REMOTE OPERATION SYSTEM, RELAY DEVICE, COMMUNICATION DEVICE, AND REMOTE OPERATION METHOD

• US 20130283399A1
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC CASIO Mobile Communications Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Uchida, Kaoru
• Granted Patent: US 9,497,193 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/29
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

The present invention provides a remote operation system, a relay device, a communication device, and a remote operation method which are capable of executing collective remote operations. The remote operation system according to the present invention includes communication devices (10); an external device (50) that specifies at least one communication device as a target of a remote operation among the communication devices (10), and accepts an input of a remote operation content to be executed for the specified communication device; and relay means for relaying communication between the specified communication devices (10) and the external device (50). The relay means includes storage means for storing the remote operation content accepted by the external device (50), and notification means for notifying the specified communication device of the remote operation content.

Claims

1. A remote operation system comprising:

communication devices;

an external device that specifies at least one communication device as a target for a remote operation among the communication devices, and accepts an input of a remote operation content to be executed for the specified communication device; and

a relay unit that relays communication between the specified communication device and the external device,

wherein the relay unit comprises;

a storage unit that stores the remote operation content accepted by the external device; and

a notification unit that notifies the specified communication device of the remote operation content.

2. The remote operation system according to claim 1, wherein the relay unit rejects storage of the operation content by the storage unit or notification of the operation content by the notification unit when the remote operation content accepted by the external device is an operation content that is not authorized by the external device.

3. The remote operation system according to claim 1, wherein the communication devices further comprise:

an internal function processing unit; and

an access management unit that checks whether an access authorization function is activated, and accepting the notification of the remote operation content by the notification unit to cause the internal function processing unit to operate when the access authorization function is activated.

4. The remote operation system according to claim 3, wherein the access management unit notifies the relay unit of the activation of the access authorization function, and the notification unit starts notifying the remote operation content stored in the storage unit in response to the notification of the activation of the access authorization function from the access management unit.

5. The remote operation system according to claim 3, wherein the access authorization function is activated in response to an activation instruction from a user.

6. The remote operation system according to claim 3, wherein the access authorization function is activated at a preset timing.

7. The remote operation system according to claim 3, wherein the access management unit manages, in a manner associated with each other, the respective external devices and remote operation contents notified by one or more of the notification unit, and activates the access authorization function when the remote operation contents managed in the manner associated with the external devices are notified by the notification unit.

8. The remote operation system according to claim 3, wherein upon completion of the operation of the internal function processing unit according to the remote operation content for the communication device stored in the storage unit, the access management unit deactivates the access authorization function.

9. The remote operation system according to claim 3, wherein when there is an interrupt operation for the communication device before completion of the operation of the internal function processing unit according to the remote operation content for the communication device stored in the storage unit, the access management unit deactivates the access authorization function and executes the interrupt operation.

10. The remote operation system according to claim 3, wherein

when the access authorization function is deactivated before completion of the operation of the internal function processing unit according to the remote operation content for the communication device stored in the storage unit, the storage unit stores remote operation contents completed by a time when the access authorization function is deactivated, and

the notification unit skips notification of the completed remote operation contents when the access authorization function is reactivated.

11. The remote operation system according to claim 8, wherein the execution of the interrupt operation is waited until the access authorization function is deactivated, when there is an interrupt operation for the communication device before completion of the operation of the internal function processing unit according to the remote operation content for the communication device stored in the storage unit.

12. The remote operation system according to claim 1, further comprising a relay server,

wherein the relay server comprises the relay unit.

13. The remote operation system according to claim 1, wherein the external device comprises the relay unit.

14. A relay device comprising:

a relay unit that relays communication between communication devices and an external device that specifies at least one communication device as a target for a remote operation among the communication devices and accepts an input of a remote operation content to be executed for the specified communication device;

a storage unit that stores the remote operation content accepted by the external device; and

a notification unit that notifies the specified communication device of the remote operation content.

15. The relay device according to claims 14, wherein when the remote operation content accepted by the external device is an operation content that is not authorized by the external device, storage of the operation content by the storage unit or notification of the operation content by the notification unit is rejected.

16. The relay device according to claim 14, wherein upon receiving, from the communication device, a notification indicating that an access authorization function is activated and informing that the communication device is in a state of being able to accept a remote operation, the notification unit starts notification of the remote operation content for the communication device stored in the storage unit.

