Server apparatus, mobile terminal, electric appliance, communication system, communication method, and program

• US 7,987,273 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Tomoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim; Krisna
• Application Number:
  US11/719,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,080 Days
• Field of Search: 709227-229, 370/310, 370/351, 713/156
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2567 for reachability, e.g. inquiring the address of a correspondent behind a NAT server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2582 through control of the NAT server, e.g. using universal plug and play [UPnP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A server apparatus, a mobile terminal, an electric appliance, a communication system, a communication method and a program for notifying a mobile terminal user in the open of the cause of a failure of P2P connection. In a communication system, an electric appliance (101), a server apparatus (103) and a mobile terminal (105) each detect a failure in preparation for P2P connection between the electric appliance (101) and the mobile terminal (105). When the electric appliance (101) detects the failure, it notifies the mobile terminal (105) of the failure via the server apparatus (103). When the server apparatus (103) detects the failure, it notifies the mobile terminal (105) of the failure. The mobile terminal (105) notifies the user of the failure detected by the mobile terminal itself or of the failure notified of by the server apparatus (103).

Claims

1. A mobile terminal outside a private network that is connected to the Internet, the mobile terminal being configured to establish a direct connection to an electrical appliance that is inside the private network, the mobile terminal comprising:

a detecting section that detects a failure of preparation processing for the direct connection between the electrical appliance and the mobile terminal, or receives first information showing the failure;

a reporting section that reports, to a user, second information showing the detected failure or the received first information;

a certificate storage section that stores an electronic certificate transmitted from a server apparatus; and

a registration control section that performs user registration with a service provider that provides a direct connection service with the electrical appliance, using the electronic certificate stored in the certificate storage section.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the detecting section is configured to detect the failure, or receive the first information showing the failure, upon an attempt at connection to the server apparatus.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the detecting section is configured to detect the failure, or receive the first information showing the failure, upon an attempt at the direct connection to the electrical appliance.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitting section that, when the direct connection to the electrical appliance is successful, transmits, to the server apparatus, a report of the successful direct connection.

5. A computer implemented program that causes a computer, provided in a mobile terminal that is outside a private network connected to the Internet, to implement functions of:

a detecting section that detects a failure of preparation processing for a direct connection between an electrical appliance and the mobile terminal, or receives first information showing the failure, the electrical appliance being inside the private network;

a reporting section that reports, to a user, second information showing the detected failure or the received first information;

a certificate storage section that stores an electronic certificate transmitted from a server apparatus; and

a registration control section that performs user registration with a service provider that provides a direct connection service with the electrical appliance, using the electronic certificate stored in the certificate storage section.