SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING TIMER VIA NETWORK

• US 20080123474A1
• Filed: 07/03/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Jung, Joon Young, Lee, Jeun Woo, Ryoo, Dong Wan
• Granted Patent: US 7,602,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/55
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 9/00 Electrically-actuated devices for setting the time-indicating means of slave clocks G04C13/03; mechanical setting devices G04B27/00; radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 5/00 Setting, i.e. correcting or changing, the time-indication radio-controlled time-pieces G04R

Abstract

A timer control device controlling at least one timer-controlled device having a timer built therein via a network, the time control device including: a timer setting unit setting an operating time and an operating method of the timer built in the at least one timer-controlled device; a timer absolute time provider providing a standard time of an area in which the timer control device is located; a control message generator generating a control message by combining the operating time and operating method of the timer of the timer setting unit with the standard time of the timer absolute time provider; and a control message transmitter transmitting the control message generated by the control message generator to the at least one timer-controlled device.

Claims

1. A timer control device controlling at least one timer-controlled device having a timer built therein via a network, the timer control device comprising:

a timer setting unit setting an operating time and an operating method of the timer built in the at least one timer-controlled device;

a timer absolute time provider providing a standard time of an area in which the timer control device is located;

a control message generator generating a control message by combining the operating time and operating method of the timer of the timer setting unit with the standard time of the timer absolute time provider; and

a control message transmitter transmitting the control message generated by the control message generator to the at least one timer-controlled device.

2. The timer control device of claim 1, wherein the timer absolute time provider provides a time zone based on Greenwich mean time, the time zone corresponding to the area in which the timer control device is located.

3. The timer control device of claim 1, wherein the control message comprises:

a control method field for describing the operating method of the timer;

an absolute time field for displaying the standard time of the area in which the timer control device is located; and

a timer time field for displaying the operating time of the timer.

4. The timer control device of claim 3, wherein the absolute time field displays the time zone based on Greenwich mean time, the time zone corresponding to the area in which the timer control device is located.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a timer driver operating the timer of the timer control device to be identical to the operating time set by the timer setting unit; and

a timer display unit displaying the operating time of the timer driver, the time zone of the absolute time provider, and the standard time of the area.

6. A timer-controlled device comprising:

a control message receiver receiving a message via a network;

a control message analyzer analyzing the message received by the control message receiver and extracting an operating time and operating method of a timer and a standard time of an area from which the message is transmitted;

a controlled timer absolute time provider providing a standard time of an area in which the timer-controlled device is located; and

a controlled timer setting unit operating the timer according to the operating time and operating method of the timer.

7. The timer-controlled device of claim 6, further comprising a time adjuster comparing the standard time extracted by the control message analyzer with the standard time provided by the controlled timer absolute time provider and adjusting the operating time of the timer, extracted by the control message analyzer by a time difference therebetween.

8. The timer-controlled device of claim 6, further comprising a controlled timer display unit displaying a time set by the controlled timer setting unit and the standard time provided by the controlled timer absolute time provider.

9. The timer-controlled device of claim 6, wherein the control message analyzer further extracts a time zone of the area from which the message is transmitted.

10. The timer-controlled device of claim 9, wherein the controlled timer absolute time provider further provides a time zone of the area in which the timer-controlled device is located.

11. The timer-controlled device of claim 10, wherein the time adjuster compares the time zone extracted from the control message with the time zone provided by the controlled timer absolute time provider, adjusts the standard time of the control message by a time difference therebetween, compares the adjusted standard time with the standard time of the controlled timer absolute time provider, and adjusts the operating time of the timer by a time difference therebetween.

12. A timer control system comprising:

a timer control device comprising;

a timer setting unit setting an operating time and an operating method of the timer built in the at least one timer-controlled device;

a timer absolute time provider providing a standard time of an area in which the timer control device is located;

a control message generator generating a control message by combining the operating time and operating method of the timer of the timer setting unit with the standard time of the timer absolute time provider; and

a control message transmitter transmitting the control message generated by the control message generator to the at least one timer-controlled device; and

at least one timer-controlled device comprising;

a control message receiver receiving a message via a network;

a control message analyzer analyzing the message received by the control message receiver and extracting an operating time and operating method of a timer and a standard time of an area from which the message is transmitted;

a controlled timer absolute time provider providing a standard time of an area in which the timer-controlled device is located;

a time adjuster comparing the standard time extracted by the control message analyzer with the standard time provided by the controlled timer absolute time provider and adjusting the operating time of the timer, extracted by the control message analyzer by a time difference therebetween; and

a controlled timer setting unit operating the timer according to the operating time of the timer, adjusted by the time adjuster.