NETWORK SYSTEM, MESSAGE PROCESSING METHOD, SERVICE SERVER, DIRECT ACCESS MANAGEMENT SERVER, NETWORK HOME APPLIANCE, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20080307480A1
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Akihiko, Kanao, Takashi, CHIBA, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,281,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/118
• 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

Abstract

A network system includes a terminal apparatus, a network home appliance, a service server that provides the terminal apparatus with a service for controlling the network home appliance through a network, and a direct access management server that performs exchange of information necessary for directly accessing the network home appliance through the network. The network home appliance includes a first storing unit that stores setting information for setting necessity of message transmission concerning an event that occurs in the network home appliance and a message transmitting unit that judges necessity of transmission of a message concerning the event and transmits the message. The direct access management server includes a first message-transmission processing unit that specifies the service server and transmits the message to the service server. The service server includes a second message-transmission processing unit that specifies a destination of the terminal apparatus and transmits the message to the destination.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a terminal apparatus;

a network home appliance, which is a control object of the terminal apparatus;

a service server that provides the terminal apparatus with a service for controlling the network home appliance through a network; and

a direct access management server that performs exchange of information necessary for directly accessing the network home appliance through the network, wherein

the network home appliance includes;

a first storing unit that stores setting information, which is received from the direct access management server, for setting necessity of message transmission for each of control apparatus/service management IDs, which are allocated to combinations of the terminal apparatus and services, concerning an event that occurs in the network home appliance; and

a message transmitting unit that judges, when the event occurs, necessity of transmission of a message concerning the event on the basis of the setting information stored in the first storing unit and transmits, when the transmission is necessary, the message including the control apparatus/service management ID included in the setting information,

the direct access management server includes a first message-transmission processing unit that specifies the service server on the basis of the control apparatus/service management ID included in the message received from the network home appliance and transmits the message to the service server, and

the service server includes a second message-transmission processing unit that specifies a destination of the terminal apparatus on the basis of the control apparatus/service management ID included in the message received from the direct access management server and transmits the message to the destination.

2. A network system according to claim 1, wherein

the terminal apparatus includes a first message-transmission-setting processing unit that transmits a first message transmission setting request including the setting information and user identification information, which should be registered in the network home appliance, to the service server,

the service server includes:

a second storing unit that stores the user identification information and the control apparatus/service management IDs in association with each other; and

a second message-transmission-setting processing unit that acquires, from the second storing unit, a control apparatus/service management ID corresponding to the user identification information included in the first message transmission setting request received from the terminal apparatus and transmits a second message transmission setting request including the control apparatus/service management ID and the setting information to the direct access management server, and

the direct access management server includes;

a third storing unit that stores the control apparatus/service management IDs and a controlled apparatus management ID allocated to the network home appliance in association with each other; and

a third message-transmission-setting processing unit that acquires, from the third storing unit, a controlled apparatus management ID associated with the control apparatus/service management ID included in the second message transmission setting request received from the service server and transmits a third message transmission setting request including the setting information to the network home appliance to which the controlled apparatus management ID is allocated.

3. A network system according to claim 1, wherein the setting information further includes information for setting necessity of message transmission for each of event types.

4. A network system according to claim 1, wherein

the service server further includes a first update-information transmitting unit that generates update information for the setting information stored in the first storing unit of the network home appliance and transmits the update information to the network home appliance through the direct access management server, and

the network home appliance further includes a setting-information-update processing unit that updates the setting information stored in the first storing unit on the basis of the update information.

5. A network system according to claim 1, wherein the setting information further includes a load distribution parameter for message transmission processing as additional information.

6. A network system according to claim 5, wherein the load distribution parameter is delay time of message transmission.

7. A network system according to claim 5, wherein

the service server further includes a second update-information transmitting unit that generates update information for the additional information stored in the first storing unit of the network home appliance and transmits the update information to the network home appliance via the direct access management server, and

the network home appliance further includes an additional-information-update processing unit that updates the additional information stored in the third storing unit on the basis of the update information.

8. A network system according to claim 1, wherein, when necessity of transmission of a message concerning an event is set by the message transmission setting request, the message transmitting unit of the network home appliance transmits completion of this setting as the message.

