Method and apparatus for enabling discovery and use of a service by a client device

Abstract

The present invention is directed to facilitating communications and interoperability between/among applications and services. Such applications and services may be running on or associated with disparate platforms. The apparatus of the present invention provides for a message set that can be used by services to advertise available services, and by applications to identify desired services. According to certain embodiments, applications may subscribe to available services, such as display services. In a further aspect of some embodiments, applications executable on and services available from disparate platforms are not required by themselves to support communications between/among the platforms. Instead, such support may be obtained from facilities that are provided as part of the platform itself.

1 . An information transfer system, comprising: 
 a server apparatus, including: 
 a service engine;  
 a server communication interface;  
 a server connection framework process;  
 a server service facility of at least a first type and having a first set of capabilities;  
   a remote platform, including: 
 a client application;  
 a communication interface compatible with said communication interface of said server apparatus;  
 a client connection framework process; and  
 a client service facility of said at least said first type and having a second set of capabilities;  
   a communication channel, wherein said communication interface of said server apparatus and said communication interface of said remote platform are operably interconnected;    wherein said server communication interface, said server connection framework process, said client communication interface and said client connection framework process operate to advertise said server service facility to said client application, wherein said client application discovers said service facility of said server apparatus and establishes a logical communication path with said service facility through interaction between said client connection framework process and said server connection framework process, wherein after establishing said logical communication path data is passed from said client application to said server service facility over said communication channel using said logical communication path.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said client application pushes content to said server service facility.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said server service facility and said client service facility include display devices.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein an area of said server display is greater than said client display.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said server service facility includes an audio service and said client application provides audio content.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein said client application additionally provides visual content.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said first set of capabilities is greater than said second set of capabilities.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said server apparatus includes a user input, wherein a first user action received at said server user input is passed to said client application as a first event.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein said remote platform includes a user input, wherein a second user action received at said remote platform user input is received at said client application as said first event.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said remote platform comprises a cellular telephone.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said server apparatus comprises a Win32 platform.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said server service facility comprises a visual display output device and a browser application.  
   
   
       13 . A method for providing a service facility to a client device, comprising: 
 advertising on a server apparatus an available server service facility;    placing a client device in communication with said server apparatus using a physical interconnection;    discovering by said client device said available service facility;    establishing a logical communication channel between said service and a client application running on said client device; and    providing first data from said client application to said service facility, wherein said server service facility provides a service using said provided data, wherein said providing data comprises passing said data from said client device to said server service facility over said logical communication channel using said physical interconnection with said server apparatus.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said service facility includes an output device that is interconnected to said central system by a physical interconnection that is separate from said physical interconnection used to place said client device in communication with said server apparatus.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said server service facility includes a visual output device, and wherein said provided first data comprises visual content displayed by said visual output device.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 receiving at a user input associated with said server apparatus a first event;    delivering said first event to said client application;    in response to receiving said first event at said client application, providing second data from said client application to said service, wherein said visual content displayed by said visual output device is changed.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 receiving at a user input associated with said client device a first event;    in response to receiving said first event at said client application, providing second data from said client application to said server service facility, wherein said visual content displayed by said visual output device is changed.    
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 identifying said client device; and    associating first additional content with said identified client device, wherein said visual content displayed by said visual output device includes said first additional content.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said service comprises a visual output device and a browser application, said method further comprising: 
 generating in said client application second data; and    providing said second data comprising second visual content from said client application to said server service facility, wherein said browser application retrieves and displays said second visual content as part of an auto refresh cycle.    
   
   
       20 . An information transfer apparatus, comprising: 
 a central system for managing service related information related to services available for use including a first service and for providing a number of physical communication interfaces;    at least a first application that processes application related information;    at least a first service engine having said first service associated therewith and being in communication with running on said central system for providing at least a first function to be used by said first application;    at least a first information source interconnected to one of said physical communication interfaces and in communication with said first service engine from which, wherein said application related information can be obtained for processing using said first application; and    at least a first interface manager in communication with at least each of said central system and said first service engine, said interface manager for providing compatibility of communications between said central system and communications link technology communicable with said first interface manager;    wherein said central system is used to establish a first communications path for said first interface manager to said first service engine and, after being established, said first interface manager is used in obtaining said application related information from said information source independently of said central system, wherein said central system is used to establish a second communications path between said interface manager and an interconnected device, and wherein said first communications path and said second communications path are completed through said central system.    
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said central system also communicates with said first service engine to obtain state information therefrom and also to alert said first service engine of a communication between said first service engine and said first application.  
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 20  in which said first interface manager communicates with said first service engine using said first application.  
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 20  further including a second application executable on an external system that can use said first interface manager to access said first service engine and in which said first application can obtain said application related information from said information source independently of said first interface manager.  
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said central system includes an operating system, a controller having at least one processor and memory, with at least portions of said memory storing said service related information for use by at least a second application.  
   
   
       25 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said first application includes a vehicle diagnostic application that communicates directly with said central system.  
   
   
       26 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said first service engine associates with at least one of: a global positioning system (GPS), Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST), an onboard vehicle diagnostics (OBD-II), a controller area network (CAN), and a universal serial bus (USB).  
   
   
       27 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said communications link technology includes at least one of: a universal serial bus (USB), transport control protocol/universal datagram protocol (TCP/UDP), a controller area network (CAN) and a RS-232 serial port.  
   
   
       28 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said communications link technology involves wireless technology and relates to at least one of: WiFi, ultra wideband (UWB) Bluetooth, personal area networking, COMA, DATATAC, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, Mobitex and an integrated digital enhanced network interface.  
   
   
       29 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said first interface manager receives a message from said central system and uses said message to create a table that maps said first service to a first communication port assigned by said first interface manager.  
   
   
       30 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said first interface manager provides a message to an external system indicating that said first service is available and also indicating the manner by which said first service is to be referenced by said external system.  
   
   
       31 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said first interface manager creates a mapping table that correlates at least a first remote service associated with an external system to a second communication path used to access said first service engine.  
   
   
       32 . The apparatus of  claim 20  further including a second interface manager included with an external system that communicates with said first interface manager using said communications link technology, said second interface manager sending a message to said first interface manager that includes an identifier associated with a first remote service engine of said external system, said first interface manager correlating an address with said first remote service engine.  
   
   
       33 . The apparatus of  claim 32  wherein said first interface manager maps said address to said communications link technology.  
   
   
       34 . The apparatus of  claim 33  wherein said communications link technology relates to at least one of: a universal serial bus (USB), a transport control protocol/universal datagram protocol (TCP/UDP), a controller area network (CAN) and a RS-232 serial port.  
   
   
       35 . The apparatus of  claim 32  wherein said second interface manager stores information related to mapping said first remote service engine to said address.  
   
   
       36 . The apparatus of  claim 20  further including an external system that manages remote services information including related to at least a first remote service available for use and in which said external system informs said central system of said at least first remote service and said central system informs said external system of said first service.  
   
   
       37 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein said central system is part of a portable phone.