Remote control system and method for portable terminals

• US 8,548,453 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeon, Yeong-Hyo, Sung, Jong-Hi
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US12/001,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20080160971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,121 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/429, 455/414, 455/411, 709/223, 709/226, 709/206, 709/201
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/61 Password, biometric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances

Abstract

Provided are a remote control system and method for controlling portable terminals. The remote control system includes a control terminal which is a portable terminal that performs a remote control operation, a target terminal which is a portable terminal that is subject to the remote control operation performed by the control terminal, and a remote control management server which determines whether the control terminal and the target terminal are heterogeneous, and if the two terminals are heterogeneous, converts messages respectively transmitted from the control terminal and the target terminal to a format conforming to corresponding receiving terminals.

Claims

1. A remote control system for portable terminals, comprising:

a control terminal for performing a remote control operation;

a target terminal subject to the remote control operation performed by the control terminal; and

a remote control management server for receiving a remote control request message from the control terminal and transmitting the received remote control request message to the target terminal,

transmitting, after receiving the remote control request message, a remote control grant message to the control terminal upon receiving the remote control grant message from the target terminal,

checking, after receiving the remote control request message, specification (spec) information of the control terminal and the target terminal, and

converting, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are heterogeneous, a received message to a format conforming to a receiving terminal and transmitting the converted message to the receiving terminal and, if the two terminals are not heterogeneous, relaying the received message between the two terminals.

2. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the control terminal comprises:

an input unit for detecting input of a remote control command;

a communication unit for transmitting and receiving a message required for remote control by communicating with the remote control management server;

an audio output unit for outputting audio data received from the target terminal;

a display unit for outputting video data received from the target terminal; and

a control request processor for generating the remote control request message and transmitting the remote control request message to the remote control management server upon detecting a remote control event, for generating a remote control command message including the remote control command received through the input unit and transmitting the remote control command message to the remote control management server upon receiving the remote control grant message, and for outputting video and audio data to the display unit and the audio output unit upon receiving a remote control response message from the target terminal.

3. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the target terminal comprises:

a communication unit for transmitting and receiving a message required for remote control communicating with the remote control management server; and

a control response processor for performing an authentication process upon receiving the remote control request message, for generating the remote control grant message and transmitting the remote control grant message to the control terminal via the remote control management server if the result of the authentication process shows that the remote control request is valid, and for executing a remote control command included in a remote control command message upon receiving the remote control command message from the control terminal via the remote control management server.

4. The remote control system of claim 3,

wherein the target terminal further comprises a memory for storing a password for authentication and a control grant list including information on at least one portable terminal that has granted a use of remote control;

and

wherein, in the control response processor, if the authentication process is based on the password, authentication is achieved such that a password request is sent to the control terminal via the remote control management server, and upon receiving a password, authentication is determined by comparing the received password with the password pre-stored in the memory, if the authentication process is based on registered terminal information, authentication is achieved such that the control terminal to be authenticated is checked as to whether the registered terminal information is included in the control grant list stored in the memory, and if the authentication process is based on a user, authentication is performed by the user.

5. The remote control system of claim 3, wherein the control response processor allows the remote control response message including the video data or the audio data to be generated and allows the remote control management server to transmit a remote control response message to the control terminal.

6. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the remote control management server further comprises:

a terminal information DataBase (DB) for storing specification (spec) information of the control terminal and the target terminal;

a key mapper for converting a remote control command, which corresponds to input key information and is included in a remote control command message received from the control terminal, to a format conforming to the target terminal according to the spec information of the target terminal when the control terminal and the target terminal are heterogeneous;

a video converter for converting video data, which is included in a remote control response message received from the target terminal, to a format conforming to the control terminal according to the spec information of the control terminal when the control terminal and the target terminal are heterogeneous;

an audio converter for converting audio data, which is included in the remote control response message received from the target terminal, to the format conforming to the control terminal according to the spec information of the control terminal when the control terminal and the target terminal are heterogeneous; and

a relay processor for selecting the target terminal upon receiving the remote control request message from the control terminal and transmitting the received remote control request message to the selected target terminal, for searching the terminal information DB to check the spec information of the control terminal and the target terminal upon receiving, the remote control grant message from the target terminal so as to determine whether the two terminals are heterogeneous, and if the two terminals are heterogeneous, for converting a message to the format conforming to a receiving terminal by using the key mapper, the video converter, and the audio converter and transmitting the converted message to the receiving terminal.

7. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the remote control management server converts, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are heterogeneous, video and/or audio data included in the received message to the format conforming to the receiving terminal by using the spec information of the two terminals, and transmits the converted message to the control terminal.

8. The remote control system of claim 7, wherein the remote control management server converts, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are heterogeneous, the received message which includes input key information to the format conforming to the receiving terminal by using the spec information of the two terminals and transmits the converted message to the receiving terminal.

9. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the remote control management server, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are homogeneous, receives a remote control command message from the control terminal and transmits the remote control command message to the target terminal.

10. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the remote control management server, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are homogeneous, receives a remote control response message from the target terminal and transmits the remote control response message to the control terminal.

11. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the remote control management server transmits a remote control error message to the control terminal upon receiving the remote control error message from the target terminal.

12. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein, in the step of checking spec information of the control terminal and the target terminal, the spec information of the two terminals is checked by searching a terminal information DataBase (DB) included in the remote control management server provided by respective manufacturers of the two terminals or is received from the two terminals.

13. A remote control relay method for a remote control management server in a remote control system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a remote control request message from a control terminal and transmitting the received remote control request message to a target terminal;

transmitting, after receiving the remote control request message, a remote control grant message to the control terminal upon receiving the remote control grant message from the target terminal;

checking, after receiving the remote control request message, specification (spec) information of the control terminal and the target terminal; and

converting, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are heterogeneous, a received message to a format conforming to a receiving terminal and transmitting the converted message to the receiving terminal, and if the two terminals are not heterogeneous, relaying the received message between the two terminals.

14. The remote control relay method of claim 13, wherein the step of converting the received message between the two terminals comprises:

converting, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are heterogeneous, video and/or audio data included in the received message to the format conforming to the receiving terminal by using the spec information of the two terminals, and

transmitting the converted message to the receiving terminal.

15. The remote control relay method of claim 14, wherein the step of converting the received message between the two terminals comprises:

converting, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are heterogeneous, the received message which includes input key information to the format conforming to the receiving terminal by using the spec information of the two terminals, and

transmitting the converted message to the receiving terminal.

16. The remote control relay method of claim 13, wherein when relaying the received message between two terminals comprises, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are homogeneous, receiving a remote control command message from the control terminal and transmitting the remote control command message to the target terminal.

17. The remote control relay method of claim 13, wherein when relaying the received message between two terminals comprises, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are homogeneous, receiving a remote control response message from the target terminal and transmitting the remote control response message to the control terminal.

18. The remote control relay method of claim 13, further comprising, after the step of transmitting the received message, transmitting a remote control error message to the control terminal upon receiving the remote control error message from the target terminal.

19. The remote control relay method of claim 13, wherein, in the step of checking spec information of the control terminal and the target terminal, the spec information of the two terminals is checked by searching a terminal information DataBase (DB) included in the remote control management server, provided by respective manufacturers of the two terminals, or is received from the two terminals.