Method for controlling home network device using universal web application and apparatus thereof

• US 9,281,959 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2008
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jin, Ho, Sohn, Young-Chul, Park, Jong-Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH CHAU
• Application Number:
  US12/745,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20100305722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,658 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/208
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Abstract

A method of controlling a home network device by using a universal web application. In the method, the universal web application may receive control information, for controlling the home network device, from a server. A control command, which is issued to control the home network device, may be sent to a control point module by using a script application program interface (API) that is included in the received control information. Accordingly, result data that is obtained by executing the control command on the home network device may be received by the control point module.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a home network device by using a universal web application, the method comprising:

receiving, by the universal web application, control information from a server, the control information for controlling the home network device;

transmitting a control command that controls the home network device to a control point module by using a script application program interface (API) that is included in the received control information; and

receiving from the control point module result data that is obtained by executing the control command on the home network device,

wherein the script API has a uniform format and comprises a name of a home network API as a variable for the control point module to implement a function of the home network API and execute the control command and parameters for the implementing home network API.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a home network is a Universal Plug and Play/Digital Living Network Alliance (UPnP/DLNA)-based home network, the home network device is a UPnP/DLNA device, the home network API is a UPnP/DLNA API, and the control point module is a plug-in application, which communicates with the universal web application, or an embedded object application of a browser.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plug-in application invokes the UPnP/DLNA API that is used to execute the received control command.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plug-in application transmits the result data, which is obtained by executing the control command, to the web application through a callback function.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, if the result data comprises plural types of result data, the result data is transmitted in XML format to the web application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the universal web application is a HyperText Markup Language (HTML)-based web browser or an Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based widget.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the transmitting of the control command to the control point module comprises transmitting to the control point module the home network API, which is used to execute the control command.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the control information is performed by asynchronous Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) communication for user interface screen configuration.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the asynchronous communication uses asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax).

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting the received result data and providing the collected result data to a user by using the web application.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, if the result data comprises plural types of received result data, the providing of the collected result data to the user comprises reading preregistered XML-formatted property information and providing the read XML-formatted property information to the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the control command to the control point module comprises transmitting a plurality of control commands by using a macro API that executes one or more control commands on the home network device.

13. An apparatus for controlling home network equipment by using a universal web application, the apparatus comprising:

at least one memory operable to store program instruction; and

at least one processor operable to read said program instruction and configured by the program instruction to operate as;

a web application module that receives control information for controlling the home network equipment from a server and transmits a control command, which controls the home network equipment, to a control point module by using a script API that is included in the received control information; and

the control point module transmitting result data, which is obtained by executing the control command on the home network equipment, to the web application module,

wherein the web application module comprises a uniform API processing module,

wherein the script API has a uniform format, and

wherein the script API comprises a name of a home network API as a variable for the control point module to implement a function of the home network API and execute the control command, and parameters for implementing the home network API.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a home network is a UPnP/DLNA-based home network, the home network equipment is a UPnP/DLNA device, a home network API is a UPnP/DLNA API, and the control point module is a plug-in application, which communicates with the universal web application, or an embedded object application of a browser.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plug-in application further comprises a UPnP/DLNA API invoking module invoking the UPnP/DLNA API that executes the received control command.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the plug-in application further comprises a callback function module transmitting the result data, which is obtained by executing the control command, to the web application through a callback function.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, if the result data comprises plural types of result data, the plug-in application transmits the result data in XML format to the web application.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the web application module is an HTML-based web browser or an XML-based widget,

wherein the uniform API processing module transmits the control command to the control point module by using the script API.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the uniform API processing module transmits to the control point module the home network API, which is used to execute the control command, as a variable included in the script API.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the web application module comprises a macro API processing module,

wherein the macro API processing module transmits a plurality of control commands by using a macro API that executes one or more control commands on the home network equipment.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured by the program instruction to operate as:

a user interface module that collects the received result data and provides the collected result data to a user by using the web application.

