Apparatus and method for remotely controlling household appliances
First Claim
1. An apparatus for remotely controlling at least one household appliance, comprising:
- a built-in Web server installed in said household appliance for assigning an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the household appliance on the basis of a MAC address information of said household appliance in which the built-in Web server is installed and extracting control information associated with the assigned IP address from a control signal sent through an external communication network, said built-in Web server including;
a communication interface for interfacing said household appliance to said external communication network; and
a communication controller for receiving said control signal through said communication interface and extracting said control information from the received control signal;
a household appliance control unit for controlling the operation of said household appliance according to the control information extracted by said built-in Web server, generating information about the entire operation of said household appliance controlled according to said control command, and transferring the generated information to said external communication network via said communication interface;
a display processor for displaying the generated information; and
a drive means for driving said household appliance according to said control command.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for remotely controlling household appliances connected to a home network. A power line and a network processor is installed in each household appliance, enabling a household appliance user to remotely control the appliances from a place outside of as well as inside a home. Information about all conditions of the household appliances can be displayed on a screen displayable household appliance so that the user can recognize the operations of the appliances even during spare moments. A low-price built-in server is installed in each household appliance to assign the corresponding appliance a unique IP address simply over the Internet to be controlled according to an external user control command. A home server is connected to each of the household appliances such that the corresponding appliance receives a control command, sent in transit by a user from a mobile terminal.
24 Citations
12 Claims
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1. An apparatus for remotely controlling at least one household appliance, comprising:
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a built-in Web server installed in said household appliance for assigning an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the household appliance on the basis of a MAC address information of said household appliance in which the built-in Web server is installed and extracting control information associated with the assigned IP address from a control signal sent through an external communication network, said built-in Web server including; a communication interface for interfacing said household appliance to said external communication network; and a communication controller for receiving said control signal through said communication interface and extracting said control information from the received control signal; a household appliance control unit for controlling the operation of said household appliance according to the control information extracted by said built-in Web server, generating information about the entire operation of said household appliance controlled according to said control command, and transferring the generated information to said external communication network via said communication interface; a display processor for displaying the generated information; and a drive means for driving said household appliance according to said control command. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for remotely controlling at least one household appliance, comprising the steps of:
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a) assigning an Internet Protocol (IP) address to said household appliance on the basis of the MAC address information of said household appliance, said household appliance being connected to a home network; b) allowing a user to call an IP address of said household appliance over an Internet network to control said appliance; c) running a program for control of said household appliance in a personal computer of said user; d) allowing said user to enter a control command for said household appliance according to said program run at said step b), and transmitting the control signal contained said control command to said household appliance; e) extracting said control information from the received control signal, and controlling said household appliance in response to the extracted control command; and f) transmitting information about the entire operation of said household appliance controlled at said step e) to said user so that he or she can recognize it, wherein said step e) includes the step of transmitting information about a current state of said household appliance to said user if said user enters no control command for said household appliance at said step d.
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Specification