9. A network system according to claim 1, wherein

the message transmitting unit of the network home appliance judges, when an event occurs, necessity of transmission of a message concerning the event on the basis of the setting information stored in the first storing unit, transmits, when the transmission is necessary, an acquisition request for information necessary for the network home appliance to access the service server to the direct access management server as the message, and transmits the message concerning the event to the service server on the basis of information returned from the direct access management server, and

the direct access management server further includes an access-information providing unit that acquires information necessary for accessing the service server, which corresponds to the control apparatus/service management ID included in the message of acquisition request from the network home appliance, from the service server and responds to the network home appliance.

10. A network system according to claim 9, wherein the information necessary for accessing the service server provided by the access-information providing unit of the direct access management server includes a one-time password.

11. A message processing method for a network system including a terminal apparatus, a network home appliance, which is a control object of the terminal apparatus, a service server that provides the terminal apparatus with a service for controlling the network home appliance through a network, and a direct access management server that performs exchange of information necessary for directly accessing the network home appliance through the network, the message processing method comprising:

a step in which the network home appliance stores, in a first storing unit, setting information, which is received from the direct access management server, for setting necessity of message transmission for each of control apparatus/service management IDs, which are allocated to combinations of the terminal apparatus and services, concerning an event that occurs in the network home appliance;

a step in which a message transmitting unit of the network home appliance judges, when the event occurs, necessity of transmission of a message concerning the event on the basis of the setting information stored in the first storing unit and transmits, when the transmission is necessary, the message including the control apparatus/service management ID included in the setting information;

a step in which a first message-transmission processing unit of the direct access management server specifies the service server on the basis of the control apparatus/service management ID included in the message received from the network home appliance and transmits the message to the service server; and

a step in which a second message-transmission processing unit of the service server specifies a destination of the terminal apparatus on the basis of the control apparatus/service management ID included in the message received from the direct access management server and transmits the message to the destination.

12. A message processing method for a network system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a step in which a first message-transmission-setting processing unit of the terminal apparatus transmits a first message transmission setting request including the setting information and user identification information, which should be registered in the network home appliance, to the service server;

a step of storing, in a second storing unit of the service server, the user identification information and the control apparatus/service management IDs in association with each other;

a step in which a second message-transmission-setting processing unit of the service server acquires, from the second storing unit, a control apparatus/service management ID corresponding to the user identification information included in the first message transmission setting request received from the terminal apparatus and transmits a second message transmission setting request including the control apparatus/service management ID and the setting information to the direct access management server;

a step of storing, in a third storing unit of the direct access management server, the control apparatus/service management IDs and a controlled apparatus management ID allocated to the network home appliance in association with each other; and

a step in which a third message-transmission-setting processing unit of the direct access management server acquires, from the third storing unit, a controlled apparatus management ID associated with the control apparatus/service management ID included in the second message transmission setting request received from the service server and transmits a third message transmission setting request including the setting information to the network home appliance to which the controlled apparatus management ID is allocated.

13. A message processing method for a network system according to claim 11, wherein the setting information further includes information for setting necessity of message transmission for each of event types.

14. A message processing method for a network system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a step in which a first update-information transmitting unit of the service server generates update information for the setting information stored in the first storing unit of the network home appliance and transmits the update information to the network home appliance through the direct access management server; and

a step in which a setting-information-update processing unit of the network home appliance updates the setting information stored in the first storing unit on the basis of the update information.

15. A message processing method for a network system according to claim 11, wherein the setting information further includes a load distribution parameter for message transmission processing as additional information.

16. A message processing method for a network system according to claim 15, wherein the load distribution parameter is delay time of message transmission.

17. A message processing method for a network system according to claim 15, further comprising:

a step in which a second update-information transmitting unit of the service server generates update information for the additional information stored in the first storing unit of the network home appliance and transmits the update information to the network home appliance via the direct access management server;

a step in which an additional-information-update processing unit of the network home appliance updates the additional information stored in the first storing unit on the basis of the update information.

18. A message processing method for a network system according to claim 11, further comprising a step in which the message transmitting unit of the network home appliance transmits, when necessity of transmission of a message concerning an event is set by the message transmission setting request, completion of this setting as the message.

19. A message processing method for a network system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a step in which the message transmitting unit of the network home appliance judges, when an event occurs, necessity of transmission of a message concerning the event on the basis of the setting information stored in the first storing unit and transmits, when the transmission is necessary, an acquisition request for information necessary for the network home appliance to access the service server to the direct access management server as the message;

a step in which an access-information providing unit of the direct access management server acquires information necessary for accessing the service server, which corresponds to the control apparatus/service management ID included in the message of acquisition request from the network home appliance, from the service server and responds to the network home appliance; and

a step in which the message transmitting unit of the network home appliance transmits the message concerning the event to the service server on the basis of information returned from the direct access management server.

