CN100334572C - Information processing system, information processor and its method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention can make it easier for users to manage the system. If the user instructs to create a virtual device by operating the mouse, etc., the management information processing unit reads the management information in step (S271); the image information processing unit generates and displays the virtual device based on the device information of the management information in step (S272). A screen is generated; the network management processing unit starts to receive an input from the user in (step S273). The image information processing unit judges whether the registration button (345) is operated in step (S279), and when it is judged that the user has operated the registration button, then performs the processing of step (S281), thereby setting the virtual device based on the information of the control panel. And update management information. The present invention can be applied to network systems, for example.

Description

Information processing system, information processing device and method

technical field

The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing device, a method, and a program, and more particularly, to an information processing system, an information processing device, a method, and a program that enable a user to more easily manage the system.

Background technique

In recent years, with the improvement of information processing technology, the performance of home appliances such as TV program receivers and audio players has also improved. gradually developed. In addition, personal computers can also realize various functions such as reproducing or outputting audio content data such as music, reproducing or displaying video content data composed of moving image data and audio data, and the like.

Furthermore, along with the improvement of information processing technology, the network is also widespread in the home, for example, home appliances and the like that can be connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) using Ethernet (R) have begun to spread. Through the popularization of LAN in the home as described above, home appliances that could only be operated independently until now can exchange data, etc. operation), and more complex functions can be further realized.

As cooperative operations, for example, there are following processes: so-called video recorders and other video playback devices reproduce video data recorded on recording media such as magnetic tapes, and provide these data to television program receiving devices connected to the video recording and playback devices. The device displays an image corresponding to the provided video data; or the audio player reproduces the audio data recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, and provides these data to a recording device connected to the audio player, and the recording device provides the provided Audio data is recorded on another recording medium such as a magnetic tape.

In addition, in recent years, for example, a microwave oven or a refrigerator can be connected to a LAN, and the data downloaded through the network can be used for operation, and the operation of a video recorder or an air conditioner, etc. can also be controlled by a mobile phone.

Furthermore, due to the complexity of the LAN itself, multiple networks are connected to each other using bridge technology, or connected to external networks such as WAN (Wide Area Network), so that various home appliances can perform more diverse cooperative operations.

As described above, due to the complexity of the network system constituted by network-compatible home appliances, it becomes difficult for the user to determine which device performs which operation and to perform appropriate control.

Corresponding to this, for example, in a network system constituted by information processing devices such as servers and personal computers, there is a method of monitoring the data packets input and output by each device constituting the network system by using a management device, etc., Therefore, the operation or state of each device is grasped, and at the same time, the operation of each device is controlled based on the user's instruction, and the method of managing the network system is further achieved.

In addition, for example, there is also a method in which a device control command generation unit is provided that receives an input of a control instruction to a device from an out-of-home network to which an electric product (home appliance) in the home is connected. , compare the information of the gateway device to judge whether to receive the input, and when it can be received, generate a control command for the device based on the information of the device panel, so that the user can perform remote operation with the same feeling as when operating the panel of the actual home appliance, (for example , refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-44765).

However, in these above-mentioned methods, in order for the user to correctly control the device to be managed, it is necessary for the user to grasp all the functions of each device. In addition, when the management device collects information related to each device and presents the information to the user, the management device must present a large amount of information such as the function of each device or the current status to the user so that the user can manage each device correctly. When the network is a home network as described above, since the management objects are many kinds of devices (home appliances), the amount of such information reaches a huge amount, so in the above method, it is difficult to present various Install all the information in question.

In addition, when the user controls a device with multiple functions based on the information presented above, troublesome work other than operation control such as function selection is required, so that the user cannot intuitively manage each device. Generally speaking, users are users of home appliances, and thus do not have professional knowledge about the network (and devices connected to the network). Therefore, it is desired that the user can easily control each device so as to be able to control each device by intuitive operation.

In addition, on the other hand, when a plurality of devices are used for coordinated operation, in the above-mentioned method, the user must individually control each device, so there is a problem that not only cumbersome work is performed, but also the operation is difficult to understand.

Contents of the invention

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem so that the user can manage the system more easily.

The information processing system of the present invention has a first information processing device for communication and a second information processing device for controlling the first information processing device, characterized in that the first information processing device generates information related to the control of the first information processing device , that is, the first control information, and provide the generated first control information to the second information processing device; the second information processing device uses the first control information provided by the first information processing device to generate information related to the control of the virtual device information, that is, second control information, and receive control input from the user on the virtual device, so as to execute control processing corresponding to the received control input on the first information processing apparatus based on the generated second control information.

The information processing device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a first generating unit that generates second control information that is information related to virtual device control using information related to control of a controlled device, that is, first control information; The first input receiving unit receives a control input from the user to the virtual device; the control processing execution unit executes the control process received by the first input receiving unit on the controlled device based on the second control information generated by the first generating unit. Control processing corresponding to control input.

The first control information and the second control information may include a set of control commands to the controlled device.

It may further include an acquisition unit that acquires first control information from the controlled device, and a storage unit that stores the first control information acquired by the acquisition unit.

The first generation unit may divide the first control information to generate a plurality of second control information.

It may further include: a second generation unit, which generates a GUI image corresponding to the controlled device, that is, a first icon; a display unit, which displays the first icon generated by the second generation unit; wherein, the second generation unit is based on the The second control information generated by the first generation unit further generates a GUI image corresponding to the virtual device, that is, the second icon; the display unit further displays the second icon generated by the second generation unit, so that the first input receiving unit receives the input received by the user A control input input by operating the first icon or the second icon displayed on the display unit.

It may further include: a display unit that displays a division button that is a GUI image that indicates division of the first control information through the user's operation; a second input receiving unit that receives the division displayed by operating the display device. The division instruction input of the first control information input by pressing the button; the first generating unit divides the first control information based on the division instruction of the first control information received by the second input receiving unit, thereby generating a plurality of second control information.

It may further include: a display unit for displaying an image generated by the virtual device, the image generated by the virtual device is a GUI image for setting the structure of the second control information through the user's operation; a second input receiving unit for receiving and A setting input related to the structure of control information, the second control information is input based on the virtual device generator image displayed by the display unit, wherein the first generating unit is based on the setting received by the second input receiving unit A given input is used to generate second control information.

The virtual device generated image displayed by the display unit may include a GUI image used by the user to control the virtual device, that is, a control image, so that the user sets the structure of the second control information by editing the layout of the control image.

The controlled device may be a household electrical appliance with a communication function.

It may further include: a second generation unit that generates information related to the control of the information processing device, that is, third control information; a supply unit that provides the third control information generated by the second generation unit to the control information processing device. other information processing devices.

The information processing device may be a household electrical appliance with a communication function.

The information processing method of the present invention is characterized in that it includes: a generating step of using information related to the control of other information processing devices, that is, the first control information, to generate information related to the control of the virtual device, that is, the second control information; An input receiving step of receiving a control input to the virtual device from a user; a control processing executing step of executing the processing on another information processing apparatus based on the second control information generated by the processing of the generating step and receiving it by the processing of the input receiving step The control input corresponds to the control process.

The program of the present invention is characterized in that it causes the computer to execute: a generating step of generating second control information, which is information related to the control of the virtual device, using information related to control of another information processing device, that is, first control information; An input receiving step of receiving a control input to the virtual device from a user; a control processing executing step of executing the processing on another information processing apparatus based on the second control information generated by the processing of the generating step and receiving it by the processing of the input receiving step The control input corresponds to the control process.

In the information processing system of the present invention, there is a first information processing device that communicates and a second information processing device that controls the first information processing device, and the information related to the control of the first information processing device is generated in the first information processing device. information, that is, the first control information, and provide the generated first control information to the second information processing device; in the second information processing device, use the first control information provided by the first information processing device to generate and The information related to the control of the virtual device, that is, the second control information, and receiving the control input of the virtual device from the user, so as to execute the control corresponding to the received control input on the first information processing device based on the generated second control information deal with.

In the information processing device, method, and program of the present invention, information related to the control of other information processing devices, that is, first control information is used to generate information related to virtual device control, that is, second control information, and A user's control input to the virtual device is received, so as to execute a control process corresponding to the received control input on other information processing apparatuses based on the generated second control information.

According to the present invention, information can be processed. Especially users can manage the system more easily. That is, users can regard those machines (PCs, HDD video recorders with router functions, composite printers, etc.) that are difficult for users to know what they can do due to their rich functions as individual machines or objects specialized for single functions. , so that it can be directly accessed and utilized according to the required functions. Also, even in the case of a control panel for controlling a machine, it is possible to switch from a complex panel in which mutually irrelevant functions are mixed to a simple panel specialized in a single function. In addition, users can extract only the functions they need from a plurality of machines connected to the network, and combine these functions to create an initial virtual machine that is easy for the user to use. Thus, for example, watching a video recorder in the study or a video recorder in the living room via the network from the TV set in the dormitory is like watching a TV set with a video recorder function in the dormitory.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a network system to which the present invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the management device of Fig. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the television program receiving apparatus of FIG. 1;

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a structural example of the hard disk video recorder of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a structural example of the audio player of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the personal computer of Fig. 1;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a structural example of service information of the television program receiving apparatus of FIG. 1;

Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a structural example of service information of the hard disk video recorder of Fig. 1;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a structural example of service information of the audio player of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a structural example of service information of the personal computer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of device information collection processing;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of device information;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a display example of a browser window of a virtual house;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control processing;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control processing following FIG. 14;

16 is an explanatory diagram of another display example of a browser window of a virtual house;

Fig. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of communication processing;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of division processing;

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of a service information structure example of a divided virtual device;

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of other structural examples of service information of divided virtual devices;

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of another structural example of service information of a divided virtual device;

Fig. 22 is an explanatory diagram of another display example of a browser window of a virtual house;

Fig. 23 is an explanatory diagram of another display example of a browser window of a virtual house;

24 is a flowchart illustrating another example of communication processing;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating another example of communication processing;

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating another example of communication processing continued from FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an example of virtual device generation processing;

28 is a schematic diagram of a structural example of a virtual device generation screen;

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram of a structural example of service information of each device;

30 is a schematic diagram of a structural example of service information of a virtual device;

FIG. 31 is a flowchart illustrating another example of communication processing;

Fig. 32 is a block diagram illustrating another example of the management device;

Fig. 33 is a block diagram illustrating another structural example of a hard disk video recorder;

Fig. 34 is an explanatory diagram of another configuration example of the network system to which the present invention is applied;

Fig. 35 is a block diagram illustrating a structural example of the hard disk video recorder of Fig. 34;

Fig. 36 is an explanatory diagram of another configuration example of the network system to which the present invention is applied;

Fig. 37 is an explanatory diagram of another configuration example of a network system to which the present invention is applied.

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The correspondence relationship between the structural essential technical features described in the claims and specific examples in the embodiments of the invention is illustrated below. This description is for confirming that specific examples supporting the invention described in the claims are described in the embodiments of the invention. Therefore, although it is described in the embodiment of the invention, as a specific example corresponding to the necessary technical feature of the structure, even if there is a specific example not described here, it does not mean that the specific example does not correspond to the necessary technical feature of the structure. , and it does not mean that this specific example does not correspond to structurally necessary technical features other than the structurally necessary technical features.

Furthermore, this description does not mean that the inventions corresponding to the specific examples described in the embodiments of the invention are all described in the claims. In other words, such a description is an invention corresponding to a specific example described in the embodiment of the invention, but it does not deny the existence of an invention not described in the claims of this application, that is, it does not deny the existence of a divisional application in the future or through amendments. And the existence of additional inventions.

In the present invention, an information processing system (such as the network system 1 of FIG. 1 ) is provided, which includes a first information processing device for communication (such as the TV program receiving device 13 of FIG. 1 , the hard disk video recorder 14, the audio player 15 or a personal computer 16) and a second information processing device (for example, the management device 11 in FIG. 1 ) that controls the first information processing device. The first information processing device generates first control information (for example, device information 240 of FIG. 12 ) as information related to control of the first information processing device (for example, step S12, step S22, step S32, or step S42 of FIG. 11 ), And provide the generated first control information to the second information processing device (such as step S13, step S23, step S33 or step S43 in Fig. 11), and the second information processing device uses the first control information provided by the first information processing device information to generate second control information (for example, service information 301 in FIG. 19 , service information 302 in FIG. 20 , or service information 303 in FIG. 21 ) as information related to the control of a virtual device (for example, step S122 in FIG. 18 ), and Receive the user's control input to the virtual device, so as to execute the control processing corresponding to the received control input on the first information processing apparatus based on the generated second control information (for example, step S141, step S143 or step S145 in FIG. 24 ).

In the present invention, an information processing device (such as the management device 11 in FIG. 1 ) that controls the controlled device (such as the TV program receiving device 13, the hard disk video recorder 14, the audio player 15 or the personal computer 16 in FIG. 1) is provided. This information processing device includes: a first generating device (for example, the management information processing unit 42 in FIG. 2 ), which generates Second control information (for example, service information 301 of FIG. 19 , service information 302 of FIG. 20 , or service information 303 of FIG. 21 ) as information related to the control of the virtual device (for example, step S122 of FIG. 18 ); the first input receives A unit (such as the input part 51 of FIG. 2 ), which receives a control input from the user to the virtual device; a control processing execution unit (such as the control processing part 44 of FIG. 2 ), which is based on the second control generated by the first generating unit The information executes the control processing corresponding to the control input received by the first input receiving unit on the controlled device (for example, step S141, step S143 or step S145 in FIG. 24).

