Computing device and gateway device

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods are disclosed for implementing security control of audio-video (AV) equipment connected to an AV gateway. Secure remote control of an audio-video (AV) included in an AV network is achieved by enabling a web browser running on a user device to communicate control commands to an AV gateway controlling the AV equipment using a network proxy relay.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 303,527, filed on January 27, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The following relates to systems, devices and methods for enabling secure remote control of AV equipment included in an AV network by enabling a web browser running on a user device to use a network proxy relay to transmit control commands for controlling the AV equipment to an audio visual (AV) gateway. Background Art

[0004] Corporate building environments are equipped with audio-visual systems to enhance operational functionality. These AV systems may be installed in a number of different rooms and may be controlled by one or more central AV gateway devices. However, cost considerations may prevent AV gateway devices from being installed in every room with AV devices, making real-time control of AV devices in these rooms difficult. In addition, it may be desirable to restrict access to AV gateway devices to avoid contamination by the public or to enhance network security.

[0005] One known solution for remotely accessing an AV gateway is to create a virtual private network (VPN) that allows a user to remotely access the AV gateway. While it is possible to create a VPN, actually creating a VPN to allow remote access to the AV gateway requires real resources in terms of staff and corporate resources. For example, setting up a VPN is not a simple task, and dedicated resources are required to successfully create the facilities and security protocols for the new VPN to work within the corporate network infrastructure. Therefore, when corporate resources are scarce or other projects have a higher priority, it may take an undesirably long time before the VPN is created.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a simple remote access solution that can be implemented quickly and securely without unduly consuming enterprise resources. Utility Model Content

[0007] According to one non-limiting exemplary embodiment described herein, a computing device is disclosed. The computing device includes a display screen, a processor, and a storage device configured to store machine-readable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: open a web browser application, control the web browser application to connect to a website, display the website on the display screen via the web browser, wherein the website includes a remote equipment control graphical user interface (GUI), execute a remote gateway service, receive a control command input via the remote equipment control GUI, wherein the control command is configured to control a feature of the remote equipment, and transmit the control command to the remote gateway service, wherein the remote gateway service is configured to relay the control command to a gateway device, and the gateway device is configured to operate control of the remote equipment.

[0008] According to another non-limiting exemplary embodiment described herein, a gateway device is disclosed. The gateway device includes: a network interface configured to communicate with one or more equipment included in a private network, a processor; and a storage device configured to store machine-readable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive a control command input from a user device running a web browser accessing a website from a remote gateway service, wherein the control command corresponds to a control command option included in the website; execute the control command relative to one or more of the equipment devices included in the private network; and generate a response message, the response message including a confirmation that the control command has been executed.

[0009] Below and attached Figure 1 The following describes detailed implementations of these and other non-limiting exemplary embodiments of secure remote control systems, devices, and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 An exemplary system block diagram of a secure remote control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0011] Figure 2 An exemplary flow chart describing a method for implementing a secure remote control process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 An exemplary system block diagram of a secure remote control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0013] Figure 4 A block diagram of an exemplary computing device system representing computing devices included in a secure remote control system is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] As required, detailed non-limiting embodiments are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary and may take various alternative forms. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, and features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components.

[0015] Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art. For ease of illustration and understanding, the same reference numerals may be used herein for the same components and features throughout the drawings.

[0016] Furthermore, although the embodiments described herein refer to remote control of audio-visual (AV) equipment connected together via an AV network, the secure remote access solutions described herein may also be applied to remote control of devices connected together via a private network that more generally uses switch / controller devices in place of AV gateways.

[0017] Many enterprise building environments now employ audio-visual (AV) equipment in many different locations. In order to help control all remote AV equipment, it may be necessary to install one or more AV gateway devices at various locations within the building. An AV gateway is a control device that a user can use to control one or more AV equipment that communicates with the AV gateway. To help provide control capabilities, the AV gateway may include a touch screen display for controlling AV equipment within the same structure or as a separate device in close proximity. However, for various reasons (e.g., hygiene, efficiency, equipment life reasons), it may not be desirable to allow all users to physically interact with the touch screen device. Therefore, in order to address this situation, the present disclosure proposes a solution that allows users to use their own mobile devices to transmit control commands to the AV gateway in a secure manner by "relaying" the control commands input into the user device to the AV gateway using a network proxy relay, as described in more detail herein. The network proxy relay provides a secure solution for remote user devices to communicate with the AV gateway located behind a secure firewall that protects the AV network. The network proxy relay is also a simple remote access solution that can be implemented quickly and securely without consuming enterprise resources.

