System for implementing user request by dividing the retrieved corresponding procedure into first command to obtain apparatus name and second command to obtain operation content

• US 5,619,654 A
• Filed: 07/01/1994
• Issued: 04/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yasutake, Kouichi, Ohtsu, Takashi, Mukai, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEKY, MOUSTAFA M
• Application Number:
  US08/270,020
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.09, 340/825.21, 340/825.22, 340/825.52, 340/825.54
• US Class Current: 725/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4221 being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus

Abstract

An apparatus control system where a major terminal for inputting a user'"'"'s request is connected via a communication path to at least one apparatus terminal which has an apparatus for implementing the user'"'"'s request. Such apparatus control system comprises a request accepting unit for accepting the user'"'"'s request written in a certain form, a storing unit for storing a correspondence table which corresponds a control procedure written in a certain rule to each request, a retrieving unit for retrieving the control procedure, a corresponding apparatus identifying unit for interpreting the retrieved control procedure to identify the apparatus, an implementation directing unit for transmitting to the identified apparatus a command which directs an implementation of the user'"'"'s request, and an implementation controller for receiving the command and controlling an operation of the apparatus according to the received command.

Claims

1. An apparatus control system where a major terminal for inputting a user'"'"'s request is connected via a communication path to an apparatus terminal which has an apparatus for implementing the user'"'"'s request, the apparatus control system comprising:

a request accepting means for accepting the user'"'"'s request written in accordance with a certain form;

a storing means for storing a correspondence table where each request is corresponded to a control procedure written in accordance with a certain rule;

a retrieving means for retrieving the control procedure which corresponds to each user'"'"'s request;

a command dividing means for interpreting a control procedure and dividing the control procedure into a first command for obtaining an apparatus name and a second command for obtaining an operation content;

a corresponding apparatus identifying means using the first command to identify the apparatus which implements the user'"'"'s request;

an implementation directing means for using the second command to generate an indication for the apparatus identified by the corresponding apparatus identifying means and for transmitting the generated indication to the apparatus; and

an implementation controller for receiving the indication and controlling an operation of the apparatus according to the received indication.

2. The apparatus control system of claim 1, wherein the request accepting means comprises a receiving means for receiving an object specifier included in each user'"'"'s request, and another receiving means for receiving an operation content included in the user'"'"'s request.

3. The apparatus control system of claim 2, wherein the storing means corresponds the control procedure to a pair of the object specifier and the operation content.

4. The apparatus control system of claim 3, wherein the control procedure comprises an inquiry which asks if there exists any apparatus which possesses the object specifier and the operation content included in the user'"'"'s request and if such apparatus has been turned on, and an implementation statement which specifies the apparatus basing upon a response to the inquiry and directs the specified apparatus to implement the user'"'"'s request;

the corresponding apparatus identifying means comprises a unit for interpreting and executing the inquiry; and

the implementation directing means comprises a unit for interpreting and executing the implementation statement.

5. The apparatus control system of claim 4, wherein the apparatus terminal further comprises a responding means for accepting the inquiry from the major terminal, and transmitting a response if its own apparatus possesses information relating to the accepted inquiry.

6. The apparatus control system of claim 5, wherein the apparatus at the apparatus terminal is a visual and audio apparatus selected from one of a TV, a VTR, and a CD player;

each apparatus terminal has a program information table where programs possessed by its apparatus are classified by genre; and

the responding means at each apparatus terminal searches the genre which includes a certain program when the inquiry from the major terminal asks if the apparatus terminal possesses the certain program.

7. The apparatus control system of claim 4, wherein the apparatus at the apparatus terminal is a visual and audio apparatus, and the major terminal further comprises;

a program information table where programs possessed by the apparatus at each apparatus terminal are classified by genre; and

a responding means for searching the genre including a certain program when the inquiry from the corresponding apparatus identifying means asks if the major terminal possesses the certain program, and making a response to the inquiry if the major terminal possesses it.

