| 摘要 |
In an information appliance system (100), a user device (108) comprises a client platform (200, FIG. 5) that includes a service framework (235, FIG. 5) to discover and connect with a variety of services, both remote and local, transient and persistent, and to disconnect from them when they are no longer of interest or become unavailable. The service framework (235) provides a standard, consistent, simplified way for services to make themselves available and for service-using entities to locate and connect with the services of interest to them. Certain services can be designated as "hidden" or "private" for any of several purposes. Hidden services can function in the background and be consolidated by a consolidating service for a service-requesting entity. Hidden services can be located by the service-requesting entity specifying that hidden services are to be included in a search for services. Services can also be designated as private to prevent them from being exposed to remote communications nodes (106, FIG. 1). Various methods of operating a service framework are also described. |
