Method and apparatus interfacing between an application and a library of a master for network managing

• US 8,019,855 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Sang Kyun, Park, Jun Hyung, Park, Jin Sung, Han, Sun Mi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Batista; Marcos
• Application Number:
  US11/315,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,092 Days
• Field of Search: 455/461, 455/402, 709220-229
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/546 Xcast
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• 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 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

The present invention relates to method and apparatus for interfacing for controlling a device between various applications operated on a home network and a library to ensure their compatibility. An interfacing method according to the present invention discloses processes to initialize a library being executed in a device for managing a home network, to set a home code for managing a home network exclusively, to manage address of each device on a home network, and to set conditions necessary for device monitoring.

Claims

1. A method in which an application operates in a device for managing a network of remote devices, the method comprising:

initializing a library in the device in response to a request from the application, wherein the library is for modifying and monitoring or controlling remote devices connected to the network, wherein the modifying comprises at least removing the remote devices or adding new remote devices;

obtaining, from the library in response to a request from the application, a list of the remote devices connected to the network and information related to the remote devices;

registering, at the library in response to a request from the application, an event that is generated by at least one of the remote devices, wherein the registered event corresponds to one of a plurality of event codes;

registering, at the library in response to a request from the application, a first call-back function to handle only one of the plurality of event codes that relates to one of the remote devices and a second call-back function to handle every one of the plurality of event codes that relates to every one of the remote devices; and

calling the registered first or second call-back functions whose routines are included in the application when the registered event is generated.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

loading a user interface program at the application before requesting initialization of the library.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein initializing the library comprises delivering basic information to the library for controlling the remote devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

releasing the registered event and one of the first and second call-back functions in response to a request from the application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adding the new remote devices comprises:

broadcasting a request for adding a new remote device to the network; and

receiving a response to the broadcasted request from one of the new remote devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adding the new remote devices comprises:

receiving a new event from a new remote device, wherein the new event indicates a request for adding the new remote device to the network; and

calling one of the first call back function or the second call back function to handle the received new event.