The first control information and the second control information may include a group of control commands (such as the control command 231C in FIG. 7 ) for the controlled device.

It may also include an acquisition unit (such as the communication unit 54 in FIG. 2 ) that acquires the first control information from the controlled device, and a storage unit (such as the storage unit 53 in FIG. 2 ) that stores the first control information acquired by the acquisition unit.

The first generation unit may divide the first control information to generate a plurality of second control information (for example, step S122 in FIG. 18 ).

It may also include: a second generating unit (such as the image information processing unit 43 in FIG. 2 ), which generates a first icon (such as the icon 271 or icon 274) (such as step S8 of Fig. 11); a display unit (such as the image information processing part 43 of Fig. 2), which displays the first icon (such as step S9 of Fig. 11) generated by the second generation unit, and the second generation The unit further generates a second icon (such as the video recorder icon 321 or the album icon 323 of FIG. 23 ) as a GUI image corresponding to the virtual device based on the second control information generated by the first generating unit (such as step S123 of FIG. 18 ) , the display unit further displays the second icon generated by the second generating means (for example, step S124 of FIG. 18 ), and the first input receiving unit receives the input control by operating the first icon or the second icon displayed on the display unit by the user. enter.

It may also include: a display unit (for example, the image information processing unit 43 in FIG. 2 ), which displays a split button (for example, the split button 314 in FIG. 22 ), and the split button indicates that the first control information is split by the operation of the user. GUI image; a second input receiving unit (for example, the input unit 51 of FIG. 2 ), which receives an indication input of division of the first control information input by operating the division button displayed on the display unit; the first generation unit based on the second Input the division instruction of the first control information received by the receiving unit to divide the first control information, so as to generate a plurality of second control information (for example, step 122 in FIG. 18 ).

It may also include: a display unit (such as the image information processing unit 43 in FIG. 2 ), which displays a virtual device generated image (such as the virtual device generated image 340 in FIG. 28 ), and the virtual device generated image is generated by the user's operation. Set the GUI image of the second control information structure; the second input receiving unit (for example, the input part 51 of FIG. 2 ), which receives the setting input related to the structure of the second control information (for example, step S273 of FIG. 27 ), wherein The second control information is input based on the generated image of the virtual device displayed by the display unit; the first generation unit generates the second control information based on the setting input received by the second input receiving unit (for example, the steps in FIG. 27 281).

The image generated by the virtual device displayed by the display unit includes a control image (such as the control panel 341 in FIG. 28 ) used by the user to control the virtual device as a GUI image. The structure of the control information (for example, step S275 in FIG. 27).

The controlled device may be a household electrical appliance with a communication function (such as the TV program receiving device 13, hard disk video recorder 14, audio player 15 or personal computer 16 in FIG. 1).

It may further include: a second generation unit (for example, the information generation processing unit 81 in FIG. 3 ) that generates third control information (for example, the device information 240 in FIG. 12 ) as information related to the control of the information processing device (for example, Step S12, Step S22, Step S32 or Step S42 of FIG. 11 ); a supply unit (for example, the information supply processing part 82 of FIG. 3 ), which provides the second information processing device generated by the second generation unit to other information processing devices that control the information processing device. Three control information (such as step S13, step S23, step S33 or step S43 in FIG. 11).

The information processing device may be a household electrical appliance with a communication function (such as the TV program receiving device 13, hard disk video recorder 14, audio player 15 or personal computer 16 in FIG. 1).

In the present invention, an information processing device (such as the management device 11 of Fig. 1) that controls other information processing devices (such as the TV program receiving device 13, the hard disk video recorder 14, the audio player 15 or the personal computer 16 of Fig. 1) is provided information processing methods. This information processing method includes: a generating step (for example, step S122 in FIG. 18 ) of using first control information (for example, device information 240 in FIG. 12 ), which is information related to control of other information processing devices, to generate Control the second control information (such as the service information 301 of Fig. 19, the service information 302 of Fig. 20 or the service information 303 of Fig. 21) of relevant information; input receiving step (such as step S65 of Fig. 15), receive the user to virtual device control input; the control processing execution step (for example, step S141, step S143 or step S145 of FIG. 24 ), based on the second control information generated by the processing of the generation step, executes control corresponding to the control input to other information processing devices processing, wherein the control input is received through the processing of the input receiving step.

In the present invention, a program is provided, which enables a computer (such as the management device 11 in FIG. 1) to execute and control other information processing devices (such as the TV program receiving device 13 in FIG. Processing by personal computer 16). This program includes: a generating step (for example, step S122 in FIG. 18 ) of using first control information (for example, device information 240 in FIG. 12 ), which is information related to control of other information processing devices, to generate an information as information related to control of a virtual device. The second control information of the information (such as the service information 301 of Fig. 19, the service information 302 of Fig. 20 or the service information 303 of Fig. 21); input receiving step (such as step S65 of Fig. 15), receiving the user's control of the virtual device Input; a control processing execution step (such as step S141, step S143 or step S145 of FIG. 24 ), based on the second control information generated by the processing of the generating step, executes the control processing corresponding to the control input to other information processing devices, Wherein the control input is received through the processing of the input receiving step.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a network system to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1 , the network system 1 is a system for managing the operation of home appliances that perform coordinated operations, and the management device 11 is connected to a network 12 composed of the Internet, WAN (Wide area Network, wide area network), LAN (Local Area Network, local area network), etc. , communicate with the household electrical appliances that are also connected on the network 12: TV program receiving device 13, hard disk video recorder 14, audio player 15 or personal computer 16, and obtain information related to their operation or status, and display these information on a monitor etc. In addition, the management device 11 controls the operation of the above-mentioned household electrical appliances to be managed based on instructions from the user.

The television program receiver 13 displays an image corresponding to the image data obtained through the built-in tuner or the image data obtained through the network 12 on a display, or outputs the obtained audio data through a built-in speaker. The hard disk video recorder 14 has a built-in tuner as described later, and records broadcast programs (image data or audio data, etc.) obtained through the tuner on the built-in hard disk, or provides data recorded on the hard disk to other devices through the network 12 . The audio player 15 reproduces audio data recorded on a recording medium such as a removable medium and outputs it through a speaker, or supplies it to other devices through the network 12 . The personal computer 16, for example, reproduces image data (moving image data and still image data) or audio data recorded on a recording medium or a built-in hard disk, and streams them with other devices through the network 12, or transmits data provided by other devices through the network 12. Data is recorded on a built-in hard disk or on a recording medium such as a removable medium.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the management device 11 in FIG. 1 .

In FIG. 2 , a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 of the management device 11 executes various processes according to programs stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32 . Data or programs and the like required when the CPU 31 executes various processes are appropriately stored on a RAM (random access memory) 33.

The network management processing part 34 is connected on the network 12, and prompts the user for the convenience of control and presets the household electrical appliances (such as the TV program receiving device 13 of Fig. 1, the hard disk video recorder 14, the audio player 15 or the personal computer 16 etc.) operation or status, and performs management processing to control each device based on user instructions. The network management processing part 34 is built with: an information request processing part 41, which requests various kinds of information for the household electrical appliances as the management object; manage the management information and manage it; the image information processing section 43 generates image information based on the management information managed by the management information processing section 42, and displays it on the display to notify the user; and the control processing section 44, It performs processing for controlling the operation of each device to be managed, and the network management processing unit 34 performs management processing of the network 1 using each of these components.

CPU 31, ROM 32, RAM 33 and network management processing unit 34 are connected to each other through bus 35. In addition, this bus 35 is also connected to an input/output interface 50 .

The input/output interface 50 is connected to an input unit 51 composed of a keyboard or a mouse, and outputs signals input to the input unit 51 to the CPU 31. In addition, an output unit 52 including a display, a speaker, and the like is connected to the input/output interface 50 .

Moreover, a storage unit 53 formed by a hard disk, EEPROM (electrically erasable read-only memory) or flash memory, etc., and a communication unit for performing data communication with other devices such as a wired or wireless network 12 are connected to the input/output interface 50. 54. The storage unit 53 stores the management information 61 generated by the management information processing unit 42 of the network management processing unit 34 .

In addition, a drive 55 is appropriately connected to the input/output interface 50 so that the program is read from a removable medium 62 mounted on the drive 55 and formed of a recording medium such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, or necessary for program execution. data, or write data or programs provided by the CPU 31 into the removable medium 62.

The information request processing part 41 of the network management processing part 34 generates various information requests, and provides them to the communication part 54 through the bus 35 and the input/output interface 50, and the various information requests are for devices connected to the management object on the network 12 request. The communication unit 54 provides the provided request to the target device via the network 12 . Then, once the communication unit 54 obtains a response to the request, it supplies the response to the network management processing unit 34 through the input/output interface 50 and the bus 35 .

The management information processing unit 42 of the network management processing unit 34 generates management information 61 for managing the managed device based on various information (responses to requests) provided through the communication unit 54, and transmits the management information 61 through the bus 35 and the input/output interface 50. These pieces of information are supplied to and stored in the storage unit 53 . Furthermore, the management information processing unit 42 manages the management information 61 stored in the storage unit 53 as described above, and updates the information as necessary.

The image information processing section 43 of the network management processing section 34 generates image information based on the management information stored in the storage section 53 as needed, and provides these information to the output section 52 through the bus 35 and the input/output interface 50. The information is used to notify the user of information related to the network system 1 . The output unit 52 displays an image corresponding to the supplied image information on a built-in display.

When the control processing unit 44 of the network management processing unit 34 receives an instruction from the user through the input unit 51 , it generates control information based on the instruction, and provides it to the target device through the communication unit 54 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of television program receiving apparatus 13 in FIG. 1 .

In FIG. 3, the CPU 71 of the television program receiving apparatus 13 executes various processes according to programs stored in the ROM 72. Data or programs necessary for the CPU 71 to execute various processes are appropriately stored in the RAM 73.

The information providing unit 74 performs a process of providing information related to the television program receiving device 13 in response to a request from the management device 11 . The information provision unit 74 includes an information generation processing unit 81 for generating information to be provided, and an information provision processing unit 82 for providing information generated by the information generation processing unit 81 to the management device 11 .

The image processing section 75 is composed of a display control processing section 83, a tuner 84, and an antenna 85, and performs the following processing: receiving a program (television program signal) broadcast by a broadcasting station not shown in the figure, and displaying the image on the display superior. The display control processing unit 83 performs processing of performing image processing and the like on the TV program signal received through the tuner, and displaying the corresponding image on the display. The tuner 84 receives a TV program signal of a specific frequency (channel) through the antenna 85 based on the control of the CPU 71 and the like.

The CPU 71, ROM 72, RAM 73, information providing unit 74, and display control processing unit 83 of the image processing unit 75 are connected to each other via a bus 76. In addition, an input/output interface 90 is also connected to this bus 76 .

The input/output interface 90 is connected to an input unit 91 composed of various buttons, a remote controller, etc., and outputs a signal input by the input unit 91 to the CPU 71. In addition, an output unit 92 including a display or a speaker is connected to the input/output interface 90 .

Also connected to the input/output interface 90 is a storage unit 93 composed of a hard disk, EEPROM, or flash memory, and a communication unit 94 for data communication with other devices via a wired or wireless network 12 or the like.

In addition, a drive 95 is appropriately connected to the input-output interface 90 so that the program is read from a removable medium 96 mounted on the drive 95 and formed of a recording medium such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory or the like necessary for program execution. data, or write data or programs provided by the CPU 71 into the removable medium 92.

In addition, the tuner 84 of the image processing unit 75 is also connected to the input/output interface 90 .

The CPU 71 controls the tuner 84 of the image processing unit 75 based on user instructions input through the input unit 91, so that TV program signals of a predetermined frequency are received through the antenna 85, and these signals are supplied through the input and output interface 90 and the bus 76. to the display control processing unit 83 . The display control processing unit 83 extracts image data or audio data from the acquired TV program signal, and provides these to the output unit 92 after performing predetermined image processing or audio processing, thereby outputting the audio data not shown in the figure through a display or a loudspeaker. programs broadcast by the broadcasting stations shown.

In addition, the CPU 71 supplies image data or audio data to the display control processing section 83, and the image data or audio data is supplied to the communication section 94 from another device via the network 12. The display control processing unit 83 performs predetermined processing on the supplied image data or audio data, and supplies the data to the output unit 92, and outputs the data through a display or a speaker. In addition, the CPU 71 may provide the output unit 92 with image data or audio data supplied to the communication unit 94 by another device via the network 12.

Furthermore, the CPU 71 provides requests for various information such as device information provided to the communication unit 94 by the management device 11 through the network 12 and the like to the information providing unit 74 through the input/output interface 90 and the bus 76 . The information generation processing part 81 of the information providing part 74 generates requested information based on the provided request, and provides the generated information to the information provision processing part 82 . The information supply processing unit 82 supplies the acquired information to the communication unit 94 via the bus 76 and the input/output interface 90 , and supplies the information to the management device 11 as a request source via the network 12 .

