Device control method, device control system

• US 9,882,915 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2013
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakano, Toshihisa, Kozuka, Masayuki, Minami, Masataka, Ohmori, Motoji, Matsuo, Takeshi, Sakata, Tsuyoshi, Suzuki, Fumiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Darrin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Monty, Marzia T
• Application Number:
  US14/415,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20150168930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances

Abstract

Device control method including: operation receiving step of receiving a device control operation for controlling a device; determining step of determining whether an operation terminal is in a first state or a second state; limiting step of, when determined in the determining step that the operation terminal is in the second state, limiting a range of controls of the device made available to the operation terminal when in the second state so as to correspond to part of a range of controls of the device made available to the operation terminal when in the first state; and device controlling step of controlling the device based on the device control operation. When determined in the determining step that the operation terminal is in the second state, the device is controlled within the range of controls of the device made available to the operation terminal when in the second state.

Claims

1. A device control method in a device control system for controlling one or more devices by using one or more operation terminals, wherein

the device control system includes the one or more devices, the one or more operation terminals, and a server device, and

the server device includes a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the server device to store user information, the user information capable of including an associated set of a terminal identifier and a device identifier, the device identifier in the associated set identifying a device module attached to a device controllable by using an operation terminal having attached thereto a terminal module identified by the terminal identifier,

the device control method comprising:

an operation receiving step of the server device receiving a device control operation for controlling a given device, the device control operation performed by using a given operation terminal;

a determining step of the server device determining whether the given operation terminal is in a first state or a second state, the given operation terminal having higher authority of control when in the first state compared to when in the second state;

a limiting step of, when determined in the determining step that the given operation terminal is in the second state, the server device limiting a range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when in the second state so as to correspond to part of a range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when in the first state;

a device controlling step of the server device controlling the given device based on the device control operation; and

an updating step of, when a new device module is to be issued, the server device generating a device identifier identifying the new device module, and updating the user information by adding the device identifier identifying the new device module to the user information, wherein

in the determining step, the server device receives a terminal identifier from the given operation terminal, and the given operation terminal is determined as being in the first state when the received terminal identifier matches the terminal identifier included in the user information, and as being in the second state when the received terminal identifier does not match the terminal identifier included in the user information,

in the device controlling step, the given device is controlled when the given device has attached thereto a device module storing a device identifier identifying the device module, and when determined in the determining step that the given operation terminal is in the second state, the control of the given device is performed within the range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when in the second state, and

in the updating step, the user information is updated so that the device identifier identifying the new device module is associated, in the user information, with a terminal identifier identifying a terminal module attached to an operation terminal possessed by a user who makes a request for issuance of the new device module.

2. The device control method of claim 1, wherein

the request for issuance of the new device module is received in the operation receiving step, the request being made by using the given operation terminal, and

in the limiting step, the issuance of the new device module is permitted when the given operation terminal is in the first state and is rejected when the given operation terminal is in the second state.

3. The device control method of claim 2, wherein

in the updating step, the device identifier identifying the new device module is generated and the user information is updated by using the device identifier identifying the new device module when the issuance of the new device module is permitted in the limiting step.

4. The device control method of claim 1 further comprising

a terminal identifier acquiring step of, when the given operation terminal has attached thereto a terminal module storing a terminal identifier identifying the terminal module, the server device acquiring the terminal identifier from the terminal module, wherein

in the determining step, when the terminal identifier acquired in the terminal identifier acquiring step is included in the user information, the given operation terminal is determined as being in the first state.

5. The device control method of claim 4, wherein

in the device controlling step, the given device is controlled only when the given device has attached thereto a device module storing a device identifier identifying the device module and the device identifier is associated with the terminal identifier acquired in the terminal identifier acquiring step in the user information.

7. The device control method of claim 1, wherein

the first state corresponds to a first security level,

the second state corresponds to a second security level different from the first security level,

when the given operation terminal has the first security level, the given operation terminal is capable of controlling the range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when the given operation terminal is in the first state and the range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when the given operation terminal is in the second state, and

when the given operation terminal has the second security level, the given operation terminal is capable of controlling only the range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when in the second state.

6. A device control method in a device control system for controlling one or more devices by using one or more operation terminals, the device control system comprising:

the one or more devices;

the one or more operation terminals; and

a server device,

the server device comprising;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored

thereon executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the server device to;

store user information, the user information capable of including an associated set of a terminal identifier and a device identifier, the device identifier in the associated set identifying a device module attached to a device controllable by using an operation terminal having attached thereto a terminal module identified by the terminal identifier;

receive a device control operation for controlling a given device, the device control operation performed by using a given operation terminal;

determine whether the given operation terminal is in a first state or a second state, the given operation terminal having higher authority of control when in the first state compared to when in the second state;

limit, when the given operation terminal is determined to be in the second state, a range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when in the second state so as to correspond to part of a range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when in the first state;

control the given device based on the device control operation; and

generate, when a new device module is to be issued, a device identifier identifying the new device module, and update the user information by adding the device identifier identifying the new device module to the user information, wherein

the server device receives a terminal identifier from the given operation terminal, and the given operation terminal is determined as being in the first state when the received terminal identifier matches the terminal identifier included in the user information, and as being in the second state when the received terminal identifier does not match the terminal identifier included in the user information,

the given device is controlled when the given device has attached thereto a device module storing a device identifier identifying the device module, and, when the given operation terminal is determined to be in the second state, the given device is controlled within the range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when in the second state, and

the user information is updated so that the device identifier identifying the new device module is associated, in the user information, with a terminal identifier identifying a terminal module attached to an operation terminal possessed by a user who makes a request for issuance of the new device module.

8. The device control method of claim 6, wherein

the first state corresponds to a first security level,

the second state corresponds to a second security level different from the first security level,

when the given operation terminal has the first security level, the given operation terminal is capable of controlling the range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when the given operation terminal is in the first state and the range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when the given operation terminal is in the second state, and

when the given operation terminal has the second security level, the given operation terminal is capable of controlling only the range of controls of the given device made available to the given operation terminal when in the second state.