Terminal and method for remotely controlling device using the same

• US 20030197686A1
• Filed: 04/11/2003
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Usuda, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,154,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4108 characterised by an identification number or address, e.g. local network address protecting specific internal or external computer components using identification number G06F21/73; network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• 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 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• 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 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

Device names and device control parameters are registered in a content table of a terminal. These device names and control parameters are each associated in the content table with partial images forming a total image. A user causes an arbitrary partial image to be displayed on a display screen of the terminal by moving the position of the total image relative to the display screen. After reading the device name and the control parameters corresponding to the arbitrary partial image from the content table, the terminal remotely controls the targeted terminal based on the information read. Therefore, the targeted device and the control description thereof can be selected using a simple operation, such as moving the position of the image to be displayed on the display screen. The addition or replacement of targeted devices can be easily accommodated by updating the content table.

Claims

1. A terminal, comprising:

a remote-control unit operable to remotely control at least one device;

a display unit having a display screen for displaying a part of a total image, said total image including a plurality of partial images;

a content table including a piece of content corresponding to each of said partial images, each piece of content including a device name specifying a device to be controlled and control information for controlling said device;

scroll means for moving a position of said total image relative to said display screen so that any of said partial images can be shown on said display screen; and

means for obtaining said piece of content corresponding to said partial image shown on said display screen from said content table and for causing said remote-control unit to remotely control said device specified by said piece of content.

2. A terminal according to claim 1, wherein said scroll means comprises detecting means for detecting movement of said terminal, whereby said position of said total image relative to said display screen is moved based on said movement of said terminal.

3. A terminal according to claim 1, further comprising

table update means for obtaining said piece of content from a source and registering said piece of content in said content table.

4. A terminal according to claim 3, wherein said table update means obtains said piece of content from a server apparatus linked to said terminal online and registers said piece of content in said content table.

5. A terminal according to claim 1, further comprising

means for sorting said content registered in said content table into a plurality of groups and for generating said total image using at least one partial image corresponding to at least one piece of said content belonging to one of said sorted groups.

6. A terminal according to claim 1, further comprising

means for performing accounting processing based on account information contained in said piece of content.

7. A method of remotely-controlling a device using a terminal having a display screen, said method comprising:

displaying a part of a total image on the display screen, the total image including a plurality of partial images;

moving a position of the total image relative to the display screen so that one of the partial images is displayed on the display screen;

accessing in the terminal a content table including a piece of content corresponding to each of the partial images, each piece of content including a device name specifying a device to be controlled and control information for controlling the device;

reading from the content table the piece of content corresponding to the partial image displayed on the display screen; and

remotely controlling the device specified by the piece of content corresponding to the partial images displayed on the display screen.

8. A method of remotely controlling a device according to claim 7, further comprising:

performing accounting processing based on account information included in the piece of content corresponding to the partial image displayed on the display screen.