User interface control apparatus, user interface control method, program, storage medium storing program, and integrated circuit

• US 8,677,246 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tianma Microelectronics Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Hidehiko, Yajima, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burwell, Joseph R
• Application Number:
  US12/812,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: 715/739, 700/83, 719/328, 719/330
• US Class Current: 715/739
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user interface (UI) control apparatus connected to a remote appliance via a communication path. The UI control apparatus is capable of providing a suitable UI for a user which may be stored on the UI control apparatus or the remote appliance without the need of a data management server. The UI control apparatus including: a UI list obtaining unit configured to add information on a UI program stored in a remote appliance to a UI list which is information listing at least one UI program stored in the UI control apparatus, the remote appliance being connected to the UI control apparatus via a communication path; and a UI obtaining unit configured to (i) search the remote appliance and (ii) obtain, from the remote appliance, a UI program selected by a user from the UI list with the information on the UI program added to the UI list.

Claims

1. A user interface (UI) control apparatus comprising:

a UI list storage unit configured to store a UI list which is information listing at least one UI program stored in said UI control apparatus;

a UI list obtaining unit configured to add information on a UI program stored in a remote appliance to the UI list stored in said UI list storage unit, the remote appliance being connected to said UI control apparatus via a communication path, and the UI list including, for each of a plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, information indicating (i) a function of the UI program, (ii) an appliance which holds the UI program and a location of the UI program in the appliance, and (iii) at least one of a version and a usability of the UI program;

a UI obtaining unit configured to, in a case where a UI program selected by a user from the UI list with the UI program added to the UI list is not stored in said UI control apparatus,

(i) search the remote appliance for the selected UI program by identifying, from among the plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, a UI program (a) having a function that is the same as a function of the selected UI program, (b) having at least one of a version and a usability higher than at least one of a version and a usability of the selected UI program, and (c) being held in the remote appliance, and

(ii) obtain the identified UI program from the remote appliance; and

a displaying unit configured to display, by executing the obtained UI program, a UI on a display of either said UI control apparatus or an appliance including said UI control apparatus.

2. The UI control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a UI storage unit;

a request receiving unit; and

a UI selecting unit,

wherein the executed UI program is used for executing a function in response to an instruction given by a user,

wherein said UI storage unit is configured to store (i) the obtained UI program and (ii) the at least one UI program stored in said UI control apparatus,

wherein said request receiving unit is configured to receive a request from the user for a UI which the user desires, and

wherein said UI selecting unit is configured to select a UI program, as the selected UI program, corresponding to the requested UI out of at least one UI program registered in the UI list with the information on the UI program added to the UI list.

3. The UI control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the UI list includes, for each of a plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, information indicating a priority level of the UI program, and

wherein said UI selecting unit is configured to select the UI program by referring to the priority level included in the UI list.

4. The UI control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the UI list includes, for each of a plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, information indicating an address indicating a storage location of the UI program in said UI storage unit, and

wherein said UI obtaining unit is configured to obtain, by referring to the address found in the UI list, the UI program from the storage location indicated in the address corresponding to the UI program selected by said UI selecting unit.

5. The UI control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said UI obtaining unit further includes a UI delegating unit configured to delegate, to the remote appliance, execution of the UI program selected by said UI selecting unit in the case where said UI selecting unit determines that the UI program is not stored in said UI storage unit.

6. The UI control apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said UI delegating unit is configured to receive, from the remote appliance, a result of processing executed on the delegated execution of the UI program selected by said UI selecting unit, and

wherein said displaying unit is configured to display the result received by said UI delegating unit.

7. The UI control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a notification receiving unit configured to receive notification indicating that the remote appliance has established a connection to the communication path,

wherein said UI list obtaining unit is configured to obtain the information on the UI program stored in the remote appliance from the remote appliance in the case where said notification receiving unit receives the notification.

8. The UI control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a resource analyzing unit configured to analyze the UI program obtained by said UI obtaining unit to specify a resource including at least one of picture data, image data, and audio data which are required when the obtained UI program is executed; and

a resource obtaining unit configured to obtain the resource from either the appliance or the remote appliance, the resource being specified by said resource analyzing unit,

wherein said displaying unit is configured to display the resource obtained by said resource obtaining unit when executing the obtained UI program.

9. The UI control apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a resource priority level storage unit configured to store a priority level as a source of obtaining the resource, the priority level representing information on priority set between the appliance and the remote appliance,

wherein said resource obtaining unit is configured to obtain the resource from either the appliance or the remote appliance based on the priority level stored in said resource priority level storage unit.

10. The UI control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the obtained UI program is executed on a virtual machine and described in a script language, and

wherein the appliance and the remote appliance include an interpreter for the virtual machine and the script language.

