Network system, communication method, communication device, and computer-readable recording medium having communication program recorded thereon

• US 9,264,251 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2010
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Azuma, Akihiro, Takeuchi, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Steve
• Application Number:
  US13/502,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20120209916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,959 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/246, 709/231, 709/217, 348/552, 348/14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• 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 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204

Abstract

A network system includes a first communication device, a second communication device and a server. The communication device includes a storage unit storing first device information indicating a function of the communication device, and a communication unit for receiving second device information indicating a function of another communication device from the other communication device, transmitting the first and second device information to the server, and receiving first control information used by the first device from the server.

Claims

1. A network system comprising a first device, a plurality of second devices, and a server,

said first device including:

a first storage unit configured to store first device information indicating at least one of a function of said first device and a type of said first device; and

a first communication unit configured to receive, from a plurality of said second devices that are arranged nearby the first device, second device information indicating at least one of a function of said second device and a type of said second device, to transmit said second device information received from the plurality of second devices that are arranged nearby the first device and first device information to said server, and to receive first control information used by said first device from said server,

said second device including;

a second storage unit configured to store said second device information; and

a second communication unit configured to transmit said second device information to said first device, and to receive second control information used by said second device from said server,

said server including;

a server storage unit configured to store a plurality of functions, each of said plurality of functions being associated with said control information for using the function;

a control unit configured to extract said first control information for implementing a user interface via which said first device accepts a command from a user and second control information for remotely controlling said first device based on said first and second device information, by referring to said server storage unit; and

a server communication unit configured to transmit said first control information to said first device, and to transmit said second control information to each of said second devices that are arranged near the first device,

wherein said server storage unit stores the information indicating the function, the first control information, and the second control information, and

wherein said control unit is configured

to extract said first device information and said first control information being associated with the content transmitted from said server to said first device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content, and

to extract said second device information and said second control information being associated with the content transmitted from said server to said second device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

said server communication unit is configured to transmit said second control information to said second device via said first device.

3. The network system according to claim 2, wherein

said first communication unit is configured to transmit said first and second device information to said server in such a manner that it cannot be determined whether said first device or said second device has each of said functions.

4. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

said server communication unit is configured to transmit said second control information to said second device without passing said second control information through said first device.

5. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

said first communication unit includes:

a first communication interface configured to receive said second device information from said second device; and

a second communication interface configured to transmit said first and second device information to said server, and to receive said first control information from said server.

6. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

said server communication unit is configured to transmit the functions stored in said server storage unit to said first device, and

said first communication unit is configured to transmit, to said server, only a portion of said first device information corresponding to the functions stored in said server storage unit.

7. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

said server storage unit is configured to store a content in association with said function and said control information,

said server communication unit is configured to transmit said content to said first device,

said control unit is configured to extract said first and second control information based on said first and second device information and said content, by referring to said server storage unit, and

said first device is configured further to include a display for displaying said content.

8. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

said first device further includes a display configured to output a content, and

said server is configured to provide said first device with said content to be outputted by said first device.

9. A communication method in a network system including a first device, and a plurality of second devices, and a server, the communication method comprising the steps of:

storing, by said server, a plurality of functions in a storage unit, each of said plurality of functions being associated with control information for using the function;

storing, by said first device, first device information indicating at least one of a function of said first device and a type of said first device;

respectively storing, by said second devices, second device information indicating at least one of a function of said second devices and types of said second devices;

transmitting, by said second devices, said second device information to said first device;

receiving, by said first device, from a plurality of said second devices that are arranged nearby the first device, second device information indicating at least one of a function of said second device and a type of said second device,

transmitting, by said first device, said second device information received from the plurality of second devices that are arranged nearby the first device and first device information to said server;

extracting, by said server, said first control information used by said first device for implementing a user interface via which said first device accepts a command from a user and said second control information used by said second device for remotely controlling said first device based on said first and second device information, by referring to said storage unit;

transmitting, by said server, said first control information to said first device;

transmitting, by said server, said second control information to each of said second devices;

storing, by the storage unit, the information indicating the function, the first control information, and the second control information, and

extracting, by said server, said first device information and said first control information being associated with the contents transmitted from said server to said first device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content, and

extracting, by said server, said second device information and said second control information being associated with the contents transmitted from said server to said second device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein

the step of transmitting said second control information includes a step of transmitting said second control information to said second device via said first device.

