Information apparatus having an interface for performing a remote operation

• US 10,466,881 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• 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, Naito, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Basom, Blaine T.
• Application Number:
  US14/462,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20140359468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,904 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47H 2005/025 controlled by electronic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A47H 5/02 Devices for opening and closing curtains
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/485 Sectional doors
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/32 Operating, guiding, or securing devices therefor operation of tilting bars E06B9/307
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• 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 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

A control method of the present disclosure causes a computer of an information apparatus to: display on a touch panel display, a display screen representing a floor plan; display device icons on the display screen, the device icons representing one or more target devices respectively, the device icons including an icon representing an electric shutter device that is capable of opening or closing a shutter; display an operation screen on the display screen, when selection of the icon representing the electric shutter device is sensed, the operation screen including a shutter image representing the shutter; and output a movement control command to a network when a swipe operation is sensed on the shutter image, the movement control command being for moving the shutter of the electric shutter device in a swipe direction of the swipe operation, the electric shutter device corresponding to the selected icon.

Claims

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

the method causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display, on the touch panel display, a display screen representing a floor plan of a building;

display device icons on the display screen representing the floor plan, the device icons representing the one or more target devices respectively, the device icons including an icon representing an electric shutter device configured to physically open or close a shutter through a remote operation;

display an operation screen on the display screen representing the floor plan, when a selection of the icon representing the electric shutter device, among the one or more target devices, is sensed, the operation screen including a shutter image representing the shutter of the electric shutter device, and the shutter of the electric shutter device being physically moved in a vertical direction with respect to a window in unison with an input operation on the shutter image, regardless of a position of the input operation along a horizontal axis of the shutter image, for confirmation of the input operation without changing an angle of the shutter with respect to the window; and

output a movement control command to the network when a swipe operation is sensed on the shutter image included in the operation screen, the movement control command being for physically moving the shutter of the electric shutter device in a swipe direction of the swipe operation, the electric shutter device corresponding to the selected icon, wherein

when the swipe operation is sensed on the operation screen to output the movement control command to the network, a region corresponding to the shutter image representing the shutter of the electric shutter device is varied into an image in which the shutter of the electric shutter device is moved in accordance with an amount of movement in the swipe direction of the swipe operation, the shutter image included in the operation screen being moved for a distance matching an operation distance of the swipe operation,

the electric shutter device receives the movement control command via the network and is responsive to the movement control command in physically moving the electric shutter device,

the moving of the electric shutter device includes a vertical or a rotating movement, and

the input operation on the shutter image includes a corresponding modification of the shutter image.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

a distance control command is output to the network as the movement control command when the swipe operation is sensed on the shutter image included in the operation screen, the distance control command instructing distance of moving the shutter of the electric shutter device corresponding to the selected icon in the swipe direction, the distance of moving the shutter of the electric shutter device being determined in accordance with an amount of movement in the swipe direction of the swipe operation.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

a movement of the shutter of the electric shutter device corresponding to the selected icon comprises a movement to open the shutter of the electric shutter device or a movement to close the shutter of the electric shutter device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the electric shutter device corresponding to the selected icon has the shutter which opens or closes in one direction.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the shutter image representing the shutter of the electric shutter device comprises an image representing the shutter of the electric shutter device used as a storm sash;

and

in a case where the image in which the shutter of the electric shutter device is moved is varied into an image in which the shutter of the electric shutter device is opened, the image in which the shutter of the electric shutter device is moved is varied into an image in which a window hidden by the shutter of the electric shutter device appears.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein

in a case where the image in which the window hidden by the shutter of the electric shutter device appears is varied into an image in which the shutter of the electric shutter device is closed, the image in which the window hidden by the shutter of the electric shutter device appears is varied into an image in which the window is hidden by the shutter of the electric shutter device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the device icons representing the one or more target devices are moved out of a display region of the display screen representing the floor plan, when selection of the icon representing the electric shutter device, among the one or more target devices, is sensed.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the device icons representing the one or more target devices are moved out of a display region of the display screen representing the floor plan, and are arranged in one line outside the display region of the display screen, when selection of the icon representing the electric shutter device, among the one or more target devices, is sensed.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the device icons representing the one or more target devices are moved out of a display region of the display screen representing the floor plan, and are arranged in one line outside the display region of the display screen, when selection of the icon representing the electric shutter device, among the one or more target devices, is sensed, and

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

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium which stores a program to be executed by an information apparatus, the information apparatus having a touch panel 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, on the touch panel display, a display screen representing a floor plan of a building;

display device icons on the display screen representing the floor plan, the device icons representing the one or more target devices respectively, the device icons including an icon representing an electric shutter device configured to physically open or close a shutter through a remote operation;

display an operation screen on the display screen representing the floor plan, when a selection of the icon representing the electric shutter device, among the one or more target devices, is sensed, the operation screen including a shutter image representing the shutter of the electric shutter device; and

output a movement control command to the network when a swipe operation is sensed on the shutter image included in the operation screen, the movement control command being for moving the shutter of the electric shutter device in a swipe direction of the swipe operation, the electric shutter device corresponding to the selected icon, and the shutter of the electric shutter device being moved in a vertical direction with respect to a window in unison with an input operation on the shutter image, regardless of a position of the input operation along a horizontal axis of the shutter image, for confirmation of the input operation without changing an angle of the shutter with respect to the window, wherein

when the swipe operation is sensed on the operation screen to output the movement control command to the network, a region corresponding to the shutter image representing the shutter of the electric shutter device is varied into an image in which the shutter of the electric shutter device is moved in accordance with an amount of movement in the swipe direction of the swipe operation, the shutter image included in the operation screen being moved for a distance matching an operation distance of the swipe operation,

the electric shutter device receives the movement control command via the network and is responsive to the movement control command in moving the electric shutter device,

the moving of the electric shutter device includes a vertical or a rotating movement, and

the input operation on the shutter image includes a corresponding modification of the shutter image.