Data transmission apparatus, data receiving apparatus, rule communication apparatus, rule communication method and program recording medium

• US 20030042253A1
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hiroshi Kutsumi, Jun Ozawa, Satoshi Matsuura, Takeshi Imanaka
• Inventors: Ozawa, Jun, Kutsumi, Hiroshi, Matsuura, Satoshi, Imanaka, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,996,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/702
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6438 allowing the recording of a program of operation of the microwave heating apparatus

Abstract

A transmission apparatus 151 comprises a rule generation means 101 for generating rules, and a data transmission means 102 for converting the rules generated by the rule generation means 101 into data and for transmitting the data; and a receiving apparatus 152 comprises a data receiving means 103 for receiving the data transmitted by the data transmission means 102, a rule conversion means 104 for converting the data received by the data receiving means 103 into rules, a rule storage means 105 for storing the rules converted by the rule conversion means 104, and a control means 106 for controlling a controlled apparatus, such as a microwave oven, in accordance with the rules stored in the rule storage means 105. Consequently, it is possible to reduce burdens on the chance of the received information on the information receiving terminal apparatus side.

Claims

1. A data transmission apparatus comprising:

a rule generation means for generating rules corresponding to each kind of plural kinds of controlled apparatuses as controlled objects on the receiving side, and

a data transmission means for converting said rules generated by said rule generation means into data and for transmitting said converted data to plural data receiving apparatuses,

wherein said data receiving apparatus comprises a data receiving means for receiving said data transmitted from said transmission means, a rule conversion means for converting said rules received by said data receiving means into rules, a rule storage means for storing said rules converted by said rule conversion means, and a rule selection means for selecting a corresponding rule from said plural kinds of rules stored in said rule storage means.

2. A data transmission apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plural kinds of controlled apparatuses are cooking-use microwave ovens having at least a heating function, and the heating capability thereof differs from one cooking use microwave oven to another, and

said rule is formed of a description about the relationship between the control method for said cooking-use microwave oven created depending on the heating capability of said cooking-use microwave oven and said cooking-use microwave oven with respect to one cooking menu item.

36. A recording medium having recorded programs for making a computer to execute the functions of all or part of said means described in one of claims 1 to 15, one of claims 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28, or one of claims 30 to 35.

3. A data receiving apparatus comprising:

a data receiving means for receiving data when rules corresponding to each kind of plural kinds of controlled apparatuses as controlled objects on the receiving side are converted into predetermined data and transmitted,

a rule conversion means for converting said data received by said data receiving means into rules,

a rule storage means for storing said rules converted by said rule conversion means, and

a rule selection means for selecting a predetermined rule from said plural kinds of rules stored in said rule storage means,

wherein said predetermined rule is selected depending on said controlled apparatus.

4. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein said plural kinds of controlled apparatuses are cooking-use microwave ovens having at least a heating function, and the heating capability thereof differs from one cooking-use microwave oven to another, and

said rule is formed of a description about the relationship between the control method for said cooking-use microwave oven created depending on the heating capability of said cooking-use microwave oven and said cooking-use microwave oven with respect to one cooking menu item.

5. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein said rule selection means is a means that performs furthermore controlling for writing, on the basis of said selected rule, the control method regarding said controlled apparatus, said control method is included in said rule.

6. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein, in the case when said rule is newly written, said rule selection means rewrites the corresponding rule before renewal by using said new rule, and the time of said rewriting is determined on the basis of predetermined rewriting time information transmitted from said data transmission apparatus.

7. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 3, comprising a transmission request means for issuing a data transmission request.

8. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein said plural kinds of controlled apparatuses are cooking-use microwave ovens having at least a heating function, and the heating capability thereof differs from one cooking-use microwave oven to another,

said rule is formed of a description about the relationship between the control method for said cooking-use microwave oven created depending on the heating capability of said cooking-use microwave oven and said cooking-use microwave oven with respect to one cooking menu item, and

on the basis of said relationship described in said rule, said rule selection means writes the description data of said control method on the recording medium of said cooking-use microwave oven as said control information.

9. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 8, comprising a condition observation means for observing the freezing temperature condition of an object to be heated by said cooking-use microwave oven,

wherein said rule selection means carries out said rule selection by additionally considering the observation result of said condition observation means.

10. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 3, comprising an output means for outputting information on a predetermined number of usage times or abnormality/failure of said controlled apparatus,

wherein said rule is a rule wherein a condition for outputting said information is set depending on said data receiving apparatus or said controlled apparatus, and

in the case when said condition is established in said controlled apparatus, said information is output from said output means.

11. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 3, comprising a password judgment means that, when a connection request is issued from said data receiving apparatus, judges as to whether the password attached to said connection request is proper or not on the basis of the password renewal planned information previously transmitted from said data transmission apparatus, and permits said connection depending on the result of said judgment.

12. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein, in the case when a controlled apparatus that does not correspond to any rules is present among said plural controlled apparatuses, said rule selection means outputs this fact.

13. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein said writing by said rule selection means is not carried out in the middle of access to said data storage medium.

14. A data receiving apparatus in accordance with claim 5, comprising a confirmation information transmission means for transmitting information on the result of said writing by said rule selection means to said data transmission side.

15. A rule communication apparatus comprising:

a data transmission apparatus having a rule generation means for generating rules corresponding to each kind of plural kinds of controlled apparatuses on the receiving side, and a data transmission means for converting said rules generated by said rule generation means into data and for transmitting said data to plural data receiving apparatuses, and

plural data receiving apparatuses each having a data receiving means for receiving said data transmitted from said data transmitting means, a rule conversion means for converting said rules received by said data receiving means into rules, a rule storage means for storing said rules converted by said rule conversion means, and a rule selection means for selecting a corresponding rule from among said plural kinds of rules stored in said rule storage means,

wherein said predetermined rule is selected depending on said controlled apparatus.

