Apparatus and method for transmitting sound information in web-based control system

• US 8,688,804 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jin, Ho, Cho, Jung-yon, Park, Jong-wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Louie, Oscar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Lin
• Application Number:
  US11/516,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,763 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols

Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus and method for transmitting information in a Web-based control system. The control target device of the present invention includes a Web server module, a sound information generation module and an independent communication module. The Web server module transmits a Web page required for device control to a control device through a first communication channel. The sound information generation module generates sound information related to an event, occurring according to variation in status of the control target device. The independent communication module transmits the generated sound information to the control device through a second communication channel that is separate from the first communication channel.

Claims

1. A control target device comprising:

a Web server module which transmits to a control device a Web page that controls the control target device through a first communication channel established between the control target device and the control device;

a sound information generation module executed by a hardware processor which generates sound information in a web data format, where the sound information is a sound file or includes information about a sound file, and where the sound information is related to an event occurring according to a variation in a status of an operation of the control target device;

an event detection module, which detects the event occurring in the control target device; and

an independent communication module which receives the event detected by the event detection module, determines whether the sound information related to the detected event exists, and if the independent communication module determines that the sound information exists, transmits to the control device the generated sound information through a second communication channel established between the control target device and the control device that is separate from the first communication channel and if the independent communication module determines that the sound information does not exist, transmits event information comprising at least one of an image and text data via the first communication channel.

2. The control target device of claim 1, wherein the sound information includes the sound file.

3. The control target device of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel is dedicated to providing the sound information using the sound file and wherein the independent communication module transmits the sound information with information about format of the sound information in a payload.

4. The control target device of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel is dedicated to the sound information corresponding to the events.

5. The control target device of claim 1, wherein the control target device is in same home network with the control device.

6. A control device comprising:

a Web browser module which receives from a control target device a Web page that controls the control target device through a first communication channel established between the control target device and the control device;

an independent communication module which receives from the control target device sound information comprising a sound file or an Uniform Resource Locator (URL) information indicating a location of the sound file related to an event occurring in the control target device through a second communication channel established between the control target device and the control device that is separate from the first communication channel; and

a sound information processing module executed by a hardware processor which plays a sound corresponding to the event using the received sound information,

wherein the event is a change in status of an operation of the control target device and which is detected by the control target device, and

wherein the control target device determines whether sound information related to the detected event exists in the control target device,

wherein, if the control target device determines that the sound information related to the detected event exists in the control target device, the independent communication module of the control device receives the sound information from the control target device, and

wherein, if the control target device determines that the sound information related to the detected event does not exist the control target device, the independent communication module of the control device receives event information comprising at least one of an image and text data via the first communication channel.

7. The control device of claim 6, wherein the independent communication module is called and operated by a script recorded in a Web browser provided by the Web browser module.

8. The control device of claim 6, wherein the sound information processing module is operated in conjunction with the independent communication module.

9. The control device of claim 6, wherein the sound information includes the sound file.

10. The control device of claim 6, wherein the sound information includes the URL information for providing information about the sound file.

11. The control device of claim 6, wherein the independent communication module is a plug-in, an ActiveX object, or a native object that plays sound under the control of the Web browser.

12. A method of transmitting sound information in a Web-based control system, comprising:

transmitting to a control device a Web page that controls a control target device through a first communication channel established between the control target device and the control device;

generating by a processor sound information comprising a sound file or a Uniform Resource Locator indicating a location of the sound file in a web data format, where the sound information is related to an event occurring according to a variation in a status of an operation of a control target device;

detecting the event occurring in the control target device;

determining whether the sound information related to the detected event exists;

transmitting to the control device the generated sound information based on the detected event through a second communication channel established between the control target device and the control device that is separate from the first communication channel when the determined sound information exists; and

transmitting to the control device event information comprising at least one of an image and text data via the first communication channel when the determined sound information does not exist.

13. The sound information transmission method of claim 12, wherein the sound information includes the sound file.

14. The sound information transmission method of claim 12, wherein the sound information includes the URL information for providing information about a sound file.

15. A method of transmitting sound information in a Web-based control system, comprising:

receiving from a control target device a Web page that controls the control target device through a first communication channel established between the control target device and a control device;

receiving from the control target device sound information comprising a sound file or a Uniform Resource Location (URL) information indication a location of the sound file, wherein the sound information is related to an event occurring in the control target device, through a second communication channel established between the control target device and the control target that is separate from the first communication channel; and

playing by a computer a sound corresponding to the event using the received sound information,

wherein the event is a change in status of an operation of the control target device and is detected by the control target device, and

wherein the control target devices determines if the sound information corresponding to the detected event exists, and if the sound information related to the detected event exists, the control target device generates the sound information for the transmission to the control device, and

wherein if the control target device determines if the sound information corresponding to the detected event does not exist, the control device receives from the control target device event information comprising at least one of an image and text data via the first communication channel.

16. The sound information transmission method of claim 15, wherein the sound information includes the sound file.

17. The sound information transmission method of claim 15, wherein the sound information includes the URL information for providing information about the sound file or a sound effect and wherein the Web server module accesses the URL information to obtain the sound file or the sound effect via the second communication channel.