Method for generating a user interface on a HAVi device for the control of a Non-HAVi device

Abstract

The invention relates to the bridging technology of home networks, namely a HAVi home network and an IP based network such as UPnP network. When combining both networks via a gateway (10) the service of controlling a UPnP device from a HAVi device shall be provided. A problem arises from the fact that not for every UPnP device a corresponding device control module exists in the HAVi network technology so that some of the UPnP devices cannot be controlled via a corresponding device control module (DCM). The invention solves this problem by means of two basic software elements, namely a specialized function control module (FCM) to be implemented in the gateway (10) and a JAVA programme (HAVLET) that is run on the HAVi controller (31). The UPnP network is an IP based network. Therefore each UPnP device is represented by a so-called XML document. Such an XML document includes a number of XML descriptions, which are nothing else than function descriptions for the controllable elements. A function control module (FCM) according to the invention includes means for requesting the function descriptions of the UPnP device and for forwarding these function descriptions to the HAVi controller (31). The function control module (FCM) may include means for translating the retrieved function descriptions before forwarding to the HAVi controller (31). In the HAVi controller (31) the JAVA programme (HAVLET) is run and this programme takes the function descriptions received from the gateway (10) and generates a user interface with this information. The JAVA programme may be uploaded into the HAVi controller 31 during the configuration phase of the HAVi network.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.