US 8,413,056 B2 · Method and apparatus for a home network auto-tree builder

Abstract

A method and system is provided for detecting, commanding and controlling diverse home devices currently connected to a home network. An interface is provided for accessing the home devices that are currently connected to a home network. According to the method, a device link file is generated, wherein the device link file identifies home devices that are currently connected to the home network. A device link page is created, wherein the device link page contains a device button that is associated with each home device that is identified in the device link file. A hyper-text link is associated with each device button, wherein the hyper-text link provides a link to an HTML page that is contained on the home device that is associated with the device button, and the device link page is displayed on a browser based home device.

Claims41

Dependent claims

A method for a server device, which stores one or more webpages for commanding and/or controlling the server device, to communicate with a client device in a home network, the method comprising:

receiving a first request signal requesting service device characteristic data, wherein the first request signal is generated by the client device;
sending the server device characteristic data to the client device in response to the first request signal, wherein the server device characteristic data includes one or more properties of the server device;
receiving a second request signal requesting a first web page stored in the server device, wherein the second request signal is generated by the client device in response to the server device characteristic data;
and
sending the first web page to the client device in response to the second request signal, wherein the first web page is a top-level page for commanding and/or controlling the server device.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

12/618,600Filed 13 Nov 2009 · continuation

Priority

25 Jun 1997

Published

US 2010/0064227 A111 Mar 2010

Granted

2 Apr 2013

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification46 codes

H04L 12/2803
Characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]: home automation networks
H04L 12/2818
Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities: from a device located outside both the home and the…
H04L 12/462
LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay: lAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
H04L 41/085
Configuration management of networks or network elements: retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history

Family

Application60/050,762Us provisional application · filed 25 Jun 1997

Application60/059,499Us provisional application · filed 22 Sep 1997

Application09/104,297Parent of this division · filed 24 Jun 1998

Application09/709,781Parent of this division · filed 3 Nov 2000

Application10/606,296Parent of this continuation · filed 24 Jun 2003

US 7,039,858 B2Parent of this division · filed 2 May 2006

US 7,103,834 B1Parent of this division · filed 5 Sep 2006

US 2010/0064227 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Mar 2010

US 7,640,327 B2Parent of this continuation

Application10/606,296Parent of this division

US 2001/0011284 A1Published application

US 2004/0103184 A1Published application

US 8,413,056 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Method and apparatus for a home network auto-tree builder

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for a home network auto-tree builder

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims41