JP2001346270A - Information system and electronic service guide method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information system that coordinates a portable unit with an in-home information system so as to allow the portable unit to operate/ control in-house electronic devices of various kinds with a unified operating method. SOLUTION: A home server 100 acquires a UESG object from a UESG server of each in-house electronic device and stores the object to a storage device of the home server 100. Using the UESG objects can collectively guide respective services of the in-house electronic devices of various kinds. Furthermore, the home server 100 is provided with a coordination function with the portable unit 300 and communication between the home server 100 and the portable unit 300 allows the home server 100 to provide the information with respect to the respective service guides of the in-house electronic devices to the portable unit 300. Thus, the portable unit can operate/control the in-house electronic devices of various kinds with a unified operating method.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an information system and an electronic service guide method for using a service of a plurality of home electronic devices, and more particularly to an information system and an electronic service guide method used for constructing a home information system. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a mechanism for presenting information to a user and prompting an operation, a broadcasting company such as a CS broadcast or CATV has been using an EPG (Electronic Program Guide: Electronici).
A navigation system (EPG system) called c Program Guide is realized. One example of this EPG system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-313291. The program guide information provided by the EPG system allows the user to select a TV program (content) without depending on external information such as a TV program column of a newspaper or a TV guide information magazine.

[0003] In recent years, as home appliances equipped with controllers and microcomputers having sophisticated functions have become widespread, construction of home information systems has been required. What is home information equipment?
Conventional home electric appliances (refrigerator, microwave oven, stereo, video, television, etc.), home security appliances (gas leak detector, window sensor, etc.), personal computers and the like. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-168471 discloses a system in which a terminal having a wireless communication function controls various devices such as a home air conditioner.

[0004] In building a home information system, it is important to be able to operate home electronic devices using devices that are familiar to the user, such as televisions, videos, and their remote controllers. . For this reason,
A navigation system such as an EPG system is considered to be one of the user interfaces suitable for home information systems.

[0005]

However, the conventional EPG
The system is such that, for each broadcasting system such as CS broadcasting, CATV, etc., different types of guide information are multiplexed with program data and broadcasted, and received and displayed by a receiver dedicated to each broadcasting system. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to control and provide guidance information for a plurality of broadcast systems. Further, the conventional EPG system is independent as a broadcast program guide system on a television, and its application as a guide technology other than a broadcast program is not considered.

[0006] Further, when constructing a home information system, it must be realized that conventional home equipment can be connected to and incorporated in the information system. In this case, even if the functions are limited, the same operability must be realized. In addition to home devices, the spread of mobile phones and mobile information devices has led to a demand for realizing a cooperative operation by connecting and incorporating these devices into a home information system.

[0007] It can be imagined that linking a portable device with a home information system makes it possible to make inquiries from outside the home, but at present it has not been solved yet. Also, if it is possible to participate in the home information system indoors, applications such as cooperation of home mobile devices beyond personal telephone devices and information tools can be envisaged,
Since the current mobile phone function does not have a communication function with a local environment and does not have a unified procedure for an operation interface, cooperation with home electronic devices is practically difficult.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and by coordinating a portable device and a home information system, various types of home electronic devices can be unifiedly operated from the portable device. It is an object to provide an information system and an electronic service guide method that can be operated / controlled.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to an information system for using services of a plurality of types of home electronic devices from a portable device. A home server having a plurality of service information that guides a service of each electronic device and controls execution of the service, the home server includes communication means for communicating with the mobile device, and In response to the information acquisition request, a service list of the plurality of types of home electronic devices is generated based on the service information corresponding to each of the plurality of types of home electronic devices. Service information providing means for transmitting service guidance information to the portable device; and a service request based on a service request from the portable device. Characterized by comprising a means for controlling the home electronic devices that are.

[0010] In this information system, information necessary to use the service of each of a plurality of home electronic devices is described as service information in a unified predetermined description format. By using a plurality of service information corresponding to each of a plurality of home electronic devices, service guidance of various home electronic devices can be performed in an integrated manner using the same interface as a conventional program guide system based on EPG. Further, the home server is provided with a function for coordinating with the mobile device. The communication between the home server and the mobile device allows information relating to service guidance of each of the plurality of home electronic devices to be transmitted to the home server. Can be provided to mobile devices. Therefore, the mobile device can know the contents of the services of all the plurality of home electronic devices simply by accessing the home server, so that the mobile device can use the services of the plurality of home electronic devices. Become.

It is preferable that the home server further includes means for controlling a home electronic device for which the service has been requested, based on a service request from the portable device. By transmitting a service request from the portable device to the home server, the home server controls the home electronic device for which the service has been requested, so that various types of home electronic devices can be unified. It is possible to operate / control from a portable device by simple operation.

[0012] Further, the present information system is provided by a client /
By realizing with a server model, expandability can be improved. In this case, the home server acquires service information from each of the home electronic devices,
A client system that displays a guidance screen for using the service of each home electronic device based on the acquired service information and makes a service request to each home electronic device according to an operation on the guidance screen. And a server system that has electronic service guide information corresponding to a service provided by the electronic device and executes a service in response to a request from the client system. Will be.

[0013] Further, it is preferable that the client system is also mounted on the portable device. Thereby, based on the service information acquired from the home server, a guidance screen for guiding the service of each home electronic device is displayed on the monitor of the mobile device, or the mobile device is used at home, for example. In this case, it is possible to directly operate / control each home electronic device from the portable device.

Further, the service information providing means generates new service information indicating a service list of operable electronic devices based on service information corresponding to each of the plurality of home electronic devices; Means for transmitting the generated service information to the portable device as information relating to service guidance of each of the plurality of home electronic devices. As described above, by transmitting information indicating a service list of operable electronic devices as information relating to the service guidance of each of the plurality of home electronic devices, all the service information corresponding to each of the plurality of home electronic devices is directly processed. It is possible to reduce the amount of communication data as compared with the case of transmitting to a portable device.

[0015] Further, as portable devices, there are not only those completely compatible with the client system but also those without a client system and those having only some functions of the client system. For this reason, the home server is provided with means for determining the model type of the mobile device by communication with the mobile device or for determining the capability of the mobile device by communication with the mobile device. It is preferable to transmit the information after processing the information according to the capability.

The home server further includes an authentication unit for performing an authentication process with the portable device, and a unit for registering the portable device as a member of the information system when the authentication by the authentication unit is successful. Preferably, it is provided. As a result, it is possible to provide the operation / control service of the home electronic device only to a specific portable device registered in advance, thereby improving security. Further, the authentication processing service is preferably defined as one of the above-mentioned service information. This allows
It is possible to easily use the authentication processing service of the home server from the portable device.

[0017] Further, the mobile device connected to the home server is configured to periodically transmit a predetermined presence confirmation message indicating its presence, and the home server determines whether the presence confirmation message is present. Means for detecting the transmission of the presence confirmation message and a means for removing the portable device from the members of the information system when the transmission of the presence confirmation message is detected is stopped without performing an explicit operation. In addition, it is possible to dynamically control participation / withdrawal of a portable device in an information system.

Further, a server system may be mounted on the portable device so that personal information of a user recorded in the portable device can be registered in the home server as service information of the portable device. In this case, the home server has storage means for storing service information obtained from each member of the information system, and when personal information is obtained from the portable device, the obtained personal information is encrypted and stored in the storage means. It is desirable to further provide a means for registering the personal information so as to keep the personal information confidential.

Further, the home server holds service information corresponding to home electronic devices not equipped with the server system, and functions as a proxy server system for home electronic devices not equipped with the server system. It is preferable to further provide a proxy server means for performing the above.
As a result, existing home electronic devices without a server system can be used as members of the information system.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An information system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This information system is an integrated electronic service guide system for integrally guiding not only television program guides but also all other types of services. Hereinafter, a UESG system (UESG: Universal Electronic Service Gui)
de). Here, the service refers to an object that is operated and determined by guidance from selection of a program such as a television broadcast to control of home electric appliances in the home. That is, all services such as television broadcasting, electronic commerce (EC) services, game services, home security services, home appliance control services, and the like are to be guided by the UESG system. The basic features of the UESG system are as follows.

(1) An integrated electronic service guide object is used instead of the program guide information in the conventional EPG system. This is service information in which information necessary for guidance of services of a plurality of types of service providing systems having different types of services is described in a unified format, and data required for service guidance and its operation (service control) and its behavior. Is defined. Hereinafter, the integrated electronic service guide object is referred to as a UESG object.

(2) The UESG system comprises a client / UESG server and a UESG client.
It is built on a server model. The UESG server is a server that stores one or more UESG objects, and is a target of a service guide by a UESG client. The UESG client has the ability to accumulate one or more UESG objects owned by the UESG server, integrate those UESG objects, and provide guidance. For example, a personal computer or T
A device having a display capability such as V is a UESG client.

(3) The UESG client sends the UESG from the home UESG server via the home network.
An SG object can be obtained, and a UESG object can be obtained from a UESG server outside the home via a home network such as the Internet.

(4) The UESG client sends each USG client
After acquiring the UESG object held by the ESG server, the UESG object can be used to perform guidance and control of the service of the UESG server.

(5) UESG clients are classified into those having the UESG server function and those not having the UESG server function. The one with UESG server function is the UESG
The UESG object collected by the client is transferred to another U
It can be provided to ESG clients. Also, U
ESG servers include those that only provide UESG objects and those that have both the function of providing UESG objects and the function of providing actual services.

(Systematization of Service Information) Next, with reference to FIG. 1, the definition of service information by a UESG object will be described. Since UESG objects require a service-independent unified representation, it is necessary to systematize service information. Therefore, the structure of the service information is as follows.

1. 1. A list showing a service providing system in which one or more service providers gather. 2. A list showing, for each service providing system, a service provider in the service providing system and a service type of the service provider. 3. For each service providing system, a list showing the actual individual services within it. List showing time-series events in individual services FIG. 1 schematically shows these four points. In FIG. 1, the service providing system (1) has four (1) to (4).
One service provider is included. The service type (service type) that can be provided by the service provider (1) is type A, and four types A services are currently provided. The service (1) includes eight time-series events 1 to 8 constituting the service (1). Similarly, the service types (service types) that can be provided by the service provider 2 are type B and type C. Currently, two services of type B and one service of type C are provided. In the figure, the event lists other than the service provider (1) are omitted.

Similarly, a service can be defined for each service provider in each service providing system.

The above-described UESG object describes the service definition in a systematized structure of the service providing system, the provider, the service, and the event. By using the service definition by the UESG object, it is possible to uniformly provide guidance for all types of services.

