Set top box for convergence and automation system

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SET TOP BOX FOR CONVERGENCE AND
AUTOMATION SYSTEM

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED

APPLICATIONS 5

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 60/786,119 filed on Mar. 27, 2006, entitled HOME AUTOMATION PROGRAM CODE FOR SET TOP BOX OR SIMILAR CIRCUIT, to Steve 10 CASHMAN, which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. Further, this application is related to the following U.S. patent applications: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/686,826, entitled NETWORK BASED DIGITAL ACCESS POINT DEVICE, 15 filed Mar. 15,2007, to Seale Moorer, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/686,836, entitled INTERNET PROTOCOL BASED MEDIA STREAMING SOLUTION, filed Mar. 15,2007, to Seale Moorer, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/686,896, entitled AUTOMATION CONTROL 20 SYSTEM HAVING A CONFIGURATION TOOL AND TWO-WAY ETHERNET COMMUNICATION FOR WEB SERVICE MESSAGING, DISCOVERY, DESCRIPTION, AND EVENTING THAT IS CONTROLLABLE WITH A TOUCH-SCREEN DISPLAY, filed Mar. 15, 2007, to Seale 25 Moorer, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/686,884, entitled AUTOMATION CONTROL SYSTEM HAVING DIGITAL LOGGING, filed Mar. 15, 2007, to Seale Moorer, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/686,893, entitled USER CONTROL INTERFACE FOR CONVERGENCE 30 AND AUTOMATION SYSTEM, filed Mar. 15, 2007, to Seale Moorer, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/686, 846, entitled DEVICE AUTOMATION USING NETWORKED DEVICE CONTROL HAVING A WEB SERVICES FOR DEVICES STACK, filed Mar. 15,2007, to Seale 35 Moorer, et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/686,875, entitled AUTOMATION CONTROL SYSTEM HAVING A CONFIGURATION TOOL, filed Mar. 15, 2007, to Seale Moorer, et al.; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/686, 889, entitled AUTOMATION CONTROL SYSTEM HAV- 40 ING DEVICE SCRIPTING, filed Mar. 15, 2007, to Seale Moorer, et al.; which are all hereby expressly incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 45

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is directed to multiple device control and convergence that includes cable-enabled devices, and more particularly to multiple device addressing, discovery, descrip- 50 tion, control, eventing, and convergence in a Web Service environment, and control through an input device such as a set-top box and other cable-enabled devices.

2. Related Art

Household, academic and/or business spaces now more 55 commonly have more than one audio or video device such as CD/DVD player, portable MP3 player, tuner, preamp, power amp, speakers, VCR, DVR, computers running media players or connected to some other source of audio or video (e.g., Internet radio, satellite radio and the like), set top boxes 60 (STB), etc. Typically, a CD/DVD player from one company comes with its own remote control and an amplifier by an entirely different company comes with its own remote control. The same space may have a PC with its keyboard and mouse, and yet another company's portable MP3 player with 65 its own control switches. The same space may include cableenabled devices such as set top boxes providing television

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signals and the like. While each audio/video device is doing precisely what it was designed to do, each operates completely independent from the others with the possible exception of the portable MP3 player that may be connected to a PC for synchronization. As a result, a user ends up going from one keypad to another or juggling a series of remote controls in order to control the devices.

Since these audio/video and similar devices are not designed to communicate with each other or their communication is very limited, access to these audio/video devices is limited by their physical locations. For example, it is difficult to play an MP3 file saved in a PC hard disk drive in one room or area (a child's bedroom) on speakers located in another room or area (an entertainment room). Thus, in order for a user to enjoy music of his or her choice whenever and wherever he or she wants, each room needs to be equipped with all the necessary audio/video equipment and digital audio/video content.

Also, the audio/video devices are not designed to communicate with other devices (e.g., TV, lighting, security system, etc.). Thus, it is difficult, if not impossible, to converge the devices for common control for certain occasions. For example, in order to watch a movie, the user must turn on a TV, a STB and an audio amplifier by using three different remote controls. Then the user must set the TV to receive a video signal from the STB, set the audio amplifier to receive an audio signal from the STB and use another control unit to adjust the lighting of the room. Even when a user utilizes a universal remote, as is known in the art, the result is a plurality of devices that are separately operated and are operated separately from a single universal remote. These devices do not converge as described above because the devices lack any ability to easily connect and effectively communicate with each other, and be controlled by a single input device.

Accordingly, there is a need for a solution for the aforementioned accessibility, connectability and convergence issues to allow devices to connect, communicate and be controlled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention meets the foregoing needs using an automation specific IP based automation protocol, which results in a significant increase in discovery and communications between devices along with an IP based input device and other advantages apparent from the discussion herein.

Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention, a process of operating an automation system in a Web Service environment includes providing at least one client and at least one device, the at least one client and the at least one device configured with a web services for devices stack protocol, connecting a network comprising at least one server with the web services for devices to the at least one client and the at least one device, transmitting automation-based control and communication between the at least one client and at least one device, and connecting a set top box coupled between the network and at least one of the clients and providing the client coupled thereto with a user interface for controlling the devices, wherein the at least one device includes an audio system, a video system, an intercom system, a lighting system, a security system, a link, and a HVAC system.

The at least one client may include one of a TV, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, and a game controller. The web services for devices stack protocol may include a services tier that provides communication via at least one of HTTP and UDP wherein the communication via HTTP and UDP may include information contained in SOAP packets, 3

and a logical interface with the at least one client, and the web services for devices stack protocol may include a web service for each at least one device. The web services for devices stack protocol may include a service provider configured as a generic host for web services. The web services for devices 5 stack protocol further may include one of a component configured to host multiple services, and a controller configured to communicate with the at least one device and wherein the web services for devices stack protocol further may include a device bridge configured to translate commands for the 10 devices. The set top box may include one of a set-top box and a cablecard implemented with an OCAP. The web services for devices stack protocol may be configured to communicate with the at least one device in a native format and the native format may include at least one of HTTP, TCP, UDP, and 15 serial protocols. The web services for devices protocol may be configured to discover the at least one client and the discovery may include one of multicast announcements, multicast query requests, and unicast responses. The web services for devices protocol may be configured for description and 20 the description may include at least one of WS-Metadata exchange, web services description language, and simple object access protocol/XML protocol. The web services for devices protocol may be configured for eventing and wherein the eventing may include at least one of web services descrip- 25 tion language for detailed events, a configuration for client subscription to events, and a configuration for the at least one device to push events to the at least one client.

Accordingly, in another aspect of the invention a machinereadable medium comprising instructions stored therewith, 30 which, when executed by a processor cause the processor to establish an automation system in a Web Service environment, the machine-reachable medium includes instructions for providing automation-based control and communication between at least one client and at least one device, the at least 35 one client and the at least one device configured with a web services for devices stack protocol configured to the at least one client and at least one device, instructions for configuring a network comprising at least one server to be connected to the at least one client and the at least one device with the web 40 services for devices, and instructions for coupling a set top box between the network and at least one of the clients and configured to provide the client coupled thereto with a user interface for controlling the devices, wherein the at least one device may include an audio system, a video system, an 45 intercom system, a lighting system, a security system, a link, and a HVAC system.

The at least one client further may include one of a TV, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, and a game controller. The web services for devices stack protocol may 50 include a services tier that provides communication via at least one of HTTP and UDP wherein the communication via HTTP and UDP may include information contained in SOAP packets, and a logical interface with the at least one client, and the web services fordevices stack protocol may include a web 55 service for each at least one device. The web services for devices stack protocol further may include a device bridge configured to translate commands for the devices, and a service provider configured as a generic host for web services. The web services for devices stack protocol further may 60 include a component configured to host multiple services, and a controller configured to communicate with the at least one device. The controller may be configured to send feedback from the at least one device to the at least one client. The web services for devices stack protocol may be configured to 65 communicate with the at least one device in a native format and the native format may include at least one of HTTP, TCP,

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UDP, and serial protocols. The web services for devices protocol may be configured to discover the at least one client and the discovery may include one of multicast announcements, multicast query requests, and unicast responses. The web services for devices protocol may be configured for description and the description may include at least one of WSMetadata exchange, web services description language, and simple object access protocol/XML protocol.

Accordingly, in another aspect of the invention an automation system operating in a Web Service for Devices environment, includes at least one client and at least one device, the at least one client and the at least one device configured with a web services for devices stack protocol configured to provide automation-based control and communication between the at least one client and at least one device, a network comprising at least one server configured to be connected to the at least one client and the at least one device with the web services for devices, and a set top box coupled between the network and at least one of the clients and configured to provide the client coupled thereto with a user interface for controlling the devices, wherein the at least one client further includes one of a TV, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, and a game controller and the at least one device includes an audio system, a video system, an intercom system, a lighting system, a security system, a link, and a HVAC system.

Additional features of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows an schematic overview of a convergence solution constructed according to the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 schematically shows the web services for devices stack for use in the convergence solution of FIG. 1, constructed according to principles of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a device life cycle operating according to the principles of the invention; and

FIG. 4 shows a schematic overview of the convergence solution of FIG. 1 implemented with a set top box.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly