METHOD AND SERVER FOR COUPLING A SMART-HOME DEVICE TO A MOBILE TERMINAL

Abstract

The invention provides a method for coupling a smart home device to a mobile terminal, comprising the following features: the smart home device (10, 20, 30) is connected to a server (40) via a source NAT router (14, 24, 34); the mobile terminal (12, 22, 32) is connected to the server (40) via the same source NAT router (14, 24, 34); the server (40) compares a public network address of the smart home device (10, 20, 30) with a public network address of the mobile terminal (12, 22, 32); and where the public network addresses match, the server (40) forwards an identification feature of the smart home device (10, 20, 30) to the mobile terminal (12, 22, 32).

The invention also provides a corresponding server, a corresponding computer program and a corresponding storage medium.

Claims

1-9. (canceled)

10. A method for coupling a smart home device to a mobile terminal, comprising: establishing, by a server, a connection with a smart home device via a source network address translation (NAT) router; establishing, by the server, a connection with a mobile terminal via the source NAT router; comparing, by the server, a public network address of the smart home device with a public network address of the mobile terminal; and if the public network address of the smart home device matches the public network address of the mobile terminal, forwarding, by the server, an identification feature of the smart home device to the mobile terminal.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: the mobile terminal assigns the identification feature to an owner; and the mobile terminal personalizes the smart home device to the owner by name in particular.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein: the source NAT router is a wireless local area network (WLAN) router; and the smart home device and the mobile terminal are wirelessly connected to the WLAN router.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein: the source NAT router is an Internet gateway of a home network; the home network comprises the smart home device and the mobile terminal; and the Internet gateway and the server are connected via the Internet.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the identification feature of the smart home device comprises one of a media access control address, an IPv6 address, a universally unique identifier, a globally unique identifier, or a proprietary identification feature from a manufacturer of the smart home device.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein: the mobile terminal is a smartphone; and the smartphone controls the smart home device from any location via the identification feature.

16. A server configured for coupling a smart home device to a mobile terminal, the server comprising: a means for connecting a smart home device to the server via a source network address translation (NAT) router; a means for connecting a mobile terminal to the server via the same source NAT router; a means for comparing a public network address of the smart home device with a public network address of the mobile terminal; and a means for forwarding an identification feature of the smart home device to the mobile terminal if the public network address of the smart home device matches the public network address of the mobile terminal.

17. The server according to claim 16, wherein: the mobile terminal assigns the identification feature to an owner; and the mobile terminal personalizes the smart home device to the owner by name in particular.

18. The server according to claim 16, wherein: the source NAT router is a wireless local area network (WLAN) router; and the smart home device and the mobile terminal are being wirelessly connected to the WLAN router.

19. The server according to claim 16, wherein: the source NAT router is an Internet gateway of a home network; the home network comprises the smart home device and the mobile terminal; and the Internet gateway and the server are connected via the Internet.

20. The server according to claim 16, wherein the identification feature of the smart home device comprises one of a media access control address, an IPv6 address, a universally unique identifier, a globally unique identifier, or a proprietary identification feature from a manufacturer of the smart home device.

21. The server according to claim 16, wherein: the mobile terminal is a smartphone; and the smartphone controls the smart home device from any location via the identification feature.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying program code for coupling a smart home device to a mobile terminal, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor included in a server, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: connecting the server to the smart home device via a source network address translation (NAT) router; connecting the server to the mobile terminal via the same source NAT router; comparing, by the server, a public network address of the smart home device with a public network address of the mobile terminal; and if the public network address of the smart home device matches the public network address of the mobile terminal, forwarding, by the server, an identification feature of the smart home device to the mobile terminal.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 22, wherein: the source NAT router is a wireless local area network (WLAN) router; and the smart home device and the mobile terminal are being wirelessly connected to the WLAN router.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 22, wherein: the source NAT router is an Internet gateway of a home network; the home network comprises the smart home device and the mobile terminal; and the Internet gateway and the server are connected via the Internet.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the identification feature of the smart home device comprises one of a media access control address, an IPv6 address, a universally unique identifier, a globally unique identifier, or a proprietary identification feature from a manufacturer of the smart home device.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 22, wherein: the mobile terminal is a smartphone; and the smartphone controls the smart home device from any location via the identification feature.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and is described in greater detail in the following.

[0012] The single FIGURE illustrates the use of the network address translation (NAT) as part of a method according to the invention.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The FIGURE illustrates the coupling of three smart home devices 10, 20, 30 to each of the mobile terminals 12, 22, 32 which are associated therewith according to an embodiment of the invention. The mobile terminals 12, 22, 32 are commercially available smartphones in this case, wherein each smart home device 10, 20, 30 is connected to the mobile terminal 12, 22, 32 associated therewith in another home network.

[0014] Each of the three smart home devices, 10, 20 30 is initially wirelessly connected to the source NAT router 14, 24, 34 of the home network in question. The source NAT routers 14, 24, 34, which are designed as WLAN-capable Internet gateways, transmit the respective connections via the Internet to a common server 40.

[0015] The three mobile terminals 12, 22, 32 are also wirelessly connected to the server 40 via said source NAT router 14, 24, 34. As soon as the connection of a smart home device 10, 20, 30 and the terminal 12, 22, 32 in question to the server 40 has been established, the server 40 compares the public network address of the smart home device 10, 20, 30 with that of the mobile terminal 12, 22, 32.

[0016] In the case of the first smart home device 10 and the first mobile terminal 12, both of which are connected to the server 40 via the common first source NAT router 14, the server 40 detects that the public network address 123.456.789.1 of both devices 10, 12 matches. As a result, the server 40 forwards an identification feature of the first smart home device 10 to the first mobile terminal 12. This identification feature may consist in a media access control address, IPv6 address or UUID of the first smart home device 10. However, it is also conceivable that the manufacturer in question possibly uses their own, non-standardised identification features. Further examples would be GUIDs or proprietary approaches.

[0017] Since the public network address 123.456.789.2 of the second smart home device 20 and the second mobile terminal 22, which are connected via the common second source NAT router 24, also match, the server 40 proceeds accordingly in this case. Similarly, the identification feature of the third smart home device 30 is transmitted to the third mobile terminal 32, since both devices 30, 32 share the public network address 123.456.789.3 of the third source NAT router 34.

[0018] In an optional step, the three mobile terminals 12, 22, 32 assign to an owner the identification feature transmitted to each of them and personalise the smart home device 10, 20, 30 in question accordingly. Each mobile terminal 12, 22, 32 is now capable of controlling the associated smart home device 10, 20, 30 by means of suitable application software in the form of a smartphone app.