Patent ID: 7836159

Claim:
A functionality module, stored on a non-transitory computer-readable memory, the module being executed by a control unit for home network devices, to perform steps comprising: registering, by a managing unit, home network device correlated events in a home network and communicate with said home network devices; and providing, by at least one device subunit controller object class corresponding to at least one device subunit creator object class, respectively, home network device specific functionality to control said home network devices, wherein an object derived from said at least one device subunit creator object class is configured to create a device subunit controller object based on said home network correlated events, said device subunit controller object being derived from the corresponding device subunit controller object class, wherein a device unit linked to said managing unit includes said at least one device subunit creator object class and said at least one device subunit controller object class; said managing unit includes a general unit and a control protocol unit, and said general unit provides functionality common to said control protocol unit and said device unit, and includes providing, by a logical device manager on said general unit, control protocol independent functionality for maintaining a list of available home network devices, maintain a list of device manager event listener objects subscribable at said logical device manager, and message at least parts of home network device correlated home network event information to said subscribed device manager event listener objects; and providing, by one or more logical devices linked to said logical device manager corresponding to one of said home network devices, respectively, control protocol independent functionality for communicating with said corresponding home network devices and for messaging at least parts of home network device event information to device message listener objects subscribable at said logical device, respectively, wherein said general unit includes said one or more logical devices, creating, by said control protocol unit device independent interface structures for each of said home network devices to communicate with each of said home network devices; providing, by said control protocol unit said at least one device subunit creator object class with the created device independent interface structures; providing, by said control protocol unit, the at least one device subunit controller object class with functionality of said one or more logical devices included in said general unit; and providing, by said control protocol unit, protocol-specific functionality between the at least one device subunit controller and each of said logical devices included in said general unit.