20. A message processing method for a network system according to claim 19, wherein the information necessary for accessing the service server provided by the access-information providing unit of the direct access management server includes a one-time password.

21. A service server that can be connected to a network together with a terminal apparatus, a network home appliance, which is a control object of the terminal apparatus, and a direct access management server that performs exchange of information necessary for directly accessing the network home appliance through the network, the service server providing the terminal apparatus with a service for controlling the network home appliance through the network, the service server comprising:

a second storing unit that stores user identification information for identifying a user of the terminal apparatus and control apparatus/service management IDs allocated to combinations of the terminal apparatus and services in association with each other; and

a second message-transmission-setting processing unit that acquires, from the second storing unit, when a first message transmission setting request concerning an event, which occurs in the network home appliance, including setting information for setting necessity of message transmission for each of the control apparatus/service management IDs and user identification information is received from the terminal apparatus, a control apparatus/service management ID corresponding to the user identification information included in the first message transmission setting request received from the terminal apparatus in order to transmit the setting information to the network home appliance through the direct access management server and cause the network home appliance to store the setting information and transmits a second message transmission setting request including the control apparatus/service management ID and the setting information to the direct access management server.

22. A direct access management server that can be connected to a network together with a terminal apparatus, a network home appliance, which is a control object of the terminal apparatus, and a service server according to claim 21 and performs exchange of information necessary for directly accessing the network home appliance through the network, the direct access management server comprising:

a third storing unit that stores control apparatus/service management IDs allocated to combinations of the terminal apparatus and services and a controlled apparatus management ID allocated to the network home appliance in association with each other; and

a third message-transmission-setting processing unit that acquires, from the third storing unit, when the second message transmission setting request is received from the service server, a controlled apparatus management ID associated with the control apparatus/service management ID included in the second message transmission setting request in order to transmit the setting information to the network home appliance and cause the network home appliance to store the setting information and transmits a third message transmission setting request including the setting information to the network home appliance to which the controlled apparatus management ID is allocated.

23. A network home appliance that can be connected to a network together with a terminal apparatus, a service server according to claim 21, and a direct access management server according to claim 22, the network home appliance comprising:

a first storing unit that stores the setting information included in the third message transmission setting request received from the direct access management server; and

a message transmitting unit that judges, when an event occurs, necessity of transmission of a message concerning the event on the basis of setting information stored in the first storing unit and transmits, when the transmission is necessary, the message including the control apparatus/service management ID included in the setting information.

25. A computer program for a direct access management server that can be connected to a network together with a terminal apparatus, a network home appliance, which is a control object of the terminal apparatus, and a service server according to claim 21 and performs exchange of information necessary for directly accessing the network home appliance through the network, the compute program causing a computer to function as:

a third storing unit that stores control apparatus/service management IDs allocated to combinations of the terminal apparatus and services and a controlled apparatus management ID allocated to the network home appliance in association with each other; and

a third message-transmission-setting processing unit that acquires, from the third storing unit, when the second message transmission setting request is received from the service server, a controlled apparatus management ID associated with the control apparatus/service management ID included in the second message transmission setting request in order to transmit the setting information to the network home appliance and cause the network home appliance to store the setting information and transmits a third message transmission setting request including the setting information to the network home appliance to which the controlled apparatus management ID is allocated.

24. A computer program for a service server that can be connected to a network together with a terminal apparatus, a network home appliance, which is a control object of the terminal apparatus, and a direct access management server that performs exchange of information necessary for directly accessing the network home appliance through the network, the service server providing the terminal apparatus with a service for controlling the network home appliance through the network, the computer program causing a computer to function as:

a second storing unit that stores user identification information for identifying a user of the terminal apparatus and control apparatus/service management IDs allocated to combinations of the terminal apparatus and services in association with each other; and

a second message-transmission-setting processing unit that acquires, when a first message transmission setting request concerning an event, which occurs in the network home appliance, including setting information for setting necessity of message transmission for each of the control apparatus/service management IDs and user identification information is received from the terminal apparatus, from the second storing unit, a control apparatus/service management ID corresponding to the user identification information included in the first message transmission setting request received from the terminal apparatus in order to transmit the setting information to the network home appliance through the direct access management server and cause the network home appliance to store the setting information and transmits a second message transmission setting request including the control apparatus/service management ID and the setting information to the direct access management server.