8. An apparatus control system where a major terminal for inputting a user'"'"'s request is connected via a communication path to an apparatus terminal which has an apparatus for implementing the user'"'"'s request, the apparatus control system comprising:

a request accepting means for dividing each user'"'"'s request into an object specifier which does not include information which directly specifies an apparatus and an operation content indicating what to be done with an object of the object specifier, and accepting the object specifier and the operation content separately;

a corresponding apparatus identifying means for interpreting the object specifier and the operation content so as to identify an apparatus which can execute a specified operation and detecting an operation of the identified apparatus which is required to implement the user'"'"'s request;

a control procedure generating means for generating a control procedure in accordance with a certain rule from the identified apparatus and the detected operation;

an implementation directing means for interpreting the generated control procedure and transmitting a command to the identified apparatus to implement the user'"'"'s request; and

an implementation controller for receiving the command, and controlling the apparatus according to the command.

9. The apparatus control system of claim 8, wherein the apparatus identifying means comprises:

a first table for storing a correspondence between an output form and a pair of the object specifier and the operation content included in the user'"'"'s request, the output form being a media which will be received by the user when his/her request is implemented;

a second table for storing an input form and an output form according to each operation of each apparatus;

an output form detecting unit for searching the first table by the user'"'"'s request to detect the output form which will be employed to implement the user'"'"'s request;

a judging unit for searching the second table by the apparatus possessing the object, detecting the output form of the apparatus, and judging if the detected output form coincides with the output form detected from the first table;

a subordinate apparatus detecting unit for, when the judging unit judges that the output form from the second table does not coincide with the output form from the first table, detecting the apparatus which possesses the output form from the second table as its input form, sending the output form of the detected apparatus to the judging unit so that the output form is compared with the output form from the first table, and repeating its operations until the judging unit finds the coincidence between the output form from the first table and the output form from the second table,

in which when the judging unit finds the coincidence, the control procedure generating means generates a control procedure by which the detected apparatus implements the operation included in the user'"'"'s request if only one apparatus is detected, while if a plurality of apparatuses are detected, the control procedure generating means generates a control procedure by which the detected apparatuses are connected in order of the detection.

10. The apparatus control system of claim 9, wherein the corresponding apparatus identifying means further comprises:

an inquiry means for inquiring of each apparatus terminal if it possesses the object specifier included in the user'"'"'s request before the judging unit starts its operation; and

a response receiving means for receiving a response from the apparatus which was found to possess the object by the inquiry.

11. The apparatus control system of claim 10, wherein the apparatus terminal further comprises a responding means for accepting the inquiry from the major terminal, and transmitting a response if its own apparatus possesses information relating to the accepted inquiry.

12. The apparatus control system of claim 11, wherein the apparatus at the apparatus terminal is a visual and audio apparatus;

each apparatus terminal has a program information table where programs possessed by its apparatus are classified by genre; and

the responding means at each apparatus terminal searches the genre which includes a certain program when the inquiry from the major terminal asks if the apparatus terminal possesses the certain program.

13. An apparatus control system where a major terminal for inputting a user'"'"'s request is connected via a communication path to an apparatus terminal which has an apparatus for implementing the user'"'"'s request, the apparatus control system comprising:

a request accepting means for accepting the user'"'"'s request written in accordance with a certain form, including a first receiving means for receiving an object specifier included in each user'"'"'s request, and a second receiving means for receiving an operation content included in the user'"'"'s request;

a storing means for storing a correspondence table where each request is corresponded to a control procedure written in accordance with a certain rule which corresponds the control procedure to an object specifier and an operation content;

a retrieving means for retrieving the control procedure which corresponds to each user'"'"'s request wherein the control procedure comprises an inquiry which asks if there exists any apparatus which possesses the object specifier and the operation content included in the user'"'"'s request and if such apparatus has been turned on, and an implementation statement which specifies the apparatus based upon a response to the inquiry and directs the specified apparatus to implement the user'"'"'s request;

a corresponding apparatus identifying means for interpreting the retrieved control procedure to identify the apparatus which implements the user'"'"'s request including a unit for interpreting and executing the inquiry;

an implementation directing means for transmitting to the identified apparatus a command which directs an implementation of the user'"'"'s request including a unit for interpreting and executing the implementation statement; and

an implementation controller for receiving the command and controlling an operation of the apparatus according to the received command.