The service providing system is classified into a BS digital broadcasting system, a CS digital broadcasting system, a terrestrial broadcasting system, an Internet broadcasting system, and a home appliance control service providing system (refrigerator, microwave oven, air conditioner, stereo, Control services such as video and television), EC service providing system, game service providing system (game software download service, competitive game service by communication), home security service providing system (gas leak detection, key opening / closing,
Services such as entrance monitoring).

For example, in the case of a service providing system called a BS digital broadcasting system, the list of service providing companies includes each BS digital broadcasting company. In the case of the BS digital broadcasting system, the service type includes a digital television service, a digital audio service, a temporary video service, a data service, and the like. The service type can use a common name for each service providing system, and can further define the name for each service providing system.

The service is considered to be equivalent to information on a channel (service) viewed by a viewer in a BS digital broadcasting system, for example. The time-series event corresponds to, for example, a time table of an event (program) of a certain channel and its event information in the BS digital broadcasting system. The service itself may be one event. Further, the event information may include service location information such as URL information for calling the service.

(UESG Object) In the UESG object, service information is described by defining information in XML and defining the operation of the object in Java. Here, an XML document as a UESG object will be described.

XML is a markup language in which tags can be freely extended, and DTD (Document Type Definition) is used.
n) defines the grammar of the document.
Here, in order to define an XML document as a UESG object, a UESG DTD is defined, and an XML document conforming to the definition is defined as a UESG XML document (= UES XML document).
G object). An overview of the UESG object is shown in FIG.

The UESG object is a Netlist
Element, BIT element, SDT element, E
Contains IT elements. In this DTD, Netlist
The element corresponds to a service providing system list, the BIT element corresponds to a list of service providers and their service types, the SDT element corresponds to a service list, and the EIT element corresponds to an event list. That is,
The contents of each element are as follows.

Netlist element: One N
The etlist element has a list of service providing systems. Also, each service providing system has information on the reference destination of the SDT element and the BIT element.

BIT element: One BIT element has list information of service providers provided by one service providing system. In addition, each service provider has list information of service types owned by the service provider, and provider information for each type.

SDT element: One SDT element has information on a list of services provided by the service providing system. Each service has information on its configuration and services. Each service is linked to each service provider in the BIT element and is mutually referred to.

Services can be categorized as events in chronological order as needed. Event information per unit time is contained in the EIT element and is referred to from the SDT element. When the unit time is 3 hours, one service has eight EIT elements for one day (24 hours). The EIT element has event information per unit time.

The following can be considered as typical information of each service and event. -Service name-Expiration date-Version information-Service type-Service location information (URL)-Service configuration information-Event name-Event start time-Event duration-Genre information-Language information (Japanese, English, etc.) (Guidance screen Next, referring to FIG.
An example of a guidance screen provided by the system will be described. The guidance screen is for guiding services of a plurality of types of service providing systems, and is displayed on a monitor of an information terminal such as a TV or a personal computer by a UESG client.

The guidance screen shown in FIG. 3 can be operated by a remote control operation or the like by a user, similarly to the conventional EPG system for guiding a TV program. As shown in the figure, a "service provision system switching button" is arranged on this guidance screen.
The service system for guidance can be switched. For example, when “BS digital broadcasting” is selected by the “service providing system switching button”, B
An S digital broadcast service guide is displayed.
When "terrestrial analog broadcast" is selected, a service guide for terrestrial analog broadcast is displayed. When "home appliance control" is selected, a service guide for home appliance control is displayed. By selecting a service from the displayed service list, the service can be called and executed. For example, in the case of TV broadcasting, program selection and volume adjustment can be performed by controlling a tuner, and in the case of home appliance control, services such as temperature adjustment of an air conditioner can be executed.

(Client / Server) Next, an example of mounting a USEG client and a USEG server will be described with reference to FIG.

Communication between the USEG client and the USEG server basically uses the HTTP protocol. On the USEG client side, a UESG navigation application including, for example, a web browser is mounted as an upper layer, and on the USEG server side,
For example, a UESG server application such as a web server is implemented. The UESG navigation application has a function of acquiring a UESG object and a function of providing guidance to a user. UESG
The server application reads the UESG object requested from the UESG navigation application from the UESG database, and
Send to client. In addition, UESG server applications installed in the UESG server at home include:
A function to control devices in response to a request from the USEG client is also provided.

Since the transmission of the UESG object is realized by the Internet protocol, the lower layers are a local network system (IEEE802.3, a LAN using a power line, a LAN using a telephone line), and a wireless network (I
EEE802.11, BlueTooth, etc),
Infrared communication (IEEE 802.11, IrDA, et
c) and the like. Communication can also be performed via a telephone line network from a mobile phone or the like, a mobile phone network, or a wireless access network.

Here, specific functions of the UESG navigation application will be described.

That is, the navigation application is provided with a service guide function, a UESG object storage function, and a service control function.

The service guide function unit provides integrated guidance on a plurality of different services based on a plurality of UESG objects obtained from each of the UESG servers.
The guidance screen is displayed on the monitor of the TV. The service control function provides a function of remotely controlling a service of each home appliance based on service information included in the UESG object. The service control is executed using a JAVA (registered trademark) runtime environment. That is,
UES specified by URL etc. in UESG object
The service control procedure is performed by downloading a Java program from the G server and executing it using the JAVA runtime environment.