When what is provided to the communication section 94 by the management apparatus 11 through the network 12 etc. is control information for controlling the operation of the television program receiving apparatus 13, the CPU 71 controls the image processing section 75 etc. based on the request, thereby executing processing based on such control information .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the hard disk recorder 14 of FIG. 1 .

In FIG. 4, the CPU 111 of the hard disk video recorder 14 executes various processes according to programs stored in the ROM 112. Data or programs necessary for the CPU 111 to execute various processes are appropriately stored in the RAM 113.

The information providing unit 114 performs a process of providing information related to the hard disk video recorder 14 in response to a request from the management device 11 as in the case of the information providing unit 74 of the television program receiving device 13 . As in the case of the information providing section 74 of the TV program receiving device 13, the information providing section 114 is built in: an information generation processing section 121, which processes information to be provided; and an information supply processing section 122, which performs information generation processing. The information generated by the unit 121 is provided to the processing of the management device 11 .

The video playback unit 115 is composed of a decoding unit 123, an encoding unit 124, a hard disk 125, a tuner 126, and an antenna 127, and performs recording processing (recording processing) or reproduction processing of image data or audio data.

The decoding unit 123 decodes image data or audio data encoded by a predetermined method such as the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) method, or performs image processing or audio processing. The encoding unit 124 encodes the supplied image data or audio data in a predetermined method corresponding to the decoding unit 123 , or performs image processing, audio processing, or the like. The hard disk 125 records supplied image data or audio data. The tuner 126 is controlled by the CPU 111, etc., so as to receive a television program signal of a predetermined frequency, etc., through the antenna 127.

CPU 111, ROM 112, RAM 113, information providing unit 114, and decoding unit 123 and encoding unit 124 of video playback unit 115 are connected to each other by bus 116. In addition, this bus 116 is also connected to an input/output interface 130 .

The input/output interface 130 is connected to an input unit 131 composed of various buttons or a remote controller, and outputs signals input to the input unit 131 to the CPU 111. In addition, an output unit 132 is connected to the input/output interface 130, and the output unit 132 is constituted by a display or the like for displaying simple information such as text information.

Also connected to the input/output interface 130 is a storage unit 133 formed of a hard disk, EEPROM, or flash memory, and a communication unit 134 that performs data communication with other devices via a wired or wireless network 12 or the like.

In addition, a drive 135 is appropriately connected to the input/output interface 130 so that the program is read from a removable medium 136 mounted on the drive 135 and formed of a recording medium such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, or a program necessary for program execution. data, or write data or programs provided by the CPU 111 into the removable medium 136.

In addition, the hard disk 125 and the tuner 126 of the recording/playback unit 115 are connected to the input/output interface 130 .

The CPU 111 controls the tuner 126 of the recording and reproducing unit 115 based on the user instruction input by the input unit 131 or the reservation information input in advance and stored by the RAM 113, so that it receives a TV program signal of a predetermined frequency through the antenna 127 and extracts an image. data or voice data, and provide these signals to the encoding unit 124 through the input/output interface 130 and the bus 116 . The encoding unit 124 performs predetermined image processing or audio processing on the acquired image data or audio data, and after encoding, supplies it to the hard disk 125 for recording (recording).

Also, the CPU 111 supplies image data or audio data supplied to the communication unit 134 via the network 12 by another device to the encoding unit 124. The encoding unit 124 performs predetermined image processing or audio processing on the supplied image data or audio data, and after encoding, supplies these data to the hard disk 125 for recording (recording). In addition, when the image data or audio data provided to the communication unit 134 by another device through the network 12 has already been encoded, the CPU 111 may also provide these data to the hard disk 125 for recording without passing through the encoding unit 124.

Also, the CPU 111 reads out the program (image data or audio data) recorded on the hard disk 125 based on a user instruction input through the input unit 131, and supplies it to the decoding unit 123. The decoding unit 123 performs decoding processing or predetermined image processing and audio processing on the supplied image data or audio data, and outputs these data through the communication unit 134, for example, to the TV program receiving device 13 or the like.

Further, the CPU 111 provides requests for various information provided to the communication unit 114 by the management device 11 through the network 12 and the like to the information providing unit 114 through the input/output interface 130 and the bus 116. The information generation processing part 121 of the information providing part 114 generates requested information based on the provided request, and provides the generated information to the information provision processing part 122 . The information supply processing unit 122 supplies the acquired information to the communication unit 134 via the bus 116 and the input/output interface 130 , and supplies it to the management device 11 as a request source via the network 12 .

When the control information provided to the communication unit 134 by the management device 11 through the network 12 is control information for controlling the operation of the hard disk video recorder 14, the CPU 111 controls the recording and playback unit 115 etc. based on the request, thereby performing processing based on this control information.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the audio player 15 in FIG. 1 .

In FIG. 5, the CPU 151 of the audio player 15 executes various processes according to programs stored in the ROM 152. Data or programs necessary for the CPU 151 to execute various processes are appropriately stored in the RAM 153.

The information providing unit 154 performs a process of providing information on the audio player 15 in response to a request from the management device 11 as in the case of the information providing unit 74 of the television program receiving device 13 . As in the case of the information providing section 74 of the TV program receiving device 13, the information providing section 154 is built in: an information generation processing section 161, which processes information to be provided; and an information supply processing section 162, which performs information generation processing. The information generated by the unit 161 is provided to the processing of the management device 11 .

The audio processing unit 155 is composed of a signal processing unit 163 , an audio driver 164 , a tuner 165 , and an antenna 166 , and performs recording processing or reproduction processing of audio data (audio data).

The signal processing unit 163 performs audio processing and the like on the supplied audio data. The audio drive 164 is formed of a recording medium such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, and is appropriately mounted with a removable medium not shown in the figure, so as to perform the following process: read audio data recorded in the removable medium output, or write audio data to recordable removable media. The tuner 165 is controlled etc. by the CPU 151 so as to receive an audio signal of a radio broadcast program or the like of a predetermined frequency through the antenna 166.

The CPU 151, the ROM 152, the RAM 153, the information providing unit 154, and the signal processing unit 163 of the sound processing unit 155 are connected to each other via the bus 156. In addition, this bus 156 is also connected to an input/output interface 170 .

The input/output interface 170 is connected to an input unit 171 composed of various buttons or a remote controller, and outputs signals input to the input unit 171 to the CPU 151. In addition, an output unit 172 is connected to the input/output interface 170, and the output unit 172 is constituted by a display or a speaker for displaying simple information such as text information.

Also connected to the input/output interface 170 is a storage unit 173 formed of a hard disk, EEPROM, or flash memory, and a communication unit 174 for performing data communication with other devices via a wired or wireless network 12 or the like.

In addition, a drive 175 is appropriately connected to the input-output interface 170 so that the program or the program necessary for program execution is read from a removable medium 176 mounted on the drive 175 and formed of a recording medium such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory. data, or write data or programs provided by the CPU 151 into the removable medium 176.

In addition, the audio driver 164 and the tuner 165 of the audio processing unit 155 are also connected to the input/output interface 170 .

CPU 151 reads audio data through the removable medium installed on the audio drive 164 based on user instructions input by input unit 171 or reservation information input in advance and stored by RAM 153, and transmits audio data through input/output interface 170 and bus 156. These data are provided to signal processing part 163; Or control tuner 165 so as to receive the radio broadcast program (audio signal) of predetermined frequency by antenna 166, and extract audio data, thereby these data are provided to by I/O interface 170 and bus 156 Signal processing unit 163 . The signal processing unit 163 performs predetermined audio signal processing on the acquired audio data, and supplies it to the output unit 172 to be output through a speaker, or supplies it to other devices through the communication unit 174 .

In addition, the CPU 151 supplies the audio data supplied to the communication section 174 via the network 12 by other devices to the signal processing section 163. The signal processing unit 163 performs predetermined audio signal processing on the supplied audio data, supplies the data to the audio drive 164, and records (records) it on a removable medium (not shown) mounted on the audio drive 164. middle. In addition, the CPU 171 may supply the audio data supplied to the communication unit 174 via the network 12 by another device to the audio driver 164 without passing through the signal processing unit 163, and record it in a removable medium.

Furthermore, the CPU 151 provides requests for various information provided to the communication unit 174 by the management device 11 through the network 12 to the information providing unit 154 through the input/output interface 170 and the bus 156. The information generation processing part 161 of the information providing part 154 generates requested information based on the provided request, and provides the generated information to the information provision processing part 162 . The information supply processing unit 162 supplies the acquired information to the communication unit 174 via the bus 156 and the input/output interface 170 , and supplies the obtained information to the management device 11 as a request source via the network 12 .

When it is control information to control the operation of the audio player 15 that is provided to the communication section 174 by the management device 11 through the network 12, the CPU 151 controls the sound processing section 155 etc. based on the request, thereby executing processing based on such control information.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the personal computer 16 in FIG. 1 .

In FIG. 6, the CPU 191 of the personal computer 16 executes various processes according to programs stored in the ROM 192. Data or programs necessary for the CPU 191 to execute various processes are appropriately stored in the RAM 193.

The information providing unit 194 performs a process of providing information related to the personal computer 16 in response to a request from the management device 11 as in the case of the information providing unit 74 of the television program receiving device 13 . As in the case of the information providing section 74 of the television program receiving device 13, the information providing section 194 is built in: an information generation processing section 201, which processes the information provided; and an information supply processing section 202, which performs information generation processing. The information generated by the unit 201 is provided to the processing of the management device 11 .

The CPU 191, ROM 192, RAM 193, and information providing unit 194 are connected to each other via a bus 195. In addition, this bus 195 is also connected to an input/output interface 210 .

The input/output interface 210 is connected to an input unit 211 composed of a keyboard, a mouse, a remote controller, etc., and outputs a signal input to the input unit 211 to the CPU 191. In addition, an output unit 212 is connected to the input/output interface 210, and the output unit 212 is composed of a display or a loudspeaker.

Also connected to the input/output interface 210 is a storage unit 213 formed of a hard disk, EEPROM, or flash memory, and a communication unit 214 that communicates data with other devices via the wired or wireless network 12 or the like.

Programs or data executed in the CPU 191 are stored in the storage unit 213, for example, the following programs or data are stored: a video service program 221, which realizes providing image data (also including sound data) through the execution of the CPU 191. Service; Audio service program 222, it realizes the service that provides audio data by the execution of CPU 191; Electronic album service program 223, it realizes the service that provides still image data by the execution of CPU 191; Video data 224, it realizes the service that provides still image data by the execution of CPU 191; The execution of the service program 221 is provided, and is composed of image data or sound data, etc.; audio data 225, which is provided by the execution of the audio service program 222; and electronic album data 226, etc., which are provided by the electronic album service program 223 and is composed of still image data and the like.

In addition, a drive 215 is appropriately connected to the input/output interface 210 so that the program or the program necessary for program execution is read from a removable medium 216 mounted on the drive 215 and formed of a recording medium such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory. data, or write data or programs provided by the CPU 191 into the removable medium 216.

The CPU 191 reads and executes the video service program 221 stored in the storage unit 213 based on a user instruction input by the input unit 211, thereby performing a video service that provides video data 224 to other devices through the communication unit 214; The audio service program 222 stored in the storage unit 213 is read and executed by the user instruction input by the 211, thereby performing an audio service that provides audio data 225 to other devices through the communication unit 214; or based on the user instruction input by the input unit 211, etc. The electronic album service program 223 stored in the storage unit 213 is read and executed to perform an electronic album service that provides electronic album data 226 to other devices through the communication unit 214 .

In addition, the CPU 151 supplies and stores image data 223, audio data 224, etc. acquired through the communication unit 214 or read out through the removable medium 216 to the storage unit 213.

Furthermore, the CPU 151 provides requests for various information provided to the communication unit 214 by the management device 11 through the network 12 and the like to the information providing unit 194 through the input/output interface 210 and the bus 195. The information generation processing part 201 of the information provision part 194 generates requested information based on the provided request, and provides the generated information to the information provision processing part 202 . The information supply processing unit 202 supplies the acquired information to the communication unit 214 via the bus 195 and the input/output interface 210 , and supplies the obtained information to the management device 11 as a request source via the network 12 .

When supplied to the communication section 214 by the management device 11 through the network 12 is control information for controlling the operation of the audio player 15, the CPU 191 executes a program or the like based on this request, thereby performing processing based on such control information.

The television program receiving device 13 of Fig. 1, hard disk video recorder 14, audio player 15 and personal computer 16 constitute the above-mentioned structure, and provide various services to the user respectively, and each service has one or more functions (being called respectively) function blocks) and assign one or more control commands to each function block. That is, each device implements each function by executing processing corresponding to the provided control command, thereby providing a service to the user. Information on the service is managed in each device as service information as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 .

The service information 231 shown in FIG. 7 is information stored in the storage unit 93 or the like of the TV program receiving device 13 , and is information indicating services, functions, and control commands provided by the TV program receiving device 13 . That is, the service information 231 is composed of each item of a service 231A, a function block 231B, and a control command 231C. As shown in Fig. 7, the service name provided by the TV program receiving device 13 is indicated on the service 231A, the function name constituting this service is indicated on the function block 231B, and the control command prepared for each function block is indicated on the control command 231C. Order.

That is, the television program receiving device 13 realizes a tuner function for selecting a channel for a received program, an electronic program guide function for displaying an EPG (Electronic Program Guide), and a video display function for displaying images on a monitor, and provides these as monitoring services. provided by the user.

