Control method for information apparatus and computer-readable recording medium

• US 10,454,781 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2014
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Takamitsu, Tahara, Kohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Vernal U
• Application Number:
  US14/325,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20150113414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 340 37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

When selection of a device icon representing one target device among one or more target devices is sensed in a region corresponding to one room included in a floor plan, a control screen for operating, or confirming a state of, the one target device corresponding to the sensed device icon is displayed on a display as overlapped on a display screen representing the floor plan, and device icons representing the target devices installed in the one room are moved out of a display region of the control screen.

Claims

1. A control method for an information apparatus having a display and being connected to a network, one or more target devices being controlled over the network,

the control method causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing a floor plan of a building on the display, the floor plan including partition lines representing walls forming one or more rooms, and display device icons representing the one or more target devices at a position on the floor plan corresponding to the actual arrangement position of the device on the display screen representing the floor plan, the device icons being movable;

when selection of a device icon representing one target device, among the one or more target devices, is detected in a region corresponding to one room included in the floor plan, display a control screen for operating, or confirming a state of, the one target device corresponding to the selected device icon on the display, and without user intervention, move i) the selected device icon representing the one target device as well as ii) one or more unselected device icons among the device icons in the one room out of a display region of the control screen when the control screen for the selected device icon appears; and

output a control command to the network on a basis of an operation on the control screen, the control command allowing at least operation or the state confirmation of the one target device.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when the selection of the device icon representing the one target device is detected, device icons representing target devices installed in rooms other than the one room included in the floor plan are erased.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when the selection of the device icon representing the one target device is detected, device icons representing target devices installed in rooms other than the one room included in the floor plan are displayed at unchanged display positions.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when the selection of the device icon representing the one target device is detected, the device icons representing the target devices installed in the one room are moved to a location outside the display region of the control screen and outside a display region of the display screen representing the floor plan.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when the selection of the device icon representing the one target device is detected, the device icons representing the target devices installed in the one room are moved to a location outside the display region of the control screen and in one line outside a display region of the display screen representing the floor plan.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when the selection of the device icon representing the one target device is detected, the device icons representing the target devices installed in the one room are moved to a location outside the display region of the control screen and outside a display region of the display screen representing the floor plan, and arranged in one line outside the display region of the display screen, and

device icons representing one or more target devices arranged in one line are moved in a direction of the one line to display the selected device icon, within a display region of the display.

7. The control method according to claim 1, wherein:

when the selection of the device icon representing the one target device is detected, the device icons representing the target devices installed in the one room are moved to a location outside the display region of the control screen and around the control screen.

8. The control method according to claim 1, wherein:

the floor plan represented on the display screen includes information representing arrangement positions at which the one or more target devices are arranged; and

the device icons representing the one or more target devices are displayed at the corresponding arrangement positions of the one or more target devices included in the floor plan.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein

when the selection of the device icon representing the one target device included in the floor plan is detected in a region corresponding to a room including information representing an arrangement position of the one target device, the control screen is displayed on the display, the control screen allowing at least the operation or the state confirmation of the one target device.

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein

when the control screen is displayed on the display, the region corresponding to the room including the information representing the arrangement position of the one target device is displayed in a different display method from other regions corresponding to other rooms.

11. The control method according to claim 9, wherein

when the control screen is displayed on the display, the region corresponding to the room including the information representing the arrangement position of the one target device is displayed more brightly than other regions corresponding to other rooms.

12. The control method according to claim 8, wherein

the information representing the arrangement positions of the one or more target devices comprise images representing the one or more target devices.

13. The control method according to claim 8, wherein

the information representing the arrangement positions of the one or more target devices comprise text information representing the one or more target devices.

14. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when the control screen is displayed on the display, the display screen is displayed more darkly than the control screen.

15. The control method according to claim 14, wherein

when contact between the display and a predetermined object is detected outside the region of the control screen, display of the control screen is erased, and the display screen is displayed with an original brightness.

16. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when selection of a same device icon as the selected device icon is sensed after the device icons representing the target devices installed in the one room are moved out of the display region of the control screen, display of the control screen is erased.

17. The control method according to claim 16, wherein

the moved device icons are moved to original positions of the moved device icons when display of the control screen is erased.

18. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when selection of a device icon that is different from the selected device icon, among the device icons representing the target devices installed in the one room, is detected after the device icons representing the target devices installed in the one room are moved out of the display region of the control screen, display of a control screen corresponding to the different device icon is displayed.

19. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when selection of a location outside the display region of the control screen is detected after the device icons representing the target devices installed in the one room are moved out of the display region of the control screen, display of the control screen is erased.

20. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

display of the selected device icon among the moved device icons, is displayed as distinguished from display of the one or more unselected device icons.

21. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

a device icon representing a target device that is incommunicable with the information apparatus, among the device icons representing the one or more target devices, is displayed more darkly than other device icons.

22. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

a device icon representing a target device that is incommunicable with the information apparatus, among the device icons representing the one or more target devices, is displayed translucently.

23. The control method according to claim 1, wherein:

the display is a touch panel display; and

the selection of the device icon is detected by detecting a tap on the device icon performed on the touch panel display.

24. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

the selection of the device icon is detected by detecting a click with a mouse pointer.

25. The control method according to claim 1, wherein:

the information apparatus is connected to a cloud system that manages log information related to a use history of the one or more target devices;

a control command for confirming the state of the one target device is output to the cloud system via the network; and

the control method causes the computer of the information apparatus to;

receive information indicating the state of the one target device from the cloud system via the network; and

display the information indicating the state of the one target device on the control screen for confirming the state of the one target device.

26. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of the one or more unselected device icons is moved out of the display region of the control screen.

27. The control method according to claim 26, wherein

when selection of a location outside the display region of the control screen is detected after the at least one of the one or more unselected device icons is moved out of the display region of the control screen, display of the control screen is erased.

28. The control method according to claim 27, wherein

the moved device icons are moved to original positions of the moved device icons when display of the control screen is erased.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium which stores a program to be executed by an information apparatus having a display and being connected to a network, one or more target devices being controlled over the network,

the program causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing a floor plan of a building on the display, the floor plan including partition lines representing walls forming one or more rooms, and display device icons representing the one or more target devices at a position on the floor plan corresponding to the actual arrangement position of the device on the display screen representing the floor plan, the device icons being movable;

when selection of a device icon representing one target device, among the one or more target devices, is detected in a region corresponding to one room included in the floor plan, display a control screen for operating, or confirming a state of, the one target device corresponding to the selected device icon on the display, and without user intervention, move i) device icons representing target devices installed in the one room as well as ii) one or more unselected device icons among the device icons in the one room out of a display region of the control screen when the control screen for the selected device icon appears; and

output a control command to the network on a basis of an operation on the control screen, the control command allowing at least operation or the state confirmation of the one target device.