NETWORK SYSTEM

• US 20090055524A1
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hatanaka, Tomoyuki, Oda, Tomohiro, Komoda, Yoshiyuki, Tokunaga, Yoshihiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/365 Application layer names, e.g. buddy names, unstructured names chosen by a user or home appliance name
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A network system suitable for remote monitoring or remote control of equipments is provided. When an execution of a server-side object is requested from a client terminal device to a server, the server requests an execution of an equipment-side object to the equipment(s). The execution request of the server-side object from the client terminal device is performed by use of a first identifier assigned to the server-side object, and the execution request of the equipment-side object is performed by use of a second identifier assigned to the equipment-side object. Since the server has an identifier setting function of setting a correspondence relation between the first identifier and the second identifier, it is possible to reduce burden on the client terminal device, and flexibly cope with cases of exchanging and increasing the equipment(s) in the network system without considering specific identification information of the equipments such as IP address.

Claims

1. A network system comprising at least one equipment, a client terminal device, and a server connected between said equipment and said client terminal device via a network, and configured such that said client terminal device requests an execution of a server-side object to said server, and then said server requests an execution of an equipment-side object to said equipment,

the execution request of said server-side object from said client terminal device is performed by use of a first identifier assigned to said server-side object, and the execution request of said equipment-side object from said server is performed by use of a second identifier assigned to said equipment-side object,

said second identifier comprises at least one identifier defined according to a function of said equipment, which executes said equipment-side object according to the execution request of said server-side object using said first identifier from said client terminal device, and

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

2. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the number of said second identifier of said equipment-side object associated with said first identifier of said server-side object is increased or decreased in response to an increase or decrease in the number of services provided when said equipment executes said equipment-side object according to the execution request of said server-side object from said client terminal device.

3. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second identifier includes at least one of a unique identifier of said equipment-side object and an interface identifier defined according to a function of said equipment, and

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

4. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first identifier includes a unique identifier of said server-side object and at least one interface identifier defined according to contents of a provision service for client,

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

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 is set in said identifier setting portion.

5. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one equipment comprises a plurality of equipments having equipment-side objects with different second identifiers, and

the correspondence relation between said first identifier and said second identifiers is set in said identifier setting portion such that said server performs execution requests of said equipment-side objects to said equipments by use of said different second identifiers according to the execution request of said server-side object using said first identifier from said client terminal device.

6. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one equipment comprises an equipment having a plurality of equipment-side objects with different second identifiers, and

the correspondence relation between said first identifier and said second identifiers is set in said identifier setting portion such that said server performs execution requests of said equipment-side objects to said equipment by use of said different second identifiers according to the execution request of said server-side object using said first identifier from said client terminal device.

7. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said server further comprises a data receiving portion configured to acquire, from said equipment, data obtained when said equipment has executed said equipment-side object, and a service providing portion configured to send a provision service for client to said client terminal device according to the data acquired by said data receiving portion.

8. The network system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said server receives the data obtained when said equipment has executed said equipment-side object according to the execution request of said server-side object from said client terminal device, then converts the received data into the provision service for client, which is defined according to said server-side object, and sends the provision service to said client terminal device.

9. The network system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said service providing portion deletes undesired data from the data acquired by said data receiving portion according to a predetermined condition, and then sends it to said client terminal device as the provision service for client.

10. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first identifier includes a unique identifier of said server-side object, and at least one interface identifier defined according to contents of a provision service for client, and

said server increases or decreases the number of said interface identifier in the correspondence relation between said first identifier and said second identifier according to a content requested by said client terminal device.

11. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first identifier includes a unique identifier of said server-side object and an interface identifier defined according to contents of a provision service for client,

said server increases or decreases the number of definition of the provision service for client of said interface identifier according to contents requested by said client terminal device.

12. The network system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said equipment comprises a function portion configured to execute processing for providing a service of said equipment, and an information processing portion configured to give to and receive from said function portion information defined in said equipment-side object and needed to provide the service,

said server comprises a service provision function portion configured to receive the execution request of said server-side object using said first identifier from said client terminal device, and a service request function portion configured to perform the execution request of said equipment-side object using said second identifier to said equipment via the network, and give to and receive from said equipment information corresponding to the service, and

said client terminal device has a client function portion configured to receive from said service request function portion a provision service for client, which is prepared by use of the information.

13. The network system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the information defined in said equipment-side object is a variable showing a current status of said function portion, which is sent back to said server when said equipment-side object is accessed by a request of said server.

14. The network system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the information defined in said equipment-side object is event information, which is sent to said server when a status change of said function portion occurs in a case where said equipment-side object is previously accessed by said server.

15. The network system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the information defined in said equipment-side object is an operation instruction function for service provision, which is given from said information processing portion to the said function portion when said equipment-side object is accessed from said server.

16. The network system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said service provision function portion has a definition needed to convert information corresponding to the service into the provision service for client,

said service request function portion prepares the provision service for client by use of the information corresponding to the service acquired from said equipment and the definition of said service provision function portion.