US 7,804,838 B2Granted

Time synchronizing device and process and associated products

AssigneeThomson Licensing

InventorsSylvain Dumet, Dirk Van De Poel

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Abstract

The present invention concerns a time synchronizing device and process, and a local gateway comprising that device. The time synchronizing device synchronizes a router arranged between two communication networks. It comprises intercepting means of a message coming from an apparatus of a source network for that message, having a specific time clock, and directed to a target network for that message, preparing means of a time request able to be executed in that apparatus so as to cause synchronizing data based on that specific clock to be obtained from that apparatus and to be transmitted back to the synchronizing device, sending means of the time request to the apparatus, forwarding means of the intercepted message to the target network after the preparing means have prepared the time request, receiving means of the synchronizing data, and exploiting means of those data to synchronize a local time clock used by the router with respect to that specific time clock .Application to home networks.

A time synchronizing device for synchronizing a router arranged between a first and a second communication network, said synchronizing device comprising:

receiving means for receiving first synchronizing data based on a reference time clock from said first communication network, and
exploiting means for exploiting said first synchronizing data (SYNC) to synchronize a local time clock used by said router with respect to said reference time clock,
wherein said time synchronizing device comprises:
intercepting means for intercepting a message (MSG) coming from an apparatus of said second communication network and directed to said first communication network, said apparatus of said second communication network having a specific time clock,
preparing means for preparing a time request intended for said apparatus of said second communication network periodically or responsive to a state of said local time clock of said router, said time request for execution in said apparatus of said second communication network to cause second synchronizing data based on said specific time clock to be obtained from said apparatus of said second communication network and to be transmitted back to said time synchronizing device and to cause caching of the message (MSG),
sending means for sending said time request to said apparatus of said second communication network, and
forwarding means for forwarding said cached, intercepted message (MSG) to said first communication network after the preparing means has prepared said time request,
said receiving means for further receiving said second synchronizing data from said apparatus of said second communication network and said exploiting means for further exploiting said second synchronizing data to synchronize said local time clock with respect to said specific time clock, said receiving means, exploiting means, intercepting means, preparing means, sending means and forwarding means forming an operational set.

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Facts

Application

10/585,534Filed 3 Jan 2005

Priority

EP 044470039 Jan 2004

Published

US 2009/0201936 A113 Aug 2009

Granted

28 Sep 2010

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H04J 3/0641
Clock or time synchronisation among nodes; Internode synchronisation: change of the master or reference, e.g. take-over or failure of the master
H04L 67/02
Protocols: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
H04L 67/56
Network services: provisioning of proxy services
H04L 67/564
Provisioning of proxy services: enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data

Abstract

Claims12