18. A rule communication apparatus in accordance with claim 15, wherein said rule selection means selects a rule corresponding to said controlled apparatus from among said plural kinds of rules by using identification information described in said rule, and carries out writing control for writing said selected rule in a predetermined data storage means.

26. A rule communication apparatus in accordance with claim 18, comprising a data storage means for storing data to be written, and a control operation execution means for executing control operation depending on the contents stored in said data storage means.

31. A rule communication apparatus in accordance with claims 15, 20 or 22, wherein said rules are rules for controlling air-conditioning, rules for adjusting television image quality, or rules for controlling cooking methods.

32. A rule communication apparatus in accordance with claim 18, wherein said rules are rules having written contents selectable depending on the medium of a data storage means, depending on an air-conditioning device that uses said medium of said data storage means, depending on a television set that uses said medium of said data storage means, or a cooking device that uses said medium of said data storage means.

34. A rule communication apparatus in accordance with claim 15, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 or 28, wherein said data transmission means converts said rules into DTMF signals and carries out said transmission.

35. A rule communication apparatus in accordance with claim 18, wherein said data storage means is a nonvolatile memory for controlling cooking devices.

16. A rule communication method wherein

rules corresponding to each kind of plural kinds of controlled apparatuses are generated on the receiving side, said generated rules are converted into data, and transmitted to said receiving side, and

each of the plural receiving apparatuses installed on said receiving side receives said transmitted data, carries out conversion into rules, stores said rules, and selects a rule corresponding to said controlled apparatus from among said plural kinds of stored rules.

17. A rule communication method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said data to be transmitted to said receiving side is converted into DTMF signals.

19. A rule communication method in-accordance with claim 16, wherein, when said rule is selected, said selected rule is written in a predetermined place by using said identification information described in said rule.

37. A recording medium having recorded programs for making a computer to execute all or part of said steps described in claim 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27 or 29.

20. A rule communication apparatus comprising:

a rule generation means for generating rules,

an execution content generation means for generating execution contents of said rules,

a data transmission means for converting said rules and said execution contents into data and transmitting said data,

a data receiving means for receiving said data transmitted by said data transmission means,

a rule/execution content conversion means for converting said data received by said data receiving means into rules and execution contents,

a rule storage means for storing said rules converted by said rule/execution content conversion means,

an execution content storage means for storing said execution contents converted by said rule/execution content conversion means, and

a control means for carrying out control by using said rules stored in said rule storage means and said execution contents stored in said execution content storage means.

21. A rule communication method wherein rules and execution contents generated on the transmission side are converted into data and transmitted, said transmitted data is received, converted into rules and execution contents and stored on the receiving side, and control is carried out by using said rules and said execution contents.

22. A rule communication apparatus comprising:

a rule editing content generation means for generating rule editing contents,

a data transmission means for converting said rule editing contents generated by said rule editing content generation means into data and for transmitting said data,

a data receiving means for receiving said data transmitted by said data transmission means,

a rule editing content conversion means for converting said data received by said data receiving means into rule editing contents,

a rule editing content storage means for storing said rule editing contents converted by said rule editing content conversion means,

a rule storage means for storing rules, and

a rule editing means for editing said rules stored in said rule storage means on the basis of said rule editing contents stored in said rule editing content storage means.

23. A rule communication method wherein

rule editing contents generated on the transmission side are converted into data and transmitted,

said transmitted data is received converted into rule editing contents and stored on the receiving side, and

said stored rules are edited depending on said rule editing contents.

24. A rule communication apparatus comprising:

a rule generation means for generating rules,

a data transmission means for converting said rules generated by said rule generation means into data and transmitting said data,

a data receiving means for receiving said data transmitted by said data transmission means,

a rule conversion means for converting said data received by said data receiving means into rules,

a rule storage means for storing said rules converted by said rule conversion means,

a control means for controlling controlled apparatuses,

a control content storage means for storing contents controlled by said control means, and

a rule execution means for executing rules depending on said rules stored in said rule storage means and said control contents stored in said control content storage means.

33. A rule communication apparatus in accordance with claim 24, wherein said rules are rules for making telephone calls depending on control contents, rules for carrying out display on a display depending on control contents, or rules for transmitting data depending on control contents.

25. A rule communication method wherein rules generated on the transmission side are converted into data and transmitted, said transmitted data is received, converted into rules and stored on the receiving side, and control is carried out by comparing controlled contents with said rules.

27. A rule communication method wherein

rules generated on the transmission side are converted into data and transmitted,

said transmitted data is received, converted into rules and stored on the receiving side, and

data is written by using said rules and written contents are stored, and

control operation is carried out depending on said contents.

28. A rule communication apparatus comprising:

a next password input means for inputting a password planned to be used next as the next password,

a data transmission means for converting said password input by said next password input means into data and transmitting said data,

a data receiving means for receiving said data transmitted by said data transmission means,

a next password interpretation means for interpreting said password received by said data receiving means, and

a next password storage means for storing said next password interpreted by said next password interpretation means.

30. A rule communication apparatus in accordance with claim 28, wherein said next password is represented in a rule format.

29. A rule communication method wherein the next password input on the transmission side is converted into data and transmitted, said transmitted data is received, converted and stored on the receiving side.