[0018] Figure 1 A block diagram of an exemplary secure remote control system 100 is shown that utilizes a network proxy cloud relay 60 to enable a user device 10 to securely communicate with an AV gateway 30 included in an AV network 110 to control one or more AV equipment 71-73, wherein the AV gateway and AV devices are securely located behind a secure firewall 40.

[0019] The AV gateway 30 may include a display screen 31, wherein the display screen 31 may be a touch screen. The display screen 31 is provided to display a graphical user interface (GUI) for controlling various control options related to AV equipment connected to the AV gateway. According to some embodiments, the display screen 31 may be an integral part of the same AV gateway, or according to other embodiments, the display screen 31 may be a separate device that communicates directly with the AV gateway 30.

[0020] Also coupled to the AV gateway 30 are various remote AV equipment 71-73. The remote AV equipment 71-73 may be speakers, display devices, AV mixers, expanders, or other equipment that may be part of the building's AV network 110. Figure 1 As shown, the building's AV network 110 is connected via an AV local area network (AV LAN) 2, wherein the AV LAN 2 is located behind a firewall 40 to protect the building's AV network 110 from external intrusion.

[0021] The secure remote control system 100 is configured to allow a user to enter a building and interact with the building's AV system 110 by utilizing a user device 10. The user device 10 includes a display screen 11 and an image capture device 12 capable of taking still images and / or video images. The user device 10 includes a network interface to connect to the Internet 1 via a Wi-Fi network connection 3 or a cellular data network connection 4. The user device 10 is configured to execute a web browser application to enable the user device 10 to access a management website 50, wherein the management website 50 is configured to run a protocol for authorizing a user to control the AV equipment 71-73 (e.g., authorizing a user may include authenticating and / or authorizing the user). To assist in authorizing the user, the website 50 may communicate with a database 80 that stores information for identifying users authorized to control the AV devices 71-73 and security information for authenticating the user's identity (e.g., a username and password, or other authentication information assigned to the user).

[0022] After authorizing the user, the browser executed on the user device 10 displays a website 50 including a GUI that mirrors the control GUI available on the AV gateway 30 to control the AV devices 71-73. The control options may include, for example, selecting one or more specific AV equipment 71-73 to be controlled based on the equipment name and / or building location, controlling the AV features of the selected AV equipment 71-73 (e.g., volume control, display control, etc.), turning on / off the selected AV equipment 71-73, reserving a conference room, or other features. Thus, once the browser jumps to the address of the website 50, the same control GUI available on the display screen 31 for controlling the AV gateway 30 will be displayed on the display screen 11 of the user device 10. The user can then interact with the control GUI displayed on the user device 10 to control the AV gateway 30, just as the user interacts with the control GUI corresponding to the AV gateway 30 displayed on the display screen 31.

[0023] The website 50 is operated by an administrator who controls user authorization and authentication protocols to access the AV gateway 30 residing behind the firewall 40. The website 50 and / or database 80 may be provided as a cloud service hosted by one or more cloud servers, where the cloud server(s) hosting the website 50 and / or database 80 are disconnected from the AV gateway 30. The administrator may also update the website 50 without user initiation by providing sync / push updates. The web page 50 may be configured as read-only.

[0024] Since the user device 10 is restricted from using the Internet to directly connect to the private AV LAN 2 to which the AV gateway 30 is connected, the website 50 creates a secure public endpoint for the user device 10 to access the AV gateway 30 by relaying information to the AV gateway 30 using a network proxy cloud relay 60 (e.g., the website 50 utilizes the cloud relay 60 to transmit control commands entered by the user into the GUI displayed on the website 50). The cloud relay 60 is a remote gateway service configured to transmit control commands from the user device 10 to the AV gateway 30. In practice, the cloud relay 60 is a secure cloud-hosted website configured to serve the AV gateway 30 by relaying data between a web browser running on the user device 10 and the AV gateway 30. Compared to other methods of implementing proxy control, using the cloud relay 60 to transmit control commands provides a more efficient use of computing resources because the cloud relay 60 is a (relatively) short, discrete data packet transmitted on demand in a specific instance, rather than a persistent data transmission connection that requires continuous data stream exchange as used in other proxy control schemes.

