System for remotely controlling home appliances and method for operating the same

• US 20040010561A1
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Sang Kyun, Kim, Chang Ho, Oh, Ki Tae, Ji, Il Hoon, Lee, Yeon Kyoung, Wang, Dae Sung
• Application Number:
  US10/385,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20040010561A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Disclosed are a system for remotely controlling home appliances and a method for operating the same. The system for remotely controlling home appliances, includes: a wired and wireless Internet network; a home server for controlling and managing a home network connected to the home appliances; a central portal server for exchanging XML (extensible Markup Language) format data with the home server connected through the Internet network; and remote control equipment connected to the Internet network for remotely controlling the home appliances and forwarding a control command to the central portal server. The system and method can reduce a load of the home server and the central portal server and prevent the delay of data transmission, because an additional data format conversion process is not needed. The system and method simultaneously ensure the reliability and accuracy of the remote control system by preventing a malfunction of remote control due to an error of a command signal generated at the data format conversion process.

Claims

1. A system for remotely controlling home appliances, comprising:

a home communications network that connects a plurality of home appliance;

a home server that controls and manages the home communications network;

a central portal server that exchanges XML (eXtensible Markup Language) format data with the home server through an Internet network; and

remote control equipment connected to the Internet network for remotely controlling the home appliances and forwarding a control command to the central portal server.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the central portal server includes:

a GUI (Graphical User Interface) generation module for generating a GUI of an Internet browser so that the control command is inputted and a control command process result is identified on an Internet browser used in association with the remote control equipment;

a data storage module for storing the command inputted through the GUI generation module; and

a remote control module for transmitting the command inputted through the GUI generation module to the home server connected to the home network through the Internet network.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the GUI generation module separates XSL (eXtensible Stylesheet Language) format data and XML format data from HTML (HyperText Markup Language) format data and transfers the XML format data to the remote control module.

4. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the GUI generation module combines XSL format data loaded from the data storage module with XML format data and generates HTML format data.

5. A method for operating a remote control system for home appliances, comprising:

inputting a command for controlling at least one home appliance connected to a home network through an Internet browser of remote control equipment;

converting the inputted command into an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) format; and

transmitting a signal of the converted command to a home server of the home network and controlling the home appliance.

6. A method for operating a remote control system for home appliances, comprising:

inputting, through an Internet browser of remote control equipment, a command for controlling at least one home appliance that is connected to a home network;

b) converting the inputted command into an XML (extensible Markup Language) format;

transmitting a signal of the converted command to a home server of the home network and controlling the home appliance; and

converting the XML format into an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) format so that a control result signal based on the XML format is displayed on the Internet browser of the remote control equipment.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein converting the XML format includes:

loading XSL format data from a data storage module; and

combining the loaded XSL format data with XML format data transferred from a remote control module and generating HTML format data.

8. A system for remotely controlling home appliances, comprising:

a central portal server that exchanges XML (extensible Markup Language) format data with a home server through an Internet network, the home server controlling and managing a home communications network that connects a plurality of home appliances;

the central portal server receiving, through the Internet network, control commands from remote control equipment to remotely control the home appliances.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the central portal server includes:

a GUI (Graphical User Interface) generation module for generating a GUI of an Internet browser used in association with the remote control equipment so that the control command is received and a control command process result is identified;

a data storage module for storing the received command; and

a remote control module for transmitting the command received through the GUI generation module to the home server.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9, wherein the GUI generation module separates XSL (eXtensible Stylesheet Language) format data and XML format data from HTML (HyperText Markup Language) format data and transfers the XML format data to the remote control module.

11. The system as set forth in claim 9, wherein the GUI generation module combines XSL format data loaded from the data storage module with XML format data and generates HTML format data.