The UESG object storage function is
UESG on the Internet through the p client
From the server or the UESG server at home
An ESG object is obtained by the http protocol, and is stored and stored in its own storage area (HDD or the like) via a file system or the like.

(Home Information System) Next, the configuration of a home information system constructed using the UESG system will be described with reference to FIG. This home information system provides services for multiple types of home electronic devices (TV, video, air conditioner, refrigerator, security device, etc.)
In addition to providing guidance on a guidance screen similar to the PG, each home electronic device can be controlled by an operation on the guidance screen. As shown in FIG. Electronic equipment (cooler 200a, sensing device 200 for gas leakage, door lock, etc.)
b, refrigerator 200c, microwave oven 200d, stereo set 200c, video device 200f, etc.) and a personal portable information device 300.

The home server built-in television 100 is a TV receiver equipped with a home server function for integrally guiding and controlling services of a plurality of home electronic devices, and includes a home server unit 101 and a TV receiver unit. 102. The home server unit 101 acquires a UESG object from a UESG server mounted on each of the plurality of home electronic devices, and displays a guidance screen according to the UESG object.
The client function has been implemented. This allows the user to view services (including TV program guides) of a plurality of home electronic devices on the TV screen and perform operations on the services. Further, the UESG client of the home server unit 101 has a JAVA runtime environment, downloads and executes a JAVA program from a UESG server or the like of each home electronic device, and executes a program for each home electronic device designated by a user operation. Control can be performed.

The home server unit 101 is also provided with a UESG server function for providing a UESG object obtained from each of a plurality of home electronic devices to another UESG client such as the personal portable information device 300. . The UESG server function collectively provides information on service guidance of a plurality of home electronic devices to the portable information device 300 in response to a request from the personal portable information device 300 communicatively connected to the home server 100 via the Internet or the like. Function. As a result, the portable information device 300 can collectively obtain information on service guidance of all the home electronic devices by simply making a communication connection to the home server unit 101 via a telephone network using a dial-up service even outside the home. Then, it can be displayed on the monitor of the portable information device 300. In the following, the home server built-in television 100 is simply referred to as the home server 100.

A plurality of home electronic devices (cooler 200
a, sensing device 200b, refrigerator 200c, microwave oven 2
00d, stereo set 200c, video device 200f
) Are home electric appliances that can be controlled by the home server 100 and are connected to the home server 100 through a home network. This home network is
For example, a local network system (IEEE80
2.3, power line use LAN, telephone line use LAN), wireless network (IEEE 802.11, BlueToo)
th, etc), infrared communication (IEEE 802.11,
IrDA, etc) and the like.

Each home electronic device (cooler 200a, sensing device 200b, refrigerator 200c, microwave oven 200
d, stereo set 200c, video device 200f, etc.) have a UESG server function and a network connection function associated therewith. For example, cooler 20
0a provides services such as temperature adjustment and air volume adjustment, and a UESG server having a UESG object corresponding to the service of the cooler 200a is mounted on the cooler 200a. In addition, cooler 200a
UESG server has an http server function,
In response to a request from the SG client, it is possible to provide the UESG client with the UESG object of its own service group and the JAVA program necessary for service control such as temperature adjustment and air volume adjustment through the home network. Other sensing device 200b, refrigerator 200
c, the microwave oven 200d, the stereo set 200c, and the video device 200f also have the same UESG server function as the cooler 200a.

The personal portable information device 300 is a portable device such as a portable telephone or a PDA, and has a UESG client function mounted thereon. Personal portable information device 300
By connecting to the home server 100, the UESG client can collectively acquire UESG objects of each USEG server stored therein. Furthermore, the UESG client of the personal portable information device 300 has a JAVA runtime environment, and controls the home electronic devices directly or by downloading a JAVA program from the UESG server or the home server 100 of each home electronic device. Home server 1
00 can be performed.

The personal portable information device 300 stores various highly confidential personal information such as payment information in the home server 1.
00, a function for acquiring the contents from the home server 100 as needed and browsing the contents on the monitor of the personal portable information device 300 is also provided.

The basic operation of the home information system shown in FIG. 5 is as follows.

1) The home server 100 acquires a UESG object from the UESG server of each home electronic device, and stores and saves the UESG object in a storage device in the home server 100. UE on TV receiver 102 of home server 100
When the SG server function is implemented, a UESG object related to TV broadcast program guidance and channel selection is also acquired.

2) The home server 100 uniformly guides each information. In this case, guidance target services are classified and arranged as follows, for example.

Terrestrial 1CH XXX Broadcast News Channel Terrestrial 2CH YYY Broadcast Drama Channel Terrestrial 3CH ZZZ Broadcast Sports Channel BS Digital 1CH AAA Broadcast Movie Channel BS Digital 2CH BBB Broadcast Entertainment Channel Cooler 1CH COO1 Cooler Condition Monitoring Channel Cooler 2CH COO2 Cooler operation channel Video 1CH A / V1 Video status monitoring channel Video 2CH A / V2 Video operation channel Home Sec 1CH HS1 Gas leak monitoring channel Home Sec 2CH HS2 Door closing monitoring channel These services are the same guidance as the conventional EPG screen. Guidance is provided on the screen. Regarding the broadcast service, when the user selects the service, the video of the broadcast service is displayed. For services other than broadcasting, for example, in the case of a cooler control service, when the service is selected, guide information of the service is displayed.
As a program, it is downloaded from the UESG server of the cooler 200a to the UESG client of the home server 100 and becomes operable. The instruction to the service based on the user operation is sent as a message to the corresponding UESG server, where the service function is executed.

