Device control method, device management system, and in-house server apparatus connected to device management system

• US 9,380,055 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airxed Technology Limited
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hiramoto, Takuji, Sasaki, Takamitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, PETER C
• Application Number:
  US14/919,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 251 Days
• Field of Search: 726/7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A method in the disclosure includes: receiving, from an information device, a device password which is used for controlling a target device via an in-house server apparatus and which is input on the information device using a setting screen; managing a device ID of the in-house server apparatus, a user ID, and the device password in association with one another; transmitting the device password to the in-house server apparatus to cause the in-house server apparatus to manage the device ID and the device password; transmitting, when login to an out-of-house server apparatus is authenticated, an authentication screen to the information device; receiving, from the information device, an input password that is input on the information device using the authentication screen; and when the received input password is identical to the device password that is associated with the user ID, approving a control of a target device by the information device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a target device in a device management system including i) an in-house server apparatus connectable to the target device, ii) an information device which outputs an instruction command to control the target device, and iii) an out-of-house server apparatus which receives the instruction command from the information device and which transmits the instruction command to the in-house server apparatus to control the target device, the method comprising:

receiving, from the information device via an out-of-house network, a first request for providing the information device with a setting screen for a communication using the in-house server apparatus, by using access information which is provided by the in-house server apparatus and which includes a device ID of the in-house server apparatus;

receiving, from the information device via the out-of-house network, a user ID and a user password which are input at the information device using the setting screen;

receiving, from the information device via the out-of-house network, a device password which is used for controlling the target device via the in-house server apparatus and which is input at the information device using the setting screen;

managing the device ID, the user ID, and the device password in association with one another;

transmitting the device password to the in-house server apparatus to cause the in-house server apparatus to manage the device password and the device ID of the in-house server apparatus in association with each other, whereafter a communication corresponding to the first request is completed;

receiving, from the information device via the out-of-house network, a second request for logging in the out-of-house server with the user ID and the user password, using a login screen for controlling the target device at the information device;

transmitting, when the login is authenticated in the device management system, an authentication screen to the information device via the out-of-house network;

receiving, from the information device via the out-of-house network, an input password which is input at the information device using the authentication screen;

approving a control of the target device by the information device and transmitting an operation screen for controlling the target device to the information device, when the received input password is identical to the device password associated with the user ID;

receiving from the information device the instruction command to the target device, via the operation screen for controlling the target device; and

transmitting the instruction command to the in-house server apparatus to control the target device via the in-house server apparatus wherein the control of the target device by the information device is approved for a session time limit.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein an input of the device ID of the in-house sever apparatus is not required at the authentication screen.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the in-house server apparatus includes a display that displays the access information including the device ID of the in-house sever apparatus, and the information device reads the access information from the display of the in-house server apparatus to obtain the access information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein only when the in-house server apparatus receives the device password before a predetermined period elapses after the access information is displayed on the display of the in-house server apparatus, the device password is managed by the in-house server apparatus in association with the device ID of the in-house server apparatus.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the access information is displayed on the display of the in-house server apparatus in a format of a one-dimensional or two-dimensional code.

6. A device management system including:

an in-house server apparatus which is connectable to a target device;

an information device which outputs an instruction command to control the target device, and an out-of-house server apparatus which receives the instruction command from the information device and which transmits the instruction command to the in-house server apparatus to control the target device, wherein the out-of-house server apparatus;

receives, from the information device via an out-of-house network, a first request for providing the information device with a setting screen for using the in-house server apparatus, by using access information which is provided by the in-house server apparatus and which includes a device ID of the in-house server apparatus;

receives, from the information device via the out-of-house network, a user ID and a user password which are input at the information device using the setting screen;

receives, from the information device via the out-of-house network, a device password which is used for controlling the target device via the in-house server apparatus and which is input at the information device using the setting screen;

manages the device ID, the user ID, and the device password in association with one another;

transmits the device password to the in-house server apparatus to cause the in-house server apparatus to manage the device password and the device ID of the in-house server apparatus in association with each other, whereafter a communication corresponding to the first request is completed;

receives, from the information device via the out-of-house network, a second request for logging in the out-of-house server apparatus with the user ID and the user password, using a login screen for controlling the target device at the information device;

transmits, when the login is authenticated in the device management system, an authentication screen to the information device via the out-of-house network;

receives, from the information device via the out-of-house network, an input password which is input at the information device using the authentication screen;

approves a control of the target device by the information device and transmits an operation screen for controlling the target device to the information device, when the received input password is identical to the device password which is associated with the user ID;

receives from the information device the instruction command to the target device via the operation screen for controlling the target device, and transmits the instruction command to the in-house server apparatus to control the target device via the in-house server apparatus, and wherein the in-house server apparatus;

receives the device password from the out-of-house server apparatus to manage the device ID and the device password in association with each other and wherein the control of the target device by the information device is approved for a session time limit.

7. The device management system according to claim 6, wherein an input of the device ID of the in-house sever apparatus is not required at the authentication screen.

8. An in-house server apparatus which is connected to the device management system according to claim 6.

9. The in-house server according to claim 8, further comprising a display configured to display the access information including the device ID of the in-house sever apparatus, wherein the access information is read by the information device from the display of the in-house server apparatus.

10. The in-house server apparatus according to claim 9, wherein only when the in-house server apparatus receives the device password before a predetermined period elapses after the access information including the device ID is displayed on the display of the in-house server apparatus, the device password is managed by the in-house server apparatus in association with the device ID of the in-house server apparatus.

11. The in-house server apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the in-house server apparatus displays the access information on the display of the in-house server apparatus in a format of a one-dimensional or two-dimensional code.