Patent Publication Number: US-8122135-B2

Title: System, computer program product and method for managing and controlling a local network of electronic devices and reliably and securely adding an electronic device to the network

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is a Continuation Application and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/384,507, filed Mar. 21, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,500,005, issued Mar. 3, 2009, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/198,991, filed Jul. 22, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,058,719, issued Jun. 6, 2006, which is the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 7,136,914, issued Nov. 14, 2006, incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is directed to methods, computer-based systems and computer program products for managing and controlling devices, and in particular managing and controlling electronic devices on a local network. 
     2. Discussion of the Background 
     The past few decades have witnessed the ever-increasing pervasiveness of electronic and computer equipment in our work and home lives. From home entertainment systems to office equipment, the modern home and workplace includes a vast array of electronic devices. Moreover, traditional electrical devices such as refrigerators and ordinary lighting units have become sophisticated microprocessor controlled devices. 
     With such a large number of sophisticated electronic devices in our home and workplace, there has been recognized a need to manage such equipment. For example, the Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGI) is an industry initiative to provide the technology to allow management of localized electronics equipment by use of an external service provider. The initiative contemplates a service provider, located on a wide area network such as the Internet, providing management services for the localized electronic devices through a “gateway” into the home or workplace that the devices are located in. However, given the current state of computer security, users may be unwilling to open control of fundamental necessities, such as security and climate control, to the control of a virtual entity on the Internet. Moreover, comprehensive control of one&#39;s electronic environment may require wiring many devices to a central computer which is expensive and restricts the mobility of the devices. 
     In addition to the need to manage the large number of sophisticated devices in the home or office, the diversity of such devices makes it difficult for users to manually control the settings of these devices. For example, while most microprocessor based devices are set up and manually controlled by way of a menu driven interface, the menu organization and terminology varies greatly among electronic devices. Indeed, one must spend a great deal of time reading setup and control instructions for each device in the home or workplace in order to optimize the features and conveniences of these device. This is both a burden and a bother to users. 
     In addition to the burden of learning the control features of each electronic device, many devices are not provided with a remote controller thereby requiring the user to input commands to each device locally. Those devices that do have remote control such as televisions, VCRs, and ceiling fans have traditionally used an infrared transceiver on the remote control device and the device to be controlled. However, such control devices require line of sight infrared communications which is not suitable for controlling wireless network devices that are scattered throughout various rooms of a household or office. Moreover, traditional remote control devices are often complex devices that include a large number of buttons associated with functional controls for the device to be controlled. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a method, system, and computer readable medium for locally managing electronic devices in the home or workplace. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a method, system, and computer readable medium for manually controlling a wide variety of electronic devices in the home or workplace. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method, system, and computer readable medium for remotely controlling electronic devices without the need for line of sight transmission between the controller and device controlled. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method system, and computer readable medium for reliably and securely adding a new network device to a desired wireless LAN in an environment where more than one wireless LAN exists. These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a method, system and computer program product for setting up a wireless electronic device to join a wireless local area network (LAN). In a first aspect of the invention, the method upon which the system and computer readable medium is based includes sending a setup request from the wireless electronic device to a control device, the setup request including a request to be added to the wireless LAN, and receiving at the wireless device a data package from the control device, the data package including network information necessary for the wireless device to join the wireless LAN. The network information are then executed at the wireless device to establish a wireless connection to an access point of the wireless LAN. 
     In the first aspect of the invention, the sending step may include sending information identifying the wireless LAN that the wireless device is requesting to be added to, and sending information identifying the type of wireless device requesting to be added to the wireless LAN. In this embodiment, the receiving step includes receiving network protocol software operable on the wireless device identified and compatible with the LAN identified. In another embodiment of the first aspect, the sending step includes sending information requesting optional network services for the wireless device, and the receiving step includes receiving network information necessary to obtain the optional network services of the wireless LAN. The optional network services may include at least one of encryption and backup storage. 
     The setup request may be sent by either a hardwired or wireless medium. Where the setup request is sent by a wireless medium, the setup request is sent to the control device at a low power corresponding to a predetermined range of communication less than a full communication range of the wireless device. In this embodiment, the wireless electronic device communicates with the access point of the wireless LAN at the full communication range of the wireless device. 
     In a second aspect of the invention, the method upon which the system and computer readable medium is based includes receiving at the control device a setup request from the wireless electronic device, the setup request including a request to add the wireless electronic device to the wireless LAN. A data package is then created including network information necessary for the wireless electronic device to join the wireless LAN, and the data package is sent from the control device to the wireless electronic device. 
     The receiving step may include receiving information identifying the wireless LAN that the wireless electronic device is requesting to be added to, and receiving information identifying the type of wireless device requesting to be added to the wireless LAN. In this embodiment, the creating step includes creating a data package including network protocol software operable on the wireless electronic device identified and compatible with the LAN identified. In another embodiment of the second aspect, the receiving step includes receiving information requesting optional network services for the wireless device, and the sending step includes sending network information necessary to obtain the optional network services of the wireless LAN. In this embodiment the optional network services may include at least one of encryption and backup storage. The setup request may be received by either a hardwired or wireless medium. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a system diagram illustrating a system for managing and controlling a local network of electronic devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an illustration of the wireless LAN of the present invention implemented in a home environment; 
         FIG. 3  is an illustration of the wireless LAN of the present invention implemented in a workplace environment; 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary start up of a main server to establish a wireless LAN in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating a process for managing the electronic devices of a wireless home LAN according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating a process of a mobile terminal accessing the resources of a main server in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a system diagram illustrating a system for managing and controlling a local network of electronic devices using a control device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is an illustration of the control panel of a control device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a block diagram of a control device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a flow chart illustrating the process manually controlling electronic devices using a control device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a sequence diagram showing the communication correspondence of a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is an illustration of a control device display displaying a graphical display of selection boxes according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a flow chart illustrating a process for displaying the responding electronic devices on a control device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 14  is an illustration of the display displaying a graphical display of function selection boxes according to the present embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 15  shows an example of an environment where the control device is useful as a registration device for adding new electronic devices to a LAN; 
         FIG. 16  is a flow chart illustrating a process according to the present invention of using a control device to add a wireless electronic device to a wireless LAN; 
         FIG. 17  is a functional block diagram of a special purpose mobile device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 18  illustrates a general purpose computer system upon which an embodiment according to the present invention may be implemented. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  is a system diagram illustrating a system for managing and controlling a local network  150  of electronic devices. The system includes a main server  100  having a display  101 , and office equipment including printers  102  and  104 , scanner  106 , and fax machine  108 . The system also includes mobile terminals  110  and  112 , entertainment device  114 , appliance  116 , and environmental control devices  118 . As seen in  FIG. 1 , each of the devices  100 - 118  include an antenna represented by the symbol numbered as  121  on the main server  100 . In addition, one or all of the devices  100 - 118  may be provided with access to the Internet  120  as will be further described below. 