As shown in the item of the control command 231C, as the control command in the tuner function, there is a "channel switching" command, and the management device 11 can use this control command to control the tuner function of the TV program receiving device 13 (switching the received channel). channel). In addition, an "EPG display" command is provided as a control command of the electronic program guide function, and the management device 11 can use this control command to control the electronic program guide function (display EPG) of the television program receiving device 13 . In addition, as the control command of the image display function, there are "input switching" command, "volume adjustment" command and "image quality adjustment" command. terminal for inputting data, adjusting the volume of input sound, or adjusting the quality of displayed images).

In addition, the service information 232 shown in FIG. 8 is information related to control commands assigned to the hard disk recorder 14, and is composed of each item of a service 232A, a function block 232B, and a control command 232C, as in FIG. 7 . As shown in the service block 232A of Figure 8, the hard disk video recorder 14 provides video services; as shown in the item of the function block 232B of Figure 8, it realizes the tuner function of receiving program selection, the electronic program list function of displaying EPG and the use of built-in The hard disk 125 has a recording/reproducing function of video content data.

As shown in the item of the control command 232C of FIG. 8 , as the control command in the tuner function, there is a "channel switch" command, and the management device 11 can use this control command to control the tuner function of the hard disk video recorder 14 (switch the received channel). channel). In addition, an "EPG display" command is provided as a control command of the electronic program guide function, and the management device 11 can use this control command to control the electronic program guide function (display EPG) of the hard disk video recorder 14 . In addition, as the control command of the video content data recording and playback function, there are "video content data list display" command, "recording, playback, stop, pause, fast forward, reverse" and other recording and playback operation main control commands, and "double speed playback". "Play frame by frame" and other reproduction operation auxiliary commands, the management device 11 can use these control commands to control the recording and reproduction functions of the video content data of the hard disk video recorder 14 (display the list of video content data, perform recording, reproduction, stop, etc., or perform double-speed reproduction) or play frame by frame).

Furthermore, the service information 233 shown in FIG. 9 is information related to control commands assigned to the audio player 15, and is composed of each item of a service 233A, a function block 233B, and a control command 233C, as in FIG. 7 . Audio player 15, as shown in service block 233A of Figure 9, provides audio service; Recording/reproducing function of audio data reproduced by etc.

As shown in the item of the control command 233C of FIG. 9, a "channel switch" command is provided as a control command in the tuner function, and the management device 11 can use this control command to control (the tuner function switch of the audio player 15). received channel). In addition, as control commands for recording and reproducing functions of audio content data, there are "audio content data list display" command, "input switching" command, "volume adjustment" command, "sound quality adjustment" command, and "recording, reproduction, stop, "Pause, fast forward, rewind" and other recording and playback operation control commands, the management device 11 can use these control commands to control the recording and playback functions of the audio content data of the audio player 15 (display the list of audio content data, perform recording, playback, stop, etc. ).

In addition, the service information 234 shown in FIG. 10 is information related to control commands assigned to the personal computer 16, and is composed of each item of a service 234A, a function block 234B, and a control command 234C, as in FIG. 7 . As shown in service block 234A of Figure 10, personal computer 16 provides video service, audio service and electronic photo album service; The recording/reproducing function; the audio service realizes the tuner function and the recording/reproducing function of the audio content data; the electronic album service realizes the output control function of the still image content data.

Since the control commands assigned to the respective functions of the video service and the respective functions of the audio service are the same as those described above, description thereof will be omitted. As shown in the items of the control command 234C in FIG. 10 , the control commands serving as the output control function of the still image content data include a "list display of still image content data" command, an "image quality adjustment" command, and a command to return the displayed image to the previous image. Or switch to the "backward one · forward one" command of the image in the back, the management device 11 can use these control commands to control the output control function of the still image content data of the personal computer (displaying the list of still image content data, adjusting the displayed image quality or switch the displayed image).

As described above, in each device from the television program receiving device 13 to the personal computer 16, control commands are managed by each functional block, and in turn, the functional blocks are managed by each service.

The management device 11 in FIG. 1 first collects information (hereinafter referred to as device information) related to each device set as a management target, including the above-mentioned service information. The collection process of device information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11 . Description will be made with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 as necessary.

The information request processing unit 41 of the first management device 11 requests device information including service information from other devices via the network 12 in step S1. That is, the information request processing part 41 of the network management processing part 34 generates information requesting service information, which is information related to the service of each device to be managed, and provides the information through the bus 35 and the input/output interface 50. The data is sent to the communication unit 54 to be provided to other devices such as the TV program receiving device 13 , the hard disk video recorder 14 , the audio player 15 and the personal computer 16 through the network 12 .

The communication unit 94 of the television program receiving device 13 obtains a request for device information provided by the management device 11 in step S11 , and supplies the request to the information providing unit 74 . The information generation processing part 81 of the information providing part 74 which has been provided with the request for device information generates the device information of the TV program receiving device 13 as shown in FIG. Section 82.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of device information. In FIG. 12, the device information 240 includes a device ID 241 as an ID (identification) for identifying the device; a device name 242 representing the name of the device; a model name 243 showing the model of the device; Service-related service information 244 and service information 245 . The device ID 241 is, for example, an ID assigned in advance at the factory, and may be a MAC address for identifying a network node, an IPv6 IP address, or the like. In the service information 244, for example, information such as a service name 251, a function block name 252, and a control command 253 is shown in accordance with the table structure described with reference to FIG. 7 . That is, in the service information 244 , function block names are displayed for each service name 251 like function blocks 252 and 254 , and control commands are shown for each function block like control commands 253 and 255 . The service information 245 also has the same structure, so its description is omitted.

Returning to FIG. 11 , the information provision processing unit 82 that has been provided with the above-mentioned device information provides the device information to the management device 11 that is the request source through the communication unit 94 in step S13 . The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 obtains the device information provided by the television program receiving device 13 in step S2, and supplies it to the network management processing unit 34.

Similarly, the communication unit 134 of the hard disk recorder 14 obtains a request for device information provided by the management device 11 in step S21 , and supplies it to the information providing unit 114 . The information generation processing unit 121 of the information providing unit 114 that has been provided with the device information request generates device information on the hard disk recorder 14 based on the request in step S22 , and provides it to the information provision processing unit 122 .

The information provision processing unit 122 provides the obtained device information to the management device 11 as the request source through the communication unit 134 in step S23. The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 acquires the device information provided by the hard disk recorder 14 in step S3 and supplies it to the network management processing unit 34 .

Also, similarly, the communication unit 174 of the audio player 15 acquires a request for device information provided by the management device 11 in step S31 , and supplies it to the information providing unit 154 . The information generation processing unit 161 of the information providing unit 154 that has been provided with the request for device information generates device information related to the audio player 15 based on the request in step S32 , and supplies it to the information provision processing unit 162 .

The information provision processing unit 162 provides the acquired device information to the requesting management device 11 through the communication unit 174 in step S33. The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 obtains the device information provided by the audio player 15 in step S4 , and supplies it to the network management processing unit 34 .

Also, similarly, the communication unit 214 of the personal computer 16 obtains a request for device information provided by the management device 11 in step S41 , and supplies it to the information providing unit 194 . The information generation processing unit 201 of the information providing unit 194 that has been provided with the request for device information generates device information on the personal computer 16 based on the request in step S42 and provides it to the information provision processing unit 202 .

The information provision processing unit 202 provides the obtained device information to the management device 11 as the request source through the communication unit 214 in step S43. The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 obtains the device information provided by the personal computer 16 in step S5 , and supplies it to the network management processing unit 34 .

The management information processing section 42 of the network management processing section 34 generates management information 61 based on the device information collected as described above in step S6, and supplies it to the storage section 53 for storage in step S7. It is information for managing the TV program receiver 13 , the hard disk video recorder 14 , the audio player 15 , and the personal computer 16 as management objects.

Furthermore, the image information processing unit 43 of the network management processing unit 34 generates management image information as a GUI for presenting the user based on the management information 61 generated by the management information processing unit 42 in step S8, and displays it in step S9. The image is supplied to the output unit 52, and an image corresponding to the management image information is displayed on the display.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a browser window of a virtual house, which is an example of a GUI image corresponding to management image information displayed on a display.

On the upper right part of the browser window 261 of this virtual house, be provided with: " end " button 262, it is pressed by the user when closing the browser window 261 of virtual house input press operation indication under the state indicated by the indicator of the indicator); "maximize" button 263, when it maximizes the size of the browser window 261 of the virtual house, or when the size of the browser window 261 of the virtual house is changed from Pressed by the user when the maximized state returns to the original size; and a "minimize" button 264, which is pressed when the browser window 261 of the virtual house is minimized.

The browser window 261 of the virtual house is divided into: the main panel 265, which is used to display the image of the virtual house; information, etc.; and a communication panel 267, which is used to display chat or mail content or current affairs news, etc.

The virtual house displayed on the main panel 265 is a three-dimensional virtual space expressing the network system 1 (or each device to be managed in the network system 1 ) as shown in FIG. 1 . That is, in this virtual house, the television program receiving device 13, the hard disk video recorder 14, the audio player 15, and the personal computer 16 are represented as icons 271 to 274, respectively.

The icons 271 to 274 are icons representing the respective devices, and therefore the user can freely change the positions of these icons on the virtual house by operating the mouse of the management device 11 or the like. In addition, in this virtual house, other icons such as a sofa or a dining table for creating an atmosphere may be provided in addition to the icons representing the devices to be managed. Mascots that act automatically or based on user instructions can also be set in this virtual house. In addition, in Fig. 13, as a virtual house, it is represented by one room, but the number of rooms can also be multiple, and of course, virtual streets or other virtual streets or other virtual houses can be arranged outside the virtual house as other three-dimensional virtual spaces. Residential.

In addition, although the network system 1 is represented by a three-dimensional virtual space in FIG. 13 , it is not limited thereto. For example, the network system 1 may be represented by a two-dimensional image, and of course may be represented by information such as characters or symbols. Next, a case where the network system 1 is represented by the three-dimensional virtual space shown in FIG. 13 will be described.

The network management processing unit 34 of the management device 11 for displaying an image corresponding to the management image information shown in FIG. 13 on the display ends the device information collection process.

As described above, the network management processing unit 34 of the management device 11 requests device information and acquires information on each device to be managed. At this time, the management device 11 may request (broadcast) management information to unspecified devices connected to the network 12, and sort out pre-registered devices to be managed by requesting the device information obtained. device information to generate management information; it is also possible to provide device information requests (multicast) only to devices registered in advance as management targets. In addition, based on the connection information provided by the device newly connected to the network 12, the device information request (unicast) may be provided only to the device newly connected to the network 12 .

Above, the case of the so-called pull (pull) type information collection method has been described, that is, the management device 11 interacts with other devices (TV program receiving device 13, hard disk video recorder 14, audio player 15, personal computer 16, etc.) The device information is requested, and each device provides the device information to the management device 11 based on this information. But it is not limited to this, device information can also be collected by the management device 11 through a push method, that is, even if each device as a management object is not requested by the management device 11, it will be provided to the management device 11 as needed Device information.

That is, for example, a device to be managed may provide device information to the management device 11 when connected to the network 12 . Through the above, the management device 11 can collect the information of this equipment earlier and notify the user, so the user can manage the current state of the system more correctly.

In addition, the management device 11, the TV program receiving device 13, the hard disk video recorder 14, the audio player 15 and the personal computer 16, for example, can be connected to On the network 12, the above-mentioned device information collection process can also be performed using a protocol based on these methods. For example, in the case of UPnP, the management device 11 uses SSDP (Simple Service Discovery Protocol) that can automatically detect that a device has joined the network to collect information related to the device, and in the case of Jini, uses a discovery and search service, etc. Collect service information.

If the management device 11 displays the GUI image corresponding to the management image information on the display, the user operates the input unit 51 (such as a mouse, etc.) based on the displayed GUI image (browser window 261 of the virtual house in FIG. Instructions related to the control of the device. The network management processing unit 34 of the management device 11 performs processing to control the operation of each device to be managed based on an instruction input through the input unit 51 . For example, in the image displayed on the main panel of the browser window 261 of the virtual residence in FIG. One, and an instruction is input for control, and the network management processing unit 34 executes control processing based on the input, thereby starting operation control of the designated device.

The control processing of the network management processing unit 34 using the browser window 261 of this virtual house will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 14 and 15 . Description will be made with reference to FIG. 16 as necessary.

First, the control processing unit 44 of the network management processing unit 34 refers to the management information 61 stored in the storage unit 53 in step S51, and acquires the device information of the designated device. The control processing unit 44 having acquired the device information judges in step S52 whether or not the designated device has a plurality of services such as the personal computer 16 shown in FIG. 10 . The personal computer 16 in FIG. 10 has three services of "video service", "audio service" and "electronic album service".

When it is judged that the designated device has multiple services, the control processing unit 44 performs the processing of step S53, and controls the image information processing unit 43 to iconize each service of the device, for example, as shown in FIG. 16 , display icons of all corresponding services .

16 is an explanatory diagram of another display example of the browser window 261 of the virtual house when the user moves the cursor to designate the icon 274 corresponding to the personal computer 16 and inputs for control.

