SERVER APPARATUS, MOBILE TERMINAL, ELECTRIC APPLIANCE, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20090077239A1
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Tomoharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,987,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2567 for reachability, e.g. inquiring the address of a correspondent behind a NAT server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2582 through control of the NAT server, e.g. using universal plug and play [UPnP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A server apparatus, a mobile terminal, an electric appliance, a communication system, a communication method and a program for notifying a mobile terminal user in the open of the cause of a failure of P2P connection. In a communication system, an electric appliance (101), a server apparatus (103) and a mobile terminal (105) each detect a failure in preparation for P2P connection between the electric appliance (101) and the mobile terminal (105). When the electric appliance (101) detects the failure, it notifies the mobile terminal (105) of the failure via the server apparatus (103). When the server apparatus (103) detects the failure, it notifies the mobile terminal (105) of the failure. The mobile terminal (105) notifies the user of the failure detected by the mobile terminal itself or of the failure notified of by the server apparatus (103).

Claims

1. An Internet server apparatus that performs preparation processing for direct connection between an electrical appliance inside a private network connected to the Internet, and a mobile terminal outside the private network, the server apparatus comprising:

a detecting section that detects a failure in the preparation processing for direct connection between the electrical appliance and the mobile terminal; and

a reporting section that reports information showing the failure detected by the detecting section, to the mobile terminal.

2. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting section detects the failure in the preparation processing for direct connection between the electrical appliance and the mobile terminal by receiving a report showing a failure of the electrical appliance in controlling settings of a NAT router provided in the private network.

3. The server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving section that receives setting information and address information of the NAT router provided in the private network from the electrical appliance, wherein, when the server apparatus attempts to connect to the electrical appliance based on the setting information and address information of the NAT router received by the receiving section, the detecting section detects a failure of the connection.

4. The server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage section that stores setting information and address information of a NAT router provided in the private network, as connection information for the electrical appliance,

wherein the detecting section detects a failure of the storage section in acquiring the connection information by confirming that the connection information for an electrical appliance to which connection from the mobile terminal is desired, is not stored in the storage section.

5. The server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a status managing section that receives from the electrical appliance a report of successful direct connection to the mobile terminal and acquires from the mobile terminal a report of successful direct connection to the electrical appliance;

a certificate issuing section that, when the status managing section acquires the reports of successful direct connection from the electrical appliance and the mobile terminal, issues an electronic certificate that certifies that direct connection to the electrical appliance and the mobile terminal is possible; and

a transmitting section that transmits the certificate issued by the certificate issuing section to the mobile terminal.

6. The server apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a check section that checks whether the certificate transmitted from the mobile terminal is issued by the server apparatus and whether direct connection to an electrical appliance to which connection from the mobile terminal is desired, is possible; and

a user data managing section that, when the check section decides that the certificate is issued by the server apparatus and that direct connection to the electrical appliance to which connection from the mobile terminal is desired, is possible, registers user information of a user of the mobile terminal.

7. A mobile terminal outside a private network and establishes direct connection to an electrical appliance inside a private network connected to the Internet, the mobile terminal comprising:

a detecting section that detects a failure in preparation processing for direct connection between the electrical appliance and the mobile terminal or receives information showing the failure; and

a reporting section that reports the information showing the failure to a user.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 7, wherein, upon an attempt at connection to the server apparatus, the detecting section detects a failure of the connection.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 7, wherein, upon an attempt at direct connection to the electrical appliance, the detecting section detects a failure of the direct connection.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 7, further comprising a transmitting section that, when direct connection to the electrical appliance is successful, transmits a report of successful direct connection to the server apparatus.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 7, further comprising:

a certificate storage section that stores an electronic certificate transmitted from a server apparatus; and

a registration control section that performs user registration with a service provider which provides direct connection service with the electrical appliance inside the private network, by using the electronic certificate stored in the certificate storage section.

12. An electrical appliance comprising:

a NAT setting control section that controls settings of a NAT router; and

a NAT setting information reporting section that, when the NAT setting control section fails to control the settings of the NAT router, reports information showing the failure to a server apparatus.

13. The electrical appliance according to claim 12, further comprising a transmitting section that, when direct connection to a mobile terminal outside a private network is successful, transmits a report of successful direct connection to the server apparatus.

14. A communication system comprising:

an electrical appliance inside a private network connected to the Internet;

a mobile terminal outside the private network; and

the Internet server apparatus that performs preparation processing for direct connection between the electrical appliance and the mobile terminal,

wherein the mobile terminal receives from the server apparatus information showing a failure in the preparation processing for direct connection between the electrical appliance and the mobile terminal and reports the received information to a user.

15. A communication method comprising:

a detecting step of detecting in an Internet server apparatus, the Internet server apparatus performing preparation processing for direct connection between an electrical appliance inside a private network connected to the Internet and a mobile terminal outside the private network, a failure in the preparation processing for direct connection between the electrical appliance and the mobile terminal;

a reporting step of reporting information showing the failure detected by the server apparatus in the detecting step to the mobile terminal;

a receiving step of receiving at the mobile terminal the information reported from the server apparatus; and

a reporting step of reporting the information received in the receiving step to a mobile terminal user.

16. A program that causes a computer in a server apparatus to implement functions of:

a detecting section that detects a failure in preparation processing for direct connection between an electrical appliance inside a private network connected to the Internet, and a mobile terminal outside the private network; and

a reporting section that reports information showing the failure detected by the detecting section to the mobile terminal.

17. A program that causes a computer in a mobile terminal to implement functions of:

a detecting section that detects a failure in preparation processing for direct connection between an electrical appliance inside a private network connected to the Internet, and a mobile terminal outside the private network; and

a reporting section that reports information showing the failure detected by the detecting section to a user.

18. A program that causes a computer in an electrical appliance to implement functions of:

a NAT setting control section that controls settings of a NAT router; and

a NAT setting information reporting section that, when the NAT setting control section fails in controlling the settings of the NAT router, reports information showing the failure to a server apparatus.