Patent ID: 7664135

Claim:
A network device compliant with a network plug-and-play protocol, comprising: a plurality of service devices for executing a service in response to a request from a client on the network; a device controller for controlling the plurality of service devices; and a network protocol controller for receiving from a client on the network a message containing a message header and a message body, and for transferring content of the message body to the device controller, wherein the plurality of service devices include a first device, and a second device of different type from the first device, the network protocol controller and the device controller are connected by a packetized logical channel for use by the first device, and the network protocol controller, upon having received a message destined for the second device according to the network plug-and-play protocol, transfers the content of the message body of the received message to the device controller, using the packetized logical channel for use by the first; wherein the connection between the network protocol controller and the device controller has a non-packetized logical channel for use by the second device, in addition to the packetized logical channel for use by the first device, and the network protocol controller, upon having received a message destined for the second device according to a network protocol other than the network plug-and-play protocol, transfers the content of the message body of the received message to the device controller, using the non-packetized logical channel for use by the second device.