Digital home electronic device

• US 20030061380A1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Takeshi, Teramoto, Keiichi, Aizu, Hiroyuki, Monma, Nobuyuki, Kyuma, Shuichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,197,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A digital home electronic device is provided with a storing unit for storing correspondence data formed by corresponding sets of commands corresponding to classification informations for classifying a plurality of commands according to prescribed criteria, and a target device information indicating a target device which enables the digital home electronic device to execute the commands, and a command execution judgement unit for judging whether or not to execute a received command, according to the received command, a source information indicating a device which is a source of the received command, and the correspondence data, by judging whether the source information and the target device information corresponding to the received command coincide or not.

Claims

1. A digital home electronic device connected to a local network and receiving commands from devices connected to the local network or devices connected to a public network, the digital home electronic device comprising;

a storing unit configured to store correspondence data formed by corresponding sets of commands corresponding to classification informations for classifying a plurality of commands according to prescribed criteria, and a target device information indicating a target device which enables the digital home electronic device to execute the commands; and

a command execution judgement unit configured to judge whether or not to execute a received command, according to the received command, a source information indicating a device which is a source of the received command, and the correspondence data, by judging whether the source information and the target device information corresponding to the received command coincide or not.

2. The digital home electronic device of claim 1, wherein the target device determined in view of a prescribed classification information among the classification informations is a prescribed control device, a prescribed command transmitted from the prescribed control device that is set in correspondence to the prescribed classification information is applied with a security processing, the digital home electronic device also has a decoding unit configured to decode the prescribed command to which the security processing is applied, and the command execution judgement unit judges whether the source information and the target, device information corresponding to the prescribed command coincide or not, according to the prescribed command decoded by the decoding unit, the source information indicating a device which is a source of the prescribed command, and the correspondence data, in case of judging whether or not to execute the prescribed command.

3. The digital home electronic device of claim 1, wherein the prescribed criteria indicate whether or not an execution of a command by the digital home electronic device is dangerous to a human life or safety.

4. A digital home electronic device connected to a local network and receiving commands from devices connected to the local network or devices connected to a public network, the digital home electronic device comprising;

a storing unit configured to store correspondence data formed by corresponding sets of commands corresponding to classification informations for classifying a plurality of commands according to prescribed criteria, and a target device information indicating a target device which enables the digital home electronic device to execute the commands, where the correspondence data include a plurality of the correspondence data in which a correspondence relationship between each command and each target device information is different;

a selection unit configured to select the correspondence data desired by a user, among the plurality of the correspondence data; and

a command execution judgement unit configured to judge whether or not to execute a received command according to the received command, a source information indicating a device which is a source of the received command, and the correspondence data selected by the selection unit, by judging whether the source information and the target device information corresponding to the received command coincide or not.

5. The digital home electronic device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of the correspondence data includes one correspondence data in which the target device determined in view of a prescribed classification information among the classification informations is a prescribed control device, a prescribed command transmitted from the prescribed control device that is set in correspondence to the prescribed classification information is applied with a security processing, the digital home electronic device also has a decoding unit configured to decode the prescribed command to which the security processing is applied, and the command execution judgement unit judges whether the source information and the target device information corresponding to the prescribed command coincide or not, according to the prescribed command decoded by the decoding unit, the source information indicating a device which is a source of the prescribed command, and the one correspondence data selected by the selection unit, in case of judging whether or not to execute the prescribed command.

6. The digital home electronic device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of the correspondence data includes another correspondence data in which the target device determined in view of a prescribed classification information among the classification informations includes the prescribed control device and all devices connected to the local network that transmit the commands, a prescribed command transmitted from the prescribed control device or a device on the local network that is set in correspondence to the prescribed classification information is applied with a security processing, and the command execution judgement unit judges whether the source information and the target device information corresponding to the prescribed command coincide or not, according to the prescribed command decoded by the decoding unit, the source information indicating a device which is a source of the prescribed command, and the another correspondence data selected by the selection unit, in case of judging whether or not to execute the prescribed command.

7. The digital home electronic device of claim 4, further comprising a physical switch unit configured to switch a selection by the selection unit.

8. The digital home electronic device of claim 7, wherein the physical switch unit is provided to be embedded inside the digital home electronic device and has a physical cover.

9. The digital home electronic device of claim 7, wherein the physical switch unit has an initial setting according to which the selection unit selects the one correspondence data.

10. A method for operating a digital home electronic device connected to a local network and receiving commands from devices connected to the local network or devices connected to a public network, the method comprising;

storing correspondence data formed by corresponding sets of commands corresponding to classification informations for classifying a plurality of commands according to prescribed criteria, and a target device information indicating a target device which enables the digital home electronic device to execute the commands, and

judging whether or not to execute a received command, according to the received command, a source information indicating a device which is a source of the received command, and the correspondence data, by judging whether the source information and the target device information corresponding to the received command coincide or not.

11. A method for operating a digital home electronic device connected to a local network and receiving commands from devices connected to the local network or devices connected to a public network, the method comprising;

storing correspondence data formed by corresponding sets of commands corresponding to classification informations for classifying a plurality of commands according to prescribed criteria, and a target device information indicating a target device which enables the digital home electronic device to execute the commands, where the correspondence data include a plurality of the correspondence data in which a correspondence relationship between each command and each target device information is different;

selecting the correspondence data desired by a user, among the plurality of the correspondence data; and

judging whether or not to execute a received command according to the received command, a source information indicating a device which is a source of the received command, and the correspondence data selected by the selection unit, by judging whether the source information and the target device information corresponding to the received command coincide or not.

12. A computer program product for causing a computer to function as a digital home electronic device connected to a local network and receiving commands from devices connected to the local network or devices connected to a public network, the computer program product comprising:

a first computer program code for causing the computer to store correspondence data formed by corresponding sets of commands corresponding to classification informations for classifying a plurality of commands according to prescribed criteria, and a target device information indicating a target device which enables the digital home electronic device to execute the commands; and

a second computer program code for causing the computer to judge whether or not to execute a received command, according to the received command, a source information indicating a device which is a source of the received command, and the correspondence data, by judging whether the source information and the target device information corresponding to the received command coincide or not.

13. A computer program product for causing a computer to function as a digital home electronic device connected to a local network and receiving commands from devices connected to the local network or devices connected to a public network, the computer program product comprising:

a first computer program code for causing the computer to store correspondence data formed by corresponding sets of commands corresponding to classification informations for classifying a plurality of commands according to prescribed criteria, and a target device information indicating a target device which enables the digital home electronic device to execute the commands, where the correspondence data include a plurality of the correspondence data in which a correspondence relationship between each command and each target device information is different;

a second computer program code for causing the computer to select the correspondence data desired by a user, among the plurality of the correspondence data; and

a third computer program code for causing the computer to judge whether or not to execute a received command according to the received command, a source information Indicating a device which is a source of the received command, and the correspondence data selected by the selection unit, by judging whether the source information and the target device information corresponding to the received command coincide or not.