US 12,088,423 B2
Method and apparatus for network device registration
Michael Lamb, Rancho Santa Fe, CA (US); Michael Bailey, Carlsbad, CA (US); Jay Stone, San Marcos, CA (US); and George Seelman, Temecula, CA (US)
Assigned to ECOLINK INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY, INC., Carlsbad, CA (US)
Filed by Michael Lamb, Rancho Santa Fe, CA (US); Michael Bailey, Carlsbad, CA (US); Jay Stone, San Marcos, CA (US); and George Seelman, Temecula, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 21, 2011, as Appl. No. 13/332,812.
Application 13/332,812 is a division of application No. 13/214,116, filed on Aug. 19, 2011, granted, now 8,619,819, issued on Dec. 31, 2013.
Prior Publication US 2013/0046872 A1, Feb. 21, 2013
Int. Cl. H04L 12/28 (2006.01); H04B 3/54 (2006.01)
CPC H04L 12/2807 (2013.01) [H04B 3/542 (2013.01); H04L 12/2809 (2013.01); H04B 2203/5408 (2013.01); H04B 2203/5458 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, performed by a remote network device, for automatically registering the remote network device with a network control device to enable the network control device to direct communications to the remote network device via use of a network that the network control device is operating on, comprising:
receiving, by the remote network device, a query from the network control device, the query comprising a house code that was pre-assigned to both the network control device and the remote network device and an instruction to the remote network device to provide identifying information of the remote network device stored in a memory of the remote network device to the network control device wherein the identifying information is usable by the network control device to direct communications to the remote network device via use of the network;
in response to receiving the query, using by the remote network device at least the house code to determine whether the remote network device has previously registered with the network control device as a result of previously responding to a previous query;
transmitting a response to the network control device after a time period has expired when it is determined that the remote network device has not previously registered with the network control device as a result of previously responding to a previous query, the response comprising the identifying information;
determining by the remote network device, whether an acknowledgement message has been received from the network control device; and
when the remote network device determines that the acknowledgement message has been received from the network control device, setting a flag within the remote network device indicating that the remote network device has successfully registered with the network control device, otherwise re-sending the response to the network control device after a second time period has elapsed.