Patent ID: 9661058
Date: 2017-05-23
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04W

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving, at a network device on a network, capability data associated with one or more capabilities of multiple network devices on the network; automatically analyzing, by the network device, the capability data associated with the one or more capabilities of the network devices on the network, wherein analyzing includes determining one or more capabilities common to the network devices; automatically generating, by the network device, a grouping of network devices, wherein devices in a grouping area treated within the network as a single virtual device that perform functions together, and wherein the grouping includes network devices on the network that share one or more common capabilities; receiving, by a network device in the group, a communication including an indication that a new network device is associated with the network, wherein the communication includes identification information associated with the new network device; receiving, by the network device in the group, new capability data associated with one or more capabilities of the new network device; automatically comparing, by the network device in the group, the common capabilities of the grouping of network devices with the new capability data of the new network device to determine if the new network device has a capability in common with the grouping of network devices; determining, by the network device in the group, that the new network device and the grouping of network devices share a common capability of the one or more common capabilities; and adding, by the network device in the group, the new network device to the grouping of network devices.