Remote controller

• US 20070247323A1
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsubota, Hirono, Takeshita, Masahiro, Masaki, Yasuo, Miyake, Yasunari, Tanabe, Hideki
• Application Number:
  US11/726,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20070247323A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.220
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0484 Arrangements monitoring consumption of a utility or use of an appliance which consumes a utility to detect unsafe condition, e.g. metering of water, gas or electricity, use of taps, toilet flush, gas stove or electric kettle

Abstract

There is provided a remote controller capable of swiftly confirming safety of a resident without making the resident aware of being monitored by a third party, and making it difficult for an unspecified third party to know privacy of the resident. The remote controller includes an operation unit receiving an input of an instruction to an apparatus, a first and a second communications unit transmitting a signal, a storage unit storing history information including the time when the signal was transmitted and the instruction indicated by the signal, and a control unit. The control unit generates the signal indicating the instruction, detects the time, and determines whether to transmit at least a portion of the history information. When the transmission is determined, the control unit reads the portion of the history information from the storage unit, and controls the second communications unit to transmit the read information.

Claims

1. A remote controller, comprising:

an input unit inputting an instruction for an apparatus;

a generation unit generating a control signal indicating said instruction;

a transmission unit transmitting said control signal;

a detection unit detecting a time;

a storage unit storing history information, which is information on a time when said control signal has been transmitted and on said instruction indicated by said control signal, together with plural pieces of information indicating a plurality of respectively different destinations;

a communications unit communicating information; and

a control unit controlling said storage unit and said communications unit,

wherein, when said communications unit receives information and a sender of the information received by said communications unit matches a specific destination which is any of said plurality of destinations, said control unit determines to transmit information corresponding to said specific destination in said history information, to said specific destination, and

when it is determined to transmit the information corresponding to said specific destination, said control unit reads the information corresponding to said specific destination from said memory unit, and controls said communications unit to transmit said read information.

2. A remote controller, comprising:

an input unit inputting an instruction for an apparatus;

a generation unit generating a control signal indicating said instruction;

a transmission unit transmitting said control signal;

a detection unit detecting a time;

a storage unit storing history information, which is information on a time when said control signal has been transmitted and on said instruction indicated by said control signal;

a communications unit communicating information; and

a control unit controlling said storage unit and said communications unit,

wherein said control unit determines whether to transmit at least a portion of said history information, and

when it is determined to transmit at least a portion of said history information, said control unit reads at least a portion of said history information from said memory unit, and controls said communications unit to transmit said read portion of said history information.

3. The remote controller according to claim 2, wherein

said storage unit stores said history information together with information indicating a destination, and

when said communications unit receives information, said control unit determines whether to transmit at least a portion of said history information based on whether a sender of the information received by said communications unit matches said destination.

4. The remote controller according to claim 3, wherein

said storage unit stores said history information together with plural pieces of information indicating a plurality of respectively different destinations, and

when the sender of the information received by said communications unit matches a specific destination which is any of said plurality of destinations, said control unit determines to transmit information corresponding to said specific destination in said history information, to said specific destination.

5. The remote controller according to claim 2, wherein, when said communications unit receives information, said control unit determines whether to transmit information indicating the latest information in said history information, and reads said information indicating the latest information.

6. The remote controller according to claim 2, wherein said control unit determines whether to transmit at least a portion of said history information based on the time detected by said detection unit.

7. A remote controller controlling an apparatus, comprising:

an input unit accepting a direction input for said remote controller;

a generation unit generating a control signal giving an instruction to said apparatus based on said direction input;

a transmission unit transmitting said control signal;

a storage unit storing a time data when said control signal has been transmitted and information indicated by said instruction;

a communications unit communicating information; and

a control unit causing said communications unit to transmit at least one of said time data and said information stored in said storage unit.