Granted Patent B2

US 8,572,179 · App. 13/344,165 · Granted Oct 29, 2013

Abstract

Claims (64)

1. A method for managing communications, the method comprising:

receiving, at a local-networking gateway, a request from a requesting device located in a local network for performance of a particular function;

accessing, at the local-networking gateway, a stored indication of a function capable of being performed by another device located in the local network;

determining, based on having accessed the indication of the function capable of being performed by the device, that the particular function cannot be completed by the device;

retrieving, in response to determining that the particular function cannot be completed by the device, device capability information stored by the home networking gateway, the device capability information including a device identifier a device identifier associated with each of a plurality of external devices and associating a capability and a priority level for performing the capability with each device identifier;

selecting a first external device from among the plurality of external devices, the first external device identified by the device capability information as being capable of performing the particular function, having a highest priority for performing the particular function, and available to perform the particular function, wherein the first external device is distinct from the local-networking gateway, external to the local network, and accessible to the local-networking gateway;

forwarding, from the local-networking gateway, the request for performance of the particular function to the first external device;

receiving, at the local-networking gateway, an indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network; and

sending to the requesting device, form the local-networking gateway to the requesting device, an indication that the particular function requested has been performed.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

accessing, at the local networking gateway, a set of rules that comprises rules to associate a function with an identified capability.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein selecting the first external device from among the external devices comprises selecting the first external device as capable of performing the particular function based on the accessed set of rules.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein forwarding the request for performance of the particular function to the first external device comprises establishing a communication session between the local-networking gateway and the first external device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein forwarding the request for performance of the particular function to the first external devices comprises rerouting the request from the local-networking gateway to the first external device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the request from the requesting device located in the local network for performance of the particular function comprises receiving a request from the requesting device located in the local network for printing of a file; and

receiving the indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network comprises receiving an indication that a printer of the first external device has printed the file.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the request from the requesting device located in the local network for performance of the particular function comprises receiving a request from the requesting device located in the local network for printing of a file; and

receiving the indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network comprises receiving an indication, from a printing service resource associated with the first external device, that the file printing requested by the requesting device located in the local network has been performed.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the request from the requesting device located in the local network for performance of the particular function comprises receiving a request from the requesting device located in the local network for printing of a photograph;

receiving the indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network comprises receiving an indication, from a photograph printing service resource associated with the first external device, that the photograph printing requested by the requesting device in the local network has been performed.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein forwarding, from the local networking gateway, the request for performance of the particular function to the first external device comprises forwarding, from the local-networking gateway, the request for performance of the photograph printing function and at least one photograph to the photograph printing service resource.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the request from the requesting device located in the local network for performance of the particular function comprises receiving a request from the requesting device located in the local network for storage of a file; and

receiving the indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network comprises receiving an indication that a storage device associated with the first external device has stored the file and an identifier of the location where the file has been stored.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein forwarding, from the local networking gateway, the request for performance of the particular function to the first external device comprises forwarding, from the local-networking gateway, the request for performance of the storage function and the file to the storage device.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the request from the requesting device located in the local network for performance of the particular function comprises receiving a request from the requesting device located in the local network for storage of a file; and

receiving the indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network comprises receiving an indication, from a storage service resource associated with the first external device, that the file storing requested by the requesting device located in the local network has been performed and a Uniform Resource Locator of the location where the file has been stored.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the request from the requesting device located in the local network for performance of the particular function comprises receiving a request from the requesting device located in the local network for storage of a photograph; and

receiving the indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network comprises receiving an indication, from a photograph storage service resource associated with the first external device, that the photograph storing requested by the requesting device located in the local network has been performed and a Uniform Resource Locator of the location where the photograph has been stored.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the request from the requesting device located in the local network for performance of the particular function comprises receiving a request from the requesting device located in the local network for retrieval of a sound recording; and

receiving the indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network comprises receiving an indication that a sound recording storage device associated with the first external device has retrieved the sound recording requested by the requesting device located in the local network and the retrieved sound recording.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the request from the requesting device located in the local network for performance of the particular function comprises receiving a request from the requesting device located in the local network for retrieval of a movie; and

receiving the indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network comprises receiving an indication that a movie storage device associated with the first external device has retrieved the movie requested by the requesting device located in the local network and the retrieved movie.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the request from the requesting device located in the local network for performance of the particular function comprises receiving a request from the requesting device located in the local network for retrieval of a sound recording; and

receiving the indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network comprises receiving an indication from a sound recording retrieval service resource associated with the first external device, that retrieval of the sound recording requested by the requesting device located in the local network and the retrieved sound recording.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

receiving the request from the requesting device located in the local network for performance of the particular function comprises receiving a request from the requesting device located in the local network for retrieval of a movie; and

receiving the indication that the first external device has performed the particular function requested by the requesting device located in the local network comprises receiving an indication, from a movie retrieval service resource associated with the first external device, that retrieval of the movie requested by the requesting device located in the local network has been performed and the retrieved movie.

18. A method for managing communications, the method comprising:

receiving, at a local-networking gateway, a request from a requesting device located in a local network for storage of a file;

accessing, at the local-networking gateway, a stored indication of a function capable of being performed by another device located on the local network;

determining, based on having accessed the indication of the function capable of being performed by the device, that the storage of the file is not capable of being performed by the device;

retrieving, in response to determining that the storage of the file is not capable of being performed by the device and without user intervention, device capability information stored by the local networking gateway, the device capability information including a device identifier a device identifier associated with each of a plurality of external devices and associating a capability and a priority level for performing the capability with each device identifier;

selecting a storage device from among the plurality of external devices, the storage device identified by the device capability information as having characteristics of being: capable of storage of the file, having a highest priority for performing the storage of the file, and available to perform the storage of the file, wherein the storage device is distinct from the local-networking gateway, external to the local network, and accessible to the local-networking gateway;

forwarding, from the local-networking gateway, the request for storage of the file to the storage device;

receiving, at the local-networking gateway, an indication that the storage device has stored the file and an identifier of the location where the file has been stored; and

sending to the requesting device, from the local-networking gateway to the requesting device, an indication that the local-networking gateway has stored the file.

19. A method for managing communications, the method comprising:

receiving, at a local-networking gateway, a request from a requesting device located in a local network for retrieval of a media file;

accessing, at the local-networking gateway, a stored indication of a function capable of being performed by another device located on the local network;

determining, based on having accessed the indication of the function capable of being performed by the device, that the retrieval of the media file is not capable of being performed by the device;

retrieving, in response to determining that the retrieval of the media file is not capable of being performed by the device and without user intervention, device capability information stored by the local networking gateway, the device capability information including a device identifier a device identifier associated with each of a plurality of external devices and associating a capability and a priority level for performing the capability with each device identifier;

selecting a media file storage device from among a plurality of external devices, the media file storage device identified by the device capability information as having characteristics of being: capable of performing the retrieval of the media file and having a highest priority for performing the storage of the file, wherein the media file storage device is distinct from the local-networking gateway, external to the local network, and accessible to the local-networking gateway;

forwarding, from the local-networking gateway, the request for retrieval of the media file to the media file storage device;

receiving, at the local-networking gateway, the media file; and

sending to the requesting device, from the local-networking gateway to the requesting device, an indication that the local-networking gateway has retrieved the media file even though the media file storage device retrieved the media file.

Assignments (8)