Patent ID: 8321546
Filing Date: 2012-11-27
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for advertising a device over a network, comprising: executing, on the device, a device facility manager comprising a plurality of concurrently executing threads, each of which executes separately from one or more applications that each provides a service to one or more other devices; wherein a device manager thread, of the plurality of concurrently executing threads, detects one or more changes to the device via an application programming interface (API) through which the device manager thread receives information that is specific to a platform of the device, wherein a web services discovery thread, of the plurality of concurrently executing threads, performs, on behalf of the one or more applications, a set of one or more functions specified by a web services discovery specification; in response to the device manager thread detecting, via the API, a change to a capability of a first service of one or more services hosted on the device, the device manager thread, on the device: updating metadata of the device to cause the metadata to reflect the change to the capability of the first service, and communicating with the web services discovery thread to indicate that metadata has changed; the web services discovery thread, on the device, causing, on behalf of the first service, a message to be sent over the network in response to the communication from the device manager thread, wherein the message indicates that the metadata has changed, wherein the device is one of: a multi-function peripheral, a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and a scanner.