REMOTE CONTROL METHOD AND REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20160156766A1
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Published: 06/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: NISHIKAWA, TAKAYUKI
• Granted Patent: US 9,565,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances

Abstract

A notification to prompt a user granted a remote control right to remote control a device is transmitted to the user. In such a case, if the user has not performed any operation on the device for a predetermined period of time, another user is temporarily granted the remote control right to the device. A notification to prompt the other user temporarily granted the remote control right is also transmitted to the other user.

Claims

1. A remote control method that remote controls a target device connected to a network in a system by using a mobile terminal, comprising:

acquiring, from the target device, status information indicating a use state of the target device;

deciding to transmit recommendation information prompting a user to switch the target device in the use state from a first use state to a second use state to a first mobile terminal to be used by a first user who is granted a remote control right to the target device from among a plurality of users, based on the status information, and a database storing association information indicating an association between the users and mobile terminals respectively used by the users, and right information that indicates for each of the users whether the user is granted the remote control right to the target device;

transmitting the recommendation information to the first mobile terminal;

determining whether the target device is switched in the use state from the first use state after the recommendation information is transmitted to the first mobile terminal;

updating the database such that the remote control right to a second user who has not been granted the remote control right from among the users is granted if the first use state is determined to remain unchanged for a predetermined period of time from the transmission of the recommendation information to the first mobile terminal;

deciding to transmit the recommendation information to a second mobile terminal used by the second user in accordance with the updated database; and

transmitting the recommendation information to the second mobile terminal.

2. The remote control method according to claim 1, wherein the database is further updated by revoking the remote control right granted to the second user if the status information acquired subsequent to the transmission of the recommendation information to the second mobile terminal indicates a use state other than the first use state.

3. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to the first mobile terminal, response completion information indicating that the target device is switched into the second use state if first status information acquired subsequent to the transmission of the recommendation information to the first mobile terminal indicates the second use state; and

transmitting the response completion information to the first mobile terminal and the second mobile terminal if second status information acquired subsequent to the transmission of the recommendation information to the second mobile terminal indicates the second use state.

4. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting, to the first mobile terminal, status switch information indicating that the target device is switched into a third use state if first status information acquired subsequent to the transmission of the recommendation information to the first mobile terminal indicates the third use state.

5. The remote control method according to claim 1, wherein the deciding to transmit the recommendation information to the first mobile terminal with the acquired status information indicating that the target device has been in the first use state for a predetermined period of time or longer is performed if the first use state indicates that the target device is powered on.

6. The remote control method according to claim 1, wherein the deciding to transmit the recommendation information to the first mobile terminal with the acquired status information indicating that the target device has been in the first use state for a predetermined period of time or longer is performed if the first use state indicates that the target device is powered on, and that no person is present within a predetermined range from the target device.

7. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising, with the database managing family information related to family members including the first user, selecting the second user as a user to be granted the remote control right using the database from the family members other than the first user.

8. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising, with the database storing an operation log indicating a user who has operated the target device, selecting the second user as a user to be granted the remote control right using the database from the users who have operated the target device, other than the first user.

9. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising, with the database storing an operation log indicating a user who has operated a plurality of devices including the target device, selecting the second user as a user to be granted the remote control right using the database from the users who have operated a device with the remote control right thereof granted to the first user, other than the first user.

10. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

with the recommendation information including first recommendation information and second recommendation information different from the first recommendation information, the first recommendation information and/or the second recommendation information including first operation information indicating a first user operation to switch the target device from the first use state to the second use state,

transmitting the first recommendation information to the first mobile terminal;

causing the first mobile terminal to display the transmitted first recommendation information on the first mobile terminal;

transmitting the second recommendation information to the second mobile terminal; and

causing the second mobile terminal to display the transmitted second recommendation information on the second mobile terminal.

11. The remote control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

with the first operation information including operation information to power off the target device, and with the first mobile terminal including a graphical interface to receive a user operation,

causing the first mobile terminal to display, on at least the graphical interface of the first mobile terminal, as the first operation information an icon to receive from a user an operation to power off the target device.

12. The remote control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

with the first operation information including operation information to power on the target device, and with the first mobile terminal including a graphical interface to receive a user operation,

causing the first mobile terminal to display, on at least the graphical interface of the first mobile terminal, as the first operation information an icon to receive from a user an operation to power on the target device.

13. The remote control method according to claim 10, wherein the remote control right includes a first right and a second right that is narrower in coverage than the first right,

wherein the first user is granted the first right, and

wherein the first recommendation information includes first right information indicating the first right and second operation information indicating a second user operation to the target device other than the first user operation.

14. The remote control method according to claim 13, further comprising causing the first mobile terminal to display on the first mobile terminal a first icon to receive the first user operation as the first operation information and a second icon to receive the second user operation as the second operation information.

15. The remote control method according to claim 13, wherein the second user is granted the second right, and

wherein the second recommendation information further includes second right information indicating the second right.

16. The remote control method according to claim 15, wherein the first icon is displayed on the second mobile terminal, and

wherein the second icon is not displayed on the second mobile terminal.

17. The remote control method according to claim 10, wherein the first recommendation information includes first use status information indicating the first use state, and

wherein the first use status information is displayed on the first mobile terminal.

18. The remote control method according to claim 10, wherein the second recommendation information includes first use status information indicating the first use state, and

wherein the first use status information is displayed on the second mobile terminal.

19. The remote control method according to claim 3, further comprising:

with the database storing an operation log indicating a user who has operated the target device, identifying, using the database, a user who has responded to switch the target device to the second use state;

with the response completion information including executing user information indicating the identified user, displaying the executing user information on the first mobile terminal; and

causing the second mobile terminal to display the executing user information on the second mobile terminal if the response completion information is transmitted to the second mobile terminal.

20. The remote control method according to claim 7, wherein a member not granted the remote control right is selected as the second user from among the family members.

21. The remote control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

with the database further storing an operation log indicating a user who has operated the target device, acquiring first status information at a first time subsequent to the transmission of the recommendation information to the first mobile terminal;

determining that an operation to switch the operation state has been successful if the first status information indicates the second use state, and a first operation log responsive to the first time indicates that the operation to switch the operation state has been performed by the first user;

transmitting, to the first mobile terminal, success information indicating that the operation to switch the operation state has been successful;

determining that the operation to switch the operation state has been aborted if the first status information indicates the first use state, and the first operation log responsive to the first time indicates that the operation to switch the operation state has been performed by the first user; and

transmitting, to the first mobile terminal, abortion information that the operation to switch the operation state has been aborted.

22. A remote control system that remote controls a target device connected to a network using a mobile terminal, comprising one or more memories;

and circuitry, which in operation;

acquires, from the target device, status information indicating a use state of the target device;

decides to transmit recommendation information prompting a user to switch the target device in the use state from a first use state to a second use state to a first mobile terminal to be used by a first user who is granted a remote control right to the target device from among a plurality of users, based on the status information, and a database storing association information indicating an association between the users and mobile terminals respectively used by the users, and right information that indicates for each of the users whether the user is granted a remote control right to the target device;

transmits the recommendation information to the first mobile terminal;

determines whether the target device is switched in the use state from the first use state after the recommendation information is transmitted to the first mobile terminal;

updates the database such that the remote control right to a second user who has not been granted the remote control right from among the users is granted if the first use state is determined to remain unchanged for a predetermined period of time from the transmission of the recommendation information to the first mobile terminal;

decides to transmit the recommendation information to a second mobile terminal used by the second user in accordance with the updated database; and

transmits the recommendation information to the second mobile terminal.