In FIG. 16 , since the user designates the icon 274 and inputs it for control, the icon 274 is surrounded by a thick frame for emphatic display. Furthermore, a dialog window 281 is displayed, and icons 281A to 281C corresponding to services provided by the personal computer 16 are displayed in the dialog window 281 . The icon 281A is, for example, an icon in the shape of a video recorder, that is, an icon corresponding to "video service". The icon 281B is, for example, an icon in the shape of an audio player, that is, an icon corresponding to "audio service". Icon 281C is, for example, an album (book)-shaped icon, that is, an icon corresponding to "electronic album service".

Returning to FIG. 14 , when the service is iconified and displayed as described above, the control processing unit 44 performs the processing of step S54 to control the input unit 51 to start receiving the user's selection of the service. The user selects one of the displayed icons corresponding to the service as shown in FIG. 16 by operating the mouse or the like in the same manner as when specifying the device.

The control processing unit 44 that starts to receive the user's selection of the service performs the processing of step S55, and judges whether the user has selected the service after a predetermined time has elapsed. When the user does not input information for selecting an icon (in the case of FIG. 16 , any of the icons 281A to 281C) corresponding to the service through the input unit 51 and determines that the user has not selected the service, the control processing unit 44 proceeds to the process of step S56. , so that it is judged based on the information of the input unit 51 whether to terminate the control process.

When it is determined that the control processing is not to be terminated due to an instruction related to service selection not being input through the input unit 51, the control processing unit 44 returns to the processing of step S55, and repeats the processing thereafter. As described above, the control processing unit 44 waits until the user selects a service while judging whether to terminate the control processing.

In step S55, when it is determined that the user has selected an icon of the corresponding service by operating a mouse or the like, the control processing unit 44 proceeds to the process of step S57. Also, in step S52, when it is determined based on the device information that the designated device has only one service, for example, as in the case of the service information of the audio player 15 described with reference to FIG.

In step S57, the control processing unit 44 judges based on the device information whether or not the designated device (designated service) has a plurality of function blocks. For example, in the case of the service information shown in FIG. 9, the audio player 15 (audio service) has two functional blocks of a "tuner" function and a "audio content data recording/reproduction" function.

In this way, when it is determined that there are a plurality of function blocks, the control processing unit 44 performs the processing of step S58, thereby controlling the image information processing unit 43 to generate a function block selection screen, and displays it on the display of the output unit 52 in step S59. (For example, on the control panel 266 of the browser window 261 of the virtual house), the processing of step S61 in FIG. 15 is performed.

In step S61 of FIG. 15 , the control processing unit 44 controls the input unit 51 to start reception of function block selection. Then, after a predetermined time elapses, the control processing unit 44 performs the processing of step S62 to determine whether or not the function block is selected. When it is determined that the user has selected a function block by operating a mouse or the like, the control processing unit 44 proceeds to the processing of step S63. In addition, in step 57 of FIG. 14, when it is determined based on the management information 61 (device information included in the management information 61) that the specified device (specified service) does not have a plurality of function blocks, the control processing unit 44 performs the processing of step S63 in FIG. 15 .

The control processing section 44 controls the image information processing section 43 in step S63 to generate a control image for controlling the device, and displays the control image on the display of the output section 52 (such as the browser window 261 of the virtual house) in step S64. on the control panel 266), so that in step S65, the control input unit 51 starts to receive the selection of the control command.

The control image is, for example, an image using a software button assigned a control command, and is displayed on the control panel 266, etc., and the user can operate the software button by operating a mouse to instruct the execution of the control command corresponding to the button. GUI image.

The control processing unit 44 that has started the reception of the control command selection controls the input unit 51 to determine whether the control command is selected by the user in step S66, and if it is determined that it is selected, then the processing of step S67 is performed, so that the selected Control commands are provided to the designated devices. The control processing unit 44 supplied with the control command performs the processing of step S68. In addition, when it is determined in step S66 that the control command has not been selected, the control processing unit 44 skips the processing in step S67 and performs the processing in step S68.

In step S68, the control processing unit 44 controls the input unit 51 to judge whether or not the “Close” button is operated. The “Close” button is a button provided on the control image and is an instruction to end the display of the control image by the user's operation. button, when it is determined that the user has not operated the "Close" button, the processing of step S66 is performed, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

In addition, in step S68, when it is determined that the user operates the "close" button by operating the mouse or the like and selects the "close" button, the control processing unit 44 performs the processing of step S69, for example, after performing the end processing, that is, the control image After the information processing unit 43 ends the display of the control image, etc., the control process ends.

In addition, in step S62, when it is determined that the user has not selected a function block, the control processing unit 44 performs the processing of step S70, thereby judging whether the "Close" button provided on the function block selection screen is selected as in the case of controlling the image. . When it is determined that the user has not operated the "Close" button, the control processing unit 44 returns to the processing of step S62, and repeats the subsequent processing. In addition, in step S70, when it is determined that the user operates the "close" button by operating the mouse or the like and selects the "close" button, the control processing unit 44 performs the processing of step S69, for example, after performing the end processing, that is, the control image After the information processing unit 43 ends the display of the control image, etc., the control process ends.

In addition, for example, in FIG. 16, when the user designates a part other than the dialog window 281 or the icon 274 of the main panel 265, and determines in step S56 of FIG. In the process of S69, the control process is ended after the end process such as ending the image display of the dialogue window 281 is performed.

By performing the control processing described above, the user can control the operation of each device connected to the network 12 as a management target using the browser window 261 of the virtual house shown in FIG. 16 . For example, when each service (video service, audio service, electronic album service) provided by the personal computer 16 indicates the supply control command, the user can operate the icon 274 displayed on the browser window 261 of the virtual house, as shown in Figure 7 Control commands for the personal computer 16 are supplied to the management device 11 as shown.

That is, when the user instructs to provide a control command to each service provided by the personal computer 16, the management device 11 performs communication processing with the personal computer 16 as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 17 .

For example, when the user instructs a video service provision control command to the personal computer 16, the control processing unit 44 of the management device 11 provides the specified video service control command to the personal computer 16 through the communication unit 54 in step S91. When the communication unit 214 of the personal computer 16 acquires the video service control command in step S101, it provides the command to the CPU 191. The CPU 191 that has acquired the video service control command executes the video service program 221 based on the control command in step S102, thereby performing video service processing. And, the CPU 191 provides a response to the management device 11 through the communication unit 214 in step S103. The communication part 54 of the management apparatus 11 will provide this response to the control processing part 44 after acquiring this response in step S92.

Also, for example, when the user instructs an audio service provision control command to the personal computer 16, the control processing unit 44 of the management device 11 provides the designated audio service control command to the personal computer 16 through the communication unit 54 in step S93. The communication unit 214 of the personal computer 16, upon obtaining the audio service control command in step S104, provides the command to the CPU 191. The CPU 191 that obtains the audio service control command executes the audio service program 222 based on the control command in step S105, thereby performing audio service processing. And, the CPU 191 provides a response to the management device 11 through the communication unit 214 in step S106. The communication part 54 of the management apparatus 11 will provide this response to the control processing part 44 after acquiring this response in step S94.

Furthermore, for example, when the user instructs the electronic album service provision control command to the personal computer 16, the control processing unit 44 of the management device 11 provides the designated electronic album service to the personal computer 16 through the communication unit 54 in step S95. Service control command. The communication unit 214 of the personal computer 16, upon obtaining the electronic album service control command in step S107, provides the command to the CPU 191. The CPU 191 that has acquired the electronic album service control command executes the electronic album service program 223 based on the control command in step S108, thereby performing the processing of the electronic album service. And, the CPU 191 provides a response to the management device 11 through the communication unit 214 in step S109. The communication part 54 of the management apparatus 11 will provide this response to the control processing part 44 after acquiring this response in step S96.

As described above, the management device 11 provides the control command to the personal computer 16 by operating the icon 274 corresponding to the personal computer 16 to instruct the user to control any of these services. As described above, the user can accurately grasp to which device the instruction was issued.

However, as shown in FIG. 13, even if the user sees the icon 274 corresponding to the personal computer 16, the user cannot intuitively grasp what service is provided by the personal computer 16 corresponding to the icon 274. That is, in order to grasp what service the personal computer 16 provides in this case, as shown in FIG. 16, the user must designate the icon 274 so that the service is displayed.

In general, the user is a user of the TV program receiving apparatus 13 to the personal computer 16, so in most cases the main purpose is to control the operation of these apparatuses, not for proper communication control. In other words, in most cases, it is important for the user to obtain or output target content data through the control of each device, rather than grasping which device actually performs which operation. Therefore, like the personal computer 16 described above, when one device has a plurality of services, the management device 11 can iconize each service as a virtual device, so that the user can also control icons corresponding to other real devices. to control the icon corresponding to this service.

That is, it may also be the case that, in the image displayed on the browser window 261 of the virtual house as explained with reference to FIG. A software button such as a "split button" described later is prepared so that the user can divide icons for each service by operating the split button.

The division process, which is executed when the user operates this division button to instruct division of the icon, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 18 . Description will be made with reference to FIGS. 19 to 21 as necessary.

If the user instructs to divide the icon, the control processing unit 44 of the network management processing unit 34 refers to the device information of the device included in the management information 61 stored in the storage unit 53 in step S121. . Furthermore, the management information processing unit 42 sets a virtual device for each service based on the device information in step S122, generates virtual device information as device information (service information) of the virtual device, and uses this virtual device information to update the management Information 61.

For example, when dividing the icon 274 of the personal computer 16, the management information processing unit 42 generates each Virtual appliance information for the service.

That is, the management information processing unit 42 generates service information 301 in which the video service shown in FIG. 19 is virtualized; service information 302 in which the audio service shown in FIG. 20 is virtualized; Service information 303 for service virtualization.

Returning to FIG. 18 , if the virtual device information is generated, in step S123, the image information processing unit 43 generates an icon of the virtual device, and in step S124, the icon is displayed on the output unit 52 like icons corresponding to other devices. display (the main panel 265 of the browser window 261 of the virtual house), and end the splitting process.

As mentioned above, the division process is performed by the network management processing unit 34. For example, as shown in FIG. In addition to the video recorder button 311 for the service, the audio player button 312 for selecting the audio service, and the album button 313 for selecting the electronic album service, a split button 314 for splitting icons for each service is displayed.

And, as shown in Figure 23, if the user operates the split button 314 by operating the mouse etc., then on the main panel 265 it is displayed: a video recorder icon 321, which is an icon of a virtual device corresponding to the video service; A phone icon 322, which is an icon of a virtual device corresponding to an audio service; and an album icon 323, which is an icon of a virtual device corresponding to an electronic photo album service.

As described above, the user can intuitively grasp the service corresponding to the icon according to the shape of the icon of each virtual device. Also, as in the case of the icons of other devices described above, by operating the icon, the service corresponding to the icon can be controlled, so the user can manage the system more easily.

When the icon is divided as described above, the processing described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 17 is actually processed like the flowchart of FIG. 17 , but it can be processed like the flowchart of FIG. 24 in the virtual space.

For example, in FIG. 24, if the user operates the video recorder icon 321 in FIG. 23 and instructs to supply a control command (in fact, it is to instruct the supply of a control command to the video service of the personal computer 16), then the control processing unit 44 of the management device 11 in step In S141, the specified video service control command is provided to the virtual video recorder (actually the personal computer 16) through the communication unit 54. If the virtual video recorder obtains this video service control command in step S151, then in step S152, the processing of video service is carried out based on this control command (actually the CPU 191 of personal computer 16 executes the video service program 221 based on the control command, thereby performing processing of video services). And, the virtual video recorder (actually the personal computer 16) provides a response to the management device 11 in step S153. The communication part 54 of the management apparatus 11 will provide this response to the control processing part 44 after acquiring this response in step S142.

In addition, for example, in FIG. 24, if the user operates the audio player icon 322 in FIG. In step S143, the specified audio service control command is supplied to the virtual audio player (actually, the personal computer 16) through the communication section 54. If the virtual audio player obtains this audio service control command in step S161, then in step S162, the processing of audio service is carried out based on this control command (actually the CPU 191 of personal computer 16 executes the audio service program 222 based on the control command, thereby processing for audio services). And, the virtual audio player (actually the personal computer 16) provides a response to the management device 11 in step S163. The communication part 54 of the management apparatus 11 will provide this response to the control processing part 44 after acquiring this response in step S144.

Furthermore, for example, in FIG. 24, if the user operates the photo album icon 323 in FIG. 44. In step S145, the designated electronic album service control command is provided to the virtual electronic album (actually the personal computer 16) through the communication unit 54. If the virtual electronic album obtains the electronic album service control command in step S171, then in step S172, the processing of electronic album service is carried out based on the control command (in fact, the CPU 191 of the personal computer 16 executes the electronic album service based on the control command. book service program 223, so as to process the video service). And, the virtual electronic album (actually the personal computer 16) provides a response to the management device 11 in step S173. The communication part 54 of the management apparatus 11 will provide this response to the control processing part 44 after acquiring this response in step S146.

That is, in the browser window 261 of this virtual house, the service is virtualized and can be handled in the same way as the device. Therefore, the user can manage the network system 1 not only for each device, but also for each service unit. Intuitive and easier control of the system.

In addition, during the division, it is of course also possible to remove the icon corresponding to the original device.