     The main server  100  is any suitable workstation, desktop computer or other suitable network node for providing the management of computer and networking resources from a single point of administration. The main server includes a wireless transceiver device that allows the main server  100  to transfer files and other data to the other wireless electronic equipment  102 - 118  by way of antenna  121 . Thus, the main server  100  provides a server function in a wireless local area network (LAN) including the electronic equipment  102 - 118  of  FIG. 1  as clients. The LAN may be a bus, hub, or any other network type and may contain a firewall (not shown). A firewall is a hardware device or software that allows only authorized computers on one side of the firewall to connect to a network or computer on the other side of the firewall. Firewalls are known and commercially available devices or software (e.g., SunScreen and Firewall 1 from Sun Microsystems, Inc.). 
     The main server  100  may be implemented using a general purpose computer, such as the computer of  FIG. 18 , that includes network operating system (NOS) software such as windows NT, Unix, Linux, or Novell Netware. The main server  100  may include a login server application such as Novell Directory Services (“NDS”), which is a product for managing access to computer networks. Using NDS, a network administrator can set up and control a database of users and manage them using a directory with a graphical user interface. Using NDS, or the main server  100 , users of computers and other devices at remote locations can be added, updated, and managed centrally. The login operation to the network is typically controlled by a script, which is executed or interpreted. As an alternative to Novell Directory Services, Microsoft&#39;s Active Directory may be utilized as a directory service. Moreover, any suitable software and/or hardware may be utilized to assist in controlling access to and management of the network resources. 
     The main server  100  may also include file server, e-mail server, and Internet server applications if desired. The filer server application allows files contained on the main server  100  to be accessed by devices  102 - 118 . The email server may be utilized to manage and control email accounts on the network and permit the sending and receiving of Internet email via Internet  120 . The Internet server allows access to the Internet  120 . If desired, the Internet server may be utilized to allow browsing of the World Wide Web, can allow file transfers using the File Transfer Protocol, and may allow the transmission and receipt of Internet electronic mail messages from suitable network nodes such as the mobile terminals  110  and  112 . 
     In addition to the server applications described above, the main server  100  includes management and control applications for managing and controlling each of the devices connected to the main server  100 , and in particular the entertainment device  114 , the appliance  116 , and the environmental device  118 . For example, the main server  100  may include software for automatically controlling a thermostat or for providing a uniform means of manually controlling each of the electronic devices on the wireless LAN  150  as will be further described below. 
     The office equipment of the LAN  150  is signified by the dashed circle in  FIG. 1  and provides all of the functions of conventional equipment that may be associated with a home or workplace office. For example, printers  102  and  104  may be implemented as an impact or non-impact printing device for printing text and images on a printing medium. Similarly, scanner  106  and fax machine  108  may provide conventional optical scanning and facsimile transmission functions respectfully. Despite these conventional functions, the printers  102  and  104 , the scanner  106 , and the fax machine  108  of the present invention are provided with a wireless transceiver suitable for communicating with the main server  100  via their respective antennas. In this regard, special server applications such as a print server may be provided on the main server  100  to allow all terminals on the network to share the printers  102  and  104 , and office equipment in general. 
     Mobile terminals  110  and  112  function as mobile computer terminals having a transceiver that allows wireless access to the main server  100 . The terminals are preferably dumb terminals having only the minimum hardware needed to access the main server  100 , but may be thin or fat clients having the local hardware devices needed for independent operation, depending on the user needs. Thus, each mobile terminal  110  and  112  utilizes the resources of the main terminal  100 . For example, either of the terminals  110  and  112  can use the printer  102 , printer  104 , scanner  106 , or fax machine  108 . Similarly, the terminals  110  and  112  can access files and software applications stored on the local storage of the main server  100 . Since the terminals have wireless access and share the resources of the main server  100 , they can be easily moved to any location that is within the area of coverage of the wireless LAN  150 . In a preferred embodiment, this area of coverage can be adjusted to a desired size as will be further described below. 
     Entertainment device  114  may be any one of a variety of electronic devices used for providing entertainment to a user. For example, entertainment device  114  may be a television, stereo, video game, video cassette recorder (VCR), digital video disk (DVD) player, compact disk (CD) player or any other electronic device for entertaining the user. While the functionality of these devices is well known in the art, the entertainment device  114  of the present invention is provided with a transceiver suitable for allowing wireless communication with the main server  100  by way of antenna  121 . Thus, entertainment device  114  is connected to the wireless LAN  150 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the main server  100  contains software for managing and controlling the entertainment device as will be described below. 
     Appliance  116  represents an electronic device for performing some physical work for the user of the appliance. The appliance  116  may be a dishwasher, coffee maker, refrigerator, a clothes washer or dryer, or any other similar device. The appliance  116  is also equipped with a transceiver for providing wireless communication with the main server  100  via antenna  121  and is therefore connected to LAN  150 . As with the entertainment device  114 , the appliance  116  may be managed and controlled by the main server  100 . 
     Environmental control device  118  represents those electronic devices found in the home or workplace, which control the environment of such areas. For example, environmental control device  118  may be a thermostat for controlling the heat and air conditioning of a home or building, a lighting unit, a ceiling fan, an attic fan or other exhaust unit, a humidity control unit, or similar device. As with the other devices in  FIG. 1 , the environmental control unit  118  is provided with a transceiver for allowing wireless communication via antenna  121  and in therefore connected to wireless LAN  150 . 
     As noted above, the coverage area of the wireless LAN  150  may be set to a predetermined range. Specifically, in a preferred embodiment, the transceiver of the main server  100  includes an adjustable signal strength feature. By adjusting the output power of the main server  100 , a user controls the range at which the network nodes (i.e. the electronic devices) can be placed and still be able to communicate with the main server  100  to maintain a network connection and share the resources of the main server  100 . In this regard, the transceivers of electronic devices  102 - 118  may also include an adjustable transmit power feature. In a preferred embodiment, the electronic devices  102 - 118  have an automatic adjustment feature that adjusts the transmit power based on a detected signal strength of signals transmitted from the main server  100 . Any known method or device for detecting signal strength may be used to implement this feature of the present invention. 
