Electronic device, computer-readable medium storing program to control electronic device, and remote control giving instructions to electronic device

• US 20090243874A1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Sato, Tomohiro
• Application Number:
  US12/382,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20090243874A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.220
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration

Abstract

An electronic device that accepts instructions from remote controls includes a user identification information obtaining device, a remote control user storage device, and an association device. The user identification information obtaining device obtains user identification information to identify a user from a user identification information storage medium. The remote control user storage device stores the user identification information of remote control users respectively associated with remote control identification information of the remote controls. The association device stores the obtained user identification information into the remote control user storage device, in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of any one of the remote controls.

Claims

1. An electronic device that accepts instructions from remote controls, comprising:

a user identification information obtaining device that obtains user identification information to identify a user from a user identification information storage medium that stores the user identification information;

a remote control user storage device that stores the user identification information of remote control users respectively associated with remote control identification information of the remote controls, the remote control users respectively using the remote controls, and the remote control identification information identifying each of the remote controls; and

an association device that stores the user identification information obtained by the user identification information obtaining device into the remote control user storage device in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of any one of the remote controls.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a hold information obtaining device that obtains hold information from any one of the remote controls, the hold information indicating that the any one of the remote controls is held,

wherein the association device stores the user identification information obtained by the user identification information obtaining device in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of a held remote control, the held remote control being the any one of the remote controls that has transmitted the hold information obtained by the hold information obtaining device.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a notification device that notifies of an unassociated remote control when the user identification information is obtained by the user identification information obtaining device, the unassociated remote control being any one of the remote controls that has the remote control identification information stored in the remote control user storage device that is not associated with any user identification information,

wherein the association device stores the user identification information obtained by the user identification information obtaining device into the remote control user storage device in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of the held remote control, if the held remote control is the unassociated remote control.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the association device stores the user identification information obtained by the user identification information obtaining device into the remote control user storage device in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of the held remote control, only if the held remote control is an unassociated remote control, the unassociated remote control being any one of the remote controls that has the remote control identification information stored in the remote control user storage device that is not associated with any user identification information.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a hold information obtaining device that obtains hold information from any one of the remote controls, the hold information indicating that the any one of the remote controls is held,

wherein;

the user identification information obtaining device obtains the user identification information, if no user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of a held remote control, the held remote control being the any one of the remote controls that has transmitted the hold information obtained by the hold information obtaining device; and

the association device stores the user identification information obtained by the user identification information obtaining device into the remote control user storage device in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of the held remote control.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display device that displays information;

an instruction obtaining device that obtains the remote control identification information and instruction information which indicates instructions to the electronic device from any one of the remote controls; and

a display control device that causes the display device to display either information based on the user identification information or the user identification information stored in the remote control user storage device as associated with the remote control identification information obtained by the instruction obtaining device, according to the instructions indicated by the instruction information.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the display control device causes the display device to display user information associated with the user identification information obtained by the user identification information obtaining device as the information based on the user identification information, the user information being information of a user and being stored in a user information storage device that stores the user information associated with the user identification information.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein:

the user information is a name of the user; and

the display control device causes the display device to display the name.

9. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein:

the instruction information indicates instructions to cause the display device to display a pointer and contains position information which indicates a position where the pointer is to be displayed; and

the display control device causes the display device to display the pointer at the position indicated by the position information and to display the user identification information or the information based on the user identification information in such a manner that the pointer and the user identification information or the information based on the user identification information can be associated with each other.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a login control device that puts a user that is identified by the obtained user identification information in a login state, when the user identification information is obtained by the user identification information obtaining device; and

a logout control device that cancels the login state of the user.

11. A remote control comprising an instruction output device that gives instructions to the electronic device according to claim 1.

12. A computer-readable medium storing a program to control an electronic device equipped with remote controls, the program comprising instructions to cause a controller of the electronic device to perform the steps of:

obtaining user identification information to identify a user; and

storing the obtained user identification information into a remote control user storage device in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with remote control identification information of any one of the remote controls, the remote control user storage device storing the user identification information of remote control users respectively associated with the remote control identification information of the remote controls, the remote control users respectively using the remote controls, and the remote control identification information identifying each of the remote controls.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein:

the program further comprises instructions to cause the controller to perform the step of obtaining hold information from any one of the remote controls, the hold information indicating that the any one of the remote controls is held; and

the step of storing the obtained user identification information stores the obtained user identification information in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of a held remote control, the held remote control being the any one of the remote controls that has transmitted the obtained hold information.

14. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein:

the program further comprises instructions to cause the controller to perform the step of notifying of an unassociated remote control when the user identification information is obtained, the unassociated remote control being any one of the remote controls that has the remote control identification information stored in the remote control user storage device that is not associated with any user identification information; and

the step of storing the user identification information stores the obtained user identification information into the remote control user storage device in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of the held remote control.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the step of storing the user identification information stores the obtained user identification information into the remote control user storage device in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of the held remote control, only if the held remote control is an unassociated remote control, the unassociated remote control being any one of the remote controls that has the remote control identification information stored in the remote control user storage device that is not associated with any user identification information.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein:

the program further comprises instructions to cause the controller to perform the step of obtaining hold information, the hold information indicating that any one of the remote controls is held;

the step of obtaining the user identification information obtains the user identification information, if no user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of a held remote control, the held remote control being the any one of the remote controls that has transmitted the obtained hold information obtained; and

the step of storing the user identification information stores the obtained user identification information into the remote control user storage device in a condition where the obtained user identification information is associated with the remote control identification information of the held remote control.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the program further comprises instructions to cause the controller to perform the steps of:

obtaining the remote control identification information and instruction information which indicates instructions to the electronic device from any one of the remote controls; and

displaying either information based on the user identification information or the user identification information stored in the remote control user storage device as associated with the obtained remote control identification information, according to the instructions indicated by the instruction information.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the step of displaying either the information based on the user identification information or the user identification information displays user information associated with the obtained user identification information as the information based on the user identification information, the user information being information of a user and being stored in a user information storage device that stores the user information associated with the user identification information.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein:

the user information is a name of the user; and

the step of displaying either the information based on the user identification information or the user identification information displays the name.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 17, wherein:

the instruction information indicates instructions to display a pointer and contains position information which indicates a position where the pointer is to be displayed; and

the step of displaying either the information based on the user identification information or the user identification information displays the pointer at the position indicated by the position information and displays the user identification information or the information based on the user identification information in such a manner that the pointer and the user identification information or the information based on the user identification information can be associated with each other.

21. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the program further comprises instructions to cause the controller to perform the steps of:

putting a user that is identified by the obtained user identification information in a login state, when the user identification information is obtained; and

cancelling the login state of the user.