Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing – Computer network access regulating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-09
2002-10-08
Maung, Zarni (Department: 2154)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
Computer network access regulating
C709S223000, C379S093020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06463473
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a scheme for installing client devices within a computer network and, in particular, to such installations that are to be temporary in nature.
BACKGROUND
In the above-cited co-pending application Ser. No. 09/151,579, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Accessing a Computer Network Communication Channel”, filed Sep. 11, 1998, and assigned to the Assignee of the present invention, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, a computer network adapted for use in the home environment was described. That architecture included a number of network components arranged in a hierarchical fashion and communicatively coupled to one another through communication links operative at different levels of the hierarchy. At the highest level of the hierarchy, a communication protocol that supports dynamic addition of new network components at any level of the hierarchy according to bandwidth requirements within a communication channel operative at the highest level of the network hierarchy is used. Preferably, the communication channel is supported on a wireless communication link.
The generalization of this network structure is shown in
FIG. 1. A
subnet
10
includes a server
12
. In this scheme, the term “subnet” is used describe a cluster of network components that includes a server and several clients associated therewith (e.g., coupled through the wireless communication link). Depending on the context of the discussion however, a subnet may also refer to a network that includes a client and one or more subclients associated therewith. A “client” is a network node linked to the server through the wireless communication link. Examples of clients include audio/video equipment such as televisions, stereo components, satellite television receivers, cable television distribution nodes, and other household appliances.
Server
12
may be a separate computer that controls the communication link, however, in other cases server
12
may be embodied as an add-on card or other component attached to a host computer (e.g., a personal computer)
13
. Server
12
has an associated radio
14
(half- or full-duplex), which is used to couple server
12
wirelessly to the other nodes of subnet
10
. The wireless link generally supports both high and low bandwidth data channels and a command channel. Here a channel is defined as the combination of a transmission frequency (more properly a transmission frequency band) and a pseudo-random (PN) code used in a spread spectrum communication scheme. In general, a number of available frequencies and PN codes may provide a number of available channels within subnet
10
. As is described in the co-pending application cited above, servers and clients are capable of searching through the available channels to find a desirable channel over which to communicate with one another.
Also included in subnet
10
are a number of clients
16
, some of which have shadow clients
18
associated therewith. A shadow client
18
is defined as a client which receives the same data input as its associated client
16
(either from server
12
or another client
16
), but which exchanges commands with server
12
independently of its associated client
16
. Each client
16
has an associated radio
14
, which is used to communicate with server
12
, and some clients
16
may have associated subclients
20
. Subclients
20
may include keyboards, joysticks, remote control devices, multi-dimensional input devices, cursor control devices, display units and/or other input and/or output devices associated with a particular client
16
. A client
16
and its associated subclients
20
may communicate with one another via communication links
22
, which may be wireless (e.g., infra-red, ultrasonic, spread spectrum, etc.) communication links.
Each subnet
10
is arranged in a hierarchical fashion with various levels of the hierarchy corresponding to levels at which intra-network component communication occurs. At a highest level of the hierarchy exists the server
12
(and/or its associated host
13
), which communicates with various clients
16
via the wireless radio channel. At other, lower levels of the hierarchy the clients
16
communicate with their various subclients
20
using, for example, wired communication links or wireless communication links such as infrared links.
Where half-duplex radio communication is used on the wireless link between server
12
and clients
16
, a communication protocol based on a slotted link structure with dynamic slot assignment is employed. Such a structure supports point-to-point connections within subnet
10
and slot sizes may be re-negotiated within a session. Thus a data link layer that supports the wireless communication can accommodate data packet handling, time management for packet transmission and slot synchronization, error correction coding (ECC), channel parameter measurement and channel switching. A higher level transport layer provides all necessary connection related services, policing for bandwidth utilization, low bandwidth data handling, data broadcast and, optionally, data encryption. The transport layer also allocates bandwidth to each client
16
, continuously polices any under or over utilization of that bandwidth, and also accommodates any bandwidth renegotiations, as may be required whenever a new client
16
comes on-line or when one of the clients
16
(or an associated subclient
20
) requires greater bandwidth.
As explained in the above-cited co-pending application, at initial start up the network must be installed. This involves initiating a list of clients
16
at the host computer
13
(e.g., to enable the server
12
to reject connection request from any uninstalled clients whose properties and bandwidth requirements will be unknown to the host computer
13
); distributing client IDs among the clients
16
(e.g., to avoid any confusion among the clients
16
regarding the expected data from the server
12
and their respective transmission slots); and forming a table of estimated bandwidth requirements for each client
16
(e.g., to enable the server
12
to on-line pre-compute any bandwidth requirements before a connection is granted to any particular client
16
). Before any new client
16
is added to the subnet
10
, the list of recognized clients at the host computer
13
must be updated. This may be done directly by a user at the host computer
13
or, in some cases, may be accomplished remotely, so long as the client ID is provided to both the server
12
and the new client
16
.
By maintaining an up-to-date client list or database, subnet
10
may be configured on-the-fly as clients
16
log-on and/or log-off. For example, installed clients may not be active and so need not be allocated bandwidth within the communication channel. As these clients come on-line, however, they will require such bandwidth. To avoid lengthy delays in having to install a client each time it wakes up, the client list provides a readily available access point for server
12
to quickly determine the client's bandwidth and other requirements. The client list also serves to authenticate clients so as to prevent unauthorized access to the subnet
10
. In the past, however, when a user wished to remove a client from the client list, this de-installation process required manual input to delete the undesired client's information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one embodiment, a network is configured so as to allow access by a client device for a limited period of time. During this period of time, the client device may have access to designated network resources. In some cases, the network may be so configured on-the-fly, that is, it may be configured to allow access by the client device in response to an installation request transmitted by the client device to a network master device. Such an installation request should include a unique identifier associated with the client device. This unique identifier may be broadcast by the client device without a prompt
Blakely , Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman LLP
Lin Wen-Tai
Maung Zarni
Sharewave, Inc.
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