     As mentioned, the wireless network of  FIG. 1  may be applied to a home or workplace environment.  FIG. 2  is an illustration of the wireless LAN of the present invention implemented in a home environment. As seen in this figure, home  216  includes rooms  218 ,  220 ,  222 ,  224 ,  226 , and  228  separated by walls or other physical structures. Room  218  of the home  216  contains a main server  200 , a laser printer  202 , and a scanner  204  and, thus, may serve as a home office. The main server  200  is depicted as a desktop computer with limited portability, but may be implemented as any general purpose computer such as the computer of  FIG. 18 . Moreover, the main server  200  may be connected to the Internet  120 . Room  220  includes a desktop computer  206 , while rooms  222  and  228  include mobile terminals  208  and  212  respectively. As with the mobile terminals of  FIG. 1 , the mobile terminals  208  and  212  are preferably dumb terminals, which provide the light weight and small size desirable for increased portability. Room  224  includes refrigerator  210  and room  226  includes VCR  214 . 
     As with the system of  FIG. 1 , the devices in  FIG. 2  each include an antenna that allows connection of the respective electronic device to a wireless network controlled by server  200 . Thus, while the laser printer  202  and the scanner  204  are shown in room  218 , these devices may be placed in any other room in the home  216  and still maintain communication with the main server  200 . Moreover, the transmit power of the wireless devices of  FIG. 2  may be adjustable to control the range of coverage of the network. As each device of  FIG. 2  is connected to a wireless LAN controlled by main server  200 , each electronic device of  FIG. 2  can share the resources of the main server  200 . In addition, the main server  200  includes software for managing and controlling the electronic devices on the home wireless network of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 3  is an illustration of the wireless LAN of the present invention implemented in a workplace environment. The workplace  327  is in an office building  326  and includes rooms  328 ,  330 ,  332 ,  334 ,  336 ,  338 ,  340 ,  342 , and  344  separated by a wall or other physical structure. Room  336  contains a main server  300 , printer  302 , and database  304  with main server  300  connected to Internet  120 . The main server  300  and printer  302  are similar to their respective devices described in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The database  304  is a file that contains records for carrying out the business of the workplace  327 . Rooms  328 ,  338 , and  344  include mobile terminals  306 ,  324 , and  316  respectively, with room  328  also containing a printer  308 . Room  332  includes a desktop computer  312  and room  342  includes a workstation  318  and printer  320 . The workstation  318  is similar to the mobile terminals in that it depends largely on the hardware of the main terminal  300  for operation, however the workstation  318  may include a relatively large monitor suitable for displaying graphic and other special purpose software applications provided by the main server  300 . Alternatively, the workstation  318  may be a powerful machine with disk and processing power interacting with the resources of the main server  300 . 
     In addition to the office equipment described above, the workplace  327  also includes a coffee maker  310  in room  330 , a lighting control unit  314  in room  334 , and a climate control unit  322  in room  340 . The coffee maker  310  is preferably provided with a timing device for brewing coffee at a predetermined time and includes a transceiver for communicating with the main server  300  via antenna  321 . The lighting control device  314  is a unit for controlling the lighting of the workplace and also includes a timer for automatically activating the lighting at predetermined times. While the lighting control  314  is shown as a single unit located in room  334 , it is to be understood that the lighting control can be implemented as a plurality of wireless units located on individual lights throughout the workplace  327 . Finally, the climate control  322  is a wireless device that controls temperature and other environmental factors within the workplace. As with the lighting control, the climate control may be implemented as a plurality of wireless units located on individual environmental units throughout the workplace  327 . 
     As seen in  FIG. 3 , only a portion of the rooms available in the office building  326  make up the workplace area for the wireless network. In one embodiment, the main server  300  emits an omnidirectional wireless communication signal and is therefore centrally located in the workplace so that the output power of the main server  300  covers an area substantially corresponding to the periphery of the workplace  327 . In this regard, the transmit power of the main server  100  is preferably adjustable to cover a larger area of the building  326  should the workplace area be expanded. As previously described, the output power levels of the other (i.e. client) wireless electronic devices of  FIG. 3  may also be adjustable. 
     It is to be understood that the system in  FIGS. 1-3  are for exemplary purposes only, as many variations of the specific hardware and software used to implement the present invention will be readily apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art. For example, the functionality of the main server  100  may be divided among several computers. Moreover, while the systems are described as a client server network in which the main server  100  serves as the central server, the system may operate as a peer to peer network in which the mobile terminals and other desktop computers in the system act as both servers and clients to other nodes on the network. Finally, it is to be understood that the electronic devices connected to the LANs of  FIGS. 1-3  are exemplary only and the present invention contemplates that any electronic devices may be connected to a LAN to realize the benefits and advantages of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  shows the flow diagram of an exemplary start up of a main server and establishment of a wireless LAN in accordance with the present invention. The process steps of  FIG. 4  will be described with respect to the wireless network  150  of  FIG. 1 . As discussed above, each of the electronic devices of  FIG. 1  includes an antenna for wireless communication. Thus, for all of the steps of  FIG. 3  in which the data packets are sent between the different devices, the data packets are sent wirelessly. The data packets may also be encrypted for secure transmission. 
     Step  400  illustrates the starting up of the system when a user turns on the main server  100 . When the main server  100  is turned on, the main server must identify all of the electronic devices that are powered up and capable of connecting with the wireless LAN  150 . In step  402 , the main server  100  looks up information that it stores about all of the electronic devices that can exist in the wireless network  150 . In one embodiment, the stored list is input by a user of the LAN  150  as wireless devices are added to the LAN. In step  404 , the main server  100  sends data packets to each of the electronic devices identified in step  402  to determine which electronic devices actually exist in the range of the wireless network  150 . The data packets of step  404  may, for example, include the unique identifiers accessed in step  402  so that each electronic device can determine that it is being contacted by the main server  100 . 
