Network system

• US 8,219,658 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tokunaga, Yoshihiko, Hatanaka, Tomoyuki, Oda, Tomohiro, Komoda, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin, Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, PETER C
• Application Number:
  US12/162,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,931 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/225, 709/223, 705/5
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 equipment includes a function portion configured to execute processing for providing a service of said equipment, and an information processing portion having said equipment-said object, which is used when said function portion executes processing for providing the service,

said information processing portion configured to, when the information processing portion receives said execution request of said equipment-side object using said second identifier, execute said equipment-side object corresponding to said second identifier, and gives to and receives from said function portion information defined in said equipment-side object and needed to provide the service,

said server has a service provision function portion, a service request function portion, and an identifier setting portion configured to set a correspondence relation between said first identifier and said second identifier,

said service provision function portion has said server-side object and is configured to, upon receiving the execution request of said server-side object using said first identifier from said client terminal device, execute said server-side object corresponding to said first identifier,

said service request function portion is configured to, when said server-side object is executed, perform the execution request of said equipment-side object using said second identifier corresponding to said first identifier to said equipment via the network with reference to said correspondence relation set by said identifier setting portion, and give to and receive from said equipment information corresponding to the service,

said service provision function portion has a definition needed to convert information corresponding to the service into a provision service for client,

said service provision function portion is configured to convert said information corresponding to the service where said service request function portion acquired from said equipment into said provision service for client based on said definition, and

said client terminal device is configured to receive from said service provision function portion said provision service for client.

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 the number of the provision services for client 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 definitions of the provision service for client of said interface identifier according to the number of the provision services for client requested by said client terminal device.

12. The network system as set forth in claim 1, 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.

13. The network system as set forth in claim 1, 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.

14. The network system as set forth in claim 1, 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.