Controlling apparatus, record medium, and method for exchanging an information signal among electronic devices

• US 20020031136A1
• Filed: 02/09/2001
• Published: 03/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Ikuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,042,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/402
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• 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 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances

Abstract

A controlling apparatus, record medium, and method, which include the steps of (a) obtaining control information from the electronic devices, the control information allowing the electronic devices to be controlled, (b) determining whether or not the electronic devices have a time setting function corresponding to the control information obtained at the step (a), (c) obtaining time information, and (d) setting the time information obtained at the step (c) to each of the electronic devices determined as devices having the time setting function at the step (b). Thus, even if an electronic device connected to a network system does not have a function for obtaining time information through the network system, time corresponding to time information can be set to the electronic device.

Claims

1. A controlling apparatus for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system, comprising:

a control information obtaining part for obtaining control information from the plurality of electronic devices, the control information allowing the plurality of electronic devices to be controlled;

a time setting function determining part for determining whether the plurality electronic devices have a time setting function corresponding to the control information obtained by the control information obtaining part;

a time information obtaining part for obtaining time information; and

a time information setting part for setting the time information obtained by the time information obtaining part to each of the electronic devices determined as devices having the time setting function by the time setting function determining part.

2. A controlling apparatus for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network system is composed of an IEEE 1394 serial bus.

3. A controlling apparatus for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control information obtaining part obtains the control information when a topology of the network changes.

4. A controlling apparatus for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control information obtained by the control information obtaining part is composed of a control program for controlling the electronic devices and device attribute information of the electronic devices.

5. A controlling apparatus for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a time setting permission determining part for determining whether the electronic devices permit an external setting operation of the time information;

wherein the time information setting part sets the time information to the electronic devices whose external setting operation has been permitted by the time setting permission determining part.

6. A controlling apparatus for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a time setting displaying part for displaying the electronic devices to which said time information setting part is capable of setting the time information.

7. A controlling apparatus for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a time setting selecting part for selecting an electronic device from the electronic devices displayed as devices that are capable of setting the time information by the time setting displaying part.

8. A controlling apparatus for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the time information obtaining part obtains the time information from the outside of the network system.

9. A controlling apparatus for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a time compensating function determining part for determining whether the electronic devices have a time compensating function corresponding to time information obtained from the outside, the time compensating function allowing the electronic devices to compensate time thereof;

wherein the time information setting part sets the time information obtained by the time information obtaining part to the electronic devices determined as devices that do not have the time compensating function by the time compensating function determining part.

10. A controlling apparatus for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the time information obtaining part obtains the time information from the electronic devices determined as devices that have the time compensating function by the time compensating function determining part.

11. A controlling method for exchanging an information signal among a plurality of electronic devices through a network system, the method comprising the steps of

(a) obtaining control information from the electronic devices, the control information allowing the electronic devices to be controlled;

(b) determining whether the electronic devices have a time setting function corresponding to the control information obtained at step (a);

(c) obtaining time information; and

(d) setting the time information obtained at step (c) to each of the electronic devices determined as devices having the time setting function at step (b).

12. A record medium for storing a program that executes the steps of:

(a) obtaining control information from electronic devices, the control information allowing the electronic devices to be controlled;

(b) determining whether the electronic devices have a time setting function corresponding to the control information obtained at step (a);

(c) obtaining time information; and

(d) setting the time information obtained at step (c) to each of the electronic devices determined as devices having the time setting function at step (b).