     In step  406 , each of the electronic devices that is powered up and within the range of the wireless network  150  responds to the request made by the main server  100  in step  406 . Each electronic device sends data packets to the main server  100  that include data indicating that the device is up and running. Of course, only those electronic devices that are within the signal range of the main server  100  and which have sufficient output power to communicate with the main server  100  can send a reply to the main server  100 . Once the main server  100  has information about the status of each electronic device and terminal, in step  408 , the main server  100  maintains information about the electronic devices powered-up and running in the wireless LAN  150 . Then in step  410 , the main server  100  monitors management initiating parameters and waits for transaction requests from the electronic devices connected to the wireless LAN  150 . The process of monitoring management initiating parameters and responding to transaction requests will be further described with respect to  FIGS. 5 and 6  below. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the main server  100  periodically updates information on the electronic devices connected to the LAN  150 . This updating is preferably performed at predetermined time intervals, but may be triggered by some event other than timing. Thus, decision block  412  determines whether the network  150  is to be updated. If the main server  100  is not triggered to update the network, then the main server  100  returns to step  410  where it continues to monitor electronic equipment and wait for transaction requests. If the network is to be updated, the main server  100  proceeds to step  414  and then returns to step  402  as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     In step  414 , the main server  100  determines which electronic devices have exited the network and drops links to those devices. A device exits the network  150 , for example, when power to the remote device is turned off or the device leaves the signal area of the local device. As used herein, the term “signal area” means that area in which the electronic device can receive, at a predetermined bit error rate, the transmitted signal from the main server  100  and in which the main server  100  can receive the transmit power of the remote device. A determination of whether an electronic device has left the network may be made by the main server  100  monitoring synchronization information of the electronic device, or by the main server  100  receiving an exit message transmitted from an electronic device prior to that device exiting the network. Moreover, as indicated above, the main server  100  may monitor signal strength of remote electronic devices and determine that a particular device has exited the network if the signal strength for that devices drops below a predetermined threshold which may be programmable by the user of the main server  100 . In any situation where a remote device has exited the network  150 , the main server  100  terminates any link to that device. After dropping electronic devices that have exited the network, the main server  100  returns to steps  402 - 408  where the main server identifies new devices that may have entered the network area and maintains a list of such devices. An electronic device enters the network  150 , for example, when power to the electronic device is on and the device is within the signal area of the main server  100 . 
     Thus,  FIG. 4  indicates a process for start up of a main server  100  and establishment of wireless network  150 . This process may be performed by using a media access control (MAC) protocol. The MAC protocol is a protocol used on multiple access links to ensure that only one device has access to the shared link at any one time. The MAC protocol, in effect, allocates talking time to each device on the network. For example, the MAC protocol typically divides a single data frame into several time slots. Each device in the network transmits information in a particular time slot and listens in all other time slots of the frame. As each device has a fixed amount of bandwidth, that is, a fixed number of data bits which can be transmitter per second, under the MAC protocol, a fixed amount of data can be transmitted in the device&#39;s time slot. A common MAC protocol used for wireless bridges is the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA). Different MAC protocols may perform the steps of  FIG. 4  in different ways. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, the MAC protocol of the main server  100  updates the network by periodically causing the main server to transmit a “join message” requesting new electronic devices to join into the network. In another embodiment, the MAC protocol transmits a join message and establishes a new link only if prompted by a new remote electronic device to do so. In yet another embodiment, the main server  100  keeps a count of the number of remote electronic devices for which a network link has been established, and the MAC protocol transmits a join message only if the count does not exceed a maximum number. The maximum number may be based on the bandwidth limitations of the main server  100  or programmable by the user of the main server. 
     Examples of multiple access protocols may be found in the IEEE 802.11 standard, final draft approved Jun. 26, 1997, and the Blue tooth specification “Specification of the Blue Tooth System”, V.1. OB, Dec. 1, 1999, core specification—Vol. 1, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. It is to be understood that the features and benefits of the present invention do not depend on a particular MAC protocol and any of the above named protocols or any other MAC protocol may be used to practice the present invention as will be understood to one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     As indicated in the discussion of step  410  of  FIG. 4 , a main server of the present invention monitors electronic equipment and waits for transaction requests from all electronic devices on the wireless network established by the main server. In a preferred embodiment, a main server manages electronic devices within a wireless home network such as the network described with regard to  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating a process for managing the electronic devices of the wireless LAN in  FIG. 2  according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     In step  501 , the main server  200  monitors the management initiating parameters of all electronic devices  202 - 212  connected to the wireless LAN. The management initiating parameter is a variable parameter that determines when a particular device will be managed or automatically controlled. For example, the management initiating parameter may be the time of a system clock, a counter that counts a time lapse, or sensor data indicating temperature, humidity, or some other measurable parameter. In decision block  503 , the main server  200  determines whether the parameters monitored indicate that a management action is needed. Decision block  503  is performed by comparison of monitored parameters with at least one stored predetermined value for each management initiating parameter. For example, if the management initiating parameter is time, then the main server compares the actual time of an internal system clock with a stored time input by a user; where a match in these times exists, the main server  200  determines that some management action is needed. 
     If no parameter monitored indicates that an action is needed, the main server  200  returns to step  501  as shown in  FIG. 5 . If a management parameter indicates that a management action is needed, then the main server  200  proceeds to step  505  where the management action is determined. The management action is a predetermined action associated with the parameter monitored by the main server  200 . For example, if the main server  200  is set up to turn on VCR  214  at 2:30 AM, the management parameter is the time of day and the management action is turning on the VCR 214 . As another example, if the main server  200  is set up to monitor the battery power of mobile terminals  208  and  212  and send a message to all terminals indicating that a particular terminal battery must be charged, the management initiating parameter is the battery power and the action is sending a message to all terminals on the wireless network. Thus, a management initiating parameter and management action may be associated with any electronic device in the wireless network. 
     After the management action is determined, the main server  200  transmits a management action data packet including the management action information as shown in step  507 . Returning to the VCR example above, the management action data packet would include the action “begin recording.” In step  509 , the electronic device to be managed receives and processes the management action data packet. In a preferred embodiment, the data packet also includes a unique identifier for the VCR  214  so that only this electronic device will receive and process the wireless data packet sent by the main server  200  in step  507 . 
     In step  511 , the electronic device controlled then performs the action of the management action data packet. That is, the VCR  214  will turn on the recording function at 2:30 AM. In most instances, the management action will be some action that the electronic device can automatically perform based on the management action data packet. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to automatic control. For example, the management action may be to display a reminder message on mobile terminals  208  and  212  reminding the user of wireless LAN  150  to clean out or change a water filter in refrigerator  210 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, the electronic device that performs the management action will generate a management action report and send this report to the main server  200  as shown in step  513 . The management action report is a data packet that includes information that the action was performed or was not performed by the electronic device due to some malfunction. In step  515 , the report is received and stored in the main server  100  so a user can access and review the report. Once this report is received by the main server  200 , the main server  200  again begins monitoring management initiating parameters of electronic devices on the wireless home network. Thus,  FIG. 5  indicates the process steps for managing electronic devices on a wireless home network. While the process of  FIG. 5  is described with respect to the home network of  FIG. 2 , it is to be understood that the process of the present invention may be performed on a workplace network of  FIG. 3  or any other wireless network that includes a variety of electronic devices. 
