RECEPTION METHOD, RECEPTION DEVICE, TRANSMISSION METHOD, TRANSMISSION DEVICE, TRANSMISSION/RECEPTION METHOD, TRANSMISSION/RECEPTION DEVICE

• US 20010013122A1
• Filed: 03/16/1998
• Published: 08/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: HIRATA, SHINICHI
• Granted Patent: US 6,374,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42692 for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium, e.g. Random Access Memory [RAM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape

Abstract

An electronic mail on which a control command is interpolated is transmitted through a public line, received by a modem section of a gate way, converted to a digital data, and supplied to the control section. A CPU of the control section stores the received electronic mail in a RAM, and extracts the control command contained in the electronic mail. The CPU supplies a control signal corresponding to the control command to an interface section. The interface section controls an IR transmission section to transmit a signal corresponding to the control signal supplied from the CPU or outputs a signal through a connection line, and controls a video deck.

Claims

1. A reception device provided with a reception means for receiving an electronic mail transmitted through a network, an extraction means for extracting a control command interpolated in said electronic mail received by said reception means, and a control means for controlling a prescribed electric appliance dependently on said control command extracted by said extraction means.

2. The reception device as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein an electronic mail preparation means for preparing an electronic mail based on the control result of said control means and a transmission means for transmitting said electronic mail prepared by said electronic mail preparation means to the transmission side through said network are provided additionally.

3. The reception device as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein said electric appliance installed outside has a timer reservation function, and said control means reserves the operation time of said electric appliance.

4. The reception device as claimed in

claim 3

, wherein the reservation information of the operation time of said electric appliance is displayed.

5. The reception device as claimed in

claim 4

, wherein said reception device has additionally an infrared signal transmission means, and said operation reservation information is inputted to the infrared signal transmission means, and transmitted through said infrared signal transmission means.

6. The reception device as claimed in

claim 5

, wherein said reception device is connected through a wire to said electric appliance, and in the case that both said wire and infrared signal transmission means are connected, the connection through said wire is used preferentially.

7. A reception method comprising a reception step for receiving an electronic mail transmitted through a network, an extraction step for extracting a control command interpolated in said electronic mail received by said reception means, and a control step for controlling a prescribed electric appliance dependently on said control command extracted by said extraction means.

8. The reception method as claimed in

claim 7

, wherein an electronic mail preparation step for preparing an electronic mail based on the control result of a control means and a transmission step for transmitting said electronic mail prepared by an electronic mail preparation means to the transmission side through said network are additionally provided.

9. The reception method as claimed in

claim 8

, wherein said electric appliance installed outside has a timer reservation step, and said control means reserves the operation time of said electric appliance.

10. The reception method as claimed in

claim 9

, wherein a step for displaying the reservation information of the operation time of said electric appliance is provided additionally.

11. The reception method as claimed in

claim 10

, wherein said reception device has additionally an infrared signal transmission means, said operation reservation information is inputted to the infrared signal transmission means, and a step for transmitting said operation reservation information through said infrared signal transmission means is additionally provided.

12. The reception method as claimed in

claim 11

, wherein said reception device is connected through a wire to said electric appliance, and a step for connecting preferentially through said wire is provided in the case that both said wire and infrared signal transmission means are connected.

13. A transmission device provided with an electronic mail input means for receiving an electronic mail, an addition means for adding an control command for controlling a prescribed electric appliance on said electronic mail inputted from said electronic mail input means, and a transmission means for transmitting said electronic mail on which said control command is added by said addition means through a network.

14. A transmission method comprising an electronic mail input step for receiving an electronic mail, an addition step for adding an control command for controlling a prescribed electric appliance on said electronic mail inputted in said electronic mail input step, and a transmission step for transmitting said electronic mail on which said control command is added in said addition step through a network.

15. A transmission/reception device provided with an electronic mail input means for receiving an electronic mail, an addition means for adding an control command for controlling a prescribed electric appliance on said electronic mail inputted from said electronic mail input means, and a transmission means for transmitting said electronic mail on which said control command is added by said addition means through a network on the transmission side, and provided with a reception means for receiving an electronic mail transmitted through a network, an extraction means for extracting a control command interpolated in said electronic mail received by said reception means, and a control means for controlling a prescribed electric appliance dependently on said control command extracted by said extraction means on the reception side.

16. A transmission/reception method comprising an electronic mail input step for receiving an electronic mail, an addition step for adding an control command for controlling a prescribed electric appliance on said electronic mail inputted in said electronic mail input step, and a transmission step for transmitting said electronic mail on which said control command is added in said addition step through a network on the transmission side, and comprising a reception step for receiving an electronic mail transmitted through a network, an extraction step for extracting a control command interpolated in said electronic mail received in said reception step, and a control step for controlling a prescribed electric appliance dependently on said control command extracted in said extraction step on the reception side.