3) When a UESG client of the personal portable information device 300 requests acquisition of a UESG object via the Internet or the like, the home server 100
Provides the UESG object of each of the plurality of home electronic devices to the personal portable information device 300. in this case,
Actually, in the home server 100, a new UESG object indicating a service list of each of the plurality of home electronic devices is generated as a UESG object list,
It will be sent to personal portable information device 300.
Thus, a guidance screen similar to that of home server 100 can be easily displayed on the monitor of personal portable information device 300.

4) The personal portable information device 300 can directly control the UESG server of each home electronic device at home, but outside the home, via the home server 100, the UESG server of each home electronic device. Control.
That is, when a user performs a service request operation on the monitor of personal portable information device 300, the information is sent to home server 100. Home server 100
Sends a message to the corresponding UESG server based on a service request from the personal portable information device 300, and prompts execution of the service function. As a result of the service, for example, in the case of a state monitoring service such as a closed state, the current state information is obtained by the UESG server and sent to the personal portable information device 300 via the home server 100.

As described above, home server 100 operates as a kind of gateway for linking personal portable information device 300 with the home information system. In this case, the home server 100 also functions as a receiving point from a network outside the home such as the Internet. Therefore, the personal portable information device 300 simply connects to the home server 100 through a network outside the home such as the Internet, and each home electronic device 300 A UESG object for using each service can be obtained.

(Communication Function Between Home Server 100 and Personal Portable Information Device 300) Next, a communication function between home server 100 and personal portable information device 300 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the personal portable information device 300 is a UESG as a provider of various personal information and the like.
Since it also has a server function, a mechanism that can exchange information between the home server 100 and the personal portable information device 300 in both directions is required. Further, when the personal portable information device 300 is to participate in the home information system, it is necessary to authenticate the personal portable information device 300 in the home server 100. This authentication also requires a two-way communication function. To achieve this, the UES between the home server 100 and the personal digital assistant 300
The G system is implemented as follows.

1) The Internet protocol used in the UESG system is basically HT as described above.
TP protocol. For this reason, the communication relationship is a client / server relationship and has the advantage of easy implementation, but it is difficult to realize bidirectional data communication. Therefore, in order to realize two-way communication, both the client communication function and the server communication function in the HTTP protocol are UESG.
Implemented in each of the client and the UESG server realizes two-way communication using the HTTP protocol. Specifically, UESG on the personal portable information device 300 side
As shown, the client includes not only the UESG navigation application, but also a web server (ht).
A UESG server application having a (tp server) function is also implemented. On the other hand, not only the UESG server application but also a UE having a function of acquiring information from the personal portable information device 300 is provided on the home server 100 functioning as a UESG server for the personal portable information device 300.
Also implement an SG navigation application.

As a result, two-way communication can be performed using the HTTP protocol.

2) When making the personal portable information device 300 participate in the home information system, the home server 100 performs user authentication of the personal portable information device 300. If the user authentication is successful, the personal portable information device 300 is registered as a member of the home information system and the home server 10
0 makes it possible to use the service of the home information system. The user authentication process is performed by the home server 10
This is realized by adding a user authentication processing service to the service list notified from 0 to the personal portable information device 300 by the UESG object. That is, the user authentication processing service function of the home server 100 is described as a UESG object,
When the personal portable information device 300 downloads the UESG object from the home server 100,
The personal portable information device 300 can receive a user authentication processing service provided by the home server 100 without having a dedicated function for receiving authentication.

(UESG System Function of Personal Portable Information Device) The personal portable information device 300 is completely compatible with the UESG system, has no UESG client function, or has only a part of the UESG client function. Some do not have. Hereinafter, control in each case will be described.

<Case of Personal Portable Information Device Compatible with the Present UESG System> When the personal portable information device 300 fully supports the UESG system, the following functions are realized.

(A) Participation and Withdrawal of Personal Portable Information Device 300 in Home Information System This situation is shown in FIG. That is, the personal portable information device 3
00 connects to the home network via a wired or wireless infrastructure. This means that a network connection is made by a physical interface connection, and a communication path is established by the Internet protocol (TCP / IP). The communication path is established between the personal portable information device 300 and the home server 1
Since it is determined by the communication type used between 00 and 00,
Depends on the implementation of each communication protocol.

1) User Authentication After the communication path is established, the personal portable information device 300 uses the user authentication service of the home server 100 to
The home server 100 receives a user authentication process. When the user authentication is successful, the personal portable information device 300 is registered as a member of the home information system, and can use each service of the home information system via the home server 100. The home server 100 manages the registration of each personal portable information device in the portable information device connection management table, and the ID information of the personal portable information device for which the user authentication is successful is registered in the portable information device connection management table. Will be.

2), 3) UESG operation and presence confirmation phase After the personal portable information device 300 is registered as a member of the home information system, the following existence exists between the personal portable information device 300 and the home server 100. A confirmation process is performed.

