Patent ID: 7337217

Claim:
A method for providing user interfaces in a first network to a remote access device, the first network including one or more first devices interconnected via a communication medium, and at least one interface device for communication with the remote access device, the user interfaces for controlling the devices that are currently connected to the first network, the method comprising the steps of: (a) the remote access device establishing communication with the first network via the interface device; (b) the remote access device sending a request to the interface device for accessing the first network; (c) at least one device in the first network obtaining information from one or more of said first devices currently connected to the first network, said information including device information, and generating a user interface description including at least one reference associated with the device information of each of said one or more first devices, wherein each first device in the first network further includes a control user interface description contained in the first device for user interaction with that first device; (d) the interface device sending the control user interface description to the remote access device; and (e) dynamically generating a user interface that includes device-specific information based on the control user interface description, the remote access device displaying the user interface for access to the control user interface description contained in one or more of the first devices by the remote access device, and user interaction with, and control of, the first devices connected to the first network via the remote access device.