Remote control system and method for portable terminals

• US 20080160971A1
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Sung, Jong-Hi, Jeon, Yeong-Hyo
• Granted Patent: US 8,548,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/61 Password, biometric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances

Abstract

Provided are a remote control system and method for controlling portable terminals. The remote control system includes a control terminal which is a portable terminal that performs a remote control operation, a target terminal which is a portable terminal that is subject to the remote control operation performed by the control terminal, and a remote control management server which determines whether the control terminal and the target terminal are heterogeneous, and if the two terminals are heterogeneous, converts messages respectively transmitted from the control terminal and the target terminal to a format conforming to corresponding receiving terminals.

Claims

1. A remote control system for portable terminals, comprising:

a control terminal which is a portable terminal that performs a remote control operation;

a target terminal which is a portable terminal that is subject to the remote control operation performed by the control terminal; and

a remote control management server which determines whether the control terminal and the target terminal are heterogeneous, and if the two terminals are heterogeneous, converts messages respectively transmitted from the control terminal and the target terminal to a format conforming to corresponding receiving terminals.

2. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the control terminal comprises:

an input unit for detecting input of a remote control command;

a communication unit for transmitting and receiving the messages required for remote control by communicating with the remote control management server;

an audio output unit for outputting audio data received from the target terminal;

a display unit for outputting video data received from the target terminal; and

a control request processor for generating a remote control request message and transmitting it to the remote control management server upon detecting a remote control event, for generating a remote control command message including the remote control command received through the input unit and transmitting it to the remote control management server upon receiving a remote control grant message, and for outputting video and audio data to the display unit and the audio output unit upon receiving a remote control response message from the target terminal.

3. The remote control system of claim 1, wherein the target terminal comprises:

a communication unit for transmitting and receiving the messages required for remote control communicating with the remote control management server; and

a control response processor for performing an authentication process upon receiving the remote control request message, for generating the remote control grant message and transmitting it to the control terminal via the remote control management server if the result of the authentication process shows that the remote control request is valid, and for executing the remote control command included in the remote control command message upon receiving the remote control command message from the control terminal via the remote control management server.

4. The remote control system of claim 3,

wherein the target terminal further comprises a memory for storing the password for authentication and a control grant list including information on at least one portable terminal that has granted the use of remote control;

and further

wherein, in the control response processor, if the authentication process is based on a password, authentication is achieved such that a password request is sent to the control terminal via the remote control management server, and upon receiving a password, authentication is determined by comparing the received password with a password pre-stored in the memory, if the authentication process is based on registered terminal information, authentication is achieved such that the control terminal to be authenticated is checked as to whether it is included in the control grant list stored in the memory, and if the authentication process is based on a user, authentication is achieved such that it is performed by the user of the target terminal.

5. The remote control system of claim 3, wherein, upon detecting the modification of video data or the output of audio data, the control response processor allows the remote control response message including the video data or the audio data to be generated and allows the remote control management server to transmit the remote control response message to the control terminal.

6. The remote control system of claim 1, further comprising:

a terminal information DataBase (DB) for storing specification (spec) information of the control terminal and the target terminal;

a key mapper for converting the remote control command, which corresponds to input key information and is included in the remote control command message received from the control terminal, to a format conforming to the target terminal according to the spec information of the target terminal when the control terminal and the target terminal are heterogeneous;

a video converter for converting video data, which is included in the remote control response message received from the target terminal, to a format conforming to the control terminal according to the spec information of the control terminal when the control terminal and the target terminal are heterogeneous;

an audio converter for converting audio data, which is included in the remote control response message received from the target terminal, to a format conforming to the control terminal according to the spec information of the control terminal when the control terminal and the target terminal are heterogeneous; and

a relay processor for selecting the target terminal upon receiving the remote control request message from the control terminal and transmitting the received remote control request message to the selected target terminal, for searching the terminal information DB to check spec information of the control terminal and the target terminal upon selecting the remote control grant message from the target terminal so as to determine whether the two terminals are heterogeneous, and if the two terminals are heterogeneous, for converting a message to be relayed to a format conforming to a receiving terminal by using the key mapper, the video converter, and the audio converter and transmitting the converted message to the receiving terminal.

7. A remote control method for a control terminal in a remote control system, comprising the steps of:

generating, upon detecting a remote control event, a remote control request message including information on a target terminal and transmitting it to the target terminal via a remote control management server;

checking, upon receiving a remote control grant message from the target terminal via the remote control management server, whether a remote control response message is received; and

outputting, upon receiving the remote control response message, video data or audio data included in the remote control response message.