The personal portable information device 300 performs a UESG operation such as acquisition of a UESG object and notification of a service request through communication with the home server 100. During this period, the personal portable information device 300
Alive-mes to prove their existence to
“sage” is periodically transmitted to the home server 100. a
The live-message is defined as a message that is periodically transmitted as device presence confirmation information. This a
The live-message is transmitted as data of the UESG object. alive-message
Data includes the following:-Unique identification number or network address of the personal portable information device-Message transmission time-UES acquired by the personal portable information device from the home server
List of version information of each G object UE between personal portable information device 300 and home server 100
When communication relating to the SG operation is being performed, the communication is recognized by the home server 100 as a substitute for the alive-message. Personal portable information device 30
The 0 side also omits the process of transmitting the alive-message.

Home server 100 periodically transmits a list of version information on the current UESG object of each home electronic device to personal portable information device 300. As a result, on the personal portable information device 300 side and the home server 100 side, the UESG
Whether or not the object versions match can be checked, and the latest UESG object can be downloaded from the home server 100 to the personal portable information device 300 as necessary.

4) Termination Phase The home server 100 monitors the presence or absence of the live-message from the personal portable information device 300, and the live-message from the personal portable information device 300.
When detecting that the transmission of e has been interrupted for a certain period or more, an end phase is performed, and the personal portable information device 300 is deleted from the registered members of the home information system. in this case,
The information on the corresponding personal portable information device 300 is deleted from the portable information device connection management table.

For example, if the personal portable information device 300 is a Blu-ray
In a case where the personal portable information device 300 moves out of a range where radio waves can reach in a case where the home server 100 is directly communicated by wireless such as eTooth, a termination phase is performed. However, even in such an environment, the user of the personal portable information device 300 can connect to the home server 100 from the personal portable information device 300 by a method such as an Internet connection via a telephone network.

(B) Retention of User Information in Personal Portable Information Device It is considered that the personal portable information device 300 can retain the following personal information.

1. 1. Personal information (name, address, age, phone number etc) 2. Application data on personal portable information devices 3. Credit information (name, cash card number, expiration date etc) Electronic bill information (cash balance etc) These personal information can be registered in the home server 100 as a UESG object of the personal portable information device 300. That is, the home server 100 acquires the UESG object from each UESG server of the home information system and stores it in the storage device in the home server 100, but acquires the UESG object from the UESG server of the personal portable information device 300 as a UESG object. With respect to the personal information thus obtained, the data is encrypted and stored in a secret form. The personal information stored in the home server 100 is later transmitted from the personal portable information device 300 to the home server 1.
00 can be browsed.
In this case, browsing is permitted only when it is recognized by the user authentication that the user is the owner of the personal information.

The same individual can use a plurality of personal portable information devices 30
0 may be owned, but sharing of user information is performed at the level of item 1 (name, address, age, telephone number etc, for example) or item 2 (application data on personal portable information device), for example. All the information possessed by each personal portable information device 300 is not shared between the devices.

When the personal portable information device 300 does not implement the UESG system function or implements some functions, the UESG system provides the following functions.

This is because the personal portable information device has functions, performance,
This is to cope with a case where the UESG client cannot be completely implemented due to requirements such as capacity.

<In the case where the personal portable information device does not implement the UESG system function> In this case, the personal portable information device 30
0 is a necessary requirement that the device be equipped with a browser such as the C-HTML standard or the WAP standard.

When the personal portable information device 300 connects to the home server 100 by the built-in browser function (C-HTML standard, WAP standard, etc.), the home server 10
0 is the personal portable information device 3 based on the information obtained from the browser.
00 device authentication is performed. As a result, the home server 1
00 determines the model type of the personal portable information device 300 and determines the conversion function of the provided UESG object. For example, when the personal portable information device 300 has only the browser function of the C-HTML standard, the home server 100
Processing such as converting the G object into the C-HTML format is performed.

The processing is performed as follows.

1. The personal portable information device 300 tries to connect to the home server 100 by dial-up by PPP. In this case, in the home server 100, FIG.
A PPP connection authentication process as shown in the flowchart of FIG. That is, home server 100 first determines whether or not a caller ID notification is included in the incoming signal from personal portable information device 300 (step S101). Home server 1
It is checked whether the number is a number registered in the connectable caller number list registered in advance in 00 (step S1).
02, 103). 101). If the number is not registered in the connectable caller number list, the home server 100
Means that the personal portable information device 300 performs a line disconnection process,
The connection from the personal portable information device 300 is rejected (step S107). On the other hand, if the number is registered in the connectable caller number list, or if the incoming signal does not include the caller number notification, the PPP connection process is started. (Step S104). In this PPP connection processing, the home server 100
Normal PPP connection authentication is performed using the password, user name, and the like transmitted from 00 (step S105). If the PPP connection authentication is successful, the connection authentication processing is completed (step S106), and the personal portable information device 3
00 can access a Web page prepared by the home server 100. If the PPP connection authentication fails, the home server 100 sets the personal portable information device 3
00 performs a line disconnection process, and the personal portable information device 300
Is rejected (step S107).

2. Home server 100 performs terminal identification processing using the browser information (information published by the browser on the Web server) of personal portable information device 300 that has accessed the Web page. This terminal identification processing is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. That is, the home server 100 uses the C-HTML format or WAP provided by the home server 100.
When a request for content in the format is received (step S11)
1) Obtain browser information (browser type, other device information) from the requesting terminal (step S11)
2). If the browser information can be acquired, the home server 100 searches a terminal model database prepared in advance to check whether the terminal information corresponding to the acquired browser information is registered (step S113,
S114). If the terminal information corresponding to the terminal model database is registered, the home server 100 determines the content of the content conversion process according to the terminal information (step S115), and transmits the content conversion process to the personal portable information device 300 according to the content. The content conversion processing for the UESG object to be performed is performed (step S117). Specifically, frame decomposition, conversion to graphic data, deletion of script, CG as an alternative to JAVA program
Processing such as insertion of I is performed.

