Device action service

摘要

A user may operate many devices, each of which may provide a set of actions, such as installing firmware or software or viewing the contents of the device. However, in order to perform these actions, the user may have to interact with each device using a different user interface, resulting in an inconsistent user experience. Instead, a device action service may allow a user to identify his or her devices, may identify the actions available for each device (e.g., by interacting with a device source of each device, such as a manufacturer); and upon the request of the user, may present a list of the user's devices and the actions available for each device. The actions may comprise hyperlinks to various portions of the website of the device source (e.g., a driver page and a service registration page), or controls invoking the requested action upon the device.

主权项

1. A method of presenting to a user a set of devices operated by the user, the method using a computer having a processor and access to a device action service, the method comprising:
executing on the processor instructions configured to:
upon receiving from a user a registration request to register a device, associate the device with the user;upon failing to identify an unidentified device associated with the user:
identify at least one capability of the unidentified device;request from the device action service a set of actions invokable on devices having the at least one capability of the unidentified device; andupon receiving the set of actions from the device action service, associate the set of actions with the unidentified device; andupon receiving from a user a presentation request for a presentation of the devices of the user,
present to the user the devices associated with the user and, for the respective devices, the set of actions associated with the device.