of different sub-execution units;

the system comprising;

an initiating device;

a plurality of other reachable devices coupleable for communication with at least said initiating device as a device team;

identifying means for identifying other devices that are reachable over said one or more communication links by a recruiting sub-execution unit running on said initiating device;

sending means for sending an inspection sub-execution unit to each said identified reachable other device that when executed inspects said device to identify any resources or capabilities needed to carry-out the function of the cross-device pre-linked software application;

receiving means, for receiving by a recruiting sub-execution unit in the initiating device, a return response from said inspected other reachable device identifying any said needed resource or capabilities over said one or more communication links;

analyzing means, for analyzing by the said initiating sub-execution unit, the received return responses from all responding other reachable devices and programmatically determining a utilization plan identifying a combination of capabilities or resources and members of a device team including the initiating source device in combination with one or more of the responding other reachable devices to optimally execute the cross-device pre-linked software application;

distributing means, for distributing by said initiating sub-execution unit, a runtime sub-execution unit to said members of the device team according to the determined utilization plan; and

wherein said device team members in combination execute said cross-device pre-linked software application program in one single simultaneous synchronized and serialized event driven runtime process by automatically maintaining and synchronizing event queues on each teamed device to implement a virtual single unified event queue of the events that drive the cross-device pre-linked software application, running across all of said teamed devices to make use of their combined resources and capabilities to carry out the cross-device pre-linked software application.

41. The system of claim of 40, wherein each said sub-execution unit includes:

(a) executable code that is a linear contiguous proper subset range inside of the same one linear code space of the cross-device pre-linked software application.

42. The system of claim of 40, wherein each said sub-execution unit includes (a) program data that is a linear contiguous proper subset range inside of the same one linear data space of the cross-device pre-linked software application.

43. The system of claim of 40, wherein said cross-device pre-linked software application efficiently takes advantage of the different physical resources and capabilities of the other reachable devices formed into the team, in addition to efficiently utilizing the computational and storage resources of the other reachable devices, by sending only the particular sub-execution units needed to access each individual devices inspected resources and capabilities, wherein the particular sub-execution units may be different for different ones of the other reachable devices.

44. The system of claim of 40, wherein the method is performed without the participation of a central server.

45. The system of claim of 40, wherein the method is performed without prior knowledge of what tasks a device perform.

46. The system of claim of 40, wherein the method is performed without prior knowledge of what tasks a device perform, and the method further including exposing the low-level capabilities and resources of the reachable other device which are determined independently of any current or future application when the Unification program is written.

47. The system of claim of 40, wherein the method is performed without building or distributing separate executable code.

48. The system of claim of 40, wherein the method is performed without needing common standardized calling conventions that need to be the same for all the separately built application programs and every combination of versions of the application programs.

49. The system of claim of 40, wherein the plurality of different sub-execution units of the cross-device pre-linked software application includes:

an initiating sub-execution unit that executes on the initiating device acting as a source device and then self-distributes other sub-execution units of the reachable other devices;

an inspection sub-execution unit that is communicated from the initiating device to the reachable other devices and operable on execution to which devices to recruit into the device team; and

a runtime sub-execution unit that collectively runs one the initiating device and at least one other device in the device team after the distribution of the at least one runtime execution unit to carry out the cross-device pre-linked software application over the device team.

50. The system in claim 40, wherein the method further including:

forming the cross-device pre-linked software application to include said plurality of different sub-execution units.

51. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system or information appliance, the computer program product comprising a tangible computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising:

a program module that directs the computer system or information appliance to function in a specified manner to recruit a team of recruited teamed devices for interoperation in order to execute an individual cross-device pre-linked software application contained in a single binary image across the recruited device team, the cross-device pre-linked software application including a plurality of different sub-execution units, the program module including instructions for;

identifying other devices that are reachable over said one or more communication links by a recruiting sub-execution unit running on said initiating device;

sending an inspection sub-execution unit to each said identified reachable other device that when executed inspects said device to identify any resources or capabilities needed to carry-out the function of the cross-device pre-linked software application;

receiving, by a recruiting sub-execution unit in the initiating device, a return response from said inspected other reachable device identifying any said needed resource or capabilities over said one or more communication links;

analyzing, by the said initiating sub-execution unit, the received return responses from all responding other reachable devices and programmatically determining a utilization plan identifying a combination of capabilities or resources and members of a device team including the initiating source device in combination with one or more of the responding other reachable devices to optimally execute the cross-device pre-linked software application;

distributing, by said initiating sub-execution unit, a runtime sub-execution unit to said members of the device team according to the determined utilization plan; and

wherein said device team members in combination execute said cross-device pre-linked software application program in one single simultaneous synchronized and serialized event driven runtime process by automatically maintaining and synchronizing event queues on each teamed device to implement a virtual single unified event queue of the events that drive the cross-device pre-linked software application, running across all of said teamed devices to make use of their combined resources and capabilities to carry out the cross-device pre-linked software application.