Network-enabled devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10680878-B2
Application number	US-201715795288-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2017
Priority date	Aug 26, 2016
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems and computer program products for operating and controlling network-enabled devices. A network-enabled device communicates capability information representative of its set of capabilities. The network-enabled device also communicates a status signal indicative of the status of the device. It may be determined that the first network-enabled device is unable or unavailable to perform a function based on a status signal communicated by the first network-enabled device. A second network-enabled device may be identified to assign a failover function to based on the respective capabilities of the second network-enabled devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of controlling a system of network-enabled devices, the method comprising:
operating a first network-enabled device having a first set of capabilities;
operating a plurality of second network-enabled devices each having a respective set of different capabilities;
determining the first network-enabled device is unable or unavailable to perform a function based on a status signal communicated by the first network-enabled device;
identifying a second network-enabled device to assign a failover function to based on the respective capabilities of the second network-enabled devices, and
communicating, to the identified second network-enabled device, an assignment signal identifying the failover function as the assigned function,
wherein the first set of capabilities of the first network-enabled device or the respective set of capabilities of the second network-enabled devices includes one or more high-level functions that the respective network-enabled device is capable of performing, rules that define an operation of the one or more high-level functions and requirements that enable each of the one or more high-level functions and wherein the rules for each of the one or more high-level function includes an identification and weighting value for each related high-level function.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at a management server: capability information from the second network-enabled devices; and the status signal communicated by the first network-enabled device: and
executing an application on the management, the application identifying the second network-enabled device to assign the failover function to and generating the function assignment signal.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the second network-enabled devices has respective set of capabilities that is different from the first set of capabilities.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the first network-enabled device is unable or unavailable to perform a function comprises:
detecting an occurrence of a predetermined condition at the first network-enabled device, wherein the predetermined condition relates to at least one of:
the status of an assigned function;
non-receipt of a status signal from the first network-enabled device
a power status of the network-enabled device;
an anticipated failure of the network-enabled device;
an expected outcome of performing a function;
a location of the network-enabled device;
a communication signal strength of the network-enabled device; and
an observation of an expected event.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the failover function differs from the function that the first network-enabled device is unable or unavailable to perform.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Hook James K
• Hunt Hamish C
• Lincoln Nicholas K
• Stone Simon D

Classifications

• H04L41/0668 Primary

  by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure · CPC title

• H04L43/0817

  by checking functioning · CPC title

• H04L41/0816

  the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events · CPC title