[0025] The relay agent 20 resides behind the firewall 40 , wherein the relay agent 20 is configured to transmit a response confirming that the control command provided by the cloud relay 60 has been executed by the AV gateway 30 .

[0026] Figure 2 An exemplary flow chart 200 is shown describing a process for implementing secure remote control of the AV gateway 30. The description of the flow chart 200 refers to components included in the secure remote control system 100, although the process may be applicable to other similar systems.

[0027] At 201, the web browser running on the user device 10 jumps to the web page 50. The website 50 is a management website that may require the user's authorization before allowing the user to proceed to the control option GUI for controlling the AV gateway 30. For example, Figure 3 It shows how a web browser running on a user device 10 can access a website 50 at velocity.atlona.com.

[0028] Therefore, at 202, the website implements a security protocol to confirm that the user is authorized to proceed to the control options GUI for controlling the AV gateway 30. For example, the user may be required to enter authorization information (e.g., username and password) into the website 50, where the website then verifies the entered authorization information with the management data stored in the database 80. For example, Figure 3 It shows how the website 50 accesses the administrative data stored on the database 80 to confirm the authorization information entered by the user.

[0029] If the authorization protocol is confirmed and passed at 203, the web browser running on the user device 10 can enter the portion of the website 50 that provides a control option GUI for controlling the AV gateway 30. If the authorization protocol is not passed at 203, the website 50 may allow a predetermined number of further user attempts before locking the user out.

[0030] At 204, the website 50 receives the control command input by the user and executes the remote gateway service by accessing the cloud relay 60. For example, Figure 3 A website 50 is shown initiating a remote gateway service that operates as a cloud relay 60 .

[0031] At 205, the control command is transmitted to the cloud relay 60 and to the AV gateway 30. For example, Figure 3 The URL corresponding to the secure website used as a proxy to act as cloud relay 60 is shown. Figure 3 The use of a specific network service is shown, but any available network service may be used to implement cloud relay 60 .

[0032] At 206 , the control command is received by the AV gateway 30 .

[0033] At 207 , the AV gateway 30 implements the received control command to control one or more AV devices 71 - 73 .

[0034] At 208 , after implementing the control command to the AV equipment 71 - 73 , the AV gateway 30 submits its response message to the relay agent 20 for publication by the relay agent.

[0035] At 209, the website 50 can access the response message and present it to the user. For example, the remote gateway service (e.g., cloud relay 60) can obtain the response message from the relay agent 20, and the website 50 can obtain the response message from the remote gateway service. The website 50 can then display the response message on the website 50 for the user to read.

[0036] Flowchart 200 is provided for exemplary purposes, as secure remote control system 100 may implement other processes including fewer or additional steps to utilize a web proxy tool to accomplish secure remote control of AV gateway 30. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the features for implementing secure remote control attributed to web page 50 may be implemented on user device 10 by downloading and executing a secure application on the user device, wherein the application is configured to perform one or more of the processes described in flowchart 200.

[0037] Figure 4 400. For example, the computing device system 400 may represent an exemplary computer architecture included in the Figure 1 The computing device system 400 is a component of one or more of the user device 10, the AV gateway 30, or the server computer hosting the website 50, or the cloud platform hosting the cloud relay 60 and / or the relay agent shown in the secure remote control system 100. Although not specifically shown, the computing device system 400 may additionally include software, hardware, and / or circuits for implementing the features described herein.

[0038] The computing device system 400 includes a processor 410, a main memory 420, a static memory 430, an output device 450 (e.g., a display or speaker), an input device 460, and a storage device 470 that communicate via a bus 401. The bus 401 may represent one or more buses (e.g., USB, PCI, ISA (Industry Standard Architecture), X-Bus, EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture), or any other suitable bus and / or bridge (also called a bus controller)).

[0039] Processor 410 represents a central processing unit of any type of architecture, such as CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing), RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing), VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word), or a hybrid architecture, but any suitable processor may be used. Processor 410 executes instructions 421, 431, 472 stored on one or more of main memory 420, static memory 430, or storage device 470, respectively. Processor 410 may also include a portion of computing device system 400 that controls the operation of the entire computing device system 400. Processor 410 may also represent a controller that organizes data and program storage in memory and transfers data and other information between various parts of computing device system 400.

[0040] Processor 410 is configured to receive input data and / or user commands through input device 460 or from network 402 through network interface 440. Input device 460 may be a keyboard, mouse or other pointing device, trackball, scroll, button, touch pad, touch screen, keypad, microphone, voice recognition device, video recognition device, accelerometer, gyroscope, global positioning system (GPS) transceiver, or any other suitable mechanism for a user to input data to computing device system 400 and control the operation of computing device system 400. Figure 4 The input devices 460 illustrated in FIG. 4 may represent any number and type of input devices.

[0041] The processor 410 may also communicate with other computer systems via the network 402 to receive control commands or instructions 421, 431, 472, wherein the processor 410 may control the storage of such control commands or instructions 421, 431, 472 to any one or more of the main memory 420 (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), the static memory 430 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)), or the storage device 470. The processor 410 may then read and execute the instructions 421, 431, 472 from any one or more of the main memory 420, the static memory 430, or the storage device 470. The instructions 421, 431, 472 may also be stored on any one or more of the main memory 420, the static memory 430, or the storage device 470 from other sources. The instructions 421, 431, 472 may correspond to, for example, instructions for controlling Figure 1 Instructions for the AV equipment 71 - 73 included in the secure remote control system 100 are shown in FIG.

[0042] Although the computing device system 400 is Figure 4Although shown as a single processor 410 and a single bus 401, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to computing device systems that may have multiple processors and computing device systems that may have multiple buses, some or all of which perform different functions in different ways.

[0043] Storage device 470 represents one or more mechanisms for storing data. For example, storage device 470 may include computer-readable media 471 (such as read-only memory (ROM), RAM, non-volatile storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, and / or other machine-readable media). In other embodiments, any appropriate type of storage device may be used. Although only one storage device 470 is shown, multiple storage devices and multiple types of storage devices may exist. Further, although computing device system 400 is drawn to include storage device 470, storage device 470 may be distributed across other computer systems (such as servers in communication with computing device system 400) in communication with computing device system 400. For example, when computing device system 400 represents user device 10, storage device 470 may be distributed around to include a cloud storage platform.

[0044] As described herein, the storage device 470 may include a controller (not shown) and a computer readable medium 471 storing instructions 472 that can be executed by the processor 410 to perform control of the remote AV equipment 71-73. In another embodiment, some or all of the functions are performed via hardware instead of a processor-based system. In some embodiments, the controller included is a web application browser, but in other embodiments, the controller may be a database system, a file system, an email system, a media manager, an image manager, or may include any other function capable of accessing data items.

[0045] Output device 450 is configured to present information to the user. For example, output device 450 can be a display (such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel display based on gas or plasma, or a traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) display or other known types of display), which can also include touch screen capabilities, or can also not include touch screen capabilities. Therefore, output device 450 can be used to display a graphical user interface (GUI) (such as a GUI for enabling a user to control AV equipment), as described herein. In other embodiments, output device 450 can be a speaker configured to output audible information to the user. In other embodiments, any combination of output devices can be represented by output device 450.

