USER INTERFACE CONTROL APPARATUS, USER INTERFACE CONTROL METHOD, PROGRAM, STORAGE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT

• US 20100299610A1
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tianma Microelectronics Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Hidehiko, Yajima, Hideaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,677,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/739
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A UI control apparatus includes: a UI storage unit (207) which stores at least one UI program; a UI list storage unit (203) which stores a UI list; a UI list obtaining unit (202) which (i) obtains a list of a UI program stored in a remote appliance, and (ii) additionally registers the list; a request receiving unit (204) which receives a request from the user for a use of a UI; a UI selecting unit (205) which selects at least one UI program corresponding to the UI out of a UI program registered in the UI list; a UI obtaining unit (206) which (i) determines whether or not the selected UI program is stored in the UI storage unit (207), and, in the case where the UI program is determined to be stored, (ii) reads the UI program from the UI storage unit (207); and a displaying unit (208) which displays information to the user by executing the obtained UI program.

Claims

1. A user interface (UI) control apparatus comprising:

a UI list obtaining unit configured to add a list of a UI program stored in a remote appliance to a UI list which is information listing at least one UI program stored in said UI control apparatus, the remote appliance being connected to said UI control apparatus via a communication path;

a UI obtaining unit configured to obtain from the remote appliance a UI program selected by a user from the UI list with the list of the UI program added in the case where the selected UI program is not stored in said UI control apparatus; and

a displaying unit configured to display, by executing the obtained UI program, a UI on a display of either said UI control apparatus or an appliance including said UI control apparatus.

2. The UI control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a UI list storage unit;

a request receiving;

unit; and

a UI selecting unit.

wherein the UI program is used for executing a function in response to an instruction given by a user.

said UI storage unit is configured to store the program,

said UI list storage unit is configured to store the UI,

said request receiving unit is configured to receive a request from the user for a UI which the user desires, and

said UI selecting unit is configured to select a UI program corresponding to the requested UI out of at least one UI program registered in the UI list.

3. The UI control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a notification receiving unit configured to receive notification indicating that the remote appliance has established a connection to the communication path, wherein said UI list obtaining unit is configured to obtain the list of the UI program stored in the remote appliance from the remote appliance in the case where said notification receiving unit receives the notification.

4. T e UI control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the UI list associates each UI program with a function which each UI program executes, and

in the case where two or more UI programs are registered in the UI list, said UI selecting unit is configured to select a most suitable UI program out of the two or more UI programs executing a function of the UI received by said request receiving unit.

5. The UI control apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the UI list includes a priority level (i) corresponding to each UI program indicated in the UI list, and (ii) used for selecting the UI program, and

said UI selecting unit is configured to select the most suitable UI program out of the two or more UI programs by referring to the priority level included in the UI list.

6. The UI control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the UI list includes an address (i) corresponding to each UI program indicated in the UI list, and (ii) indicating a storage location of the UI program in said UI storage unit, and

said UI obtaining unit is configured to obtain, by referring to the address found in the UI list, the UI program from the storage location indicated in the address corresponding to the UI program selected by said UI selecting unit.

7. The UI control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a resource analyzing unit configured to analyze the UI program obtained by said UI obtaining unit to specify a resource including at least one of picture data, image data, and audio data which are required when the UI program is executed; and

a resource obtaining unit configured to obtain the resource from either the appliance or the remote appliance, the resource being specified by said resource analyzing unit,

wherein said displaying unit is configured to display the resource obtained by said resource obtaining unit when executing the UI program.

8. The UI control apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a resource storage unit configured to store the resource required by the UI program stored in said UI storage unit; and

a resource priority level storage unit configured to store a priority level as a source of obtaining the resource, the priority level representing information on priority set between the appliance and the remote appliance,

wherein said resource obtaining unit is configured to obtain the resource from either the appliance or the remote appliance, based on the priority level stored in said resource priority level storage unit.

9. The UI control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said UI obtaining unit further includes a UI delegating unit configured to delegate to the remote appliance execution of the UI program selected by said UI selecting unit in the case where said UI selecting unit determines that the UI program is not stored in said UI storage unit.

10. The UI control apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said UI delegating unit is configured to receive from the remote appliance a result of processing executed on the delegated UI program, and

said displaying unit is configured to display the result received by said UI delegating unit.

11. The UI control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the UI program is executed on a virtual machine and described in a script language, and the appliance and the remote appliance include interpreter for the virtual machine and the script language.

12. A communications system comprising

electronics appliances connected via a communication path,

wherein each of said electronics appliances includes said UI control apparatus according to claim 1.

13. A method of controlling a UI, said method comprising:

adding a list of a UI program stored in a remote appliance to a UI list which is information listing at least one UI program stored in the UI control apparatus, the remote appliance being connected to the UI control apparatus via a communication path;

obtaining from the remote appliance a UI program selected by a user from the UI list with the list of the UI program added in the case where the selected UI program is not stored in the UI control apparatus; and

displaying, through execution of the obtained UI program, a UI on a display of either the UI control apparatus or an apparatus including the UI control apparatus.

14. A program executed by a UI control apparatus,

wherein said program causes a computer to execute steps according claim 13.

15. An integrated circuit used for a UI control apparatus, said integrated circuit comprising:

a UI list obtaining unit configured to add a list of a UI program stored in a remote appliance to a UI list which is information listing at least one UI program stored in the UI control apparatus, the remote appliance being connected to the UI control apparatus via a communication path;

a UI obtaining unit configured to obtain from the remote appliance a UI program selected by a user from the UI list with the list of the UI program added in the case where the selected UI program is not stored in the UI control apparatus; and

a displaying unit configured to display, by executing the obtained UI program, a UI on a display of either the UI control apparatus or an appliance including the UI control apparatus.