Patent ID: 7640327

Claim:
A method for a server device to communicate with a client device in a home network, comprising: sending server device characteristic data that identify the server device from the server device to the client device in response to the client device transmitting a first request signal generated by said client device and sent to the server device; receiving a second request signal requesting a web page contained within said server device and associated with a server device control that distinguishes the server device from other server devices, wherein said second request signal is generated in response to said server device characteristic data; sending said web page in response to said second request signal; generating a device link file, wherein the device link file identifies a plurality of server devices, wherein generating the device link file includes: associating a logical device name with each of the plurality of server devices; and storing the plurality of logical device names in the device link file; creating a device link page including device controls associated with the plurality of server devices identified in the device link file, wherein the device link page includes at least one device control for each of the plurality of server devices, wherein creating the device link page further includes: retrieving the plurality of logical device names from the device link file; storing the plurality of logical device names in the device link page; and converting the plurality of logical device names to the device controls; selecting the at least one device control for one of the plurality of server devices; and deactivating, on the device link page, the at least one device control for the plurality of server devices that have no matching capabilities to the one of the plurality of server devices selected.