Remote access to a customer home network

• US 8,635,300 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2007
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kvache, Alexander, Phuah, Vincent, Jia, Lujun
• Primary Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US11/865,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20090086688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,304 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/217
• 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 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/105 PBS [Private Base Station] network H04W84/12 - H04W84/16 take precedence

Abstract

A wireless application server may receive, from a wireless device, information identifying an application residing on a network device in a home network. The wireless application server may further cause a connection to be established to the application and transfer traffic between the application and the wireless device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first server to;

receive, from a user device, identification information for a user,

create a user record in a memory associated with the first server, based on receiving the identification information,

obtain an identifier for a gateway device, that is associated with a home network of the user, using the identification information, and

transfer the obtained identifier for the gateway device; and

one or more second servers to;

receive the identifier for the gateway device,

send a request for information, relating to devices in the home network to the gateway device, using the identifier for the gateway device,

receive, based on sending the request, a response from the gateway device that includes the information relating to the devices in the home network,

transfer the information relating to the devices in the home network to the first server,

the first server storing at least a portion of the information relating to the devices in the home network in the user record,

receive a request, from the user device, to establish a session between the user device and an application of one of the devices,

the stored at least a portion of the information relating to the devices including information identifying a protocol associated with the application and information identifying a port associated with the application, and

establish the session based on the information identifying the protocol associated with the application and the information identifying the port associated with the application.

2. The system of claim 1, where the first server is further to:

store the identifier for the gateway device in the user record, and

provide, to the user device, the stored at least a portion of the information relating to the devices in the home network.

3. The system of claim 1, where the request includes a TR-069-compliant request that causes the gateway device to perform Universal Plug and Play discovery and description procedures to identify the devices in the home network.

4. The system of claim 1, where the first server is further to:

subscribe to receive notifications relating to the identifier for the gateway device.

5. The system of claim 4, where the one or more second servers are further to:

receive a change notification from the gateway device, the change notification indicating at least one of;

information associated with a new device that has joined the home network,

information associated with a device that has left the home network, or

information relating to a configuration change of a device in the home network, and

automatically transfer the change notification to the first server based on the first server subscribing to receive the notifications.

6. The system of claim 5, where the first server is further to:

update the user record in the memory based on receiving the change notification.

7. The system of claim 1,

where the one or more second servers are further to:

transfer data between the user device and the application based on the session established between the user device and the application.

8. A system comprising:

a first memory to store a first identifier for a user, a second identifier for a gateway device in a home network associated with the user, and a device table that associates information identifying devices in the home network with third identifiers for applications that reside on the devices;

a second memory to store a profile for each application of the applications identified in the device table; and

one or more servers to;

receive the first identifier from a wireless device,

obtain the second identifier and the third identifiers from the first memory using the first identifier,

obtain the profiles from the second memory using the third identifiers,

obtain a network address for the gateway device using the second identifier,

create a list of information identifying available applications using the network address and the profiles obtained from the second memory,

provide the list of the information identifying the available applications to the wireless device,

detect selection, by the wireless device, of information identifying an application in the list of the information identifying the available applications, and

transfer data between the application and the wireless device based on;

information, included in the profile of the application, identifying a protocol associated with the application, and

information, included in the profile of the application, identifying a port associated with the application.

9. The system of claim 8, where, when creating the list, the one or more servers are to:

attempt to connect to each application of the applications that reside on the devices;

determine that one or more application, of the applications, are available when the attempt to connect to the one or more applications, is successful; and

include information identifying the one or more applications that are available, in the list of the information identifying the available applications.

10. The system of claim 8, where the one or more servers are further to:

establish a connection to the application based on detecting the selection of the information identifying the application; and

transfer the data between the wireless device and the application based on establishing the connection.

11. The system of claim 10, where, when transferring the data, the one or more servers are to at least one of:

convert a protocol, associated with the wireless device, to the protocol associated with the selected application, or

convert the data from a first format, associated with the selected application, to a second format associated with the wireless device.

12. The system of claim 10 where, when establishing the connection, the one or more servers are to:

send a TR-069 request to the gateway device to open a port on the gateway device associated with the application, and

where the one or more servers are further to;

send a TR-069 request to the gateway device to close the port when;

a different application is selected, or

a session timer, associated with the application, expires.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more servers and from a user device, first information identifying a user,

obtaining, by the one or more servers, using the first information;

second information identifying a gateway device in a home network associated with the user, and

third information identifying applications of the home network;

obtaining, by the one or more servers and using the third information, a profile for each application of the applications;

obtaining, by the one or more servers, a network address for the gateway device using the second information,

creating, by the one or more servers, a list of information identifying one or more available applications of the applications of the home network, using the network address and the profiles;

providing, by the one or more servers, the list of the information identifying the one or more available applications to the user device;

detecting, by the one or more servers, selection, by the user device, of information identifying an application in the list of the information identifying the one or more available applications; and

transferring, by the one or more servers, data between the application and the user device based on;

information, included in the profile of the application, identifying a protocol associated with the application, and

information, included in the profile of the application, identifying a port associated with the application.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

sending, to the gateway device and using the second information, a request for information relating to devices in the home network, the applications being stored on respective ones of the devices in the home network; and

receiving, based on sending the request, a response from the gateway device that includes the information relating to the devices in the home network.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

creating the profile for each application of the applications using the information relating to the devices in the home network.

16. The method of claim 14, where the request for the information relating to the devices in the home network causes the gateway device to perform Universal Plug and Play discovery and description procedures to identify the devices in the home network.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving least one of;

information associated with one or more devices, of the devices in the home network, that have left the home network, or

information relating to a configuration change of the one or more of the devices; and

updating the profile of each of one or more of the applications that are associated with the one or more devices.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to receive, from a user device, first information identifying a user,

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to obtain using the first information;

second information identifying a gateway device in a home network associated with the user, and

third information identifying applications of the home network;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to obtain, using the third information, a profile for each application of the applications;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to obtain a network address for the gateway device using the second information;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to create a list of information identifying one or more available applications of the applications of the home network, using the network address and the profiles;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to provide the list of the information identifying the one or more available applications to the user device;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to detect selection, by the user device, of information identifying an application in the list of the information identifying the one or more available applications; and

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to transfer data between the application and the user device based on;

information, included in the profile of the application, identifying a protocol associated with the application, and

information, included in the profile of the application, identifying a port associated with the application.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more instructions to send, to the gateway device and using the second information, a request for information relating to devices in the home network, the applications being associated with the devices in the home network; and

one or more instructions to receive, based on sending the request, a response from the gateway device that includes the information relating to the devices in the home network.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

one or more instructions to create the profile for each application of the applications using the information relating to the devices in the home network.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, where the request for the information relating to the devices in the home network causes the gateway device to perform Universal Plug and Play discovery and description procedures to identify the devices in the home network.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more instructions to receive at least one of;

information associated with one or more devices, of the devices in the home network, that have left the home network, or

information relating to a configuration change of the one or more of the devices; and

one or more instructions to update the profile of each of one or more of the applications that are associated with the one or more devices.