11. A communications system comprising

a plurality of electronic appliances connected via a communication path,

wherein each of said plurality of electronic appliances includes a user interface (UI) control apparatus, and

wherein the UI control apparatus includes:

a UI list storage unit configured to store a UI list which is information listing at least one UI program stored in said UI control apparatus;

a UI list obtaining unit configured to add information on a UI program stored in a remote appliance to the UI list stored in said UI list storage unit, the remote appliance being connected to the UI control apparatus via the communication path, and the UI list including, for each of a plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, information indicating (i) a function of the UI program, (ii) an appliance which holds the UI program and a location of the UI program in the appliance, and (iii) at least one of a version and a usability of the UI program;

a UI obtaining unit configured to, in a case where a UI program selected by a user from the UI list with the UI program added to the UI list is not stored in said UI control apparatus,

(i) search the remote appliance for the selected UI program by identifying, from among the plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, a UI program (a) having a function that is the same as a function of the selected UI program, (b) having at least one of a version and a usability higher than at least one of a version and a usability of the selected UI program, and (c) being held in the remote appliance, and

(ii) obtain the identified UI program from the remote appliance; and

a displaying unit configured to display, by executing the obtained UI program, a UI on a display of either the UI control apparatus or an appliance including the UI control apparatus.

12. A method of controlling a user interface (UI) control apparatus, the UI control apparatus including a UI list storage unit configured to store a UI list which is information listing at least one UI program stored in the UI control apparatus, said method comprising:

adding information on a UI program stored in a remote appliance to the UI list stored in the UI list storing unit, the remote appliance being connected to the UI control apparatus via a communication path, and the UI list including, for each of a plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, information indicating (i) a function of the UI program, (ii) an appliance which holds the UI program and a location of the UI program in the appliance, and (iii) at least one of a version and a usability of the UI program;

in a case where a UI program selected by a user from the UI list with the UI program added to the UI list is not stored in the UI control apparatus, (i) searching the remote appliance for the selected UI program by identifying, from among the plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, a UI program (a) having a function that is the same as a function of the selected UI program, (b) having at least one of a version and a usability higher than at least one of a version and a usability of the selected UI program, and (c) being held in the remote appliance, and (ii) obtaining the identified UI program from the remote appliance; and

displaying, through execution of the obtained UI program, a UI on a display of either the UI control apparatus or an apparatus including the UI control apparatus.

13. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having stored thereon program instructions for causing a computer device having execution means to execute program instructions, wherein the program instructions comprise:

instruction means for adding information on a user interface (UI) program stored in a remote appliance to a UI list which is information listing at least one UI program stored in a UI list storage unit included in a UI control apparatus, the remote appliance being connected to the UI control apparatus via a communication path, and the UI list including, for each of a plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, information indicating (i) a function of the UI program, (ii) an appliance which holds the UI program and a location of the UI program in the appliance, and (iii) at least one of a version and a usability of the UI program;

instruction means for, in a case where a UI program selected by a user from the UI list with the UI program added to the UI list is not stored in the UI control apparatus, (i) searching the remote appliance for the selected UI program by identifying, from among the plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, a UI program (a) having a function that is the same as a function of the selected UI program, (b) having at least one of a version and a usability higher than at least one of a version and a usability of the selected UI program, and (c) being held in the remote appliance, and (ii) obtaining the identified UI program from the remote appliance; and

instruction means for displaying, through execution of the obtained UI program, a UI on a display of either the UI control apparatus or an apparatus including the UI control apparatus.

14. An integrated circuit for use in a user interface (UI) control apparatus, said integrated circuit comprising:

a UI list storage unit configured to store a UI list which is information listing at least one UI program stored in said UI control apparatus;

a UI list obtaining unit configured to add information on a UI program stored in a remote appliance to the UI list stored in said UI list storage unit, the remote appliance being connected to the UI control apparatus via a communication path, and the UI list including, for each of a plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, information indicating (i) a function of the UI program, (ii) an appliance which holds the UI program and a location of the UI program in the appliance, and (iii) at least one of a version and a usability of the UI program;

a UI obtaining unit configured to, in a case where a UI program selected by a user from the UI list with the UI program added to the UI list is not stored in said UI control apparatus,

(i) search the remote appliance for the selected UI program by identifying, from among the plurality of UI programs registered in the UI list, a UI program (a) having a function that is the same as a function of the selected UI program, (b) having at least one of a version and a usability higher than at least one of a version and a usability of the selected UI program, and (c) being held in the remote appliance, and

(ii) obtain the identified UI program from the remote appliance; and

a displaying unit configured to display, by executing the obtained UI program, a UI on a display of either the UI control apparatus or an appliance including the UI control apparatus.