Controlling apparatus and controlling method

• US 20010018749A1
• Filed: 02/21/2001
• Published: 08/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takaku, Yoshiyuki, Noda, Takuro, Inoue, Hiraku, Takenaka, Yoshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 6,789,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units

Abstract

A controlling apparatus capable of synchronized power supply control over a plurality of electronic devices which are connected to the controlling apparatus via a bus pursuant to a predetermined communication format and which are fabricated by a plurality of venders including those different from the vender of the controlling apparatus. If any one of the electronic devices is selected regardless of its vender as an input by the controlling apparatus and is judged to have a link only with the controlling apparatus, the electronic device in question is switched on or off synchronously by the controlling apparatus.

Claims

1. A controlling apparatus capable of synchronized power supply control over a plurality of electronic devices which are connected to said controlling apparatus via a bus pursuant to a predetermined communication format and which are fabricated by a plurality of venders including those different from the vender of said controlling apparatus, said controlling apparatus comprising:

operating means for causing said controlling apparatus to execute synchronized power-off control;

first determining means which, when said operating means is operated by a user, determines whether any one of said electronic devices which is currently selected by said controlling apparatus as an input has a link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus; and

controlling means for switching off synchronously each electronic device which is currently selected by said controlling apparatus as the input and which is judged by said first determining means to have no link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus.

2. A controlling apparatus according to

claim 1

, further comprising:

second determining means which, when said operating means is operated by the user, determines whether any one of said electronic devices which is not currently selected by said controlling apparatus as the input is fabricated by the same vender as that of said controlling apparatus; and

third determining means which, if any one of said electronic devices which is not currently selected by said controlling apparatus as the input is judged by said second determining means to be fabricated by the same vender as that of said controlling apparatus, determines whether the electronic device in question has a link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus;

wherein said controlling apparatus switches off synchronously the electronic device judged by said third determining means to have no link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus.

3. A controlling apparatus according to

claim 1

, further comprising:

second determining means which, when said operating means is operated by the user, determines whether any one of said electronic devices which is not currently selected by said controlling apparatus as the input is fabricated by the same vender as that of said controlling apparatus;

third determining means which, if any one of said electronic devices which is not currently selected by said controlling apparatus as the input is judged by said second determining means to be fabricated by the same vender as that of said controlling apparatus, determines whether the electronic device in question has a link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus; and

fourth determining means for determining whether the electronic device judged by said third determining means to have no link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus is in a stopped state;

wherein said controlling apparatus switches off synchronously the electronic device judged by said fourth determining means to be in the stopped state.

4. A controlling apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein said bus pursuant to said predetermined communication format complies with IEEE 1394 standards.

5. A controlling apparatus capable of synchronized power supply control over a plurality of electronic devices which are connected to said controlling apparatus via a bus pursuant to a predetermined communication format and which are fabricated by a plurality of venders including those different from the vender of said controlling apparatus, said controlling apparatus comprising:

operating means for causing said controlling apparatus to execute synchronized power-on control;

first determining means which, when said operating means is operated by a user, determines whether any one of said electronic devices which is currently selected by said controlling apparatus as an input has a link with said controlling apparatus; and

controlling means for switching on synchronously each electronic device judged by said first determining means to have a link with said controlling apparatus.

6. A controlling apparatus according to

claim 5

, wherein said bus pursuant to said predetermined communication format complies with IEEE 1394 standards.

7. A controlling method for causing a controlling apparatus to execute synchronized power supply control over a plurality of electronic devices which are connected to said controlling apparatus via a bus pursuant to a predetermined communication format and which are fabricated by a plurality of venders including those different from the vender of said controlling apparatus, said controlling method comprising the steps of:

when a synchronized power-off key is operated by a user, firstly determining whether any one of said electronic devices which is currently selected by said controlling apparatus as an input has a link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus; and

switching off synchronously each electronic device which is currently selected by said controlling apparatus as the input and which is judged in said first determining step to have no link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus.

8. A controlling method according to

claim 7

, further comprising the steps of:

when said synchronized power-off key is operated by the user, secondly determining whether any one of said electronic devices which is not currently selected by said controlling apparatus as the input is fabricated by the same vender as that of said controlling apparatus; and

if any one of said electronic devices which is not currently selected by said controlling apparatus as the input is judged in said second determining step to be fabricated by the same vender as that of said controlling apparatus, thirdly determining whether the electronic device in question has a link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus;

whereby said controlling apparatus is made to switch off synchronously the electronic device judged in said third determining step to have no link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus.

9. A controlling method according to

claim 7

, further comprising the steps of:

when said synchronized power-off key is operated by the user, secondly determining whether any one of said electronic devices which is not currently selected by said controlling apparatus as the input is fabricated by the same vender as that of said controlling apparatus;

if any one of said electronic devices which is not currently selected by said controlling apparatus as the input is judged in said second determining step to be fabricated by the same vender as that of said controlling apparatus, thirdly determining whether the electronic device in question has a link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus; and

fourthly determining whether the electronic device judged in said third determining step to have no link with any electronic device other than said controlling apparatus is in a stopped state;

whereby said controlling apparatus is made to switch off synchronously the electronic device judged in said fourth determining step to be in the stopped state.

10. A controlling method according to

claim 7

, wherein said bus pursuant to said predetermined communication format complies with IEEE 1394 standards.

11. A controlling method for causing a controlling apparatus to execute synchronized power supply control over a plurality of electronic devices which are connected to said controlling apparatus via a bus pursuant to a predetermined communication format and which are fabricated by a plurality of venders including those different from the vender of said controlling apparatus, said controlling method comprising the steps of:

when a synchronized power-on key is operated by a user, firstly determining whether any one of said electronic devices which is currently selected by said controlling apparatus as an input has a link with said controlling apparatus; and

switching on synchronously each electronic device judged in said first determining step to have a link with said controlling apparatus.