In addition, by manipulating the GUI image of the browser window 261 of the virtual house, the user can cause a plurality of devices managed by the management device 11 to cooperate with each other. For example, the user can output video data (image data or sound data, etc.) recorded in the hard disk video recorder 14 through the TV program receiving device 13 by operating icons or the like, or copy the video data and record (copy) in the personal computer 16. .

The communication processing among the respective devices (management device 11, TV program receiving device 13, hard disk video recorder 14, personal computer 16) in this case will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Fig. 25 and Fig. 26 .

If the user operates the input unit 51 (such as a mouse, etc.) of the management device 11, designates the icon 272 corresponding to the hard disk video recorder 14, so as to input, to request recording (recording) the program (formed by image data or sound data) in the hard disk video recorder 14 video data), the information request processing part 41 of the network management processing part 34 generates a request for the program list of the hard disk video recorder 14 in step S181, and provides it to the hard disk video recorder 14 by the communication part 54 , thereby requesting a program list to the hard disk video recorder 14 .

The communication part 134 of the hard disk video recorder 14 will provide the said request to the information providing part 114 after acquiring the said request in step S201. The information generation processing unit 121 of the information providing unit 114 that has received the program list request controls the storage unit 133 to obtain a list of programs (video data) stored in the storage unit 133, generates a program list, and provides it to the information supply processing unit 122. The information provision processing unit 122 provides the provided program list to the management device 11 in step S202. The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 acquires the program list and supplies it to the network management processing unit 34 in step S182. The image information processing unit 43 of the network management processing unit 34 generates an image displaying the acquired program list, controls the output unit 52 to display the image on the display, and presents the program list of the hard disk video recorder 14 to the user.

If the user refers to the program list displayed on the display and operates the input unit 51, specifies a desired program from the program list, and further specifies the TV program receiving device 13, thereby instructing the reproduction of the specified program, then the network management processing unit 34 In step S183, the operation control unit 44 generates a playback request for the designated program (designated program), and provides it to the television program receiving apparatus 13 through the communication unit 54, thereby requesting the television program receiving apparatus 13 to request the playback of the designated program. reproduce. In addition, information indicating that the data of the specified program is recorded in the hard disk video recorder 14 is included in the reproduction request of the specified program.

The communication unit 94 of the television program receiving device 13, upon acquiring the request in step S191, supplies it to the CPU 71. Based on the request, the CPU 71 that has acquired the playback request of the specified program requests the hard disk video recorder 14 to play back the specified program in step S192. The communication unit 134 of the hard disk video recorder 14 will provide the request to the CPU 111 upon obtaining the request in step S203. Based on the request, the CPU 111 controls the recording/playback unit 115 and the like to start playback processing in step S204. In addition, the CPU 71 of the television program receiving device 13 that requests to reproduce the specified program controls the image processing unit 75 and the like in step S193, and starts the process of displaying the program (image data or audio data) provided by the hard disk video recorder 14. Thus, video data 331 (image data or audio data, etc.) is started to be supplied from the hard disk video recorder 14 to the TV program receiver 13 , and images corresponding to the supplied video data 331 are displayed on the display of the TV program receiver 13 . In addition, the video data 331 here is normally reproduced data.

The CPU 71 of the television program receiving device 13 having started the display process notifies the management device 11 of the start of the display through the communication unit 94. The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 acquires the notification in step S184.

Next, when the user operates the input unit 51 to instruct to end the display of the program started as described above, the operation control unit 44 of the network management processing unit 34 generates a request to end the display of the designated program (specified program) in step S185. , and provide it to the TV program receiving device 13 through the communication unit 54 , thereby requesting the TV program receiving device 13 to end the display of the program.

The communication unit 94 of the television program receiving device 13, upon acquiring the request in step S195, supplies it to the CPU 71. Based on the request, the CPU 71 that has acquired the program display end request requests the hard disk video recorder 14 to end the playback of the program in step S196. The communication unit 134 of the hard disk video recorder 14 will provide the request to the CPU 111 after acquiring the request in step S205.

Based on the request, the CPU 111 controls the recording/playback unit 115 and the like to end the playback process in step S206. When the playback process ends, the CPU 111 notifies the TV program receiver 13 through the communication unit 134 that the playback has ended in step S207. The communication unit 94 of the television program receiving device 13 , upon acquiring the notification in step S197 , provides the notification to the information provision processing unit 82 of the information provision unit 74 . The information provision processing unit 82 that has acquired the playback end notification notifies the management device 11 that the display of the program has ended through the communication unit 94 in step S198. The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 acquires the notification in step S186.

In addition, if the user operates the input unit 51 to instruct the backup recording of the video data recorded in the hard disk 125 of the hard disk video recorder 14 to be recorded in the personal computer 16 as described above, then the operation control unit 44 of the network management processing unit 34 is shown in FIG. In step S211, a request for copy processing of the designated program (designated program) is generated and provided to the hard disk recorder 14 through the communication unit 54, thereby requesting the hard disk recorder 14 for copy processing of the program (video data).

The communication unit 134 of the hard disk video recorder 14 will provide the request to the CPU 111 after acquiring the request in step S231. The CPU 111 having acquired the program duplication request requests the personal computer 16 for recording processing based on the request in step S232. The communication unit 214 of the personal computer 16, upon acquiring the request in step S251, provides it to the CPU 191.

If the CPU 191 executes the video service program 221 etc. based on the request to prepare for recording processing and completes the processing, then in step S252, the communication unit 214 notifies the hard disk video recorder 14 that the recording preparation has been completed. The communication unit 134 of the hard disk video recorder 14 will provide the notification to the CPU 111 when the notification is obtained in step S233. The CPU 111 notified that the recording preparations have been completed starts the designated program playback process in step S234. This starts to supply the video data 332 (image data, audio data, etc.) from the hard disk recorder 14 to the personal computer 16 . In addition, the video data 332 here is normally reproduced data.

When the supply of the video data 331 starts, the CPU 191 of the personal computer 16 starts recording processing of the supplied video data in step S253. Moreover, the information supply processing part 122 of the hard disk video recorder 14 which started supply of the video data 331 notifies the management apparatus 11 via the communication part 54 of start of a copy process in step S235. The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 provides the notification to the CPU 31 upon obtaining the notification in step S212.

Next, if the user operates the input unit 51 to instruct to stop the copying process of the video data started as described above, the operation control unit 44 of the network management processing unit 34 generates a stop request for the copying process in step S213 of FIG. The unit 54 supplies it to the hard disk video recorder 14 .

The communication unit 134 of the hard disk video recorder 14 will provide the request to the CPU 111 after acquiring the request in step S236. Based on the request, the CPU 111 that has received the copy stop request controls the recording and reproducing unit 115 to stop the reproduction process in step S237, and requests the personal computer 16 to end the recording process through the communication unit 134 in step S238.

The communication unit 214 of the personal computer 16, upon obtaining the request in step S254, provides it to the CPU 191. The CPU 191 that has acquired the recording processing end request ends the recording processing in step S255 based on the request, and notifies the hard disk video recorder 14 of the end of the recording processing in step S256 through the communication unit 214.

The communication unit 134 of the hard disk video recorder 14 will provide the request to the CPU 111 after acquiring the request in step S239. Based on the request, the CPU 111 notifies the management device 11 through the communication unit 134 of the end of the recording process in step S240. The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 acquires the notification in step S214. Each device of the network system 1 performs cooperative processing as described above.

In the management device 11, when instructing to perform the above-mentioned cooperative processing, the user can collect the services necessary in this cooperative processing and generate a virtual device as one device, for example, on the main panel 265 of the browser window 261 of the virtual house. Icons corresponding to the virtual devices are displayed in the displayed virtual space (virtual house), and cooperative processing is instructed by manipulating the icons.

For example, when the user instructs generation of a virtual device by operating a mouse or the like, the network management processing unit 34 of the management device 11 starts a virtual device generation process. The virtual device generation process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 27 . Description will be made with reference to FIG. 28 as necessary.

The management information processing unit 42 of the network management processing unit 34 of the management device 11 instructing generation of virtual devices reads the management information 61 stored in the storage unit 53 in step S271 to obtain device information of each device to be managed. In addition, the image information processing unit 43 generates a virtual device generation screen as shown in FIG. 28 based on the device information of the management information 61 in step S272, and controls the output unit 52 to display the screen on the display.

In FIG. 28, a virtual device generation screen 340 is a GUI for a user to generate a virtual device, and is composed of a control panel 341 that displays information related to the control of the generated virtual device; a control command display column 342, It displays a list of control commands of each device managed by the management device 11; a button box 343, which displays a button sample, for buttoning the control command in the control panel 341; an initialization button 344, which is initialized by the user's operation The setting of the control panel 341; the registration button 345 which registers the information of the control panel 341 by the user's operation; and the cancel button 346 which stops the generation of the virtual device by the user's operation.

A list of control commands is displayed in the control command display field 342 . That is, the image information processing unit 43 generates a list of control commands of each device to be managed based on the device information of the management information 61 according to the configuration of the device information, and displays the list of control commands in the control command display field 342 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 28 , when it is not possible to display all of the control command list in the control command display column 342 at one time, a scroll bar 342A may also be provided, so that when the user operates the scroll bar 342A, the control command display column will be scrolled. 342.

In the button frame 343 , buttons of various shapes arranged in a button arrangement column 353 described later are displayed as samples. The sample (shape of the button) is prepared in advance, and the size, aspect ratio, direction, etc. can be changed after being arranged in the button arrangement column 353 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 28 , a scroll bar 343A may be provided so that when the user operates the scroll bar 343A, the button frame 343 is scrolled and displayed.

When the user operates the virtual device after generating the virtual device, the control panel 341 is, for example, an image of the control panel 266 displaying the browser window 261 of the virtual house, and is composed of the following structure: a name input column 351 for the user to input The name of the generated virtual device; the status display column 352, which displays the operation or status of the generated virtual device; and the button configuration column 353, which configures various buttons (referred to as control command buttons) to which control commands are assigned.

The name input field 351 is an input field for registering the name of the generated virtual device, and is a field for inputting character information by user's operation. The status display column 352 is a column for displaying the status of the virtual device and the like. When the virtual device is set and the control panel 341 is displayed on the control panel 266, for example, information such as the status of the virtual device at that time is displayed in this column. The button configuration column 353 is a column for disposing buttons assigned with control commands, and the user selects a button through the button frame and arranges it in the button configuration column 353, thereby generating a control command by assigning the control command selected by the control command display column to this button. command button.

That is, the user operates the name input field 351 on this virtual device generation screen 340 to specify the name of the virtual device to be generated. In addition, the user selects a button through the button box 343, and arranges the button at an arbitrary position in the button arrangement column by an operation such as so-called dragging, and then selects a control command from the list of control commands displayed in the control command display column 342. command, and assigns the control command to the buttons arranged in the button arrangement column by an operation such as so-called dragging, thereby generating a control command button.

After the above operations are performed to complete the control panel corresponding to the virtual device, the user operates the registration button 345 to set the virtual device corresponding to the control panel. Also, the user operates the initialization button 344 when desiring to start over from the beginning, and the user operates the cancel button 346 when desiring to stop the virtual device creation process.

When the virtual device generation screen 340 described above is displayed on the display, the network management processing unit 34 controls the input unit 51 to start receiving input from the user in step S273. The user performs the above operations to advance the setting of the virtual device.

In step S274, the network management processing unit 34 determines whether or not the user controls the input unit 51 to operate the GUI (virtual device creation screen 340). When it is determined that the user has operated, the image information processing unit 43 performs the process of step S275 to control the screen (virtual device generation screen 340 ) in accordance with the input operation. The image information processing unit 43 having completed the processing of step S275 performs the processing of step S276. In addition, when it is determined in step S274 that the GUI has not been operated, the image information processing unit 43 skips the processing of step S275 and performs the processing of step S276.

In step S276, the image information processing unit 43 judges whether the initialization button 344 of the virtual device creation screen 340 has been operated, and if it is judged to be operated, then proceeds to the processing of step S277, initializes the information in the control panel 341, and proceeds to step S278. deal with. In addition, when it is determined in step S276 that the initialization button 344 has not been operated, step S277 is omitted and the process of step S278 is performed.

In step S278, the image information processing unit 43 determines whether the cancel button 345 of the virtual device creation screen 340 has been operated, and if it determines that it has not been operated, it proceeds to step S279 to determine whether the register button 345 has been operated. When it is determined that the registration button 345 has not been operated, the image information processing unit 43 returns to step S274 and repeats the subsequent processing.

In addition, when it is determined in step S279 that the user has operated the registration button 345 , the image information processing unit 43 performs the processing in step S280 to control the storage unit 53 so as to store the information in the control panel 341 . Furthermore, the management information processing unit 42 performs the process of step S281 to set a virtual device based on the information of the control panel 341 and update the management information 61 (device information). In addition, the image information processing unit 43 generates an icon corresponding to the set virtual device in step S282, and displays the icon on the main panel 265 in step S283. The network management processing unit 34 displaying the virtual device icon ends the virtual device generation process.

In addition, when it is determined in step S278 that the user has operated the cancel button, the network management processing unit 34 omits the processing in steps S279 to S283 and ends the virtual device generation processing.

That is, by executing the virtual device generation process as described above, the network management processing unit 34 collects necessary control commands (or function blocks, etc.) through the service information (device information) of a plurality of devices as shown in FIG. Device information (service information) of the new device (virtual device) shown at 30 .

