Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – Magnetic – Paramagnetic
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-06
2003-02-25
Burgess, Glenton B. (Department: 2757)
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Magnetic
Paramagnetic
C709S236000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06523696
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication control device such as a computer having functions for realizing a directory service in a home network environment, a remote control of devices and a control of peripheral devices, and more particularly, to a communication control device such as a computer which may be required to control various types of devices connected to a general purpose bus.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, there is a rapid trend for digitalizing electronic devices as exemplified by advances of the multi-media technology, and this trend is already noticeable in the office environment.
In terms of hardware, this trend has been materialized in forms of introduction of PCs, digitalization of OA devices and formation of networks among them. Also, in terms of software, this trend has been expanding to cover the basic functions of hosts (which are progressively light-sized and transferred to PCs), the application software such as the word-processing software, the spreadsheet software, etc., and the Internet application such as the WWW.
The similar trend can also be seen in the home environment for home use devices and related fields. Namely, even in the home environment, this trend for digitalization has been steadily progressed in forms of digitalization of AV devices (DVD, digital VTR, digital video camera, etc.), digitalization of broadcasting, and Internet access such as OCN.
This trend of technological innovations that has started from the office environment is expected to progress toward the formation of networks in future. Namely, it is expected that the technologies of various fields such as information processing, communication and broadcasting will be unified by the digitalization, and inter-mixed with each other by the formation of networks.
There are many candidates for the network technologies that provide the bases for this trend. For example, the Ethernet has overwhelming records of the actual use in the office environment and is probably the most promising candidate even for the home PC network. Also, the ATM is another serious contender because of the general consensus among the infra-structure constructors (telephone companies, CATV companies, etc.) to keep constructing the infra-structures based on this technology in view of the advantageous characteristics of the ATM such as its fast, real-time, and wide bandwidth properties.
In addition to these candidates, the network technology (bus technology) called IEEE 1394 has been attracting much attentions recently. This IEEE 1394 has several remarkable characteristics such as its fast, real-time (QOS guaranteed), and plug-and-play properties, so that there is a high expectation especially among the AV industries on the IEEE 1394 as the most promising candidate for a future scheme for inter-connecting digital AV devices. This vogue has also instigated much interests to the IEEE 1394 from the computer industries as well.
Now, the inter-mixing of various fields such as information processing, communication and broadcasting based on network formation is expected to be realized in a form of the inter-connection of the home use digital devices by these various network technologies in conjunction with the spread of the home use digital devices, depending on preferences and demands of the users, and in this way prototype digital networks will be gradually built up inside each home.
In the next phase, there will be demands for inter-connecting these digital networks together. For example, there will be a desire to inter-connect an AV device connected to the 1394 network of a guest room on the first floor with another AV device connected to the 1394 network of a private room on the second floor at the user's home in order to realize the dubbing or the cooperative operation between these AV devices.
However, the realization of the inter-connection among digital networks within a home or between homes is associated with the following problems
(1) In the case of realizing the control of devices through networks within a home or between homes, there is no mechanism for ascertaining information such as “which device is located at which position on the network” or “what kind of service is being offered on the network”. Without this mechanism, the user cannot recognize the existence of a particular device/service on the network and therefore cannot operate or control the target device or receive the offered service.
(2) It is expected that parts obeying different protocols will be co-existing in the case of the inter-connection among digital networks, but there is no mechanism for conveying operation commands and the like over different protocols.
For instance, when IEEE 1394 is used, other devices such as those applicable to Internet can co-exist with devices applicable to 1394, and their protocols may not necessarily coincide. Now, in the case of realizing a remote control in such a co-existing state, that is, controlling a target device through different types of networks, it is impossible to transmit operation commands because the IEEE 1394 protocol cannot be operated in the different types of networks.
It is possible to consider the realization of remote control by providing gateways, but there is no design guideline for gateways in such a case.
As described, conventionally, even when it is desired to inter-connect digital networks within a home or between homes and carry out control of devices through networks, there has been no technique to ascertain information regarding a position of each device that exists on the network or a service that is offered on the network so that the user cannot recognize the existence of a particular device/service on the network and therefore it has been impossible for the user to carry out the operation or control of the target device or receive the offered service. In addition, when parts obeying different protocols are co-existing in the inter-connected digital networks, there has been no technique for conveying operation commands and the like over the different protocols so that it has been impossible for the user to carry out the operation or control of the target device or receive the offered service over the different protocols.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a communication control device capable of realizing a uniform service providing environment without relying on a particular network.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication control device connected with first and second networks, comprising: a collecting unit for collecting service information of service providing devices connected with the first network, according to a first protocol depending on the first network; and a notifying unit for notifying the service information to a device connected with a second network, according to a second protocol not depending on the first network.
In this aspect of the present invention, it becomes possible to notify the service information of the service providing devices connected to the first network, independently from a protocol of a datalink of the first network, to said device connected with the second network, regardless of a datalink type of the second network. Also, it becomes possible to urge the operations with respect to these service providing devices from the second network.
In this aspect of the present invention, the second protocol may be a network layer protocol, while the first protocol may be depending on a datalink of the first network.
Also, in this aspect of the present invention, the communication control device may further comprises: a receiving unit for receiving a second protocol packet for controlling at least one of the service providing devices connected with the first network, from said device connected with the second network; and a control unit for controlling said at least one of the service providing devices specified by the second protocol packet, according to the
Hashimoto Mikio
Saito Takeshi
Takabatake Yoshiaki
Burgess Glenton B.
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Salad Abdullahi E.
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