[0046] The computing device system 400 also includes a network interface 440 that allows communication with other computers via a network 402, where the network 402 may be any suitable network and may support any suitable protocol suitable for communication to / from the computing device system 400. In an embodiment, the network 402 may support wireless communication. In another embodiment, the network 402 may support hardwired communication (such as a telephone line or cable). In another embodiment, the network 402 may support Ethernet IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3x specifications. In another embodiment, the network 402 may be the Internet (e.g., Figure 1 In another embodiment, the network 402 may be a LAN (e.g., Figure 1 AV LAN 2) or a wide area network (WAN) shown. In another embodiment, network 402 may be a hotspot service provider network. In another embodiment, network 402 may be an intranet. In another embodiment, network 402 may be a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network. In another embodiment, network 402 may be any suitable cellular data network or cellular-based radio network technology. In another embodiment, network 402 may be an IEEE 802.11 wireless network. In another embodiment, network 402 may represent an Internet of Things (IoT) network. In yet another embodiment, network 402 may be any suitable network or combination of networks. Although Figure 4 One network 402 is shown in FIG. 4 , but network 402 may represent any number of networks (of the same or different types) that may be utilized.

[0047] The network interface 440 provides the computing device system 400 with a connection to the network 402 through any compatible communication protocol. The network interface 440 sends and / or receives data from the network 402 via a wireless or wired transceiver 441. The transceiver 441 may be any of a number of known wireless or wired transmission systems capable of communicating with the network 402 or other computer devices having some or all of the features of the computing device system 400. Figure 4 The network interface 440 illustrated in the figure may represent a single network interface card configured for communicating with one or more different data sources. In addition, the network interface 440 may represent AV-related communication ports such as High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), DisplayPort, or Mini DisplayPort (MDP), as well as data communication ports such as Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Power over Ethernet (POE), or Single Pair Ethernet (SPE).

[0048] The computing device system 400 can be implemented using any suitable hardware and / or software (such as a personal computer or other electronic computing device). In addition, the computing device system 400 can also be a smart phone, a portable computer, a laptop, a tablet or notebook computer, a PDA, a home appliance, an IP phone, a server computer device, an AV gateway, a cloud service platform, or a mainframe computer.

[0049] As is apparent from the foregoing, various non-limiting embodiments of the secure remote control system 100 have been described. Although various embodiments are shown and described herein, they are examples only and are not intended to be limiting. Instead, the words used herein are words of description rather than limitation, and it is to be understood that various changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising: Display screen; processor; as well as a storage device configured to store machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: Open the web browser application; Controls the web browser application's connection to websites displaying the website on the display screen via the web browser, wherein the website includes a remote equipment control graphical user interface (GUI); Execute remote gateway services; receiving a control command input via the remote equipment control GUI, wherein the control command is configured to control a feature of the remote equipment; and The control command is transmitted to the remote gateway service, wherein the remote gateway service is configured to relay the control command to a gateway device, the gateway device is configured to operate control of the remote equipment, wherein the gateway device is an audio / video gateway (AV gateway) for controlling characteristics of AV equipment.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein: The computing device is one of a smartphone, a laptop, or a tablet computing device. 3 . The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the remote equipment control GUI corresponds to a GUI displayed on the display screen of the gateway device.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the website is hosted on an administrative website, the administrative website including communications with a database storing authorization information.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the storage device is configured to store machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to: receiving authorization information for authorizing a user to access the remote equipment control GUI; and Upon confirming that the user authorization information matches the authorization information stored on the database, the remote gateway service is executed.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the remote gateway service is a proxy cloud relay hosted on a cloud platform accessible by the gateway device.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the AV gateway and the AV equipment comprise an AV network residing behind a secure firewall.

8. A gateway device, comprising: a network interface configured to communicate with one or more devices included in the private network; processor; as well as a storage device configured to store machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receiving, from a remote gateway service, a control command input from a user device running a web browser accessing a website, wherein the control command corresponds to a control command option included in the website; executing the control command with respect to one of equipment devices included in the private network; and generating a response message, the response message including a confirmation that the control command has been executed, Wherein the gateway device is an AV gateway and the equipment device is AV equipment.

9. The gateway device of claim 8, wherein the storage device is configured to store machine-readable instructions, such that when executed by the processor, the machine-readable instructions cause the processor to: The response message is transmitted to a relay agent accessible by the website.

10. The gateway device of claim 8, wherein the remote gateway service is a proxy cloud relay hosted on a cloud platform accessible by the gateway device.

11. The gateway device of claim 8, wherein the private network is an audio / video network residing behind a security firewall.

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