     As previously noted, the wireless LAN system of the present invention not only provides management and control of the electrical devices connected to the LAN, but also allows for the sharing of resources of the main server.  FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating a process of the mobile terminal  316  of  FIG. 3  accessing the resources of the main server  300 . As with the previously described process, all transfer of data packets between devices occurs by wireless transmission via respective antennas. As seen in  FIG. 3 , the main server  300  has wireless access to database  304  and a printer  308 . Whenever the main server  300  needs the service of either database  304  or printer  308 , the main server  300  will send wireless data packets with instruction and data on what the main server wants these electronic devices to do. By sending data packets to the main server  300 , the terminal  306  may view data located in the database 304 , use an application software in the main server  300 , print a file on the printer  308 , or access the Internet  120 . 
     The process begins in step  600  when the user of mobile terminal  306  turns on the mobile terminal. This may be done by use of a power switch or by activating an input device of the mobile terminal to awake the terminal from a power saving or “sleep” mode. In step  602 , the mobile terminal  306  sends data packets that identify the mobile terminal  306  to the main server  300  thereby indicating to the main server that the mobile terminal  306  is ready to use the resources of the main server  300 . The main server  300  permits access only to those terminals that are registered to use the shared resources. This prevents unauthorized access to the main server  300  and its resources. As noted in the description of  FIG. 4 , the main server  300  waits for transaction requests from the terminal  306 . 
     Once the main server  300  receives the identification data packets from the terminal and verifies that the identification is valid, the main server  300  transmits verification packets to the mobile terminal  306  as shown by step  604 . The verification packets inform the mobile terminal  306  that the main server  300  recognizes the terminal as a valid user of the main server resources. The main server  300  is then ready to perform a requested transaction for the mobile terminal  306 . In step  606 , the mobile terminal  306  sends data packets to the main server  300  requesting to open a file located on a file server of the main terminal  300 . The main server  300  receives the file request and then determines the application software that allows the opening of the file as shown in step  608 . The main server  300  then starts the appropriate application software, opens the requested file, and sends data packets to the mobile terminal  316  that allow the mobile terminal to view the requested file. 
     Once the file is opened by the mobile terminal  306 , the user of the mobile terminal  306  may want to print out the file. In step  610 , the mobile terminal  306  sends data packets to the main server  300  requesting printing of the file opened. Once the main server  300  receives the print request, the main server must determine whether the printer is accessible to the main server. In step  612 , the main server  300  sends data packets to the printer  308 , for example, to determine if the printer exists and is on line. In step  614 , the printer  308  sends data packets to the main server  300  indicating that it exists and ready to print. In an alternative embodiment, the main server  300  may determine that the printer  308  exists and is on line by maintaining a list of items connected to the network as described with respect to  FIG. 4 . 
     Once the main server  300  determines that the printer  308  is available, the main server  300  sends data packets containing the file to be printed to the printer  308  as shown in step  616 . The file is then printed on a print medium loaded in the printer  308 . Thus, steps  606  through  616  of  FIG. 6  indicate the method for the mobile terminal  306  accessing and opening a file on the main server  300 , and then printing the opened file on network printer  308 . 
     With the file printed, the user of mobile terminal  306  may want to access the Internet  120 . In a preferred embodiment, the mobile terminal  306  and/or main server  300  includes Web browser software for communicating with remote web servers via Internet  120 . To access web pages on a remote server, the user inputs a uniform resource locator (URL) identifying the location of the requested web page. Details of accessing and using the Internet may be found in “How The Internet Works”, by Preston Gralla, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. Thus, in step  618 , the mobile terminal  306  sends data packets to the main server  300  requesting access to the Internet website www.ricoh.com, for example. The main server  300  receives the Internet access request and, in step  620 , the main server uses proxy software to go to the requested website after a security dialog with the user. The main server  300  then uses the URL to access the requested website and sends data packets of the content of the web site, such as web pages, to the mobile terminal  306 . Thus,  FIG. 6  illustrates how a mobile terminal can utilize the software, hardware, and Internet resource of the wireless network in accordance with the present invention. 
     As described above, the electronic devices may be managed and resources may be shared using a main server to communicate via the wireless LAN. In another embodiment of the present invention, a portable control device provides a uniform interface for manual control of the electronic devices on the wireless LAN.  FIG. 7  is a system diagram illustrating a system for managing and controlling a local network of electronic devices using a control device. The system of  FIG. 7  is identical to the system of  FIG. 1  except that the system of  FIG. 8  includes control device  800  as well as applications software that allows remote manual control of electronic devices using the control device  800 . As with the other devices on the LAN, the control device  800  includes a transceiver and antenna  121  for communicating wirelessly with the main server  100  and other nodes of the LAN. The control device is a lightweight handheld device similar to a remote control for a television, for example. However, the antenna  121  of the control device emits an omnidirectional signal rather than the directional infrared signal of the conventional remote control device. Therefore, the control device  800  can control the electronic devices on the wireless LAN without being in line of sight of the device to be controlled. 
       FIG. 8  is an illustration of the control panel of the control device  800 . As seen in this figure, the control device includes a display  810  and an input keypad  815 . The display is preferably a liquid crystal display (LCD), but may be implemented as any one of the known display devices. The keypad  815  includes up directional button  820 , right directional button  821 , left directional button  822 , down directional button  823 , and menu and select buttons  830  and  832  respectively. The directional buttons  820  through  823  are used to navigate through menus displayed on the display  810 . The menu button  830  and the select button  832  are used to initiate the display of a menu and to select items in a menu as will be further described below. In a graphical user interface environment, the directional buttons and menu and select buttons may be configured to operate as a mouse. Thus, the control device  800  is a simple portable wireless device for displaying, navigating and selecting control menus for the electrical devices connected to the wireless LAN. 
       FIG. 9  shows a block diagram of the control device  800 . The control device  800  includes CPU  801 , RAM  802 , ROM  804 , display controller  806 , Input controller  808 , and communications controller  840 . The various units of the control device  800  are interconnected by way of system bus  850 . The CPU  801  processes instructions or sequences of instructions stored in the RAM  802  and/or ROM  504  in response to input commands of a user via input controller  508 . The display controller controls the display of images and text on the display in response to commands from the CPU  801 . Communications controller  840  allows the control device  800  to receive and process wireless digital data from the main server and other electronic devices on the wireless LAN. It is to be understood that the items in the block diagram of  FIG. 9  are exemplary items intended to provide a functional description of the control device  800 . The control device may incorporate any of the components of a known wireless computing device such as the Palm Pilot manufactured by Palm, Inc. In addition, the control device may include any of the features of a general computing device such as the device described in  FIG. 18 . 
