Cross platform discovery and communication over a local network

摘要

Exemplary methods, apparatuses, and systems that execute a cross-platform application programming interface (API) that supports a plurality of applications are described. The cross-platform API implements a request from an application for a device to participate in a unique conversation, the unique conversation being identified by a topic and independent of a unique identifier for entities. The cross-platform API further provides the application an abstracted discovery mechanism by which the application causes the device to discover an entity that is accessible on the local network participating in the unique conversation. The cross-platform API further provides the application with a message passing mechanism by which the application causes the first device to exchange messages related to the unique conversation with the entity.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
executing, by a device, a cross-platform application programming interface (API), wherein the cross-platform API includes functionality to support a plurality of applications, wherein execution of one of the plurality of the applications includes interaction between a plurality of entities within a local network, and wherein the cross-platform API
implements a request from the application for the device to participate in a unique conversation, wherein the unique conversation is identified by a topic and independent of a unique identifier for entities,provides the application an abstracted discovery mechanism by which the application causes the device to discover an entity that is accessible on the local network participating in the unique conversation, wherein the abstracted discovery mechanism performs said discovery by sending messages according to a plurality of underlying discovery protocols and monitoring for a message utilizing one of the plurality of underlying discovery protocols from the entity, and wherein the abstracted discovery mechanism includes asynchronously probing the local network to find entities participating in the unique conversation, receiving an acknowledgement message from each participating entity, each acknowledgement message including an address and port number, and updating a list of entities participating in the unique conversation, andprovides the application with a message passing mechanism by which the application causes the device to exchange messages related to the unique conversation with the entity.