Information processing apparatus, network system and network system control method

• US 20050210155A1
• Filed: 05/14/2004
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Oeda, Shigeto, Tanaka, Mayuko
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is used in a network including an information apparatus compatible with the universal-plug-and-play (UPnP) discovery and control method and an information apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method and includes a browser support unit for converting the Web based discovery and control method to the UPnP discovery and control method and a server support unit for converting the UPnP discovery and control method to the Web based discovery and control method. The information apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method and the information apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method can acquire device information from each other and control the device by each other.

Claims

1. A network system including an information processing apparatus compatible with an information processing apparatus of the universal-plug-and-play (UPnP) discovery and control method which is a control system of a device connected to a network and an information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method which is a control system of a device using the Web browser function or the Web server function, wherein

the system further includes an information processing device having a browser support unit for performing conversion between the UPnP discovery and control method and the Web based discovery and control method so as to utilize the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method from the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web browser function.

2. A method for controlling a network system including an information processing apparatus compatible with an information processing apparatus of an UPnP discovery and control method which is a control system of a device connected to a network and an information processing apparatus compatible with a control system of a device using a Web browser function or a Web server function, wherein

the method includes a step of performing conversion between the UPnP discovery and control method and the Web based discovery and control method so as to utilize the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method from the information processing apparatus compatible with a Web based discovery and control method having the Web browser function.

3. An information processing apparatus connected to a network, wherein

the apparatus includes a browser support unit for performing conversion between an UPnP discovery and control method and a Web based discovery and control method so as to utilize the information processing apparatus connected to the network and compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method which is a control system of a device connected to a network, from the information processing apparatus connected to the network and compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having a Web browser function.

7. An information processing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the browser a support unit includes a device function link unit for acquiring access information such as a uniform resource locator for accessing the Web server function of the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method and providing the access information to the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web browser function.

8. An information processing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the browser support unit includes a device function presentation unit for enabling use of at least a part of the function of the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method from the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web browser function by a hyper-text-markup-language (html) format.

9. An information processing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the browser support unit includes a device function link unit for acquiring access information for accessing a device function presentation unit and providing the access information to the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web browser function.

10. An information processing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the device function presentation unit enables use of at least a part of the function of at least two of the information processing apparatuses compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method from the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web browser function by the html format.

11. An information processing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the browser support unit includes the UPnP content presentation unit for acquiring content-associated information from the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method and providing the content-associated information to the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web browser function.

12. An information processing device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the UPnP content presentation unit provides only the information usable in the information processing unit compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web browser function among the content-associated information acquired from the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method, to the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web browser function.

4. A network system including an information processing apparatus compatible with an information processing apparatus of a universal-plug-and-play (UPnP) control system which is a control system of a device connected to a network and an information processing apparatus compatible with a Web based discovery and control method which is a control system of a device using a Web browser function or a Web server function, wherein

the system further includes an information processing apparatus having a server support unit for performing conversion between the UPnP discovery and control method and the Web based discovery and control method so as to utilize the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function from the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method.

5. A method for controlling a network system including an information processing apparatus compatible with an information processing apparatus of an UPnP discovery and control method which is a control system of a device connected to a network and an information processing apparatus compatible with a control system of a device using a Web browser function or a Web server function, wherein

the method includes a step for performing conversion between the UPnP discovery and control method and the Web based discovery and control method so as to utilize the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function from the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method.

6. An information processing apparatus connected to a network, wherein

the device includes a server support unit for performing conversion between an UPnP discovery and control method and a Web based discovery and control method so as to utilize the information processing apparatus connected to the network and compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having a Web server function, from the information processing apparatus connected to the network and compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method which is a control system of a device connected to a network.

13. An information processing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the server support unit includes a connection detection unit for detecting the network connection/disconnection state of the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function and providing the information based on the connection/disconnection state to the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method.

14. An information processing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the server support unit includes a device unit for providing at least a part of the function provided by the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function as the UPnP function to the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method.

15. An information processing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the server support unit includes a proxy response unit for responding to the device information acquisition request and the device control instruction from the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method instead of the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function.

16. An information processing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the server support unit includes a server function presentation unit for cooperating with the server function to respond, using the UPnP protocol, to the device information acquisition request, the device function operation request, and the device state acquisition request made by the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method to the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function.

17. An information processing device as claimed in claim 13, wherein in the connection detection unit, the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function performs communication by the Internet protocol and the connection detection unit identifies the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function by using the medium access control address information on the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function.

18. An information processing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the server support unit includes an html content presentation unit capable of providing content-associated information held by the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function used by the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method, to the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method.

19. An information processing device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the html content presentation unit provides only the information usable in the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method among the content-associated information acquired from the information processing apparatus compatible with the Web based discovery and control method having the Web server function, to the information processing apparatus compatible with the UPnP discovery and control method.