Method for controlling home network system

• US 20040039826A1
• Filed: 04/07/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jea Sung
• Granted Patent: US 7,483,954 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method of communicating between a first device and at least one second device, includes determining whether the at least one second device includes first individual user interface information and first function information; sending the first function information from the at least one second device to the first device if it is determined that the at least one second device includes the first function information; and performing communication between the first device and the at least one second device based on the received first function information.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a first device and at least one second device, comprising:

determining whether the at least one second device includes first individual user interface information and first function information;

sending the first function information from the at least one second device to the first device if it is determined that the at least one second device includes the first function information; and

performing communication between the first device and the at least one second device based on the received first function information.

2. The method of communicating according to claim 1, further comprising:

confirming a connection between the first device and the at least one second device when power is supplied to the first device.

3. The method of communicating according to claim 1, wherein the first device and the at least one second device are part of a home network control protocol (HNCP) network.

4. The method of communicating according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the first user interface information from the at least one second device to the first device if it is determined that the at least one second device includes the first user interface information; and

performing communication between the first device and the at least one second device based on the received first user interface information.

5. The method of communicating according to claim 1, wherein the first device contains previously stored second user interface information and second function information.

6. The method of communicating according to claim 5, further comprising:

storing the second user interface information in the at least one second device if it is determined that the at least one second device does not contain the first user interface information; and

performing communication between the first device and the at least one second device using the second user interface information.

7. The method of communicating according to claim 5, further comprising:

storing the second function information in the at least one second device if it is determined that the at least one second device does not contain the first function information; and

performing communication between the first device and the at least one second device using the second function information.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first user interface and the first function information is deleted from the first device when power to the first device is turned off.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first device is a master device and the at least one second device is a slave device.

10. A method of communicating between a first device and at least one second device, comprising:

determining whether information stored in a memory of the at least one second device corresponds to an updated version of first user interface information and first function information of the at least one second device;

sending the first function information from the at least one second device to the first device if it is determined that the at least one second device includes the first function information; and

performing communication between the first device and the at least one second device based on the received first function information.

11. The method of communicating according to claim 10, further comprising:

confirming a connection between the first device and the at least one second device when power is supplied to the first device.

12. The method of communicating according to claim 10, wherein the first device and the at least one second device are part of a home network control protocol (HNCP) network.

13. The method of communicating according to claim 10, further comprising:

receiving the first user interface information from the at least one second device to the first device if it is determined that the at least one second device includes the first user interface information; and

performing communication between the first device and the at least one second device based on the received first user interface information.

14. The method of communicating according to claim 10, wherein the first device contains previously stored second user interface information and second function information.

15. The method of communicating according to claim 14, further comprising:

storing the second user interface information in the at least one second device if it is determined that the at least one second device does not contain the first user interface information; and

performing communication between the first device and the at least one second device using the second user interface information.

16. The method of communicating according to claim 14, further comprising:

storing the second function information in the at least one second device if it is determined that the at least one second device does not contain the first function information; and

performing communication between the first device and the at least one second device using the second function information.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first user interface and the first function information is deleted from the first device when power to the first device is turned off.

18. A communication system comprising a first device that determines whether at least one second device includes first individual user interface information and first function information, wherein the at least one second device sends the first function information to a storage area of the first device if it is determined that the at least one second device includes the first function information, and communication is performed between the first device and the at least one second device based on the sent first function information.

19. The communication system according to claim 18, wherein the first device and the at least one second device are part of a home network control protocol (HNCP) network.

20. The communication system according to claim 18, wherein the first user interface information is sent from the at least one second device to the first device it is determined that the at least one second device includes the first interface information, and communication is performed between the first device and the at least one second device based on the sent first user interface information.

21. The communication system according to claim 18, wherein the first device contains previously stored second user interface information and second function information.

22. The communication system according to claim 21, wherein the at least one second device stores the second user interface information if it is determined that the at least one second device does not contain the first user interface information, and communication is performed between the first device and the at least one second device using the second user interface information.

23. The communication system according to claim 21, wherein the at least one second device stores the second function information if it is determined that the at least one second device does not contain the first function information, and communication is performed between the first device and the at least one second device using the second function information.

24. The communication system according to claim 18, wherein the first user interface and the first function information is deleted from the storage area of the first device when power to the first device is turned off.

25. The communication system according to claim 18, wherein the first device is a master device and the at least one second device is a slave device.

26. The communication system according to claim 18, wherein a master hard disc drive (HDD) is used as an internal storage means of the first device, and a memory area of a personal video recorder (PVR) is used as an external storage means associated with the first device.