22. A method of controlling a home network device by using home network control equipment comprising a universal web application, the method comprising:

receiving, by the universal web application, control information from a server, the control information for controlling the home network device;

discovering an embedded device and the home network device by using a control point module and a script API that is included in the received control information; and

executing a control command on the discovered embedded device and the discovered home network device,

wherein the script API has a uniform format and comprises a name of a home network API as a variable for the control point module to implement a function of the home network API and execute the control command and parameters for the implementing home network API.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the universal web application is an HTML-based web browser or an XML-based widget, and the embedded device is an embedded function of the home network control equipment and is presented as a UPnP/DLNA device.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the discovering comprises determining whether the embedded device exists by reading a list of embedded devices by using the script API.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein, if the embedded device is to be prevented from being controlled by control equipment other than the home network control equipment comprising the embedded device, the executing of the control command comprises not executing a control command received from the other control equipment based on an Internet Protocol (IP) address or an identifier allocated to the home network control equipment.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein a home network is a UPnP/DLNA-based home network, the home network device is a UPnP/DLNA device, the home network API is a UPnP/DLNA API, and the control point module is a plug-in application, which communicates with the web application, or an embedded object application of a browser.

27. An apparatus for controlling home network equipment by using a universal web application, the apparatus comprising:

at least one memory operable to store program instructions; and

at least one processor operable to read said program instruction and configured by the program instruction to operate as;

a web application module that receives control information for controlling the home network equipment from a server and transmits a control command, which controls the home network equipment, to a control point module by using a script API that is included in the received control information; and

the control point module discovering embedded equipment and the home network equipment and executing the control command on the discovered embedded equipment and the discovered home network equipment.

wherein the script API has a uniform format and comprises a name of a home network API as a variable for the control point module to implement a function of the home network API and execute the control command and parameters for the implementing home network API.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the web application module is a HTML-based universal web browser or an XML-based widget,

the at least one processor is further configured by the program instruction to operate as:

an embedded UPnP/DLNA device module,

wherein the embedded UPnP/DLNA device module presents the embedded equipment included in the home network control equipment as a UPnP/DLNA device.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured by the program instruction to operate as:

an embedded UPnP/DLNA determining module that determines whether the embedded equipment exists by reading a list of embedded equipment by using the script API.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein a home network is a UPnP/DLNA-based home network, the home network equipment is a UPnP/DLNA device, a home network API is a UPnP/DLNA API, and the control point module is a plug-in application, which communicates with the web application, or an embedded object application of a browser.

31. A method of controlling a home network device by using home network control equipment comprising a universal web application, the method comprising:

receiving, by the universal web application, control information from a server, the control information for controlling the home network device;

discovering an embedded device and the home network device by using a control point module and a script API that is included in the received control information;

executing a control command on the discovered embedded device and the discovered home network device; and

presenting to a user a list of content items stored in the home network device or information related to the content items based on result data that is obtained by executing the control command,

wherein the script API has a uniform format and comprises a name of a home network API as a variable for the control point module to implement a function of the home network API and execute the control command and parameters for the implementing home network API.

32. A method of controlling a home network device by using home network control equipment comprising a universal web application, the method comprising:

receiving, by the universal web application, control information from a server, the control information for controlling the home network device;

discovering an embedded device and the home network device by using a control point module and a script API that is included in the received control information;

executing a control command on the discovered embedded device and the discovered home network device; and

providing to a user content items stored in the home network device or information related to the content items based on result data obtained by executing the control command,

wherein the script API has a uniform format and comprises a name of a home network API as a variable for the control point module to implement a function of the home network API and execute the control command and parameters for the implementing home network API.

33. A method of controlling a home network device by using home network control equipment comprising a universal web application, the method comprising:

receiving, by the universal web application, control information from a server, the control information for controlling the home network device;

discovering an embedded device and the home network device by using a control point module and a script API that is included in the received control information; and

executing a control command on the discovered embedded device and the discovered home network device,

wherein information related to the home network device, services, users, or content items is prevented from being provided to a third party outside a home network, and

wherein the script API has a uniform format and comprises a name of a home network API as a variable for the control point module to implement a function of the home network API and execute the control command and parameters for the implementing home network API.

34. A method of controlling a home network device by using home network control equipment comprising a universal web application, the method comprising:

receiving, by the universal web application, control information from a server, the control information for controlling the home network device;

discovering an embedded device and the home network device by using a control point module and a script API that is included in the received control information; and

executing a control command on the discovered embedded device and the discovered home network device,

wherein the universal web application defines a set of content items, devices, and services which are accessible to a home network, and

wherein the script API has a uniform format and comprises a name of a home network API as a variable for the control point module to implement a function of the home network API and execute the control command and parameters for the implementing home network API.