SERVER AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING GROUP ACTION OF SERVER

• US 20160315996A1
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Jun-ho, HA, Ji-hun, HONG, Moon-ki, LEE, Jae-keun
• Granted Patent: US 10,505,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0383 Remote input, i.e. interface arrangements in which the signals generated by a pointing device are transmitted to a PC at a remote location, e.g. to a PC in a LAN
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

A server and a method of controlling a group action of the server are provided. The server can determine whether a conflict occurs between a first group action that is being executed and a second group action that is requested to be executed and determine at least one conflict solution, and the method controls the execution of the group actions by the server and the determination and communication of the conflict solution. The conflict can be determined by using group action characteristics of the first group action and the second group action.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a group action of a server, the method comprising:

executing, as requested by a first electronic apparatus, a first group action that controls one or more external apparatuses connected to the server;

receiving, from a second electronic apparatus, an execution request of a second group action that controls one or more external apparatuses connected to the server;

determining a group action conflict between the first group action that is being executed and the second group action that is requested to be executed;

generating group action solution information corresponding to the group action conflict between the first group action that is being executed and the second group action that is requested to be executed; and

transmitting the group action solution information to the second electronic apparatus,

wherein the group action conflict is determined based on external apparatuses that are commonly included in the first group action and the second group action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the group action solution information comprises any one of an alarm setting or a recommended group action corresponding to the group action conflict.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the group action conflict is determined by using a first group action working area corresponding to the first group action and a second group action working area corresponding to the second group action.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the group action conflict is determined by using first group action characteristics corresponding to the first group action and second group action characteristics corresponding to the second group action.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the group action conflict is determined by using state information of the external apparatuses that are changed in response to the execution of the first group action and state information of the external apparatuses corresponding to the second group action.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting state information of the external apparatuses corresponding to the first group action that is being executed in response to the received execution request of the second group action.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting group action conflict information corresponding to the group action conflict to the first electronic apparatus,

wherein the group action conflict information comprises names of external apparatuses corresponding to the group action conflict.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the group action solution information comprises any one of one recommended group action or a plurality of recommended group actions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein when the first group action and the second group action conflict with each other, a number of the external apparatuses that are commonly included in the first group action and the second group action is equal to or less than a number of all of the external apparatuses included in the first group action.

19. A computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, wherein said computer executable program code when executed by a processor, configures the processor to perform the method as recited in claim 1.

10. A server for controlling a group action, comprising:

a communicator configured to connect a first electronic apparatus, a second electronic apparatus, and external apparatuses; and

a controller configured to;

execute a first group action requested from the first electronic apparatus through the communicator that controls some of the external apparatuses,

determine a group action conflict between the first group action that is being executed and a second group action that is requested to be executed, and

transmit, to the second electronic apparatus through the communicator, group action solution information corresponding to the group action conflict determined in response to an execution request of the second group action received from the second electronic apparatus that controls some of the external apparatuses.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the group action solution information comprises any one of an alarm setting or a recommended group action corresponding to the conflict of the second group action.

12. The server of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the group action conflict by using external apparatuses that are commonly included in the first group action and the second group action.

13. The server of claim 10, wherein the group action conflict is determined by:

using a first group action working area corresponding to the first group action and a second group action working area corresponding to the second group action, or

using first group action characteristics corresponding to the first group action and second group action characteristics corresponding to the second group action.

14. The server of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to receive requested external apparatus state information from the some of the external apparatuses included in the second group action through the communicator.

15. A method of controlling a group action of an electronic apparatus, the method comprising:

executing an application that controls external apparatuses in the electronic apparatus, the electronic apparatus being connectable to the external apparatuses and a server;

requesting the server to execute a first group action that changes states of some of the external apparatuses selected in a group action list;

receiving, from the server, group action conflict solution information corresponding to a conflict between the first group action and a second group action that is requested to be executed by another electronic apparatus; and

displaying the received group action conflict solution information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the group action conflict solution information comprises any one of an alarm setting or a recommended group action corresponding to a conflict of the second group action.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein names of external apparatuses that are commonly included in the first group action and the second group action are included in the group action conflict solution information.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying group action conflict information corresponding to a conflict of the first group action received from the server.

20. A computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, wherein said computer executable program code when executed by a processor, configures the processor to perform the method as recited in claim 15.