17. A communication device comprising:

an internal function processing unit; and

an access management unit that detects whether an access authorization function is activated, accepting a remote operation from an external device when the access authorization function is activated, and causing the internal function processing unit to operate,

wherein the access management unit causes the internal function processing unit to operate according to a remote operation content preliminarily input from the external device.

18. The communication device according to claim 17, wherein the access management unit notifies that the access authorization function is activated.

19. The communication device according to claim 17, wherein the access management unit activates the access authorization function in response to an activation instruction from a user.

20. The communication device according to claim 17, wherein the access management unit activates the access authorization function at a preset timing.

21. The communication device according to claim 17, wherein the access management unit manages, in a manner associated with each other, the respective external devices and remote operation contents executed by one or more of the execution unit, and activates the access authorization function when the external devices accept the remote operation contents managed in the manner associated with the external devices.

22. A remote operation method in a remote operation system including communication devices;

an external device that accepts an input of a remote operation content to be executed for the communication device; and

a relay device that relays communication between the specified communication device and the external device, the remote operation method comprising;

specifying, in the external device, at least one communication device as a target for a remote operation among the communication devices, and accepting an input of a remote operation content to be execute for the specified communication device; and

storing, in the relay device, the remote operation content accepted by the external device, and notifying the specified communication device of the remote operation content.

23. The remote operation method according to claim 22, further comprising rejecting, in the relay device, storage or notification of the remote operation content when the remote operation content accepted by the external device is an operation content that is not authorized by the external device.

24. The remote operation method according to claim 22, further comprising:

detecting, in the communication device, whether an access authorization function is activated, and accepting notification of the remote operation content when the access authorization function is activated; and

starting processing of an internal function according to the remote operation content.

25. The remote operation method according to claim 24, further comprising notifying, in the communication device, the relay device that the access authorization function is activated.

26. The remote operation method according to claim 24, further comprising activating, in the communication device, the access authorization function in response to an activation instruction from a user.

27. The remote operation method according to claim 24, further comprising activating, in the communication device, the access authorization function at a preset timing.

28. The remote operation method according to claim 24, wherein the respective external devices and remote operation contents notified by one or more of a notification unit are managed in a manner associated with each other, and the access authorization function is activated upon notification of the remote operation contents managed in the manner associated with the external devices in the notifying the remote operation content of the relay device.

29. The remote operation method according to claim 24, wherein the access authorization function is deactivated upon completion of the internal function according to the remote operation content for the communication device.

30. The remote operation method according to claim 24, wherein when there is an interrupt operation for the communication device before completion of processing of the internal function according to the remote operation content for the communication device, the access authorization function is deactivated and the interrupt operation is executed.

31. The remote operation method according to claim 24, wherein when the access authorization function is deactivated before completion of processing of the internal function according to the remote operation content for the communication device, remote operation contents completed by a time when the access authorization function is deactivated is stored in the relay device, and notification of the completed remote operation contents is skipped when the access authorization function is reactivated.

32. The remote operation method according to claim 29, wherein when there is an interrupt operation for the communication device before completion of processing of the internal function according to the remote operation content for the communication device, execution of the interrupt operation is waited until the access authorization function is deactivated.

33. A remote operation system comprising:

communication devices;

an external device that specifies at least one communication device as a target for a remote operation among the communication devices, and accepts an input of a remote operation content to be executed for the specified communication device; and

relay means for relaying communication between the specified communication device and the external device,

wherein the relay means comprises;

storage means for storing the remote operation content accepted by the external device; and

notification means for notifying the specified communication device of the remote operation content.

34. A relay device comprising:

means for relaying communication between communication devices and an external device that specifies at least one communication device as a target for a remote operation among the communication devices and accepts an input of a remote operation content to be executed for the specified communication device;

storage means for storing the remote operation content accepted by the external device; and

notification means for notifying the specified communication device of the remote operation content.

35. A communication device comprising:

internal function processing means; and

access management means for detecting whether an access authorization function is activated, accepting a remote operation from an external device when the access authorization function is activated, and causing the internal function processing means to operate,

wherein the access management means causes the internal function processing means to operate according to a remote operation content preliminarily input from the external device.