On the other hand, if the browser information cannot be obtained or the terminal information corresponding to the terminal model database has not been registered, the home server 100 displays the personal portable information device 300 with only the minimum functions of display only. It is determined that the terminal has no terminal, the model is set (step S116), the content of the content conversion process is determined, and the content conversion process related to the UESG object to be transmitted to the personal portable information device 300 is determined according to the content. Is performed (steps S115 and S117).

3. Thus, the home server 100
Converts the UESG object information from the specified model information and transmits the UESG object information to the personal portable information device 300. The personal portable information device 300 starts UESG navigation.

4. The operation from the personal portable information device 300 is converted into an operation specified by the UESG object in the home server 100, and the operation target device is notified as a message.

5. If there is no operation from personal portable information device 300 for a certain period of time, home server 100 executes a disconnection process and deletes personal portable information device 300 from the members of the home information system. The above-mentioned alive-messa
No processing by ge is performed. FIG. 10 shows the flow of processing until the disconnection processing is performed by the home server 100. That is, when data reception from the personal portable information device 300 is interrupted, the home server 100 starts a reception waiting timer (step S121). Then, the home server 100 determines whether or not a line error has occurred, whether or not there has been received data, and whether or not a timeout has occurred (steps S122, S123, S124), and switches the processing accordingly. That is, when the occurrence of a line error is detected, or when the value of the reception waiting timer exceeds a certain value and a timeout occurs, the home server 100
Is the line disconnection process (TCP / IP connection disconnection, P
(PP disconnection, communication line disconnection) are performed (step S12).
8, S129). On the other hand, when data is received from the personal portable information device 300, the home server 100 first clears the reception waiting timer (step S12).
5) Perform data reception processing and determine whether the reception processing has been completed without error (steps S126 and S126)
127). If the process is completed without any error, step S
It returns to the process from 121. On the other hand, if an error has occurred, the process proceeds to step S128, and a line disconnection process is performed.

<Personal portable information device partially implements UESG system function> The personal portable information device 300 performs a capability negotiation with the home server 100 when connecting to the home server 100. Through this capability negotiation, the home server 100 determines the capability of the personal portable information device 300 and determines the content of the conversion process to be performed on the provided UESG object. The processing procedure is as follows.

1. After completing the Internet protocol connection to the home server 100, the personal portable information device 30
0 transmits the extended UESG object information including the capability information of the own device to the home server 100. Thus, capability negotiation is started. 2. Home server 100 determines and provides the capability of personal portable information device 300 based on the received capability information.
Determine the conversion function of the ESG object. Then, home server 100 returns the determined function information to personal portable information device 300.

3. The personal portable information device 300 returns a response to the received function information to the home server 100. This terminates the capability negotiation. 4. The capability negotiation is performed using the capability information defined below.

Display function Color display, monochrome display, display range, resolution etc User interface function Touch panel, pen input, numeric keypad, special function key, keyboard etc Operation script function JAVA language implementation level, class library range, J
4. Languages other than AVA etc According to the ability level of the personal portable information device 300,
The home server 100 converts and transmits the UESG object information. 6. The personal portable information device 300 starts navigation (display and operation of service guidance) using the received UESG object.

Here, the procedure of the UESG terminal identification process for determining the capability of the personal portable information device 300 performed by the home server 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The home server 100 first obtains capability information (implemented function information) from the personal portable information device 300 (step S201), and performs UES based on the capability information.
It is determined whether a display function, a user interface (UI) function, and a script function necessary for the G terminal are implemented (steps S202, S205, and S208).
If the personal portable information device 300 does not have a display function required as a UESG terminal, the home server 100 sets the display capability of the personal portable information device 300 to the standard display capability (step S203), and sets the personal portable information device 300 as a UESG terminal. When the home server 100 has a suitable display function,
For example, a process of determining specific display capabilities related to screen resolution, color display / monochrome display, and the like is performed (step S20).
4). If the personal portable information device 300 does not have a UI function required as a UESG terminal, the home server 100
Sets the UI capability of the personal portable information device 300 to the standard UI capability (step S206), and, if the UI capability required as a UESG terminal is provided, the home server 10
0 performs specific UI ability determination processing for a keyboard, pen input, touch panel, etc. (step S
207). If the personal portable information device 300 does not have a script function necessary as a UESG terminal, the home server 100 sets the script capability of the personal portable information device 300 to the script capability (step S209),
If the home server 100 has a script function required as a UESG terminal, the home server 100 performs specific script capability determination processing on, for example, a script language, a script implementation level, a function API implementation level, and the like (step S210). Then, the home server 100 executes a content conversion process on the UESG object according to the display capability, the UI capability, and the script capability of the personal portable information device 300 (step S211).

(UESG system function of home server)
Next, the UESG system function of the home server 100 will be described. The home server 100 is a device provided as a single system as an implementation form, or provided as being built in a specific household device (for example, a television or the like) as in the example of FIG. Home server 100 implements the following UESG system functions.

<User Authentication Function> Home Server 100
Performs the following classification of authentication information for user authentication, and holds and manages information for that in a form as shown in FIG.