       FIG. 10  is a flow chart indicating the process of manually controlling electronic devices using the control device  800  in accordance with the present invention. The process begins at step  1000  when the user of the control device  800  presses the menu button  830  on the input keypad  815 . In step  1002 , a Menu Request command is broadcast to the devices on the wireless LAN. The menu request message is a generic message requesting electronic devices on the wireless LAN to identify themselves and provide a location for the control menu of the respective electronic device. In one embodiment of the present invention, the control device  800  may request identification and control menu information only from electronic devices that are capable of communicating using a predetermined protocol used by the control device  800  such as hypertext transfer protocol (http). In another embodiment, the control device  800  requests identification and control menu information from all electronic devices on the network through the main server  100  and the main server converts the menu information to a communication protocol understandable to the control device  800  as will be further described below. Once the Menu Request command is sent, the control device  800  receives and stores any responses received from the electronic devices on the wireless network. 
     As with the main server of  FIG. 1 , the control device  800  may use any known MAC protocol to ensure that only one device of the wireless LAN has access to the shared link of a multiple access link at any one time. For example,  FIG. 11  shows the communication correspondence when the Menu button is pressed at the control device  800 . At the step  1101  the control device  800  broadcasts the menu request. Step  1101  corresponds to step  1002  in the flow chart of  FIG. 10 . In step  1103 , the control device  800  receives a response from a first electronic device, the printer  102 , for example. As seen in  FIG. 11 , the printer  102  is identified as printer “Orion” and has a menu location at Orion/menu.htm. The MAC used by the control device  800  allows only the printer Orion to communicate with the control device  800  at the time of step  1103 . After this communication is completed, the control device receives a response from the printer identified as “N4025” which has a control menu at N4025/menu.html as seen in step  1105 . Again, N4025 is the only node of the network that communicates with the control device  800  at the time of step  1105 . The control device  800  then sequentially receives a response from the terminal “Venus,” the thermostat “ 980 ,” and the microwave oven “Sol” as illustrated in  FIG. 11 . While all of the responding devices of  FIG. 11  are shown to have HTTP menu capability, the present invention does not require such a common protocol as mentioned above. Moreover, the control device  800  may poll the devices on the network registered on the server to determine the HTTP protocol. 
     Returning to the flow chart of  FIG. 10 , in decision block  1006 , the control device  800  determines whether a predetermined time for responding to the menu request has lapsed. If the time has not lapsed, the control device  800  returns to step  1004  where it receives and stores more replies and menu locations of electronic devices connected to the wireless LAN as described with respect to  FIG. 11 . If the time to reply has expired, the control device  800  proceeds to step  1008  where the responding devices are displayed on the display  810  of the control device  800 . The devices may be displayed in text format including the device identification and/or the location of the menu file on the main server  100  as exemplified in the text of  FIG. 11 . Alternatively, the list of devices may be a graphical display of icons or selection boxes with a device associated with each icon or selection box as shown in  FIG. 12 , which will be further described below. In a preferred embodiment, the control device displays the responding devices using a web supported cellular phone format so that a large display is not required. 
     After the responding devices are displayed on the control device  800 , the control device determines whether a selection from the list has been made by the user as shown by decision block  1010 . As indicated above, the user selects a device from the list displayed by using the input keypad  815  on the control device  800 . If no selection has been made, the control device proceeds to decision block  1020  where it determines whether a predetermined time for making a selection has passed. If the selection time has passed, the control device  800  shuts down the display in step  1022  to preserve the battery power of the control device  800 . Where a selection from the displayed list is made, the control device  800  proceeds to decision block  1012  where the control device determines if the selection made is a “more” selection. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control device  800  may receive and store the identification and menu location information for a larger number of electrical devices than can be displayed on the display  810  of the control device  800 . Where such a large number of devices respond to the broadcast, the control device  800  displays a first group of the responding devices on the display along with a “more” option as shown in  FIG. 12 .  FIG. 12  is an illustration of the display  810  displaying a graphical display of selection boxes according to an embodiment of the present invention. As seen in this figure, selection box  1212  is associated with printer Orion, selection box  1214  is associated with microwave oven Sol, and selection box  1216  is associated with terminal Venus. Thus, the display of  FIG. 12  displays the electronic devices that responded in the communication protocol of  FIG. 11 . In this regard, the selection box  1218  is provided because there are responding devices that cannot be displayed on the display  810 , namely the printer N4025 and the thermostat  980 . 
     Where the selection is the “more” selection box  1218 , the control device  800  displays a second group of responding devices on the display  810  as indicated by step  1016  of  FIG. 10 . Where the selection is not the “more” selection box  1218 , but rather an electronic device, the control device  800  establishes a connection with the selected device as shown in step  1014 . In a preferred embodiment, the selection box of the selected item is shown on the display  810  in a highlighted fashion as shown by selection box  1214  of  FIG. 12 . 
     After the selection is made by the user, the control device  800  establishes a connection with the selected electronic device as seen in step  1014 . As indicated above, one embodiment of the control device  800  receives and processes responses only from devices having an http protocol menu. In this embodiment, the control device  800  establishes a wireless connection directly with the selected device with an http mode. This allows communication with the selected device with limited intervention by the main server  100 . In another embodiment, the control device  800  receives a response from all electronic devices including devices that have menu controls incompatible with the communication protocol of the control device. In this embodiment, step  1014  of establishing a connection with the selected device includes a step for determining whether the selected device has the same communication protocol as the control device or not. If the selected device has a different menu protocol, i.e. not http for example, the control device then contacts the main server  100  also as part of step  1014 . The main server  100  includes software for translating the unfamiliar protocol of the selected device to a protocol understandable to the control device  800 . Thus, step  1014  of establishing a connection with the selected device requires a connection be made through the main server  100 . With the http connection established, the control device  800  exchanges control data with the electronic device to control the aspects of the electronic device. 
     An alternative approach to network management by the device  800  is to use the server  100  for the actual communication with the devices. The main server can communicate with network devices through the best control mode such as SNMP and device proprietary protocols. Then the control device  800  can communicate with the server through HTTP to provide uniform interface to the user for controlling the devices. That is, all communications with all electronic devices, compatible and incompatible with the control device  800 , are made through the server  100 . This network management configuration allows the powerful server to provide network and communications features that cannot be supported by the mobile control device  800 . 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the control device  800  provides the listing of responding electrical devices on the display  810  in a predetermined order.  FIG. 13  is a flow chart illustrating a process for displaying the responding electronic devices on the control device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In step  1302 , the control device ranks the responding devices in accordance with a stored access frequency table. The access frequency table is a file that keeps track of user access to each of the electronic devices in the wireless local area network. With the responding devices ranked, the control device  800  displays N devices on the display  810  as shown by step  1304  where N represents the number of devices capable of being displayed on the display  810  at one time, N is determined by the display resolution and size. At step  1306 , if there are more devices responding than N devices, the system adds “More” icon or word in the step  1308 . At step  1310 , it returns to the calling process. 
