Back to results
US 8,078,742 B2Granted
Network establishment and management protocol
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorsRobin J. Blackwell, Neil A. Hankin, Peter J. Lanigan, Nicoll B. Shepherd, Philip A. Rudland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a protocol for communications between networked devices. The devices are logically arranged as a hierarchy of device types including a controller device type (52) from which no other device type depends and a basic device type (54) from which a number of other device types depend. The devices implement a simple device description message of fixed length and format which includes the device type, and some devices further implement an extended device description message including additional information.
Claims16
A method of recognizing in a network a plurality of simple and complex devices, each including at least one of a plurality of device types and a simple device description, the method comprising acts of:
- a first device of the plurality of simple and complex devices discovering at least one other device of the plurality of simple and complex devices, the plurality of complex devices including an extended device description;
- the first device requesting a simple device description for each discovered device for which the simple device description is required and receiving from the discovered device a simple device description message of a defined length, the message including the device type of the discovered device, the device types forming a predetermined hierarchy including one or more subsidiary device types depending on at least one other subsidiary device type and at least one basic device type, devices having a hierarchically lower device type are capable of controlling devices having hierarchically higher device type;
- and
- the first device requesting an extended device description from each discovered device for which the extended device description is required when the simple device description indicates that the extended device description is available, and receiving from the discovered device the extended device description message of a variable length,
- wherein the simple device description message is in the form of a token-compressed message compressed from a human-readable message format, each of the subsidiary device types inheriting properties of higher level device types on which the subsidiary device type depends.
2 more elements
A method of recognizing a plurality of simple and complex devices in a network, the method comprising acts of:
- at a first device of the plurality of simple and complex devices:
- receiving a simple device description message of a defined length, the message including a device type of a second device of the plurality of simple and complex devices, the device types forming a predetermined hierarchy including one or more subsidiary device types depending on at least one of other subsidiary device type and at least one basic device type, devices having a hierarchically lower device type are capable of controlling devices having hierarchically higher device type, the simple device description message is in the form of a token-compressed message compressed from a human-readable message format, each of the subsidiary device types inheriting properties of higher level device types on which the subsidiary device type depends;
- receiving an extended device description from each of the plurality of devices for which the extended device description is available and the extended device description required,
- wherein the extended device description is received in a variable length message.
1 more element
A plurality of simple and complex devices including a transceiver for sending and receiving messages and a message handler arranged in a communication network, a first device of the plurality of devices being configured to perform acts of:
- receiving from one of the plurality of devices, a simple device description message of a defined length, the message including a device type of the one device and indicating whether an extended device description is available, the device types forming a predetermined hierarchy including one or more subsidiary device types depending on at least one of other subsidiary device type and at least one basic device type, devices having a hierarchically lower device type are capable of controlling devices having hierarchically higher device type, wherein the simple device description message is in the form of a token-compressed message compressed from a human-readable message format, each of the subsidiary device types inheriting properties of higher level device types on which the subsidiary device type depends;
- and
- receiving an extended device description message of a variable length if the extended device description is available.
A first device, including a transceiver for sending and receiving messages and a message handler arranged in a communication network with a plurality of simple and complex devices, the first device being configured to perform acts of:
- discovering at least one of the plurality of devices;
- for each discovered device for which the simple device description is required, requesting a simple device description and receiving from the at least one of the plurality of devices, a simple device description message of fixed length including the device type of the at least one of the plurality of devices and indicating whether an extended device description is available, the device types forming a predetermined hierarchy including one or more subsidiary device types depending on at least one of other subsidiary device type and at least one basic device type, devices having a hierarchically lower device type are capable of controlling devices having hierarchically higher device type;
- and
- testing the simple device description message to determine whether an extended device description is available for each device for which the extended device description is required, requesting an extended device description when the testing of the simple device description message indicates that there is an extended device description, and receiving from the at least one of the plurality of devices the extended device description of variable length, wherein the simple device description message is in the form of a token-compressed message compressed from a human-readable message format, each of the subsidiary device types inheriting properties of higher level device types on which the subsidiary device type depends.
1 more element
A system comprising:
- a plurality of networked simple and complex devices each having a transceiver for sending and receiving network messages;
- at least one networked device of the plurality of networked simple and complex devices is arranged to request, receive, and interpret simple device description messages from the other devices of the plurality of networked simple and complex devices, and to request, receive, and interpret extended device description messages subsequently received from the complex devices;
- each of the networked simple and complex devices being arranged to respond to an incoming simple device request by sending a simple device description message of defined length including a device type of the responding other device and indicating whether an extended device description is available, the device types forming a predetermined hierarchy including one or more subsidiary device types depending on at least one of another subsidiary device type and at least one basic device type, devices having a hierarchically lower device type are capable of controlling devices having hierarchically higher device type, wherein the simple device description message is in the form of a token-compressed message compressed from a human-readable message format, each of the subsidiary device types inheriting properties of higher level device types on which the subsidiary device type depends.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.