11. A communication device connectable to a server and other communication devices, comprising:

a storage unit is configured to store first device information indicating at least one of a function of said communication devices and a type of said communication devices; and

a communication unit is configured to receive second device information from a plurality of second devices that are arranged nearby the first device, indicating at least one of a function of said other communication devices and a type of said other communication devices from said other communication device, to transmit said second device information received from the plurality of second devices that are arranged nearby the first device and first device information to said server for said other communication devices to remotely control said communication devices, and to receive first control information used by said communication devices for implementing a respective user interface via which said communication device accepts a command from a user from said server wherein

a server storage unit stores the information indicating the function, the first control information, and the second control information, and

wherein a control unit of said server is configured to

extract said first device information and said first control information being associated with the contents transmitted from said server to said first device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content, and

extract said second device information and said second control information being associated with the contents transmitted from said server to said second device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content.

12. A communication method in a communication device including a processor, a storage unit and a communication unit, the communication method comprising the steps of:

storing, by the storage unit, first device information indicating at least one of a function of said communication device and a type of said communication device;

receiving, by said processor, from a plurality of second devices that are arranged nearby said first device second device information indicating at least one of a function of the second devices and types of said second devices from said other communication device via said communication unit;

transmitting, by said processor, said second device information received from the plurality of second devices that are arranged nearby the first device and first device information to a server via said communication unit for said other communication device to remotely control said communication device;

receiving, by said processor, first control information used by said communication device from said server via said communication unit for implementing a user interface via which said communication device accepts a command from a user;

transmitting, by said server, said second control information to each of said second devices that are arranged near the first device;

storing, by the storage unit, the information indicating the function, the first control

information, and the second control information, and

extracting, by said server, said first device information and said first control information being associated with the contents transmitted from said server to said first device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content, and

extracting, by said server, said second device information and said second control information being associated with the contents transmitted from said server to said second device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which a communication program for causing a communication device including a processor and a communication unit to carry out communication,

said communication program causing said processor to execute the steps of:

storing first device information indicating at least one of a function of said communication device and a type of said communication device in a storage unit;

receiving second device information from a plurality of second devices that are arranged nearby said first device indicating at least one of a function of an other communication device and a type of said other communication device for each of said plurality of second devices from said other communication device via said communication unit;

transmitting said second device information received from the plurality of second devices that are arranged nearby the first device and first device information to a server via said communication unit for said other communication device to remotely control said communication device;

receiving first control information used by said communication device from said server via said communication unit for implementing a user interface via which said communication device accepts a command from a user;

transmitting, by said server, said second control information to each of said second devices that are arranged near the first device;

storing, by the storage unit, the information indicating the function, the first control information, and the second control information, and

extracting, by said server, said first device information and said first control information being associated with the contents transmitted from said server to said first device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content, and

extracting, by said server, said second device information and said second control information being associated with the contents transmitted from said server to said second device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content.

14. A network system comprising first and second devices and a server,

said first device including:

a first storage unit configured to store first device information indicating at least one of a function of said first device and a type of said first device; and

a first communication unit configured to transmit said first device information to said second device, to receive second device information indicating at least one of a function of each of said second devices and a type of said second devices from a plurality of said second devices located near said first device, to transmit said second device information received from the plurality of second devices that are arranged nearby the first device and first device information to said server, and to receive first control information used by said first device for implementing a user interface via which said first device accepts a command from a user from said server,

said second device including;

a second storage unit configured to store said second device information; and

a second communication unit configured to receive said first device information from said first device, to transmit said second device information to said first device, to transmit said first and second device information to said server, and to receive second control information used by said second device for remotely controlling said first device by said second device from said server,

said server including;

a server storage unit configured to store a plurality of functions, each of said plurality of functions being associated with said control information for using the function;

a control unit configured to extract said first and second control information based on said first and second device information, by referring to said server storage unit;

a server communication unit configured to transmit said first control information to said first device, and to transmit said second control information to each of said second devices that are arranged near said first device;

wherein said server storage unit stores the information indicating the function, the first control information, and the second control information, and

wherein said control unit is configured

to extract said first device information and said first control information being associated with the content transmitted from said server to said first device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content, and

to extract said second device information and said second control information being

associated with the content transmitted from said server to said second device to display the content based on the control information associated with the content.