8. The remote control method of claim 7, further comprising, after the step of transmitting the remote control request message, receiving a password for authentication at the request of the target terminal and transmitting the password to the target terminal via the remote control management server.

9. The remote control method of claim 7, further comprising, after the step of receiving the remote control grant message, upon detecting a remote control command for controlling the target terminal, generating a remote control command message including the remote control command and transmitting it to the target terminal via the remote control management server.

10. The remote control method of claim 7, further comprising, upon detecting a remote control end event, generating a remote control end message and transmitting it to the target terminal via the remote control management server.

11. The remote control method of claim 7, further comprising, upon receiving the remote control end message from the target terminal, outputting a message indicating the completion of remote control and then ending the remote control.

12. A remote control method for a target terminal in a remote control system, comprising the steps of:

determining, upon receiving a remote control request message, the validity of remote control request by performing an authentication process;

generating, if the remote control request is valid, a remote control grant message and transmitting the message to a control terminal via a remote control management server;

generating a remote control response message including video and audio data to be output; and

transmitting the remote control response message to the control terminal via the remote control management server.

13. The remote control method of claim 12, wherein, in the step of determining the validity of remote control request, if the authentication process is based on a password, authentication is achieved such that a password request is sent to the control terminal via the remote control management server, and upon receiving a password, authentication is determined by comparing the received password with a password stored in the memory, if the authentication process is based on registered terminal information, authentication is achieved such that the control terminal to be authenticated is checked as to whether it is included in the control grant list stored in the memory, and if the authentication process is based on a user, authentication is achieved such that it is performed by the user of the target terminal.

14. The remote control method of claim 12, further comprising, after the step of transmitting the remote control message, upon receiving a remote control command message from the control terminal via the remote control management server, executing a remote control command included in the remote control command message.

15. The remote control method of claim 12, wherein, in the step of generating the remote control response message including video and/or audio data to be output, the video and/or audio data is periodically output within a time interval.

16. The remote control method of claim 12, wherein, in the step of generating the remote control response message including video and/or audio data to be output, the remote control response message including the video data and/or the audio data is generated upon detecting the modification of the video data and/or the output of the audio data.

17. The remote control method of claim 12, further comprising, upon detecting a remote control end event, generating a remote control end message and transmitting it to the control terminal via the remote control management server.

18. The remote control method of claim 12, further comprising, upon receiving the remote control end message from the control terminal, outputting a message indicating the completion of remote control and ending the remote control.

19. A remote control relay method for a remote control management server in a remote control system, comprising the steps of:

selecting, upon receiving a remote control request message from a control terminal, a target terminal and transmitting the received remote control request message to the target terminal;

transmitting, after receiving the remote control request message, a remote control grant message to the control terminal upon receiving the remote control grant message from the target terminal;

checking, after transmitting the remote control grant message to the control terminal, specification (spec) information of the control terminal and the target terminal; and

converting, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are heterogeneous, a received message to a format conforming to a receiving terminal and transmitting the message to the receiving terminal, and if the two terminals are not heterogeneous, relaying the remote control command between the two terminals by transmitting the received message.

20. The remote control relay method of claim 19, wherein the step of relaying the remote control command between the two terminals comprises:

converting, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are heterogeneous, video and/or audio data included in a remote control response message to a format conforming to the control terminal by using the spec information of the two terminals upon receiving the remote control response message from the target terminal, and

transmitting the converted remote control response message to the control terminal.

21. The remote control relay method of claim 20, wherein the step of relaying the remote control command of the two terminals comprises:

converting, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are heterogeneous, a remote control command, which corresponds to input key information and is included in the remote control command message, to a format conforming to the target terminal by using the spec information of the two terminals upon receiving the remote control command message from the control terminal; and

transmitting the converted remote control command message to the target terminal.

22. The remote control relay method of claim 19, wherein the step of relaying the remote control command between two terminals comprises, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are homogeneous, transmitting the remote control command message to the target terminal upon receiving the remote control command message from the control terminal.

23. The remote control relay method of claim 19, wherein the step of relaying the remote control command between two terminals comprises, if the checking result shows that the two terminals are homogeneous, transmitting the remote control response message to the control terminal upon receiving the remote control response message from the target terminal.

24. The remote control relay method of claim 19, further comprising, after the step of transmitting the remote control request message, transmitting a remote control error message to the control terminal upon receiving the remote control error message from the target terminal.

25. The remote control relay method of claim 19, wherein, in the step of checking spec information of the control terminal and the target terminal, the spec information of the two terminals is checked by searching a terminal information DataBase (DB) included in the remote control management server, is respectively provided by manufacturers of the two terminals, or is received from the two terminals.