Patent ID: 7603494
Filing Date: 2009-10-13
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: receiving, at a residential gateway, data indicating a selection of a device from a list of all configurable devices coupled to the residential gateway; sending a request message to view all available resources of the selected device, the request message sent from the residential gateway to the selected device; receiving a response message at the residential gateway from the selected device, the response message identifying all available resources of the selected device; specifying, at the residential gateway, sharing properties with respect to the selected device and the other configurable devices for each of the available resources of the selected device, wherein the sharing properties identify one or more resources of the available resources of the selected device that are available to other configurable devices; and sending a message identifying the sharing properties from the residential gateway to the selected device to enable the selected device to configure resources of the selected device to have the specified sharing properties, wherein the sharing properties identify a first group of the available resources that is permitted access to all configurable devices coupled to the residential gateway and a second group of the available resources that is only permitted access to a specific set-top box coupled to the residential gateway.