Framework for IoT protocol identification and management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11076024-B2
Application number	US-201616469382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2016
Priority date	Dec 27, 2016
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to identify and manage IoT protocols and associated devices. An example apparatus includes a gateway device to communicate according to a first protocol. The example gateway device includes a plugin agent to discover a first device and probe the first device to gather data regarding a protocol of the first device. The example plugin agent is to transmit the gathered data to a plugin manager to determine whether the first device is to communicate via the first protocol, and, when the first device is unable to communicate via the first protocol, determine a plugin for the gateway device to enable the gateway device to communicate with the first device, the plugin agent to provision the plugin for the gateway device with respect to the first device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gateway apparatus comprising:
an interface to communicate via a first protocol; and
a plugin agent to discover a first device and probe the first device to gather data regarding the first device,
the plugin agent to transmit the gathered data to a plugin manager to determine whether the first device is to communicate via the first protocol, and, when the first device is unable to communicate via the first protocol, enable the plugin manager to determine, based on the gathered data, a plugin for the interface to enable the interface to communicate with the first device, the plugin agent to provision the plugin for the interface with respect to the first device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a plugin foundation, and wherein the plugin agent is deployed in the plugin foundation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the interface includes a plurality of communication interfaces.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plugin is to translate between the first protocol and a second protocol.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plugin agent is to query the plugin manager via a cloud-based plugin matching service.

6. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to implement at least:
a gateway device to communicate according to a first protocol, the gateway device including:
a plugin agent to discover a first device and probe the first device to gather data regarding the first device,

the plugin agent to transmit the gathered data to a plugin manager to determine whether the first device is to communicate via the first protocol, and, when the first device is unable to communicate via the first protocol, enable the plugin manager to determine, based on the gathered data, a plugin for the gateway device to enable the gateway device to communicate with the first device, the plugin agent to provision the plugin for the gateway device with respect to the first device.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6 , wherein the plugin agent is deployed in a plugin foundation of the gateway device.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6 , wherein the gateway device includes a plurality of communication interfaces.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6 , wherein the plugin is to translate between the first protocol and a second protocol.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6 , wherein the plugin agent is to query the plugin manager via a cloud-based plugin matching service.

11. A method comprising:
discovering, via a plugin agent of a gateway device including a processor, a first device;
probing, via the plugin agent, the first device to gather data regarding the first device;
transmitting, via the plugin agent, the gathered data to a plugin manager, the plugin manager to determine whether the first device is to communicate via a first protocol, and, when the first device is unable to communicate via the first protocol, the plugin manager to determine, based on the gathered data, a plugin for the gateway device to enable the gateway device to communicate with the first device; and
provisioning, via the plugin agent, the plugin for the gateway device with respect to the first device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method includes:
determining whether the first device is to communicate via the first protocol; and
when the first device is unable to communicate via the first protocol, determining a plugin for the gateway device to enable the gateway device to communicate with the first device.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plugin agent is deployed in a plugin foundation of the gateway device.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the gateway device includes a plurality of communication interfaces.

15. An apparatus comprising:
a communication interface; and
a cloud-based plugin matching service to identify a plugin for communication between a gateway device and a first device according to a first protocol, the cloud-based plugin matching service including:
a plugin manager to determine whether the first device is to communicate via the first protocol, and, when the first device is unable to communicate via the first protocol, determine a plugin for the gateway device to enable the gateway device to communicate with the first device, the plugin manager to process data gathered by a plugin agent from the first device and determine, based on a pattern associated with the first device, the plugin from a set and transmit the plugin to a plugin agent to provision the plugin for the gateway device with respect to the first device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the plugin manager retrieves plugins from a cloud-based plugin repository.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the plugin is determined using a recommendation algorithm and a manifest of data regarding the first device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the data is modeled and compared to one or more matrices using the recommendation algorithm.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the recommendation algorithm includes at least one of a collaborative recommendation algorithm, a content-based recommendation algorithm, a demographic recommendation algorithm, a knowledge-based recommendation algorithm, or a consolidated recommendation algorithm.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the plugin manager includes a plugin recommendation processor, a matrix builder, and a plurality of databases.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Agerstam Mats
• Mccall David J
• Kesavan Vijay Sarathi
• Ramirez Loaiza Maria E

Classifications

• H04W88/16

  Gateway arrangements · CPC title

• H04W8/005

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title

• H04L67/34 Primary

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• H04L12/283

  Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network · CPC title

• H04L12/2803 Primary

  Home automation networks · CPC title