Remote control system, server-client system, server for controlling terminal device, terminal device operating method, device information sharing method, storage media, and program transmission apparatus

• US 7,200,639 B1
• Filed: 11/14/2000
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshida, Ryo
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUCKART, BENJAMIN R
• Application Number:
  US09/712,576
• Time in Patent Office: 2,331 Days
• Field of Search: 707/164, 709/219, 709/217, 709/212, 709/202, 709/223, 709/203, 709/224, 709/216, 709/226, 709/208, 703/1, 703/13, 703/20, 703/21, 703/24, 700/245, 348/114, 715/757, 715/782, 715/848, 715/850
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices

Abstract

A remote control system includes: an electric home terminal device 11 having a control program; a server PC 12, for transmitting control data to the electric home terminal device 11 and for registering three-dimensional model data concerning the electric home terminal device 11; and client PCs 14, 15 and 16, for receiving the three-dimensional model data from the server PC 12, wherein the client PCs 14, 15 and 16 perform an additional operation upon the receipt of specific three-dimensional model data from the server PC 12, and transmit, to the server PC 12, update data for a three-dimensional model obtained by the additional operation, and wherein the server PC 12 transmits, to the electric home terminal device 11, the control data based on the update data for a three-dimensional model received from the client PCs 14, 15 and 16.

Claims

1. A remote control system comprising:

a terminal device having a control program;

a server coupled to said terminal device, said server configured to transmit control data to said control program for controlling said terminal device and register three-dimensional model data representing said terminal device; and

a client coupled to said server, said client configured to receive and render said three-dimensional model data and to transmit to said server update three-dimensional model data for said rendered three-dimensional model data, said update data reflecting an operation on said rendered three-dimensional model data corresponding to an operation to be performed on said terminal device;

wherein said server is further configured to receive said update data and transmit, in response to receiving said update data, corresponding operation control data to said control program in order to effect remote control of said terminal device by said client.

2. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein said control program of said terminal device interprets said operation control data for said operation of said terminal device, and transmits, to said server, control data for reflecting operating results for said operation on said terminal device.

3. The remote control system according to claim 2, wherein, based on said control data received from said terminal device, said server adjusts said three-dimensional model data to reflect the current state of said terminal device, and transmits the resultant three-dimensional model data to said client for rendering at said client.

4. The remote control system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second client coupled to said server, for employing a web browser to designate a URL for said three-dimensional model data, and for downloading said three-dimensional model data so as to share said three-dimensional model data with said client;

wherein said second client is configured to render said three-dimensional model data, and wherein said server further comprises a module for recording an operation performed by a user on the rendered three-dimensional model data as a three-dimensional operation event and for replaying, as needed, said three-dimensional operation event.

5. A server-client system comprising:

a server, in which are stored three-dimensional model data in an object-oriented programming language program file, said three-dimensional model data representing a terminal device coupled to said server, and a program for controlling the terminal device;

a first client connected to said server via a network, for calling, displaying and updating said three-dimensional model data, wherein said updating reflects an operation on said displayed three-dimensional model data corresponding to an operation to be performed on said terminal device; and

a second client connected to said server via said network, for employing a web browser to designate a URL for said three-dimensional model data, and for downloading and displaying said three-dimensional model data received from said server so as to share said three-dimensional model data with said first client.

6. The server-client system according to claim 5, wherein said first and said second clients display said three-dimensional model data to reflect a current control state of said terminal device.

7. The server-client system according to claim 5, wherein one of said first and said second clients is a computer at a customer support center that supports said terminal device.

8. A control server for a terminal device, said control server comprising:

a terminal device operation control program, for exchanging terminal device control data with a terminal device coupled to the control server, and for controlling the operation of said terminal device;

three-dimensional model data for remote control of said terminal device, comprising geometrical data representing said terminal device and terminal device operating data received from said terminal device reflecting operating results of said terminal device; and

a module, for recording an operation on said terminal device performed by a user via the three-dimensional model data as a three-dimensional operation event and for replaying, as needed, said three-dimensional operation event.

