Proxy-bridge connecting remote users to a limited connectivity network

A method for discovering a desired service, at an external device utilizing a communication protocol different from a piconet communication protocol in the piconet, by a device in a piconet via a proxy-bridge device, the method comprising the steps of:

• polling the proxy-bridge device by the device in the piconet to discover if the desired service is available;
• sending by the proxy-bridge device, a discovery request for services to an external device from in response to ascertaining that the desired service is not registered at the proxy-bridge device;
• receiving an affirmative response from the external device to the discovery request for services;
• and
• sending, by the proxy-bridge device, a message to the device in the piconet indicating that the service is available via the proxy-bridge device.

A method for discovering via a proxy-bridge device a desired service in a piconet by an external device, the external device utilizing a communication protocol different from a piconet communication protocol in the piconet, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving, by the proxy-bridge device, a discovery request for services from the external device;
• sending, from the proxy-bridge device, a service discovery request to a plurality of devices in the piconet;
• and
• sending, from the proxy-bridge device, a message to the external device indicating that the service is available via the proxy-bridge device.

A method for responding to a request, by an external device, for a desired service from a proxy-bridge device in a piconet, the external device utilizing a communication protocol different from that in the piconet, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining, by the proxy-bridge device, that the request is addressed to an IP address;
• handling the request by the external device, via a TCP/IP protocol stack in the proxy-bridge device;
• identifying, by the proxy-bridge device, to a BT device corresponding to the IP address;
• forwarding, by proxy-bridge device, the request for the desired service to the BT device corresponding to the IP address via at least one UPnP component over the TCP/IP protocol stack in the proxy-bridge device;
• receiving data, at the proxy-bridge device, in response to the request for the desired service from the BT device corresponding to the IP address;
• and
• forwarding, by the proxy-bridge device, the data received from the BT device corresponding to the IP address to the external device thereby enabling the data to appear to the external device as being from an embedded device in the proxy-bridge device wherein the embedded device has the IP address.

A method for responding to a request for a desired service from a proxy-bridge device in a piconet, the piconet formed by a plurality of devices within a defined distance of each other, wherein the piconet has a access to an external device via the proxy-bridge device, the external device utilizing a communication protocol different from that in the piconet, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining, by the proxy-bridge device, that the request is not addressed to an IP address;
• handling, by the proxy-bridge device, the request via a BT protocol stack in the proxy-bridge device;
• forwarding, by the proxy-bridge device, the request for desired service to the external device such that the request for desired service appears to be from an embedded device;
• receiving data from the external device, the data addressed to the IP address of the embedded device;
• and
• forwarding the data to the BT device corresponding to the IP address.

A method for modifying a BLUETOOTH compliant device in a piconet for providing extended service discovery by devices within and outside the piconet, the method comprising the steps of:

• implementing a universal plug and play functionality on a BLUETOOTH protocol stack without providing support for IP;
• providing support for HTTP and XML in the BLUETOOTH stack;
• implementing simple service discovery protocol as part of the universal plug and play functionality, by transmitting service discovery requests and service presence announcements over the BLUETOOTH protocol stack to devices in the piconet;
• and transmitting service discovery requests and service presence announcements from a proxy-bridge device in the piconet to devices outside the piconet wherein the proxy-bridge device provides a protocol stack that is BLUETOOTH compliant and supports IP.

A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of a method for discovering a desired service, at an external device utilizing a communication protocol different from a piconet communication protocol in the piconet, by a device in a piconet via a proxy-bridge device, the method comprising the steps of:

• polling the proxy-bridge device by the device in the piconet to discover if the desired service is available;
• sending by the proxy-bridge device, a discovery request for services to an external device from in response to ascertaining that the desired service is not registered at the proxy-bridge device;
• receiving an affirmative response from the external device to the discovery request for services;
• and
• sending, by the proxy-bridge device, a message to the device in the piconet indicating that the service is available via the proxy-bridge device.

A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of a method for discovering via a proxy-bridge device a desired service in a piconet by an external device, the external device utilizing a communication protocol different from a piconet communication protocol in the piconet, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving, by the proxy-bridge device, a discovery request for services from the external device;
• sending, from the proxy-bridge device, a service discovery request to a plurality of devices in the piconet;
• and
• sending, from the proxy-bridge device, a message to the external device indicating that the service is available via the proxy-bridge device.

A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of a method for responding to a request, by an external device, for a desired service from a proxy-bridge device in a piconet, the external device utilizing a communication protocol different from that in the piconet, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining, by the proxy-bridge device, that the request is addressed to an IP address;
• handling the request by the external device, via a TCP/IP protocol stack in the proxy-bridge device;
• identifying, by the proxy-bridge device, to a BT device corresponding to the IP address;
• forwarding, by proxy-bridge device, the request for the desired service to the BT device corresponding to the IP address via at least one UPnP component over the TCP/IP protocol stack in the proxy-bridge device;
• receiving data, at the proxy-bridge device, in response to the request for the desired service from the BT device corresponding to the IP address;
• and
• forwarding, by the proxy-bridge device, the data received from the BT device corresponding to the IP address to the external device thereby enabling the data to appear to the external device as being from an embedded device in the proxy-bridge device wherein the embedded device has the IP address.

A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of a method for responding to a request for a desired service from a proxy-bridge device in a piconet, the piconet formed by a plurality of devices within a defined distance of each other, wherein the piconet has a access to an external device via the proxy-bridge device, the external device utilizing a communication protocol different from that in the piconet, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining, by the proxy-bridge device, that the request is not addressed to an IP address;
• handling, by the proxy-bridge device, the request via a BT protocol stack in the proxy-bridge device;
• forwarding, by the proxy-bridge device, the request for desired service to the external device such that the request for desired service appears to be from an embedded device;
• receiving data from the external device, the data addressed to the IP address of the embedded device;
• and
• forwarding the data to the BT device corresponding to the IP address.

A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of a method for modifying a BLUETOOTH compliant device in a piconet for providing extended service discovery by devices within and outside the piconet, the method comprising the steps of:

• implementing a universal plug and play functionality on a BLUETOOTH protocol stack without providing support for IP;
• providing support for HTTP and XML in the BLUETOOTH stack;
• implementing simple service discovery protocol as part of the universal plug and play functionality, by transmitting service discovery requests and service presence announcements over the BLUETOOTH protocol stack to devices in the piconet;
• and transmitting service discovery requests and service presence announcements from a proxy-bridge device in the piconet to devices outside the piconet wherein the proxy-bridge device provides a protocol stack that is BLUETOOTH compliant and supports IP.

A method for managing packet transmission, the method comprising the steps of:

• acknowledging receipt of packets with values lower than the current value by placing a current value in a request number field;
• indicating whether a packet is a control packet or an information packet;
• and
• maintaining a window size to limit the number of outstanding packets in a piconet.

A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of a method for managing packet transmission, the method comprising the steps of:

• acknowledging receipt of packets with values lower than the current value by placing a current value in a request number field;
• indicating whether a packet is a control packet or an information packet;
• and
• maintaining a window size to limit the number of outstanding packets in a piconet.