CONTROLLED DEVICE, CONTROL SYSTEM, AND MANAGEMENT DEVICE

• US 20090216854A1
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: OGASAWARA, Shuji
• Application Number:
  US12/388,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216854A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances

Abstract

An aspect of the invention provides a controlled device that comprises: a directory storing unit comprising: a process entry that indicates a process to be remotely controlled by a control device via a network; and a directory that manages a content associated with the process entry, which represents a response message to a remote control instruction on the process entry; a directory transmitter configured to transmit information on the directory stored in the directory storing unit to the control device via the network; an access request receiver configured to receive a remote control instruction from the control device, the remote control instruction for a specific process entry in the directory and received as an access request for a content associated with the specific process entry; and a controller configured to execute a process of the process entry associated with the access request received by the access request receiver.

Claims

1. A controlled device comprising:

a directory storing unit comprising;

a process entry that indicates a process to be remotely controlled by a control device via a network; and

a directory that manages a content associated with the process entry, which represents a response message to a remote control instruction on the process entry;

a directory transmitter configured to transmit information on the directory stored in the directory storing unit to the control device via the network;

an access request receiver configured to receive a remote control instruction from the control device, the remote control instruction for a specific process entry in the directory and received as an access request for a content associated with the specific process entry; and

a controller configured to execute a process of the process entry associated with the access request received by the access request receiver.

2. The controlled device of claim 1, further comprising a content transmitter configured to transmit the content in the directory storing unit to the control device via the network based on an instruction by the control device, wherein

the controller executes the process and instructs the content transmitter to transmit the content to the control device.

3. The controlled device of claim 1, wherein the directory storing unit hierarchically manages a plurality of the process entries of the controlled device on the basis of functions of processes of the process entries.

4. The controlled device of claim 1, wherein the directory storing unit stores the directory in which a plurality of the process entries of the controlled device are hierarchically represented according to meanings of the process entries, and in which contents are associated with the corresponding process entries of specific processes to be remotely controlled.

5. The controlled device of claim 1, wherein the directory storing unit stores the directory, in which a plurality of contents of different representation media are associated with one process entry.

6. The controlled device of claim 1, wherein

the directory conforms with a content directory service (CDS);

and

the directory storing unit stores the directory in which a plurality of contents associated with one process entry are represented as separate items, respectively.

7. The controlled device of claim 1, wherein

the directory conforms with a content directory service (CDS);

and

the directory storing unit stores the directory in which a plurality of contents associated with one process entry are represented as separate resources, respectively.

8. The controlled device of claim 1, wherein the access request receiver receives the access request with an identifier which uniquely specifies the content.

9. A control system with a control device and a controlled device to be remotely controlled by the control device via a network, the system comprising:

the controlled device comprising;

a first directory storing unit comprising;

a process entry that indicates a process to be remotely controlled by the control device via the network; and

a directory configured to manage a content associated with the process entry, which represents a response message to a remote control instruction on the process entry;

a directory transmitter configured to transmit information on the directory stored in the first directory storing unit to the control device via the network;

an access request receiver configured to receive a remote control instruction from the control device, the remote control instruction being on a specific process entry managed in the directory and being received as an access request for a content associated with the specific process entry;

a first controller configured to execute a process of the process entry associated with the access request received by the access request receiver; and

a content transmitter configured to transmit the content in the directory storing unit to the control device via the network based on an instruction by the first control device; and

the control device comprising;

a directory receiver configured to receive the information on the directory stored in the first directory storing unit via the network;

a second directory storing unit configured to store the information on the directory received by the directory receiver;

an acceptor configured to accept the remote control instruction on the process entry managed by the information on the directory held in the second directory storing unit;

a second controller configured to generate the access request for the content associated with the target process entry on the basis of the remote control instruction accepted by the acceptor;

an access request transmitter configured to transmit the access request generated by the second controller via the network; and

a content receiver configured to receive the content transmitted from the controlled device via the network.

10. The controlled device of claim 9, wherein the first directory storing unit hierarchically manages a plurality of the process entries of the controlled device on the basis of functions of processes of the process entries.

11. The controlled device of claim 9, wherein the first directory storing unit stores the directory in which a plurality of the process entries of the controlled device are hierarchically represented according to meanings of the process entries, and in which contents are associated with the corresponding process entries of specific processes to be remotely controlled.

12. The controlled device of claim 9, wherein the first directory storing unit stores a directory, in which a plurality of contents of different representation media are associated with one process entry.

13. The controlled device of claim 9, wherein

the directory conforms with a content directory service (CDS);

and

the first directory storing unit stores the directory, in which a plurality of contents associated with one process entry are represented as separate items, respectively.

14. The controlled device of claim 9, wherein

the directory conforms with a CDS;

and

the first directory storing unit stores the directory in which a plurality of contents associated with one process entry are represented as separate resources, respectively.

15. The controlled device of claim 9, wherein the access request receiver receives the access request with an identifier which uniquely specifies the content.

16. A management device that manages a controlled device to be remotely controlled, the management device comprising:

a directory storing unit configured to store;

a process entry that indicates a process of the controlled device to be remotely controlled by a control device via a network; and

a directory configured to manage a content associated with the process entry, which represents a response message to a remote control instruction on the process entry;

a directory transmitter configured to transmit information on the directory stored in the directory storing unit to the control device via the network;

an access request receiver configured to receive a remote control instruction from the control device, the remote control instruction being on a specific process entry managed in the directory and being received as an access request for a content associated with the specific process entry;

a controller configured to generate a control signal for instructing the controlled device to execute a process of the process entry associated with the access request received by the access request receiver; and

a control signal transmitter configured to transmit the control signal generated by the controller to the controlled device.

17. The management device of claim 16, further comprising a content transmitter configured to transmit the content to the control device via the network according to an instruction by the controller, wherein

the controller generates the control signal and instructs the content transmitter to transmit the content to the control device.