     Thus, the control device  800  may be used as a portable device for providing a uniform interface for manual control of the electronic device on the wireless LAN. In this embodiment, the menu button  830  on the input keypad  815  initiates the broadcast of a menu request command from the control device to the devices on the LAN as described above. In another embodiment, the control device  800  may be used to provide various network functions for the LAN. In this embodiment, the menu button  830  of the input keypad  815  causes a menu of available functions to be displayed on the display  810 .  FIG. 14  is an illustration of the display  810  displaying a graphical display of function selection boxes according to the present embodiment of the invention. As seen in this figure, function selection box  1410  is associated with the function of obtaining a menu of network devices, box  1420  is associated with the function of adding a device to the network, and box  1430  is associated with the miscellaneous function labeled “function  1 .” As with the graphical display described in  FIG. 12 , the display of  FIG. 14  includes a “More” selection box  1440  for displaying additional functions. As also described with respect to  FIG. 12 , the user of the control device  800  manipulates the direction buttons  820 - 823  on the input keypad  815  to make menu selections on the display  810  to initiate the functions associated with the selected function selection box. For example, selection of box  1410  causes the control device  800  to perform steps  1000 - 1040  described in  FIG. 10 . Selection of box  1420  causes the control device  800  to be used as a registration device for reliably and securely adding new network devices to the appropriate LAN in an environment where several wireless LANs exist. 
       FIG. 15  shows an example of an environment where the control device  800  is useful as a registration device for adding new electronic devices to a LAN. In  FIG. 15 , A device  1500  serves as an access point for one network while B device  1510  serves as an access point for a second network. The access points may be hardware or software access points. The network associated with A device  1500  has a range  1501 , while the network associated with B device  1510  has a range  1511 . C device  1520  in  FIG. 15  is a device to be added to the network associated with A device  1500 , for example, and has a short communication range designated by the circle  1521 , as well as a full communication range designated by the dashed circle  1522 . D device  800  is a control device used to setup C device  1520  to join of the network associated with A device  1500 , for example, as will further described below. 
     Each of the A device  1500  and B device  1510  may be a server or attached to a server such as the servers described in  FIGS. 1-3 , and may be implemented as a general purpose computer such as the general purpose computer  1801  described in  FIG. 18 . The C device  1520  may be any one of the wireless electronic device described in  FIGS. 1-3  as equipment connected to a wireless LAN. The C device has a variable RF output power that is controlled by software as will be further described below. The D device  800  is preferably implemented as the control device  800  provided with the necessary hardware and/or software to perform the function of adding the C device  1520  to a network. As seen in  FIG. 15 , the range  1501  associated with A device  1500  overlaps the range  1511  associated with B device  1510 . In this regard, the networks of the A device  1500  and B device  1510  may be networks of neighboring homes such as the home  216  described in  FIG. 2 . Alternatively, the networks of the A device  1500  and B device  1510  may be nearby office spaces in a shared office building such as the building  326  in  FIG. 3 . As also seen in  FIG. 15 , the full range of the C device to be added to the network associated with the A device is large enough to reach both the A device  1500  and B device  1510 , which serve as access points for their respective networks. Thus, C device  1520  operated at full power may be inadvertently joined to the network associated with B device  1510  rather than the intended network associated with A device  1500 . That is, if the full communication range of C device  1520  is available at the first power on time, there is a possibility that C device may be compromised by others, such as the network supported by B, before joining the network supported by A. However, according to the present embodiment, the D device (i.e. control device)  800  is used to setup the C device (i.e. wireless electronic device)  1520  to join in the network associated with the A device  1500 . 
       FIG. 16  is a flow chart illustrating a process of using a control device to add a wireless electronic device to a wireless LAN. Although  FIG. 16  is described with respect to the example of using the control device  800  to add the wireless electronic device  1520  to the network associated with the A device  1500 , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to this specific example. The process begins in step  1601  with the user selecting the function selection box  1420  on the control device  800  to add a device to the network as described in  FIG. 14 . This action prompts the control device  800  to await a setup request for the wireless electronic device. In step  1603 , the wireless electronic device sends a setup request to the control device  800 . The setup request includes information necessary for the control device  800  to setup the wireless electronic device  1520  on a network. For example, the request includes an IP address/DHCP information, net mask, and an identification of a network that the wireless electronic device wants to join (the network of A device  1500  in the example above), as well as an identification of the type of wireless electronic device making the request. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the setup request sent from the wireless electronic device  1520  also includes a request for optional network services. Optional network services are network services not necessary for the wireless electronic device  1520  to join the network associated with A device  1500 , such as encryption, backup storage and other similar functions. 
     The setup request is a limited access communication that may be either a request sent via a hard-wired medium or a wireless request. Where the request is sent by a hard-wired medium, the user must physically link the control device  800  to the wireless electronic device  1520  by way of a cable or special purpose connection port. By virtue of this hard wire connection, access to the wireless electronic device  1520  is limited to those control devices actually connected to the wireless access device  1520  Where the setup request is sent wirelessly, the wireless electronic device  1520  may continually transmit the setup request when power is applied to the wireless electronic device  1520 , or send the request only after receiving a prompt from the control device  800 . Moreover, the wireless electronic device  1520  transmits the wireless setup request at a low power that limits the communication range of the wireless electronic device as indicated by circle  1521  in  FIG. 15 . Thus, the limited communication range limits the access to the wireless electronic device  1520  to those control devices within the reduced power communication range. In a preferred embodiment, the reduced power provides a limited communication range of 1 meter, for example. By limiting the communication range of the wireless electronic device, the wireless electronic device is unable to communicate with the networks associated with the A device  1500  and B device  1510  prior to a wireless connection with one of these devices being enabled by the control device  800 . 
     Once the wireless electronic device  1520  sends the setup request, the control device  800  receives the setup request and creates a data package of network information necessary to join the wireless electronic device  1520  to the requested network as shown in step  1605 . The package of network information includes an IP address/DHCP information, net mask, and the wireless communications protocol of the network that the wireless electronic device  1520  identified in the setup request, as well as software compatible with the wireless electronic device type identified in the setup request. In particular, the network information include a communications coding scheme that enables the wireless electronic device  1520  to communicate only with the A device  1500 , and not with the B device  1510 , which has a different coding scheme. Moreover, where the setup request included a request for optional network services, the control device  800  also includes in the data package, software tools necessary to implement the requested optional network services. Once the network information data package is created, the control device  800  sends the data package to the wireless electronic device  1520  as shown in step  1607 . As with the setup request, the network information data package may be delivered either wirelessly or by way of a hard-wired medium. 