In FIG. 29 , service information (device information) of a plurality of devices is shown. In addition, information on the above-mentioned service names is omitted here.

In FIG. 29, the service information 361 is composed of three items: the machine name 361A, the function block 361B, and the control command 361C. information as one. The network management processing unit 34 refers to the management information 61 in step S271 of FIG. 27 , generates a virtual device generation screen 340 based on the service information 361 shown in FIG. 29 included in the management information 61 , and displays it on the display.

The user operates the above-mentioned virtual device generation screen 340, selects a desired function block or control command through the function block or control command included in the service information 361 of FIG. 29, and generates a virtual device. For example, if the user selects the function blocks or control commands of the shaded part through the function blocks or control commands included in the service information 361 of FIG. , so as to generate service information 362 as shown in FIG. 30 . Thereby, as shown in FIG. 30, a virtual device having one monitoring service and two video services is generated.

Using the virtual device (the icon corresponding to the virtual device) generated as described above, the user can display the corresponding devices as described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 25 and 26 as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 31 Processing is performed as processing against one virtual device.

The processing corresponding to FIGS. 25 and 26 when a virtual device is used will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 31 .

If the user operates the input unit 51 (such as a mouse, etc.) of the management device 11 to designate the icon corresponding to the virtual device, and make an input request to record (record) the program (video composed of image data and sound data, etc.) in the virtual device. data), the information request processing part 41 of the network management processing part 34 generates a request for the program list of the virtual device (actually the hard disk video recorder 14) in step S291, and provides it to the virtual device (Actually, it is provided to the hard disk recorder 14 through the communication unit 54), thereby requesting a program list to the virtual device (actually, the hard disk recorder 14).

The virtual device (actually, the communication unit 134 of the hard disk recorder 14) acquires the request in step S311, generates a program list, and provides it to the management device 11 in step S312. (Actually, the information generation processing unit 121 of the information providing unit 114 obtains the program list stored in the storage unit 133, generates a program list, and provides it to the information supply processing unit 122, thereby providing the program list to the management device 11 .) The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 obtains the program list in step S292, and supplies it to the network management processing unit 34. The image information processing unit 43 of the network management processing unit 34 generates an image displaying the acquired program list, controls the output unit 52 to display the image on the display, and presents the program list of the virtual device to the user.

If the user refers to the program list displayed on the display and operates the input unit 51, specifies a desired program from the program list, and further specifies the TV program receiving device 13, thereby instructing to reproduce the specified program, the operation of the network management processing unit 34 In step S293, the control unit 44 generates a request to play back the specified program (specified program) and provides it to the virtual device, thereby requesting the virtual device to play the specified program (actually, by operating the control unit 44 to The communication unit 54 requests the television program receiver 13 to reproduce the specified program.).

If the virtual device obtains the request in step S313, then based on the request, the playback process of the specified program starts in step S313 (actually, the communication unit 94 of the television program receiving device 13 provides the obtained request to the CPU 71, and The CPU 71 requests the hard disk video recorder 14 to reproduce the specified program, and then the CPU 111 of the hard disk video recorder 14 controls the video recording and reproducing part 115 etc. to start reproduction processing based on the request, so that the CPU 71 of the TV program receiving device 13 controls the recording processing part 75 to start the playback process. Display processing of programs (image data or audio data) provided by the hard disk video recorder 14).

When the playback process starts, the virtual device notifies the management device 11 of the start of the playback process in step S314 (actually, the CPU 71 of the TV program receiving device 13 notifies the management device 11 of the start of the display via the communication unit 94). The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 acquires the notification in step S295.

Through the above processing, as in the case of the flow charts shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 , the video data 331 (image data or sound data, etc.) is started to be supplied from the hard disk video recorder 14 to the TV program receiving device 13, and the video data corresponding to the supplied video data 331 is started. The image of the data 331 is displayed on the display of the television program receiving apparatus 13 .

Next, when the user operates the input unit 51 to instruct to end the display of the program started as described above, the operation control unit 44 of the network management processing unit 34 generates a command to end the display of the designated program (specified program) in step S185. request, and provide it to the virtual device (actually, the television program receiving apparatus 13) through the communication unit 54.

If the virtual device obtains the request in step S315 (actually, the communication section 94 of the TV program receiving device 13 obtains the request), then in step S316, the playback process ends based on the request (actually, the CPU 111 of the hard disk video recorder 14 obtains the request). control the video playback unit 115 to end the playback process). If the playback process ends, the virtual device notifies the management device 11 that the display of the program has ended in step S317 (actually the CPU 111 of the hard disk video recorder 14 notifies the management device 11 through the TV program receiving device 13). The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 acquires the notification in step S296.

Through this processing, the supply of the video data 331 from the hard disk recorder 14 to the television program receiving device 13 is completed, as in the case of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 .

In addition, when the user operates the input unit 51 to instruct to copy (backup) the video data recorded in the virtual device, the operation control unit 44 of the network management processing unit 34 generates a copy processing request for the designated program (designated program) in step S297. , and provide it to the virtual device (actually the hard disk video recorder 14) through the communication unit 54.

If the virtual device obtains the request in step S318 (in fact, the hard disk video recorder 14 obtains the request), then in step S319, based on the request, the copy process of the specified program starts (actually, the hard disk video recorder 14 starts the requested program). copy processing of the specified program, and provide video data to the personal computer 16, so that the personal computer 16 starts recording processing of the video data).

When the copy process starts, the virtual device (actually, the hard disk recorder 14) notifies the management device 11 of the start of the copy process in step S320. The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 obtains the notification in step S298, and supplies it to the CPU 31.

Next, if the user operates the input unit 51 to instruct to stop the copy processing of the video data started as described above, the operation control unit 44 of the network management processing unit 34 generates a copy process stop request in step S299, and provides it to the virtual equipment (actually provided to the hard disk video recorder 14 through the communication unit 54).

If the virtual device obtains the request in step S321, then in step S322, the copy process being executed is terminated based on the request (actually, the CPU 111 of the hard disk video recorder 14 controls the video playback unit 115 to stop the playback process, so that the personal computer 16 The CPU 191 ends the recording processing).

If the virtual device completes the copy process, it notifies the management device 11 of the end of the copy process in step S323 (in fact, the CPU 111 of the hard disk video recorder 14 notifies the management device 11 of the end of the copy process through the communication unit 134). The communication unit 54 of the management device 11 acquires the notification in step S300.

As described above, the user can similarly instruct the virtual device whether to process the program list request, the display start request and end request of the specified program, or the copy processing start request and end request. As described above, since devices (virtual devices) that do not actually exist can be set and iconized, the user can arrange icons in a more user-friendly manner by using the management device 11, so that the system can be managed more easily. .

The series of processing described above can be executed by hardware or by software.

Fig. 32 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of a management device to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 32, a management device 371 is a device corresponding to the management device 11 in FIG. 2, and is a device when the functions related to the network management processing realized by hardware in the management device 11 are realized by software.

That is, in the management device 371 , the storage unit 53 stores the network management processing program 381 in addition to the management information 61 instead of the network management processing unit 34 provided in the management device 11 of FIG. 2 . The network management processing program 381 is executed by the CPU 31 to realize the same function as the network management processing unit 34 of the management device 11. In addition, the following programs are included in the network management processing program 381: an information request processing program 391, executed by the CPU 31, to realize the same function as the information request processing section 41 of the management device 11; a management information processing program 392, executed by the CPU 31, To realize the same function as the management information processing part 42 of the management device 11; the image information processing program 393 is executed by the CPU 31 to realize the same function as the image information processing part 43 of the management device 11; and the control processing program 394 is implemented by The CPU 31 executes to realize the same function as the control processing unit 44 of the management device 11.

The network management processing program 381 is read by the CPU 31 and loaded into the RAM 33 as required, and executed by the CPU 31. In addition, the network management processing program 381 may be stored in the storage unit 53 in advance when shipped from the factory, etc., may be installed through the network 12 through the communication unit 54, and stored in the storage unit 53, or may be stored in a The program is stored in the storage unit 53 by being installed on the removable medium 56 installed on the drive 55 and composed of a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk (including a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only), CD-R (Compact Disc Rewritable), CD-RW (Compact Disc Rewritable), DVD-ROM (Digital Disc Read Only), DVD-RAM (Digital Disc Random Access), DVD-R (Digital Disc Rewritable) , DVD-RW (Digital Disc Rewritable), DVD+R (Digital Disc Rewritable), DVD+RW (Digital Disc Rewritable)), magneto-optical disk (including MD (Mini Disc)) or semiconductor memory (including flash memory ) and other recording media formed. In addition, the network management processing program 381 may also be pre-stored in the ROM 32 when leaving the factory.

The operation of each part when the network management processing program 381 is executed by the CPU 31 is basically the same as that of the above-mentioned management device 11, except that the CPU 31 performs processing instead of the network management processing part 34, so description is omitted.

Fig. 33 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of a hard disk video recorder to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 33 , a hard disk recorder 404 is a device corresponding to the hard disk recorder 14 in FIG. 4 , and is a device in which the functions related to the information providing unit 114 realized by hardware in the hard disk recorder 14 are realized by software.

That is, in the hard disk video recorder 404 , the communication protocol extension command set 411 is stored in the storage unit 133 instead of the information providing unit 114 provided on the hard disk video recorder 14 of FIG. 4 . In addition, it is also possible to prepare dedicated software for performing the above-mentioned information provision processing. As described above, when the network system 1 is realized by connected devices based on existing methods such as UPnP, Jini, or HAVi, communication between these devices by protocols based on these methods. Therefore, in this case, the processing related to the provision of the above-mentioned information of each device to be managed can be realized by an extended command that extends the protocol based on the above-mentioned method, even if it is not dedicated software. That is, the communication protocol extended command set 411 stored in the storage unit 133 is an extended command set based on the protocol used in the network system 1 to which the hard disk video recorder 404 is connected. The communication protocol extension command set 411 includes extension commands necessary to realize the processing related to the above-mentioned information provision.

The CPU 111 (or communication section 134) of the hard disk video recorder 404 realizes the same function as the information providing section 114 of the hard disk video recorder 14 by using the extended command of the communication protocol extension command set 411 stored in the storage section 133.

The communication protocol extension command set 411 can also be pre-stored in the storage unit 133 when leaving the factory, etc., can also be installed through the network 12 through the communication unit 134, and stored in the storage unit 133, or can be installed by a removable The command set stored in the medium 136 is installed and stored in the storage unit 133. The removable medium 136 is installed on the drive 135 and consists of a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk (including a CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW), magneto-optical disk (including MD) or semiconductor memory (including flash memory). In addition, the communication protocol extension command set 411 can also be pre-stored in the ROM 112 when leaving the factory.

The operation of each part of the hard disk video recorder 404 when using the communication protocol extension command set 411 is except that the CPU 111 utilizing the communication protocol extension command set 411 replaces the information providing unit 114 for processing, and is basically the same as that of the above-mentioned hard disk video recorder 14. The situation is the same, so description is omitted. In addition, other devices (television program receiving device 13, audio player 15 and personal computer 16) are also the same as the case of hard disk video recorder 14, and the processing related to the above-mentioned information provision can be realized through the communication protocol extension command set, so it is omitted. these instructions.

In addition, the management device 11 may not be installed as in the network system 1, but the TV program receiving device 13, hard disk video recorder 14, audio player 15 or personal computer 16 as the management target may have the same functions as the management device 11.

Fig. 34 is a schematic diagram of another configuration example of a network system to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 34 , a network system 421 is composed of a hard disk video recorder 424 , a TV program receiver 13 , an audio player 15 and a personal computer 16 connected to the network 12 by wire or wirelessly.

The hard disk video recorder 424 basically has the same structure as the hard disk video recorder 14 of FIG. 1, and also has the network management processing program 381 described with reference to FIG. That is, the situation of the network system 421 is different from the situation of the network system 1 described with reference to FIG. 421 devices, and provide the information to the user.

FIG. 35 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the hard disk video recorder 424 in FIG. 34 .

In FIG. 35 , in the storage unit 133 of the hard disk video recorder 424, in addition to storing the communication protocol extension command set 411, the network management processing program 381 and the management information 61 are also stored. The communication protocol extension command set 411 is referred to As described in FIG. 33, the processing related to information provision as the management object is realized. The network management processing program 381 realizes the network management processing as described with reference to FIG. Each device information of the object.

As described with reference to FIG. 32 , the network management processing program 381 includes an information request processing program 391 , a management information processing program 392 , an image information processing program 393 , and a control processing program 394 .

That is, the CPU 111 of the hard disk video recorder 424 works as the management device 11 by executing the network management processing program 381 stored in the storage unit 133, thereby managing the hard disk video recorder 424, the TV program receiving device 13, the audio player 15 and the personal computer 16 , and the management information 61 is further generated and stored, and the information on these is presented to the user as image information.

At this time, the hard disk video recorder 424 may also have a display capable of displaying these information, for example, other devices such as the TV program receiving device 13 may also be used for displaying. That is, the hard disk video recorder 424 may also generate presentation information for presenting to the user, such as information on each device to be managed or information on communication with each device, as in the case of displaying a menu screen on the TV program receiving device 13. , and provide them to other devices such as the TV program receiving device 13 with a display for display. In this case, the hard disk video recorder 424 can generate prompt information summarizing the information presented to the user, and provide it to the display device. Of course, it can also generate display images and then provide these image data to the display device. When the display information is provided, a display image is generated in the provided display device (such as the television program receiving device 13, etc.) according to the prompt information.

