Digital home electronic device system for checking in advance if selection by user is trustworthy based on whether command is dangerous to human life or safety

• US 7,197,579 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Takeshi, Teramoto, Keiichi, Aizu, Hiroyuki, Monma, Nobuyuki, Kyuma, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Peyton; Tammara
• Application Number:
  US10/255,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 710/15, 710/18, 710/19, 710/72, 710/73, 707/9, 719/313
• US Class Current: 710/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A digital home electronic device is provided with a storing unit for storing correspondence data formed by corresponding sets of commands corresponding to classification informations for classifying a plurality of commands according to prescribed criteria, and a target device information indicating a target device which enables the digital home electronic device to execute the commands, and a command execution judgement unit for judging whether or not to execute a received command, according to the received command, a source information indicating a device which is a source of the received command, and the correspondence data, by judging whether the source information and the target device information corresponding to the received command coincide or not.

Claims

1. A digital home electronic device connected to a local network and receiving commands from devices connected to the local network or devices connected to a public network, the digital home electronic device comprising:

a storing unit configured to store a plurality of correspondence data each formed by correlating each command with one piece of target device information,

wherein the target device information indicates source devices permitted to send the correlated commands respectively in the correspondence data,

the commands are classified according to classification information describing prescribed criteria in the correspondence data, and

the source devices indicate nodes checked by the digital home electronic device in advance, as trustworthy nodes in the local network and/or the public network;

a selection unit configured to select the correspondence data desired by a user, among the plurality of the correspondence data, according to a switching operation of the user;

a command execution judgement unit configured to judge whether or not to execute a received command according to the received command, a source information indicating a source device which sends the received command, and the correspondence data selected by the selection unit, by judging whether the source information and one particular piece of the target device information correlated with the received command in the correspondence data coincide or not; and

a main unit configured to carry out a prescribed operation according to the received command in a case in which the received command is executed;

wherein the main unit is connected to the storing unit and the command execution judgement unit via an inner interface, and

the prescribed criteria include at least one criterion indicating whether or not an execution of a command by the digital home electronic network is dangerous to a human life or safety.

2. The digital home electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of the correspondence data includes one correspondence data in which the target device determined in view of one particular piece of the classification information among a plurality of the classification information is a prescribed control device, a prescribed command transmitted from the prescribed control device is applied with a security processing, the digital home electronic device also has a decoding unit configured to decode the prescribed command to which the security processing has been applied, and the command execution judgement unit judges whether the source information and one particular piece of the target device information correlated with the prescribed command in the correspondence data coincide or not, according to the prescribed command decoded by the decoding unit, the source information indicating the prescribed control device which sends the prescribed command, and the one correspondence data selected by the selection unit, in case of judging whether or not to execute the prescribed command.

3. The digital home electronic device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of the correspondence data includes another correspondence data in which the target device determined in view of another particular piece of the classification information among a plurality of the classification information includes the prescribed control device and all devices connected to the local network that transmit the commands, a prescribed command transmitted from the prescribed control device or a device on the local network is applied with a security processing, and the command execution judgement unit judges whether the source information and one particular piece of the target device information correlated with the prescribed command in the correspondence data coincide or not, according to the prescribed command decoded by the decoding unit, the source information indicating the prescribed control device or the device on the local network which sends the prescribed command, and the another correspondence data selected by the selection unit, in case of judging whether or not to execute the prescribed command.

4. The digital home electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a physical switch unit configured to switch a selection by the selection unit.

5. The digital home electronic device of claim 4, wherein the physical switch unit is provided to be embedded inside the digital home electronic device and has a physical cover.

6. The digital home electronic device of claim 4, wherein the physical switch unit has an initial setting according to which the selection unit selects the one correspondence data.

7. A method for operating a digital home electronic device connected to a local network and receiving commands from devices connected to the local network or devices connected to a public network, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of correspondence data each formed by correlating each command with one piece of target device information,

wherein the target information indicates source devices permitted to send the correlated commands respectively in the correspondence data,

the commands are classified according to classification information describing prescribed criteria in the correspondence data, and

the source devices indicate nodes checked by the digital home electronic device in advance, as trustworthy nodes in the local network and/or the public network;

selecting the correspondence data desired by a user, among the plurality of the correspondence data, according to a switching operation of the user;

judging whether or not to execute a received command according to the received command, a source information indicating a source device which sends the received command, and the correspondence data selected by the selection unit, by judging whether the source information and one particular piece of the target device information correlated with the received command in the correspondence data coincide or not; and

carrying out a prescribed operation according to the received command in a case in which the received command is executed,

the prescribed criteria including at least one criterion indicating whether or not an execution of a command by the digital home electronic network is dangerous to a human life or safety.

8. A computer program product for causing a computer to function as a digital home electronic device connected to a local network and receiving commands from devices connected to the local network or devices connected to a public network, the computer program product comprising:

a first computer program code for causing the computer to store a plurality of correspondence data each formed by correlating each command with one piece of target device information,

wherein the target device information indicates set of source devices permitted to send the correlated commands respectively in the correspondence data,

the commands are classified according to classification information describing prescribed criteria in the correspondence data, and

the source devices indicate nodes checked by the digital home electronic device in advance, as trustworthy nodes in the local network and/or the public network;

a second computer program code for causing the computer to select the correspondence data desired by a user, among the plurality of the correspondence data, according to a switching operation of the user;

a third computer program code for causing the computer to judge whether or not to execute a received command according to the received command, source information indicating a source device which sends the received command, and the correspondence data selected by the selection unit, by judging whether the source information and one particular piece of the target device information correlated with the received command in the correspondence data coincide or not; and

a fourth computer program code for causing the computer to carry out a prescribed operation according to the received command in a case in which the received command is executed,

the prescribed criteria including at least one criterion indicating whether or not an execution of a command by the digital home electronic network is dangerous to a human life or safety.