     In step  1609 , the wireless electronic device  1520  uses the received network information to join the network identified in the setup request. As noted above, the network information provided to the wireless electronic device  1520  include a coding scheme that allows the wireless electronic device  1520  to communicate wirelessly only with the network identified in the setup request. Thus, returning to the above example, in step  1609 , the wireless electronic device  1520  establishes a wireless link with the network associated with A device  1500 . In a preferred embodiment, the wireless electronic device  1520  communicates with the network at full transmit power. Thus, where the exchange of data between the wireless electronic device  1520  and the control device  800  occurred wirelessly at a reduced power as described above, step  1609  also includes increasing the output power of the wireless electronic device  1520  to the full range of the wireless electronic device shown by dashed circle  1522  in  FIG. 15 . The coding scheme used by the wireless electronic device  1520  ensures that such device will only join the network of A device  1500 . 
     As described above, the control device  800  of  FIG. 8  is preferably used to provide the function of adding an electronic device to a particular network. Thus, the elements  801 - 840  shown in  FIG. 9  can be modified and/or software provided to the control device  800  to implement this function. However, special purpose elements may be provided to implement the function of adding a device to a LAN.  FIG. 17  is a functional block diagram of a special purpose mobile device D  800 ′ having a network parameter processor  830 , network name processor  840 , and network service setup processor  850  contained in the device  800 ′. Also included is network parameter storage  860 , registered network name storage  870 , and registered service information storage  880 . Network Parameter Storage  860  stores the necessary information for the new device to be added to the local network. The information (parameters) includes address information, encryption information, protocol information and other standard network information. Network Parameter processor  830  takes care of necessary software and hardware components to send the parameters to the target device C  1520 . Network Parameter processor  830  may include software components such as DHCP. Registered Network Name Storage  870  contains the necessary names to establish the network, such as a domain name and work group name, and the Network Name Setup Processor  840  provides the processing necessary to establish a network. Registered Service Information Storage  880  contains services available to the local network and necessary information to use the services, while the Network Service Setup Processor  850  provides the processing necessary to implement such services. Such services include e-mail with SMTP service and POP  3  server information, and web with Proxy Server information. 
       FIG. 18  illustrates an alternative portable computer system  1801  upon which an embodiment according to the present invention may be implemented. As indicated above, the computer system  1801  may function as the main sever in accordance with the present invention. Computer system  1801  includes a bus  1803  or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor  1805  coupled with bus  1803  for processing the information. The processor  1105  may be implemented as any type of processor including commercially available microprocessors from companies such as Intel, AMD, Motorola, Hitachi and NEC. 
     The computer system  1801  may also include special purpose logic devices (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) or configurable logic devices (e.g., generic array of logic (GAL) or reprogrammable field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)). Other removable media devices (e.g., a compact disc, a tape, and a removable magneto-optical media) or fixed, high density media drives, may be added to the computer system  1801  using an appropriate device bus (e.g., a small computer system interface (SCSI) bus, an enhanced integrated device electronics (IDE) bus, or an ultra-direct memory access (DMA) bus). The computer system  1801  may additionally include a compact disc reader, a compact disc reader-writer unit, or a compact disc juke box, each of which may be connected to the same device bus or another device bus. 
     Computer system  1801  may be coupled via bus  1803  to a display  1813 , such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user. The display  1813  may be controlled by a display or graphics card. The computer system includes input devices, such as a keyboard  1815  and a cursor control  1817 , for communicating information and command selections to processor  1805 . The cursor control  1817 , for example, is a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor  1805  and for controlling cursor movement on the display  1813 . 
     The computer system  1801  performs a portion or all of the processing steps of the invention in response to processor  1805  executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in a memory, such as the main memory  1807 . Such instructions may be read into the main memory  1807  from another computer-readable medium, such as storage device  1811 . One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement may also be employed to execute the sequences of instructions contained in main memory  1807 . In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions. Thus, embodiments are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. 
     As stated above, the system  1801  includes at least one computer readable medium or memory programmed according to the teachings of the invention and for containing data structures, tables, records, or other data described herein. Stored on any one or on a combination of computer readable media, the present invention includes software for controlling the computer system  1801 , for driving a device or devices for implementing the invention, and for enabling the computer system  1801  to interact with a human user, e.g., a customer. Such software may include, but is not limited to, device drivers, operating systems, development tools, and applications software. Such computer readable media further includes the computer program product of the present invention for performing all or a portion (if processing is distributed) of the processing performed in implementing the invention. 
     The computer code devices of the present invention may be any interpreted or executable code mechanism, including but not limited to scripts, interpreters, dynamic link libraries, Java classes, and complete executable programs. Moreover, parts of the processing of the present invention may be distributed for better performance, reliability, and/or cost. 
     The term “computer readable medium” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processor  1805  for execution. A computer readable medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical, magnetic disks, and magneto-optical disks, such as storage device  1811 . Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory  1807 . Transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus  1803 . Transmission media also may also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications. 
     Common forms of computer readable media include, for example, hard disks, floppy disks, tape, magneto-optical disks, PROMs (EPROM, EEPROM, Flash EPROM), DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, or any other magnetic medium, compact disks (e.g., CD-ROM), or any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, or other physical medium with patterns of holes, a carrier wave (described below), or any other medium from which a computer can read. 
     Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying out one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor  1805  for execution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions for implementing all or a portion of the present invention remotely into a dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system  1801  may receive the data on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signal. An infrared detector coupled to bus  1803  can receive the data carried in the infrared signal and place the data on bus  1803 . Bus  1803  carries the data to main memory  1807 , from which processor  1805  retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory  1807  may optionally be stored on storage device  1811  either before or after execution by processor  1805 . 
     Computer system  1801  also includes a communication interface  1819  coupled to bus  1803 . Communication interface  1819  provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link  1821  that is connected to a local network (e.g., LAN  1823 ). For example, communication interface  1819  may be a network interface card to attach to any packet switched local area network (LAN). As another example, communication interface  1819  may be an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) card, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation, communication interface  1819  sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information. The radio waves may be implemented using a spread spectrum technique such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communication or using a frequency hopping technique such as that disclosed in the Bluetooth specification previously described. 
     Network link  1821  typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link  1821  may provide a connection through LAN  1823  to a host computer  1825  or to data equipment operated by a service provider, which provides data communication services through an IP (Internet Protocol) network  1827  (e.g., the Internet  607 ). LAN  1823  and IP network  1827  both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the various networks and the signals on network link  1821  and through communication interface  1819 , which carry the digital data to and from computer system  1801 , are exemplary forms of carrier waves transporting the information. Computer system  1801  can transmit notifications and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), network link  1821  and communication interface  1819 . 
     Obviously, numerous additional modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.