ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING AN EXTERNAL DEVICE USING A NUMBER AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20150207794A1
• Filed: 01/16/2015
• Published: 07/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Min-Seok, SUNG, Yeul-Tak, LEE, Ho-Jun, KIM, Deok-Ho, HONG, Jung-Kih
• Granted Patent: US 10,548,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

An electronic device and method for controlling an external device using a number are provided. The electronic device includes a processor configured to transmit an input number to a server over a mobile network, in response to a connection being input, receive an identifier of the external device, which is issued by the server, send a connection request to the external device over the mobile network using the received identifier of the external device, and control the external device by sending a control command to the external device, in response to receiving an indication regarding completion of access authentication from the external device, and a communication interface configured to perform communication with the external device and the server.

Claims

1. An electronic device for controlling an external device using a number, the electronic device comprising:

a processor configured to;

transmit an input number to a server over a mobile network, in response to a connection being input;

receive an identifier of the external device, which is issued by the server;

send a connection request to the external device over the mobile network using the received identifier of the external device; and

control the external device by sending a control command to the external device, in response to receiving an indication regarding completion of access authentication from the external device; and

a communication interface configured to perform communication with the external device and the server.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive the identifier of the external device in response to service authentication being performed when the input number is the same as a number of the external device registered in the server.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein in response to receiving the indication regarding completion of access authentication from the external device, the processor is configured to receive a control menu from the external device, and wherein the processor is configured to receive a request for an authentication code from the external device, receive an input authentication code and transmit the input authentication code to the external device.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive a control command through a control menu in response to receiving the indication regarding completion of access authentication from the external device, and send the control command to the external device, and

wherein the number is a phone number.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to control the electronic device to send an access request including identification information of the electronic device to the server through the communication interface in order to grant the electronic device access rights to the external device.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the access rights to the external device are determined based on the identification information of the electronic device, which is stored in advance in the server, and granted to the electronic device.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether a synchronization event occurs, and in response to determining that the synchronization event occurs, control the electronic device to receive information about the external device from the server through the communication interface.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a display, wherein the processor is configured to control the display to display the received information about the external device together with identification numbers of other electronic devices, which are stored in the electronic device.

9. A server comprising:

a communication unit communicator configured to perform communication with an electronic device and an external device;

a controller is configured to;

register the external device in the server, the external device being a control target,

receive an identification number that is input to the electronic device, from the electronic device,

generate and issue an identification number of the registered external device,

determine whether the identification number received from the electronic device is the same as the identification number of the registered external device in order to perform service authentication, and

control the communication interface to transmit an identifier of the external device to the electronic device; and

a database configured to store the issued identification number of the external device.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to store in the database access information including access rights information for controlling the external device.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to, in response to receiving an access request from the electronic device, compare an identification number of the electronic device, which is included in the access request, with an identification number included in the access information in order to determine whether the electronic device has access rights to the external device.

12. The server of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to, in response to receiving a synchronization request from the electronic device, control the communication interface to transmit identification information stored in the database to the electronic device, and

wherein the number is a phone number.

13. A method for controlling an external device using a number, the method comprising:

transmitting, from an electronic device, an input number to a server over a mobile network, in response to a connection being input;

receiving, at the electronic device, an identifier of the external device, which is issued in the server, from the server, in response to service authentication being performed when the input number is the same as a number of the external device registered in the server;

sending, from the electronic device, a connection request to the external device over the mobile network using the received identifier of the external device; and

controlling the external device by sending a control command from the electronic device to the external device, in response to receiving an indication regarding completion of access authentication from the external device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein in the receiving the identifier of the external device, which is issued in the server, from the server, the external device is registered in the control service provided in the server, and the server issues an external device identifier and an external device number corresponding to the external device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the server determines whether the input number is the same as a number of the registered external device, and in response to the input number being the same as the number of the registered external device, the server performs authentication on the input number.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the external device comprises:

receiving a control command that is input through a control menu, in response to receiving the indication regarding completion of access authentication from the external device; and

sending the control command to the external device to be executed,

wherein the number is a phone number.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending an access request including identification information of the electronic device to the server through a communication interface so that the electronic device may be granted access rights to the external device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the access rights to the external device are determined based on the identification information of the electronic device, which is stored in advance in the server, and granted to the electronic device.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining whether a synchronization event occurs, and receiving identification information of the external device from the server in response to the synchronization event occurring.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying the received identification information of the external device together with identification numbers of other electronic devices, which are stored in the electronic device.