NETWORK SYSTEM

• US 20090016235A1
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hatanaka, Tomoyuki, Oda, Tomohiro, Komoda, Yoshiyuki, Tokunaga, Yoshihiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,089,896 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• 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 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components

Abstract

A network system is provided, in which a system change can be easily performed by adding or exchanging an equipment(s) to be controlled or monitored. The equipment has an object with an object identifier defined according to a service content provided by the equipment. Upon the receipt of a service request using the object identifier from a network device connected to the equipment via a network, the equipment executes the service defined in the object according to this service request. By assigning a same object identifier to objects of a plurality of equipments, it is possible to provide the same service from those equipments according to the service request performed from the network device by use of the same object identifier.

Claims

1. A network system comprising a plurality of equipments and a network device connected to said equipments via a network, and configured such that said equipment(s) executes an object according to a service request input from said network device,

wherein an object identifier is assigned to said object,

said network device has an identifier specifying portion configured to specify said object identifier,

said equipments comprise plural equipments having objects, to which a same object identifier is assigned, and

when said network device performs the service request by use of the same object identifier specified by said identifier specifying portion, the plural equipments provide same service, which is defined in said objects having the same object identifier.

2. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said equipments comprise an equipment having plural objects, to which different object identifiers are assigned, and

when said network device performs the service request by use of one of the different object identifiers specified by said identifier specifying portion, the equipment provides a service defined in said object having the specified object identifier.

5. The network system as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein each of said equipments comprises a function portion configured to execute processing for providing the service of said equipment, and an information processing portion configured to give and receive information defined in said object and needed to provide the service with said function portion.

6. The network system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the information defined in said object is a variable showing a current status of said function portion, which is provided to said network device when said object is accessed by the request of said network device.

7. The network system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the information defined in said object is event information, which is provided to said network device when a status change of said function portion occurs under a condition that said object is previously accessed by said network device.

8. The network system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the information defined in said object is an operation instruction function for providing a service, which is sent from said information processing portion to the said function portion when said object is accessed by said network device.

9. The network system as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein said object identifier comprises a unique identifier of said object of said equipment, and at least one interface identifier defined according to a function(s) of said equipment,

when said network device performs the service request by use of said object identifier, said object of said equipment corresponding to a combination of said unique identifier and said interface identifier is executed.

10. The network system as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein said network device comprises a client terminal device and a server connected between said equipments and said client terminal device via the network,

said server executes a server-side object according to a service request provided from said client terminal device, thereby performing a service request for executing an equipment-side object to said equipment(s),

said client terminal device performs the service request by use of a first identifier assigned to said server-side object, and said server performs the service request by use of a second identifier assigned to said equipment-side object,

said second identifier includes at least one identifier defined according to a function(s) of said equipment that executes said equipment-side object according to the service request for executing said server-side object provided from said client terminal device by use of said first identifier, and

said server has an identifier setting portion configured to set a correspondence relation between said first identifier and said second identifier.

11. The network system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said second identifier comprises a unique identifier of said equipment-side object and at least one interface identifier defined according to a function(s) of said equipment, and

said server has a routing function portion configured to prepare a routing table showing a relation between a combination of said unique identifier and said at least one interface identifier and connection address information for network communication used to access said object having said object identifier, and execute routing processing.

12. The network system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said first object identifier comprises a unique identifier of said server-side object and at least one interface identifier defined according to a service content(s) provided to a client,

said second object identifier comprises a unique identifier of said equipment-side object and at least one interface identifier defined according to a function(s) of said equipment, and

said identifier setting portion is configured to set the correspondence relation between a combination of said unique identifier and said at least one interface identifier of said first identifier and a combination of said unique identifier and said at least one interface identifier of said second identifier.

13. The network system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said server processes data, which is obtained by allowing said equipment(s) to execute said equipment-side object through the service request of said server-side object provided from said client terminal device, according to a content of said server-side object, and then sends the processed data to said client terminal device.

14. The network system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said server has functions of converting a prescribed communication protocol into SOAP and then sending the converted SOAP, and converting received SOAP into the prescribed communication protocol.

15. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said equipments comprise an equipment located at a house or a building.

3. A network system comprising a plurality of equipments and a network device connected to said equipments via a network, and configured such that said equipment(s) executes an object according to a service request input from said network device,

wherein an object identifier is assigned to said object;

said network device has an identifier specifying portion configured to specify said object identifier;

said equipments comprises an equipment having plural objects, to which different object identifiers are assigned, and

when said network device performs the service request by use of one of the different object identifiers specified by said identifier specifying portion, the equipment provides a service defined in said object having the specified object identifier.

4. The network system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said equipments comprise plural equipments having objects, to which a same object identifier is assigned;

when said network device performs the service request by use of the same object identifier specified by said identifier specifying portion, the plural equipments provide same service, which is defined in said objects having the same object identifier.