Network system, control system, information appliance, and program

• US 7,633,911 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2003
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Iwabuchi, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Chou; Albert T
• Application Number:
  US10/686,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20040100933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,251 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 707/102, 345/173
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A network system which includes a plurality of information appliances and a control system. The control system includes a response control device for receiving selection of an information appliance and response instructions from a user and sending a response command to the selected information appliance. The information appliance includes a response device for implementing a response processing, and an information appliance control device for receiving a response command to have the response device implementing a response processing.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a plurality of information appliances; and

a control system,

wherein the control system comprises;

response control means for receiving selection of an information appliance and response instructions from a user and sending a response command to the selected information appliance,

wherein each information appliance comprises;

response means for implementing a response processing, and information appliance control means for receiving a response command which causes the response means to implement a response processing,

wherein the response means of the information appliance comprises;

a lighting device for implementing a lighting-on processing,

wherein when receiving selection of an information appliance and particular response instructions from a user, the response control means of the control system sends a particular response command, which contains information for specifying the selected information appliance, to all the information appliances included in the network system, and

wherein the information appliance control means has the response means implement a lighting-on processing of the lighting device if the information for specifying the information-processing, contained in the received particular response command, is indicative of the information appliance, and has the response means implement a lighting-off processing of the lighting device if the information for specifying the information-processing is not indicative of the information.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the control system further comprises:

network information storage means for storing information appliance identifying information for identifying the respective information appliance; and

network control means for creating image data to display information appliance included in the network system based on the information appliance identifying information stored in the network information storage means.

3. The network system according to claim 2, wherein the information appliance further comprises:

information appliance information storage means for storing information peculiar to the information appliance,

wherein when receiving the response command, the information appliance control means sends the information peculiar to the information appliance, stored in the information appliance information storage means, to the control system, and

wherein the network control means of the control system stores the received information peculiar to the information appliance, in the network information storage means in connection with the information appliance identifying information of the information appliance, and creates image data to display the information appliance included in the network system, adding thereto information peculiar to the corresponding information appliance.

4. The network system according to claim 3, wherein the information peculiar to the information appliance includes geographical, positional information of the information appliance.

5. A control system for controlling a network system provided with a plurality of information appliance, each of which includes response means for implementing a response processing, and information appliance control means for having the response means implement a response processing, the control system comprising:

response control means to receive selection of an information appliance and response instructions from a user to send a response command to the selected information appliance,

wherein the response means of the information appliance comprises;

a lighting device for implementing a lighting-on processing,

wherein when receiving selection of an information appliance and particular response instructions from a user, the response control means of the control system sends a particular response command, which contains information for specifying the selected information appliance, to all the information appliances included in the network system, and

wherein the information appliance control means has the response means implement a lighting-on processing of the lighting device if the information for specifying the information-processing, contained in the received particular response command, is indicative of the information appliance, and has the response means implement a lighting-off processing of the lighting device if the information for specifying the information-processing is not indicative of the information.

6. The control system according to claim 5, further comprising:

network information storage means for storing information appliance identifying information for identifying the respective information appliance, and network control means for creating image data to display information appliance included in the network system on the basis of the information appliance identifying information stored in the network information storage means.

7. The control system according to claim 6, wherein when receiving information peculiar to the information appliance, the network control means of the control system stores the information in the network information storage means in connection with the information appliance identifying information of the information appliance, and creates image data to display the information appliance included in the network system, adding thereto information peculiar to the corresponding information appliance.

8. The control system according to claim 5, wherein when receiving selection of an information appliance and response stoppage instructions from a user, the response control means sends a response command to the selected information appliance.

9. The control system according to claim 5, wherein when receiving selection of an information appliance and particular response instructions from a user, the response control means sends a particular response command, which contains information for specifying the selected information appliance, to all the information appliance included in the network system.

10. The control system according to claim 9, wherein when receiving all-response stoppage instructions from a user, the response control means sends an all-response stoppage command to all the information appliance included in the network system.

11. An information appliance connected to a network controlled by a control system, the information appliance comprising:

response means for implementing a response processing; and

information appliance control means for receiving a response command from the control system to have the response means implementing a response processing,

wherein the response means of the information appliance comprises;

a lighting device for implementing a lighting-on processing,

wherein when receiving selection of an information appliance and particular response instructions from a user, the response control means of the control system sends a particular response command, which contains information for specifying the selected information appliance, to all the information appliances included in the network system, and

wherein the information appliance control means has the response means implement a lighting-on processing of the lighting device if the information for specifying the information-processing, contained in the received particular response command, is indicative of the information appliance, and has the response means implement a lighting-off processing of the lighting device if the information for specifying the information-processing is not indicative of the information.

12. The information appliance according to claim 11, further comprising:

information appliance information storage means for storing information peculiar to the information appliance,

wherein when receiving the response command from the control system, the information appliance control means sends the information peculiar to the information appliance, stored in the information appliance information storage means, to the control system.

13. The information appliance according to claim 11, further comprising:

information appliance information storage means for storing information peculiar to the information appliance,

wherein when the information appliance is connected to the network, the information appliance control means sends the information peculiar to the information appliance, stored in the information appliance information storage means, to the control system.

14. The information appliance according to claim 13, wherein the information peculiar to the information appliance include geographical, positional information of the information appliance.

15. The information appliance according claim 14, wherein the response means comprises:

a lighting device for implementing a lighting-on processing.

16. The information appliance according to claim 15, wherein when receiving response stoppage instructions from the control system, the information appliance control means has the response means implementing a lighting-off processing of the lighting device.

17. The information appliance according to claim 16, wherein when receiving all-response stoppage instructions from the control system, the information appliance control means has the response means implementing a lighting-off processing of the lighting devices.

18. The information appliance according to claim 13, wherein the response means comprises:

a lighting device for implementing a lighting-on processing.

19. The information appliance according to claim 18, wherein when receiving response stoppage instructions from the control system, the information appliance control means has the response means implementing a lighting-off processing of the lighting device.

20. The information appliance according to claim 18, wherein when receiving particular response instructions from the control system, the information appliance control means has the response means implementing a lighting-on processing of the lighting device in the case where the information for specifying the information appliance, contained in the received particular response command, is indicative of the information appliance, and has the response means implementing a lighting-off processing of the lighting device in the case except the above case.

21. The information appliance according to claim 20, wherein when receiving all-response stoppage instructions from the control system, the information appliance control means has the response means implementing a lighting-off processing of the lighting devices.

22. A storage unit having stored therein a program implementable in information-processing apparatus for controlling a network system provided with a plurality of information appliances, said program comprising:

response means for implementing a response processing; and

information appliance control means for receiving a response command to have the response means implement response processing,

wherein the program having the information-processing apparatus implementing a response control processing, in which selection of an information appliance and response stoppage instructions are received from a user, and a response command is sent to the selected information appliances,

wherein the response means comprises;

a lighting device for implementing a lighting-on processing,

wherein when receiving selection of an information appliance and particular response instructions from a user, the response control processing sends a particular response command, which contains information for specifying the selected information appliance, to all the information appliances included in the network system, and

wherein the response means implement a lighting-on processing of the lighting device if the information for specifying the information-processing, contained in the received particular response command, is indicative of the information appliance, and has the response means implement a lighting-off processing of the lighting device if the information for specifying the information-processing is not indicative of the information.