CONTROL METHOD

• US 20150012863A1
• Filed: 12/25/2013
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kozuka, Masayuki, Nakano, Toshihisa, Sekibe, Tsutomu, Yamaguchi, Jun, Yamada, Kazushige, Shimizu, Kenji, Takahashi, Masaki, Ohmori, Motoji, Yoshida, Chikara, Nishikawa, Yuri, Takemura, Hiroyuki, Hosaka, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US14/378,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20150012863A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/34 Context aware guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

A control method is used in a remote control system including apparatuses and an information terminal that controls the apparatus(es) via a network. The control method includes: determining whether or not communication currently performed by the information terminal via the network is secure; displaying, for each apparatus, an icon for displaying control menus of a corresponding apparatus on a user interface region of a display unit in the information terminal in a display mode determined according to the determined security; displaying, on the user interface region, the control menus for controlling the corresponding apparatus, if the icon is selected; generating a control signal for causing the corresponding apparatus to perform an operation according to control corresponding to a first control menu, if the first control menu s selected from the displayed control menus; and transmitting the control signal to the corresponding apparatus via the network.

Claims

1. A control method used in a remote control system including a plurality of apparatuses and an information terminal that controls at least one of the apparatuses via a network, the control method comprising:

determining whether or not communication currently performed by the information terminal via the network is secure;

displaying, for each of the apparatuses, an icon for displaying one or more control menus corresponding to a corresponding apparatus of the apparatuses, on a user interface region of a display unit in the information terminal in a display mode determined according to the security of the communication determined in the determining;

displaying, on the user interface region in the information terminal, the one or more control menus for controlling the corresponding apparatus, if the icon is selected;

generating a control signal for causing the corresponding apparatus to perform an operation according to control corresponding to a first control menu, if the first control menu is selected from the one or more control menus displayed on the information terminal; and

transmitting the control signal to the corresponding apparatus via the network.

2. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein in the displaying of the icon,

if the corresponding apparatus has a heating function, the display mode of the icon corresponding to the corresponding apparatus is determined according to whether the network connected to the information terminal is a first network or a second network that has a lower reliability than a reliability of the first network.

3. The control method according to claim 2,

wherein in the displaying of the icon,

if the corresponding apparatus has a heating function and the network connected to the information terminal is the second network, the display mode of the icon corresponding to the corresponding apparatus is a display mode in which the icon is not selectable.

4. The control method according to claim 2,

wherein the first network is a paid network, and

the second network is a free network.

5. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein in the displaying of the icon,

if the corresponding apparatus has a heating function, the display mode of the icon corresponding to the corresponding apparatus is determined according to whether or not the communication currently performed by the information terminal is performed using a hardware security module.

6. The control method according to claim 5,

wherein in the displaying of the icon,

if the corresponding apparatus has a heating function and the information terminal is performing the communication without using the hardware security module, the icon corresponding to the corresponding apparatus is displayed in the display mode in which the icon is not selectable.

7. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising

determining whether or not an operator operating the information terminal is a predetermined operator who is registered,

wherein in the displaying of the icon,

if it is determined that the operator is the predetermined operator, the icon corresponding to the each of the apparatuses is displayed on the user interface region, and

if it is determined that the operator is not the predetermined operator, an error display is displayed on the user interface region.