Control method for information apparatus and computer-readable recording medium

• US 9,490,997 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Takamitsu, Tahara, Kohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Gami, Tejal
• Application Number:
  US14/165,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20140236325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 700/90, 700/19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204

Abstract

When selection of a device icon representing one target device among one or more target devices is sensed, a control screen for operating, or confirming a state of, the one target device corresponding to the sensed device icon is displayed on a display as overlapped on a display screen representing a floor plan, and device icons representing the one or more target devices are moved out of a display region of the control screen.

Claims

1. A control method for an information apparatus having a display and being connected to a network, at least one target device being controlled over the network,

the control method causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing a floor plan of a building on the display, and display at least one movable device icon, representing the at least one target device, on the display screen representing the floor plan;

when selection of a device icon, of the at least one device icon displayed on the display, is sensed, display a control screen for operating or confirming a state of one target device, of the at least one target device, corresponding to the selected device icon on the display, and move the at least one device icon to a location outside a display region of the control screen; and

output a control command to the network on the basis of an operation on the control screen, the control command allowing at least the operation or the state confirmation of the one target device corresponding to the selected device icon.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device is moved to a location outside the display region of the control screen and outside a display region of the display screen representing the floor plan.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device is moved to a location outside the display region of the control screen and outside a display region of the display screen representing the floor plan, and are is arranged in one line.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device is moved to a location outside the display region of the control screen and outside a display region of the display screen representing the floor plan, and is arranged in one line; and

the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device arranged in the one line is moved in a direction of the one line, to display the selected device icon within a display region of the display.

5. The control method according to claim 2, wherein

when the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device is moved to the location outside the display region of the display screen representing the floor plan, the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device is arranged in accordance with corresponding rooms included in the floor plan.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device is moved to a location outside the display region of the control screen and around the control screen.

7. The control method according to claim 1, wherein:

the floor plan includes information representing arrangement position at which the at least one target device is arranged; and

the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device is displayed at the corresponding arrangement position of the at least one target device included in the floor plan.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein

when selection of a device icon representing the one target device included in the floor plan is sensed in a region corresponding to a room including information representing the arrangement position of the one target device, the control screen is displayed on the display, the control screen allowing at least the operation or the state confirmation of the one target device in the room.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein

when the control screen is displayed on the display, the region corresponding to the room including the information representing the arrangement position of the one target device is displayed in a different display method from other regions corresponding to other rooms.

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein

when the control screen is displayed on the display, the region corresponding to the room including the information representing the arrangement position of the one target device is displayed more brightly than the other regions corresponding to other rooms.

11. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when the control screen is displayed on the display, the display screen is displayed more darkly than the control screen.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein

when contact between the display and a predetermined object is sensed outside the display region of the control screen, display of the control screen is erased, and the display screen is displayed with an original brightness.

13. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when selection of the same device icon as the selected device icon is sensed after the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device is moved to the location outside the display region of the control screen, display of the control screen is erased.

14. The control method according to claim 13, wherein

when selection of a device icon that is different from the selected device icon is sensed after the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device is moved to the location outside the display region of the control screen, a control screen corresponding to the different device icon is displayed.

15. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

when selection of a location outside the display region of the control screen is sensed after the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device is moved to the location outside the display region of the control screen, display of the control screen is erased.

16. The control method according to claim 13, wherein

the moved at least one device icon is moved to an original position of the at least one device icon, when display of the control screen is erased.

17. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

display of the selected device icon of the moved at least one device icon, is displayed as distinguished from display of the non-selected at least one device icon.

18. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

a device icon representing a target device that is incommunicable with the information apparatus, of the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device, is displayed more darkly than an other of the at least one device icon.

19. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

a device icon representing a target device that is incommunicable with the information apparatus, of the at least one device icon representing the at least one target device, is displayed translucently.

20. The control method according to claim 1, wherein:

the display is a touch panel display; and

selection of the device icon is sensed by sensing a tap on the device icon performed on the touch panel display.

21. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

selection of the device icon is sensed by sensing a click with a mouse pointer.

22. The control method according to claim 1, wherein:

the information apparatus is connected to a cloud system that manages log information related to a use history of the at least one target device;

the control command for confirming the state of the target device corresponding to the selected device icon is output to the cloud system via the network; and

the control method causes the computer of the information apparatus to;

receive information indicating the state of the target device corresponding to the selected device icon from the cloud system via the network; and

display the information indicating the state of the target device corresponding to the selected device icon on the control screen for confirming the state of the corresponding target device.

23. The control method according to claim 7, wherein

the information representing the arrangement position of the at least one target device comprise images representing the at least one target device.

24. The control method according to claim 7, wherein

the information representing the arrangement position of the at least one target device comprise text information representing the at least one target device.

25. A computer-readable recording medium which stores a program to be executed by an information apparatus having a display and being connected to a network, at least one target device being controlled over the network,

the program causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing a floor plan of a building on the display, and display at least one movable device icon, representing the at least one target device, on the display screen representing the floor plan;

when selection of a device icon, of the at least one device icon displayed on the display, is sensed, display a control screen for operating or confirming a state of a target device, of the at least one target device, corresponding to the selected device icon, on the display, and move the at least one device icon to a location outside a display region of the control screen; and

output a control command to the network on the basis of an operation on the control screen, the control command allowing at least the operation or the state confirmation of the one target device corresponding to the selected device icon.