9. The control server according to claim 8, wherein said module employs recording/replaying software to record, as a three-dimensional VRML operation event, an operation performed by a user on the terminal device that is generated via a VRML browser, and replays and displays said VRML operation event via said VRML browser.

10. The control server according to claim 9, wherein said operation performed by said user is represented by the performance of an operation based on VRML contents, which are said three-dimensional model data written for said VRML browser using a VRML format.

11. The control server according to claim 8, further comprising a module for exchanging an operation event with a client coupled to said control server via a network.

12. A terminal device control method whereby a client exercises remote control of a terminal device, the method comprising:

designating a URL at said client with a web browser, the URL corresponding to said terminal device, and downloading three-dimensional model data representing said terminal device;

rendering at said client said three-dimensional model data that are downloaded;

updating said three-dimensional model data at said client, said updating corresponding to an operation on said rendered three-dimensional model data corresponding to an operation to be performed on said terminal device; and

transmitting operation control data for said operation to said terminal device in response to said updating.

13. The terminal device control method according to claim 12, wherein said transmitting comprises:

transmitting the updated three-dimensional model data to a server; and

employing said updated three-dimensional model data to transmit said operation control data from said server to said terminal device.

14. The terminal device control method according to claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting control data for reflecting operating results from said terminal device to said server; and

reflecting said control data to said three-dimensional model data, and transmitting the resultant three-dimensional model data from said server to said client.

15. A terminal device sharing method, for sharing among a plurality of clients information concerning a terminal device, the method comprising:

employing a web browser at a first client to designate a URL corresponding to said terminal device, and downloading three-dimensional model data representing said terminal device;

rendering said model data that are downloaded;

updating the rendered model data by said first client, and transmitting the updated model data, the updated model data representing an operation on the rendered three-dimensional model data corresponding to an operation to be performed on said terminal device;

employing a web browser at a second client to designate the URL, and downloading said three-dimensional model data; and

receiving and rendering said updated model data at said second client.

16. Storage media on which is stored a computer-readable program that permits one or more computers to perform:

a process of calling for three-dimensional model data representing a terminal device coupled to a network;

a process of rendering said three-dimensional model data that has been called for to create an image;

a process of calling for a control file associated with said three-dimensional model data, wherein the control file allows for one or more operations to be performed on the rendered three-dimensional model data corresponding to one or more operations performable on said terminal device; and

a process of receiving control data from said terminal device after performing one or more of the one or more operations on the terminal device and reflecting the received control data to said three-dimensional model data in order to update the image.

17. Storage media according to claim 16, wherein said computer-readable program further permits one or more computers to perform:

a process of receiving updated values of three-dimensional model data from a client coupled to a network, and of transmitting said control data to said terminal device for remote control thereof.

18. Storage media on which is stored a computer-executable program that permits one or more computers to perform:

a process of calling for the transmission, via an external network, of three-dimensional model data representing a terminal device;

a process of rendering said three-dimensional model data that is called for;

a process of calling for a control file associated with said three-dimensional model data;

a process of reflecting said control file to values of said three dimensional model data;

a process of changing the values of said three-dimensional model data based on an operation on said three-dimensional model, wherein said operation corresponds to an operation to be performed on said terminal device; and

a process of performing the operation on said terminal device, thereby effecting remote control of the terminal device via the operation on the three-dimensional model.

19. A program transmission apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing a program that executes a process of calling for the transmission, via an external network, of three-dimensional model data representing a terminal device, a process of rendering said three-dimensional model data that has been called for, a process of calling for a control file associated with said three-dimensional model data, a process of reflecting the values in said control file to the values of said three-dimensional model data, a process of changing the values of said three-dimensional model data based on an operation performed by a user on said three-dimensional model, wherein said operation corresponds to an operation to be performed on said terminal device, and a process of performing the operation on said terminal device, thereby effecting remote control of the terminal device via the operation on the three-dimensional model; and

transmission means for reading said program from said storage means and for transmitting said program to an external computer.