Granted Patent B2

US 8,125,894 · App. 11/293,310 · Granted Feb 28, 2012

Abstract

Claims (25)

1. Remote management method for use in a home network, wherein the home network is a LAN network having a plurality of devices and a Routing Gateway, said Routing Gateway being coupled to each device of said plurality of devices, an Auto-Configuration Server being coupled to said Routing Gateway via one of an Internet or a private network connection and managing a dedicated device of said plurality of devices and said Routing Gateway, said method comprising:

in response to receiving a request by one of the plurality of devices to be managed, forwarding, by the Routing Gateway, to the one of the plurality of devices an identity of the Auto-Configuration Server and said Routing Gateway, wherein the one of the plurality of devices is a special device the Auto-Configuration Server is not configured to manage;

sending, by the special device, a request for being managed and said identity of the Auto-Configuration Server and said Routing Gateway to a further Auto-Configuration Server, the Auto-Configuration Server and the further Auto-Configuration Server being dedicated servers;

requesting, by the further Auto-Configuration Server, said Auto-Configuration Server to access and configure said Routing Gateway for providing said further Auto-Configuration Server access to said Routing Gateway; and

configuring, by said Auto-Configuration Server, said Routing Gateway to provide said further Auto-Configuration Server access to said Routing Gateway, wherein the configuring allows the further Auto-Configuration Server to remotely manage the special device.

2. Remote management method according to claim 1 , said method further comprising:

accessing, by said Auto-Configuration Server, said Routing Gateway and managing the special device through said routing Gateway.

3. Remote management method according to claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein said requesting step is based on an identification of said routing gateway and an identity of said Auto-Configuration Server, wherein said configuring step configures said Routing Gateway to change the access rights of the Routing Gateway, based on the received request from the further Auto-Configuration Server.

4. Auto Configuration Server for use in a home network, wherein the home network is a LAN network having a plurality of devices and a routing gateway, said Routing Gateway being coupled to each device of said plurality of devices, said Auto Configuration Server being coupled to said Routing Gateway via one of an Internet or a private network connection, said Auto Configuration Server comprising:

a processor, configured to receive a request for provisioning a further Auto Configuration Server access to said Routing Gateway from said further Auto Configuration Server, said further Auto Configuration Server sending the request in response to a previous request from one of the plurality of devices to be managed by said further Auto Configuration Server, the Auto-Configuration Server and the further Auto-Configuration Server being dedicated servers, wherein the one of the plurality of devices is a special device the Auto-Configuration Server is not configured to manage;

the processor being configured to determine a change of access based on said access request; and

the processor being configured to modify access rights for provisioning said further Auto Configuration Server access to said Routing Gateway, wherein the provisioning allows the further Auto-Configuration Server to remotely manage the special device.

5. A further Auto Configuration Server for use with a home network, wherein the home network is a LAN network having a plurality of devices, a routing gateway, and a (dedicated) Auto Configuration Server, said Routing Gateway being coupled to each device of said plurality of devices via one of an Internet or a private network connection and said Routing Gateway further being coupled to said Auto-Configuration Server, said further Auto Configuration Server comprises:

a processor, configured to receive a request for being managed sent by one of the plurality of devices whereto said further Auto Configuration Server is a dedicated server, wherein the one of the plurality of devices is a special device the Auto-Configuration Server is not configured to manage;

the processor being configured to generate a request to said Auto Configuration Server for provisioning said further Auto Configuration Server access to said Routing Gateway;

the processor being configured to forward said request for provisioning said further Auto Configuration Server access to said Routing Gateway towards said Auto Configuration Server, wherein the provisioning allows the further Auto-Configuration Server to remotely manage the special device.

6. Routing Gateway (RG) for use in a home network, wherein the home network is a LAN network having a plurality of devices, said Routing Gateway being coupled to each device of said plurality of devices via one of an Internet or a private network connection and having a dedicated Auto Configuration Server, said Routing Gateway further being coupled to said Auto-Configuration Server, wherein one of the plurality of devices is a special device the Auto-Configuration Server is not configured to manage, said Routing Gateway comprising:

a processor configured to forward, at a request of the special device, an identity of said Routing Gateway (RG) and an identity of said Auto Configuration Server towards the special device, such that the special device may send a request for being managed to a further Auto Configuration Server, the further Auto-Configuration Server being a dedicated server that remotely manages the special device in response to the request.

7. A special device for use in a home network, wherein the home network is a LAN network having a plurality of devices including the special device, a Routing Gateway being coupled to said each device of said plurality of devices, and coupled to a dedicated Auto Configuration Server via one of an Internet or a private network connection, said Routing Gateway further being coupled to said Auto-Configuration Server, said special device comprising:

a processor configured to forward a request for being managed, an identity of said Routing Gateway, and an identity of said Auto Configuration Server towards a further Auto-Configuration, the further Auto-Configuration Server being a dedicated server that remotely manages the special device in response to the request, wherein the special device is a device the Auto-Configuration Server is not configured to manage.

8. The special device according to claim 7 , said special device further comprising:

a processor, configured to receive an identity of said Routing Gateway and an identify of said Auto Configuration Server from said Routing Gateway.

9. A remote management method for use in a home network, wherein the home network is a LAN network, said method comprising:

receiving a request, at a first configuration server, from a second configuration server to access and configure a routing gateway, the second configuration server sending the request in response to a previous request from a special device to be managed by the second configuration server, the first and second configuration servers being dedicated servers, the special device being a device that the first configuration server is not configured to manage; and

configuring the routing gateway to provide the second configuration server access to the routing gateway, wherein the configuring allows the second configuration server to remotely manage the special device.

Assignments (12)