14. The apparatus control system of claim 13, wherein the apparatus terminal further comprises a responding means for accepting the inquiry from the major terminal, and transmitting a response if its own apparatus possesses information relating to the accepted inquiry.

15. The apparatus control system of claim 14, wherein the apparatus at the apparatus terminal is a visual and audio apparatus;

each apparatus terminal has a program information table where programs possessed by its apparatus are classified by genre; and

the responding means at each apparatus terminal searches the genre which includes a certain program when the inquiry from the major terminal asks if the apparatus terminal possesses the certain program.

16. The apparatus control system of claim 13, wherein the apparatus at the apparatus terminal is a visual and audio apparatus, and the major terminal further comprises:

a program information table where programs possessed by the apparatus at each apparatus terminal are classified by genre; and

a responding means for searching the genre including a certain program when the inquiry from the corresponding apparatus identifying means asks if the major terminal possesses the certain program, and making a response to the inquiry if the major terminal possesses it.

17. An apparatus control system where a major terminal for inputting a user'"'"'s request is connected via a communication path to a visual and audio apparatus terminal which has an apparatus for implementing the user'"'"'s request, the apparatus control system comprising:

a request accepting means for dividing each user'"'"'s request into an object specifier and an operation content indicating what to be done with the object of the object name, and accepting the object specifier and the operation content separately;

a corresponding apparatus identifying means for identifying the apparatus which is specified exclusively by the object specifier and the operation content, and detecting an operation of the identified apparatus which is required to implement the user'"'"'s request including a first table for storing a correspondence between an output form and a pair of the object specifier and the operation content included in the user'"'"'s request, the output form being media which will be received by the user when his/her request is implemented;

a second table for storing an input form and an output form according to each operation of each apparatus;

an output form detecting unit for searching the first table by the user'"'"'s request to detect the output form which will be employed to implement the user'"'"'s request;

a judging unit for searching the second table by the apparatus possessing the object, detecting the output form of the apparatus, and judging if the detected output form coincides with the output form detected from the first table;

a subordinate apparatus detecting unit for, when the judging unit judges that the output form from the second table does not coincide with the output form from the first table, detecting the apparatus which possesses the output form from the second table as its input form, sending the output form of the detected apparatus to the judging unit so that the output form is compared with the output form from the first table, and repeating its operations until the judging unit finds the coincidence between the output form from the first table and the output form from the second table,

in which when the judging unit finds the coincidence, the control procedure generating means generates a control procedure by which the detected apparatus implements the operation included in the user'"'"'s request if only one apparatus is detected, while if a plurality of apparatuses are detected, the control procedure generating means generates a control procedure by which the detected apparatuses are connected in order of the detection;

an inquiry means for inquiring of each apparatus terminal if it possesses the object specifier included in the user'"'"'s request before the judging unit starts its operation;

a response receiving means for receiving a response from the apparatus which was found to possess the object by the inquiry;

a control procedure generating means for generating a control procedure in accordance with a certain role from the identified apparatus and the detected operation;

an implementation directing means for interpreting the generated control procedure and transmitting a command to the identified apparatus to implement the user'"'"'s request; and

an implementation controller for receiving the command, and controlling the apparatus according to the command, wherein the apparatus terminal further comprises a responding means for accepting the inquiry from the major terminal, and transmitting a response if its own apparatus possesses information relating to the accepted inquiry, each apparatus terminal has a program information table where programs possessed by its apparatus are classified by genre, and the responding means at each apparatus terminal searches the genre which includes a certain program when the inquiry from the major terminal asks if the apparatus terminal possesses the certain program.