Method and apparatus for network device detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11894943-B2
Application number	US-202318177308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2023
Priority date	Aug 19, 2011
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

A method and apparatus for detecting remote network devices. In one embodiment, the method comprises detecting an event and a) transmitting a message requesting a response from one or more remote network devices, the message comprising a first network identification code, and b) determining whether a response to the message has been received, the response transmitted by a remote network device after receiving the message and determining that the first network identification code matches a second network identification code stored within the remote network device, the response comprising identification information of the remote network device. If c) a response has not been received, terminating the method for detecting remote network devices if a pre-determined time period has elapsed since transmitting the message. If d) a response has been received, storing identification information associated with the responding remote network device and repeating steps a-d until no further responses are received.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for self-assigning a network identification code to a network control device, comprising:
transmitting a command for any remote network node in range of the network control device to respond to the network control device with a network identification code that identifies a local network to which each respective responding remote network node belongs;
receiving a first response from a first remote network node in response to the command, the first response comprising a first network identification code;
removing the first network identification code from consideration as a self-assigned network identification code; and
selecting the self-assigned network identification code from a plurality of available network identification codes, excluding the first network identification code.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a second response from a second remote network node in response to the command, the second response comprising a second network identification code; and
removing the second network identification code from consideration as the self-assigned network identification code.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the self-assigned network identification code further comprises:
waiting until no additional responses are received from any other remote network node before selecting the self-assigned network identification code.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the self-assigned network identification code further comprises:
waiting a predetermined time period during which no additional responses are received from any other remote network node before selecting the self-assigned network identification code.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a second response from the first remote network node, the second response comprising the first network identification code; and
ignoring the second response when the first remote network node has previously responded to the command.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein ignoring the second response comprises:
determining that the second response was received within a predetermined time period from transmitting the command; and
ignoring the second response only when it is received within the predetermined time period.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the command comprises:
transmitting the command wirelessly over the air; and
transmitting the command over a powerline.

8. A network control device for self-assigning a network identification code to itself, comprising:
a memory for storing processor-executable instructions;
a wireless transmitter for transmitting wireless commands to one or more remote network nodes;
a receiver for receiving responses from the one or more remote network nodes; and
a processor, coupled to the memory, the wireless transmitter and the receiver, for executing the processor-executable instructions that causes the network control device to:
transmit a first wireless command for any of the one or more remote network nodes in range of the network control device to respond to the network control device with a network identification code that identifies a local network to which each respective responding remote network node belongs;
receive a first response from a first remote network node in response to the command, the first response comprising a first network identification code;
remove the first network identification code from consideration as a self-assigned network identification code; and
select the self-assigned network identification code from a plurality of available network identification codes stored in the memory, excluding the first network identification code.

9. The network control device of claim 8 , comprising further instructions that causes the network control device to:
receive a second response from a second remote network node in response to the command, the second response comprising a second network identification code; and
remove the second network identification code from consideration as the self-assigned network identification code.

10. The network control device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions for selecting the self-assigned network identification code comprise instructions that further causes the network control device to:
wait until no additional responses are received from any other remote network node before selecting the self-assigned network identification code.

11. The network control device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions for selecting the self-assigned network identification code comprise instructions that further causes the network control device to:
wait a predetermined time period during which no additional responses are received from any other remote network node before selecting the self-assigned network identification code.

12. The network control device of claim 8 , comprising further instructions that causes the network control device to:
receive a second response from the first remote network node, the second response comprising the first network identification code; and
ignore the second response when the first remote network node has previously responded to the command.

13. The network control device of claim 12 , wherein the instructions for ignoring the second response comprises instructions that further causes the network control device to:
determine that the second response was received within a predetermined time period from transmitting the command; and
ignore the second response only when it is received within the predetermined time period.

14. The network control device of claim 8 , further comprising:
a powerline transmitter;
wherein the instructions for transmitting the command comprises instructions that further causes the network control device to:
transmit the command wirelessly over the air via the wireless transmitter; and
transmit the command over a powerline via the powerline transmitter.

Assignees

• Ecolink Intelligent Technology Inc

Inventors

• Seelman George
• Lamb Michael
• Bailey Michael
• Stone Jay

Classifications

• H04L12/2809 Primary

  indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network (monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51) · CPC title