Method for controlling wireless appliances using short message service, home network system and mobile terminal

• US 20070197236A1
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ahn, Sang-Jun, Han, Young-Seop, Choi, Woo-Jun, Bae, Young-Kyu
• Granted Patent: US 7,778,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• 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 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• 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 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Disclosed are a system and method for controlling home appliances using a short message service. When receiving a short message including an access code from a mobile terminal, the home server checks the status of the connected home appliances and sends a short message including control codes corresponding to the status of the home appliances to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal checks the control codes to confirm the status of the home appliances, and displays corresponding images. When the user requests to control the status of a specific home appliance, the mobile terminal automatically generates a corresponding short message and sends the short message to the home server. The home server checks the message, controls the corresponding home appliance, and then sends a short message including current status information of the controlled home appliance to the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A method for controlling home appliances using a short message service in a home network system which includes a home server, a mobile terminal for communicating with the home server through a mobile communication network, and at least one home appliance connected wirelessly to the home server, said method comprising:

generating, by the mobile terminal, a short message including a previously stored access code when an access request to the home server is inputted by a user, and sending the short message to the home server;

receiving, by the home server, the short message requesting access from the mobile terminal, the home server generating a short message including control codes corresponding to the status of each home appliance and sending the generated short message to the mobile terminal; and

receiving, by the mobile terminal, the short message including status information of each home appliance, the mobile terminal checking the control codes included in the short message to confirm the status of each home appliance, and displaying an image representing the status of each home appliance.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the mobile terminal, a short message including control codes for controlling a specific home appliance and sending the short message to the home server when a request for controlling the status of the home appliance is inputted by the user;

receiving, by the home server, the short message requesting for control of the home appliance, the home server checking the control codes included in the received short message to control the corresponding home appliance, and sending a short message including control codes representing current status of the controlled home appliance; and

receiving, by the mobile terminal, the short message including current status information of the controlled home appliance, the mobile terminal checking the control codes included in the received short message to confirm the current status of the controlled home appliance, and displaying an image representing the status of each home appliance.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

storing, by the mobile terminal, an image file for composing graphic user interfaces using control codes representing the status of the home appliances; and

reading out, by the mobile terminal, images representing the status of the home appliances from the stored image file and displaying the images to show the current status of the home appliances.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing, by the mobile terminal, a data table including first control codes representing types of home appliances, second control codes representing locations of the home appliances, and third control codes representing the status of the home appliances.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said control codes representing current status of a home appliance are a combination of one of the first control codes, one of the second control codes and one of the third control codes.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

confirming, by the home server, whether the mobile terminal is accessing the home server for a first time, when receiving the short message requesting access from the mobile terminal; and

generating, by the home server, a multimedia message including an image file for composing graphic user interfaces using the control codes representing the status of each home appliance and whether the mobile terminal is accessing the home server for the first time.

7. A home network system, comprising:

a mobile terminal for automatically generating a short message including a previously stored access code when an access request to a home server is inputted by a user, sending the short message to the home server, receiving a short message including status information of each home appliance from the home server, checking control codes included in the received short message to confirm the status of each home appliance, and displaying an image representing the status of each home appliance; and

the home server for checking connected home appliances when receiving a short message requesting access from the mobile terminal, generating a short message including control codes corresponding to the status of each home appliance, and sending the generated short message to the mobile terminal.

8. The home network system according to claim 7, wherein said mobile terminal automatically generates a short message including- control codes for controlling a specific home appliance and sends the short message to the home server when a request for controlling the status of the home appliance is inputted by the user, receives a short message including current status information of the controlled home appliance from the home server, checks the control codes included in the received short message to confirm the current status of the controlled home appliance, and displays an image representing the status of each home appliance.

9. The home network system according to claim 8, wherein said home server receives the short message requesting for control of the home appliance, checks the control codes included in the received short message to control the corresponding home appliance, and sends a short message including control codes representing current status of the controlled home appliance.

10. The home network system according to claim 7, wherein said mobile terminal includes a memory for storing an image file to compose graphic user interfaces using control codes representing the status of the home appliances, and reads out images representing the status of the home appliances from the stored image file in order to display the images to show the current status of the home appliances.

11. The home network system according to claim 7, wherein said mobile terminal includes a memory for storing a data table including first control codes representing types of home appliances, second control codes representing locations of the home appliances, and third control codes representing the status of the home appliances.

12. The home network system according to claim 11, wherein said control codes representing current status of a home appliance are a combination of one of the first control codes, one of the second control codes and one of the third control codes.

13. The home network system according to claim 7, wherein said home server generates a multimedia message including an image file for composing graphic user interfaces using the control codes representing the status of the home appliances and whether the mobile terminal is accessing the home server for a first time.

14. A mobile terminal for controlling home appliances using a short message service in a home network system which includes a home server, the mobile terminal for communicating with the home server through a mobile communication network, and at least one home appliance connected wirelessly to the home server, the mobile terminal comprising:

a memory for storing a table including first control codes representing types of home appliances, second control codes representing locations of the home appliances, and third control codes representing a status of the home appliances; and

a control unit for automatically generating a short message including a previously stored access code when an access request to the home server is inputted by a user, and sending the short message to the home server.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 14, wherein said memory stores an image file for composing graphic user interfaces GUI using control codes representing the status of the home appliances.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 14, wherein said control unit automatically generates a short message including control codes for controlling a specific home appliance and sends the short message to the home server when a request for controlling the status of the home appliance is inputted by the user.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 14, wherein said control unit receives a short message including current status information of the home appliances, checks the control codes included in the received short message to confirm the current status of the home appliances, and displays an image representing the status of each home appliance.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 14, wherein said control codes representing current status of a home appliance are a combination of one of the first control codes, one of the second control codes and one of the third control codes.