In addition, the CPU 111 (or communication unit 134) of the hard disk video recorder 424 also works as a management object by utilizing the communication protocol extension command set 411. Above, the hard disk video recorder 424 has been described, but the same is true for the TV program receiving device 13, the audio player 15, or the personal computer 16, and these, like the hard disk video recorder 424, have the network management processing program 381 to work as the management device 11. . That is, there are a plurality of devices operating as the management device 11 in the network system, so that other devices are managed while being managed by other devices. In this case, the CPU of each device extends the command set 411 by using the communication protocol. Instead, it operates as a management object and provides information to other devices operating as the management device 11 .

In addition, in this case, the network management processing programs 381 of each device can work independently of each other, so that the devices to be managed by each device are different from each other. Of course, the network management processing programs of each device can share or provide management information 61 to each other. , so that each device becomes a managed device in a unified manner.

In addition, of course, each device may have a network management processing unit, and the function as the management device 11 may be realized by hardware. Similarly, in FIG. 35 , the case where the hard disk video recorder 424 has the communication protocol extension command set 411 has been described, but as explained with reference to FIG. function. Of course, the same is true for other devices.

The structure of network system also can be the structure other than the structure shown in Figure 1 and Figure 34, for example in Figure 1, management device 11 also can have a plurality of, certainly as the TV program receiving device 13 of management object, hard disk video recorder 14, There may be a plurality of audio players 15 or personal computers 16 . Furthermore, the devices to be managed may be devices other than those described above, such as refrigerators, microwave ovens, air conditioners (air conditioners), telephones, clocks, washing and drying machines, video cameras, or tape recorders. AV (Audio Visual) equipment, PDA (Personal Data Assistant), or various servers including media server and mail server, etc., as long as they can be connected to the network 12 and can cooperate with other devices. These devices can also manage transmitted and received data other than image data or audio data.

In addition, the network 12 can not only use the Internet, but also can be a network composed of other standards such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394 or USB (Universal Serial Bus). Use the wireless network like that. Furthermore, dedicated cables such as analog or data, video cables, and audio cables are also included.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 36 , the management device 11 may make devices passing through a plurality of networks (the network 12-1 and the network 12-2) a management target. In other words, the management device 11 may make another device connected to a port on a side different from that of the management device 11, such as a router, a management target. For example, in FIG. 36, the network 12-1 may be a local area network, and the network 12-2 may be a wide area network such as the Internet.

Although not shown in the illustration, it is of course possible that the management device 11 further manages other devices connected through a plurality of networks (connected through a plurality of routers). For example, even when the network connected to the management device 1 and the network connected to the managed device are different from each other, and these networks are connected to the Internet, the management device 11 can manage the managed device. In addition, a device to be managed may be connected to a plurality of networks. For example, the network connected to the TV program receiving device 13 and the hard disk video recorder 14 is different from the network connected to the audio player 15 and the personal computer 16, and when these networks are connected to each other, the management device 11 can also use all of these devices as a management device. object.

The same applies to the network system 421 shown in FIG. 34 .

Fig. 37 is a schematic diagram of another configuration example of a network system to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 37 , the network system 430 can be classified into devices on the user side and devices on the service provider side.

First, the device on the user's side will be described. For example, the portable user terminal 431 implements the following operations through the built-in CPU to execute the virtual house browsing program. on any server etc.

The portable user terminal 431 used by user A is connected to the virtual house DB server 451 on the service provider side through the base station 434 and the Internet 435, thereby obtaining the information of user A's virtual house and displaying the image on the screen. In the image of this virtual house, there are displayed PC icons or TV icons corresponding to PC 442 and TV (television) 43 that actually exist in user A's actual home (hereinafter referred to as user A's house).

In addition, the portable user terminal 431 is connected to the main server 441 constituting the home network 432 of user A's house through the base station 434 and the Internet 435 in response to the user's operation on the PC icon or TV icon of the virtual house displayed on the screen, and transmits Control signal for controlling PC 442 or TV 443.

An in-house network 432 centered on a main server 441 is installed in user A's house. The main server 441 has a global IP (Internet Protocol) address (functions such as NAT (Network Address Translation) or NAPT (Network Address Port Translation) of the router can also be used). Therefore, the portable user terminal 431 and the like can access the main server 441 through the Internet 435 . The main server 441 receives the control signal sent from the portable user terminal 431 through the Internet 435 and is used to control the PC 442 or TV 443, and transmits the control signal used to control the PC 442 or TV 443 through the data bus 444 to on PC 442 or TV 443.

The PC 442 of user A's house is the same as the portable user terminal 431, and is connected to the virtual house DB server 451 or the like on the service provider side through the Internet 435, thereby displaying the virtual house of user A on the screen. In addition, the PC 442 transmits a control signal for controlling the TV 443 or the like connected to the main server 441 in response to the user's operation on the PC icon or the TV icon of the displayed virtual house.

The PC 433 used by the user B is the same as the portable user terminal 431, and is connected to the virtual house DB server 451 or the like on the service provider side through the Internet 435, thereby displaying the virtual house of the user B on the screen. In addition, the PC 444 is connected to the main server of the user B's house through the Internet 435 in response to the user's operation on the displayed PC icon or TV icon of the virtual house, thereby sending a message for controlling the PC connected to the main server (neither shown in the figure) and other control signals.

In addition, as user-side equipment, there are portable user terminals or PCs operated by users other than users A and B, and main servers are also installed in user houses other than users A and B, but these are omitted in the figure.

Next, the service provider side equipment will be described. The virtual house DB server 451 stores the layout information of the virtual house arbitrarily set by the user (including information such as the appearance of the virtual house, the pattern of the walls in the virtual house, the material of the bed, the arrangement of various icons in the virtual house, etc.) or each The user's event information (displaying the information of sending a message to the user's address, displaying the information of the chat application from other users, etc.), and providing information or event information of the virtual house to the portable user terminal 431 connected through the Internet 435, etc.

The authentication server 452 executes authentication processing on the portable user terminal 431 or the like connected to a device on the service provider side through the Internet 435 . Specifically, while providing the portable user terminal 431 with the access right to the device on the service provider side, the judgment is sent to the virtual house DB server 451, the inter-user terminal communication relay server 453, or the user information storage server 454. Whether the access right of the is valid/invalid.

The inter-user-terminal communication relay server 453 executes processing related to a plurality of servers remotely operating the system using a virtual space. For example, the inter-user terminal communication relay server 453 stores a member list of a user group to which each user belongs, or manages a chat performed between a plurality of users, or manages synchronous information ( Details are described below).

Additionally, users can repeatedly belong to multiple user groups.

The user information storage server 454 stores personal data of each user, that is, event detailed information about event information (content data of mail or message of user address, etc.), certificate data (described later) obtained by the user, and user's use notebook. Functionally written content data, image data for sharing with other users, etc.

An EPG (Electronic Program Guide) server 455 responds to requests from portable user terminals 431 and the like connected via the Internet 435, and provides EPG information including a program list of television broadcast programs and information on each program.

The audio server 456 is a so-called Internet broadcast server that provides streaming data of audio in response to a request from the portable user terminal 431 or the like connected via the Internet.

In addition, the virtual house DB server 451 to the audio server 456 on the service provider side do not necessarily have to be individually installed as shown in the figure, and some of the virtual house DB server 451 to the audio server 456 can also be properly combined .

In the system, the portable user terminal 431 has the network management processing programs, etc., and monitors the operations of the main server 441, PC 442, or TV 443, etc., of the in-house network 432 of user A's house by executing these programs, or controls these operations ( manage).

At this time, the mobile user terminal 431 uses the virtual house DB server 451 or the user information storage server 454 to obtain and display images of the virtual house, icons of each device, etc., or provide control commands to each device. That is, the mobile user terminal 431 monitors or controls each device of the home network 432 of the user A's house through the virtual house DB server 451 or the user information storage server 454, thereby realizing the network management process. In other words, the virtual house DB server 451 or the user information storage server 454 monitors or controls each device of the house network 432 of user A's house, so that the portable user terminal 431 acquires information on these servers and provides these servers with information on the house network of user A's house. The control information of each device on the network 432 indirectly manages each device on the home network 432 of the user A's house. By doing so, the load related to the communication processing of the portable user terminal 431 can be reduced. In addition, the functions of the portable user terminal 431 can be simplified thereby.

In addition, by using various servers such as the virtual house DB server 451 and the user information storage server 454, as described above, a plurality of users can share the virtual space among the plurality of users, for example, chat with other users, Or share items on the virtual space with other users, or access other users' virtual spaces and more application processing. In this way, it is possible not only to exchange information with other users, but also to control devices managed by other users.

In the above, the recording medium may include not only a disk (including floppy disk), an optical disk (including CD-ROM, DVD), a magneto-optical disk (including MD) or A removable medium formed of a semiconductor memory may also include a ROM, a storage unit, etc., which are provided to the user in a pre-embedded state of the device body and store a program.

In addition, in this specification, steps describing a program stored in a recording medium include not only processing performed in chronological order in the order of description, but also processing not necessarily performed in chronological order, but performed in parallel or individually. processing.

In addition, in this specification, a system means the whole apparatus which consists of several apparatuses.

Claims (13)

1. an information handling system has first information treating apparatus that communicates and second signal conditioning package of controlling described first information treating apparatus, it is characterized in that,

Described first information treating apparatus generates the information relevant with the control of described first information treating apparatus, i.e. first control information, and described first control information that will generate offers described second signal conditioning package;

Described second signal conditioning package is provided by described first control information that is provided by described first information treating apparatus, generate the information relevant with the control of virtual unit, i.e. second control information, and receive control input to described virtual unit from the user, import corresponding control and treatment thereby described first information treating apparatus is carried out with the described control that is received based on described second control information that is generated.

2. signal conditioning package, it controls controlled device, it is characterized in that having:

First generation unit uses the information relevant with the control of described controlled device, i.e. first control information generates the information relevant with the control of virtual unit, i.e. second control information;

The first input receiving element receives the control input to described virtual unit from the user;

The control and treatment performance element based on described second control information that is generated by described first generation unit, is imported corresponding control and treatment to described controlled device execution and the described first input described control that receiving element received.

3. signal conditioning package as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that,

Described first control information and described second control information comprise the control command group to described controlled device.

4. signal conditioning package as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that, also comprises:

Obtain the unit of obtaining of described first control information from described controlled device; With

Storage is by the described storage unit that obtains described first control information that obtains the unit.

5. signal conditioning package as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that,

Described first generation unit is cut apart described first control information, thereby generates a plurality of described second control informations.

6. signal conditioning package as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that also having:

Second generation unit generates the GUI image corresponding with described controlled device, i.e. first icon;

Display unit shows described first icon that is generated by described second generation unit,

Wherein, described second generation unit further generates the GUI image corresponding with described virtual unit based on described second control information that is generated by described first generation unit, i.e. second icon,

Described display unit further shows described second icon that is generated by described second generation unit,

The described first input receiving element receives by described user and operates the control input that shown described first icon of described display unit or described second icon are imported.

7. signal conditioning package as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that also having:

Display unit shows and cuts apart button that the described button of cutting apart is the GUI image of cutting apart of indicating described first control information by described user's operation;

The second input receiving element receives by what operate that shown described of described display unit cut apart described first control information that button is transfused to and cuts apart the indication input, wherein

Described first generation unit is cut apart described first control information, thereby is generated a plurality of described second control informations based on the indication of cutting apart of described first control information that is received by the described second input receiving element.

8. signal conditioning package as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that also having:

Display unit shows that virtual unit generates image, and it is the GUI image of setting the structure of described second control information by described user's operation that described virtual unit generates image;

Second imports receiving element, and reception is imported with the setting of the structurally associated of described second control information, and described second control information is based on the described virtual unit generation volume image that is shown by described display unit and is transfused to, wherein

Described first generation unit generates described second control information based on the described setting input that is received by the described second input receiving element.

9. signal conditioning package as claimed in claim 8 is characterized in that,

The described virtual unit generation image that is shown by described display unit comprises described user employed GUI image when controlling described virtual unit, be the control chart picture, thereby described user set the structure of described second control information by the space of a whole page of editing described control chart picture.

10. signal conditioning package as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that,

Described controlled device is the household appliances with communication function.

11. signal conditioning package as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that, also has:

Second generation unit generates the information relevant with the control of described signal conditioning package, i.e. the 3rd control information;

Feed unit will be offered other signal conditioning packages of the described signal conditioning package of control by described the 3rd control information that described second generation unit generates.

12. signal conditioning package as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that,

Described signal conditioning package is the household appliances with communication function.

13. an information processing method, it is the information processing method of the signal conditioning package of other signal conditioning packages of control, it is characterized in that, comprising:

Generate step, use the information relevant with the control of described other signal conditioning packages, i.e. first control information generates the information relevant with the control of virtual unit, i.e. second control information;

The input receiving step receives the control input to described virtual unit from the user;

The control and treatment execution in step, described second control information that generates based on the processing by described generation step is carried out the control that receives with processing by described input receiving step to described other signal conditioning packages and is imported corresponding control and treatment.

Images