Network system

• US 8,014,503 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ohara, Kiyotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): El-Zoobi; Maria
• Application Number:
  US11/616,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20070152806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 340/3.7, 340/3.54, 340/825.69, 379/102.01, 379/100.15, 379/106.01, 379/88.12
• US Class Current: 379/102.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C

Abstract

In a network system, a notifying apparatus located in the network system is specified. If a predetermined event occurs when a function execution apparatus executes its function, the occurrence of this event can be notified to the specified notifying apparatus via a network.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a function execution apparatus that executes a predetermined function; and

a notifying apparatus connected via a local area network to the function execution apparatus,

wherein the function execution apparatus comprises;

a broadcast transmitting unit configured to broadcast a search signal to the local area network to communicate with the notifying apparatus;

a notifiable information communication unit that receives notifiable information transmitted from the notifying apparatus, the notifiable information indicating that the notifying apparatus is under notifiable state;

an event detecting unit that detects an event occurred in the function execution apparatus; and

a specific information transmitting unit that transmits, if the event is detected by the detecting unit, specific information capable of specifying the occurrence of the event directly to the notifying apparatus that transmits the notifiable information, and

wherein the notifying apparatus comprises;

a notifying apparatus-sided transmitting unit that transmits notifiable information to the function execution apparatus;

a notifying apparatus-sided receiving unit that receives specific information transmitted from the function execution apparatus;

a notifying unit capable of notifying the occurrence of the event in the function execution apparatus; and

a notification control unit that causes the notifying unit, if the notifying apparatus-sided receiving unit receives the specification information, to notify the occurrence of the event specified by specific information.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the notifiable information communication unit transmits notification permit/not-permit information for determining as to whether or not the notifying apparatus is under notifiable state to the notifying apparatus, and

the notifying apparatus-sided transmitting unit transmits, upon at least one of a reception of the notification is permit/not-permit information and an elapse of a predetermined time, the notifiable information to the function execution apparatus.

3. The network system according to claim 2, wherein the function execution apparatus further comprises a state transition detecting unit that detects a transition to such a state that the execution apparatus is able to execute its function, and

the notifiable information communication unit transmits, if the transition to such the state that the function execution apparatus is able to execute its function is detected, the notification permit/not-permit information to the notifying apparatus.

4. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the notifying apparatus is a telephone apparatus.

5. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit comprises a telephone handset configured to output alert guidance indicative of the occurrence of the event specified by specific information.

6. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the function execution apparatus sends a call command to the notifying apparatus to which the specific information transmitting unit transmits the specific information.

7. The network system according to claim 6, wherein the notifying apparatus receiving the call command from the function execution apparatus calls a place designated in the call command by a telephone.

8. The network system according to claim 7, wherein the notifying apparatus is configured to determine whether notifying apparatus is allowed to call the place, and wherein the notifying apparatus is configured call the place if the notifying apparatus determines that the notifying apparatus is allowed to call the place.