Terminal and method for remotely controlling device using the same

• US 7,154,478 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2003
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Usuda, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): DINH, DUC Q
• Application Number:
  US10/412,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20030197686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-158, 345/169, 345/1, 345/2, 345/172, 348/734, 348/14.05, 348/114, 348/211.99, 341/815.6
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4108 characterised by an identification number or address, e.g. local network address protecting specific internal or external computer components using identification number G06F21/73; network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

Device names and device control parameters are registered in a content table of a terminal. These device names and control parameters are each associated in the content table with partial images forming a total image. A user causes an arbitrary partial image to be displayed on a display screen of the terminal by moving the position of the total image relative to the display screen. After reading the device name and the control parameters corresponding to the arbitrary partial image from the content table, the terminal remotely controls the targeted terminal based on the information read. Therefore, the targeted device and the control description thereof can be selected using a simple operation, such as moving the position of the image to be displayed on the display screen. The addition or replacement of targeted devices can be easily accommodated by updating the content table.

Claims

1. A terminal, comprising:

a remote-operation region operable to remotely control a plurality of devices;

a display unit having a display screen for displaying a part of a total image that includes a two-dimensional array of regions;

means for sorting a plurality of content portions into a plurality of groups such that a given part of the plurality of content portions is contained in a specific one of the plurality of groups, the plurality of devices being associated with the plurality of content portions such that a given one of the plurality of devices is associated with a particular one of the plurality of content portions, the plurality of groups being a plurality of rooms of a building in which the plurality of devices is located, a plurality of device functions, or a plurality of frequencies of use;

means for generating a particular total image associated with a given one of the plurality of groups, the total image including a plurality of partial images associated with the content portions belonging to that group such that a given one of the part of the plurality of content portions is associated with a specific one of the plurality of partial images, the plurality of partial images being distributed among the two-dimensional array of regions such that a given one of the plurality of partial images is located at a particular region in the two-dimensional array of regions;

means for generating and storing a plurality of content tables associated with the plurality of groups such that a given one of the plurality of content tables includes the part of the plurality of content portions contained in a particular one of the plurality of groups, a given one of the part of the plurality of content portions including a device name of the associated device, control information for controlling that device, a storage location of the specific one of the plurality of partial images that is associated with that device, and an identifier of the region in the total image at which that partial image is located;

scroll means for moving a position of the total image relative to said display screen so that the part of the total image shown on said display screen includes at least a portion of one of the plurality of partial images; and

means for obtaining, from said content table, the content portion associated with the partial image having the portion shown on said display screen and for causing said remote-control unit to remotely control the device that is associated with that content portion.

2. A terminal according to claim 1, wherein said scroll means comprises detecting means for detecting movement of said terminal whereby the position of the total image relative to said display screen is moved based on the movement of said terminal.

3. A terminal according to claim 1, further comprising table update means for obtaining an updated content portion from a source and for registering the updated content portion in a particular one of the plurality of content tables.

4. A terminal according to claim 3, wherein said table update means obtains the updated content portion from a server apparatus over an online link to said terminal.

5. A terminal according to claim 1, further comprising means for performing accounting processing based on account information contained in that content portion.

11. A terminal according to claim 3, wherein when the updated content portion includes a content ID and a device name that match the content ID and device name of a particular one of the plurality of stored content portions, said table update means replaces that stored content portion with the updated content portion.

12. A terminal according to claim 3, wherein when the updated content portion includes a content ID and a device name that do not match the content ID and device name of any one of the plurality of stored content portions, said table update means stores the updated content portion in a new region of the particular one of the plurality of content tables.

6. A method of remotely-controlling a plurality of devices using a terminal having a display screen, said method comprising:

displaying a part of a total image on the display screen, the total image including a two-dimensional array of regions;

sorting a plurality of content portions into a plurality of groups such that a given part of the plurality of content portions is contained in a specific one of the plurality of groups, the plurality of devices being associated with the plurality of content portions such that a given one of the plurality of devices is associated with a particular one of the plurality of content portions, the plurality of groups being a plurality of rooms of a building in which the plurality of devices is located, a plurality of device functions, or a plurality of frequencies of use;

generating a particular total image associated with a given one of the plurality of groups, the total image including a plurality of partial images associated with the content portions belonging to that group such that a given one of the part of the plurality of content portions is associated with a specific one of the plurality of partial images, the plurality of partial images being distributed among the two-dimensional array of regions such that a given one of the plurality of partial images is located at a particular region in the two-dimensional array of regions;

generating and storing a plurality of content tables associated with the plurality of groups such that a given one of the plurality of content tables includes the part of the plurality of content portions contained in a particular one of the plurality of groups, a given one of the part of the plurality of content portions including a device name of the associated device, control information for controlling that device, a storage location of the specific one of the plurality of partial images that is associated with that device, and an identifier of the region in the total image at which that partial image is located;

moving a position of the total image relative to the display screen so that the part of the total image shown on said display screen includes at least a portion of one of the plurality of partial images;

reading, from the content table, the content portion associated with the partial image having the portion displayed on the display screen; and

remotely controlling the device that is associated with that content portion.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

performing accounting processing based on account information included in the content portion associated with the partial image displayed on the display screen.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein said moving step includes moving the terminal, the position of the total image relative to the display screen being moved based on the movement of the terminal.

9. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

obtaining an updated content portion from a source, and registering the updated content portion in a particular one of the plurality of content tables.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the updated content portion is obtained from a server apparatus over an online link to the terminal.

13. A method according to claim 9, wherein when the updated content portion includes a content ID and a device name that match the content ID and device name of a particular one of the plurality of stored content portions, said registering step includes replacing that stored content portion with the updated content portion.

14. A method according to claim 9, wherein when the updated content portion includes a content ID and a device name that do not match the content ID and device name of any one of the plurality of stored content portions, said registering step includes storing the updated content portion in a new region of the particular one of the plurality of content tables.