Electronic device and operating method of the same

• US 8,903,979 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2011
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cho, Hyeoncheol, Kim, Byungjin, Kim, Taekyoon, Jung, Byunghyuk
• Primary Examiner(s): Zong, Ruolei
• Application Number:
  US13/521,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226, 709203-207, 709217-219, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic device and an operating method of the same. The electronic device and the operation method of the same manage an object included in a network and provides a user interface for accessing a network, so the electronic device and the operation method of the same configure and manage the network more effectively.

Claims

1. An operating method of an electronic device, comprising:

receiving a first device information, prior to connecting with a specific network, the first device information related to characteristic of at least one electronic device, belonging to a first network, from the first network, wherein the first device information comprises a number of electronic devices performing a predetermined function, and a type of the electronic device performing the predetermined function among the at least one electronic device belonging to the first network;

receiving a second device information, prior to connecting with the specific network, the second device information related to characteristic of at least one electronic device, belonging to a second network, from the second network, wherein the second device information comprises the number of electronic devices performing a predetermined function, and a type of the electronic device performing the predetermined function among the at least one electronic device belonging to the second network; and

accessing the specific network selected based on the received first and second device information.

2. The operating method of claim 1, wherein:

the first device information is included in a first beacon signal transmitted by a first access point of the first network, and

the second device information is included in a second beacon signal transmitted by a second access point of the second network.

3. The operating method of claim 1,

wherein the first device information further comprises first update information indicating whether the first device information has been updated based on first generation time information, the first generation time information indicating when the first device information has been generated, and

wherein the second device information further comprises second update information indicating whether the second device information has been updated based on second generation time information indicating when the second device information has been generated.

4. The operating method of claim 1,

further comprising outputting a user interface generated based on the received first and second device information, wherein the user interface comprises the received first and second device information and queries a user as to whether the user will access which one of the first network and the second network.

5. The operating method of claim 4,

further comprising accessing the specific network by connecting to a specific access point and requesting an electronic device managing neighboring electronic devices, from among electronic devices included in the accessed network, to search for contents.

6. The operating method of claim 1, wherein:

the first device information receiving step further comprises receiving first container information, including at least one of a total size of a container of all the electronic devices belonging to the first network and the total number of items of all the electronic devices belonging to the first network, and

the second device information receiving step further comprises receiving second container information, including at least one of a total size of a container of all the electronic devices belonging to the second network and the total number of items of all the electronic devices belonging to the second network.

7. The operating method of claim 1,

wherein the first device information further comprises first use time information indicating when a user has lastly used the at least one electronic device belonging to the first network,

wherein the second device information further comprises second use time information indicating when a user has lastly used the at least one electronic device belonging to the second network.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data; and

a control unit for, prior to connecting with a specific network, receiving first device information related to characteristic of at least one electronic device, belonging to a first network, from the first network, receiving second device information related to characteristic of at least one electronic device, belonging to a second network, from the second network, and accessing the specific network selected based on the received first and second device information through the communication unit,

wherein the first device information comprises the number of electronic devices performing a predetermined function, and a type of the electronic device performing the predetermined function among the at least one electronic device belonging to the first network, and

wherein the second device information comprises the number of electronic devices performing a predetermined function, and a type of the electronic device performing the predetermined function among the at least one electronic device belonging to the second network.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein:

the first device information is included in a first beacon signal transmitted by a first access point of the first network and transmitted, and

the second device information is included in a second beacon signal transmitted by a second access point of the second network and transmitted.

10. The electronic device of claim 8,

wherein the first device information further comprises first update information indicating whether the first device information has been updated based on first generation time information, the first generation time information indicating when the first device information has been generated, and

wherein the second device information further comprises second update information indicating whether the second device information has been updated based on second generation time information indicating when the second device information has been generated.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising an output unit, wherein the control unit outputs a user interface generated based on the received first and second device information through the output unit, and the user interface comprises the received first and second device information and queries a user as to whether the user will access which one of the first network and the second network.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the control unit accesses the specific network by connecting to a specific access point and requests an electronic device managing neighboring electronic devices, from among electronic devices included in the connected network, to search for contents.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the control unit acquires first container information, including at least one of a total size of a container of all the electronic devices belonging to the first network and the total number of items of all the electronic devices belonging to the first network, and second container information, including at least one of a total size of a container of all the electronic devices belonging to the second network and the total number of items of all the electronic devices belonging to the second network.

14. The electronic device of claim 8,

wherein the first device information further comprises first use time information indicating when a user has lastly used the at least one electronic device belonging to the first network,

wherein the second device information further comprises second use time information indicating when a user has lastly used the at least one electronic device belonging to the second network.