Family Authentication Family authentication is authentication used within a range composed only of the home server 100 and home electronic devices, and does not include authentication of information that requires personal identification such as credit information. Information held in the home server 100 for family authentication includes the following.

1. Family information (family structure, number of people, name et
c) 2. 2. Home server unique information (home server unique information required for information management) 3. Family identification information (pointer to each personal information storage area, etc.) 4. Parental lock information (password, etc.) Paid broadcast information (authentication information for paid services, etc.) Personal authentication Personal authentication is performed for the use of personal information included in personal portable information devices owned by individuals and for the operation of home servers that require identification of individuals. Authentication.
The home server 100 stores personal information for each individual.
A personal information slot for management is prepared, and personal information is registered in a linked state. Personal information includes:

1. 1. Information that each individual can freely set and register 2. Identification information of personal portable information equipment The personal information (credit information,
(Cash card number, expiration date, electronic bill information, etc.) The identification information of the personal portable information device and the personal information in the personal portable information device are stored in an encrypted state.

The home server 100 prompts the user to input family information at the time of initial setting or the like, thereby acquiring family information, and performing personal information registration for each personal portable information device registration. Secure a personal information storage area for personal portable information devices.

The personal portable information device 300 requests user authentication after establishing a communication path with the home server 100, and the home server 100 conducts a search using the stored personal information and performs user authentication. The content of the user authentication process is as described above.

<UESG Object Management Function> The home server 100 operates as a UESG client, and obtains a UESG object from each UESG server as needed. The user operates the home server 100, which is a UESG client, and starts navigation. To realize this navigation, the UE
It is assumed that the UESG server function in which the SG object is mounted is mounted on the home electronic device to be operated. For this reason, it is not possible to perform an operation on a device that does not have the UESG server.

Further, since UESG objects exist independently for each device, in order to present them to the user as a unified service guide, UESG objects existing in the home information system are collected and a list catalog (UE
(SG object list) must be created. Therefore, the home server 100 is provided with a function of managing participation / withdrawal of the home electronic device on which the UESG server is mounted in the home information system. FIG. 13 shows the state of the participation / withdrawal management.

1) Registration phase The UESG server of the home electronic device 200 newly connected to the home network first receives the alive-mess
broadcast is sent to the home network. The home server 100 that has received the broadcast notification registers the transmission source electronic device as a new member, acquires the UESG object from the UESG server of the home electronic device, and sets the UESG object in the home server 100. Register in the database.

2) Data Transfer Phase In response to a TV remote control operation by a user or a service request from the personal portable information device 300, the home server 100 acquires a JAVA program with each UESG server, notifies a service request, etc. Perform UESG operation. During this period, the UESG server of each home electronic device 200
The server transmits the live-message to the home server 100 periodically. alive-message contains U
The version information includes the version information of the UESG object held in the ESG server. alive-m
If the version information notified by the message is the latest, the home server 100 reacquires the UESG object from the UESG server.

3) Existence Confirmation Phase The home server 100 monitors the presence / absence of the live-message from each home electronic device 200.
When detecting that the transmission of the live-message has been interrupted for a certain period or more, the corresponding home electronic device 200 is deleted from the members of the home information system.

Next, individual functions provided in the home server 100 will be specifically described.

1. Automatic Collection Function of UESG Object As described above, the home server 100 has a function of automatically collecting the UESG object from each UESG server in the home in order to display the navigation guide of the UESG object itself on the guidance screen. . FIG. 14 shows the procedure of this automatic collection.

The home server 100 first searches for a home electronic device registered as a member by searching the device registration database in the home server 100 (step S301). Next, the home server 100
Searches the UESG object database in the home server 100 and specifies the home electronic device 200 in which the UESG object is not registered (step S30).
2). Then, the home server 100 issues a UESG object acquisition request to the UESG server of the corresponding home electronic device 200 (Step S303). Upon receiving the acquisition request (step S304), the UESG server of the home electronic device 200 extracts the UESG object from the database in the home electronic device 200 (step S305) and alive-messa
The message is transmitted to the home server 100 by using “ge” (step S306). Home server 100 receives the UESG
The object is registered in the UESG object database (step S307). After this, home server 1
00 generates a UESG object list from a plurality of UESG objects in the UESG object database (step S308). The generation of the UESG object list is executed every time a UESG object is updated or additionally registered.

[0111] 2. UESG Server Connection Management Function The home server 100 provides the UESG server connection management function by performing the registration / withdrawal processing of each home electronic device as described above. FIG. 15 shows the procedure of the registration process of each home electronic device.

As described above, the UESG server of the home electronic device 200 newly connected to the home network first broadcasts an alive-message on the home network (step S401). This broadcast notification is received by the home server 100. The home server 100 sends an alive-me
Upon receiving the message (step S402), it is checked whether the home electronic device 200 of the transmission source has not been registered as a member of the home information system (step S40).
3) If not registered, the device is registered as a new member (step S404), and a UESG object is acquired from the UESG server of the home electronic device and registered in the UESG object database in the home server 100. (Step S405). If the registration has already been made, only the processing of step S405 is performed.

3. Home server 100 has a proxy server function for home electronic devices that do not have a UESG server.
This proxy server function is provided by the home server 1 as a proxy server for a home electronic device not equipped with a UESG server.
The UESG object, which is for making the H.00 function, and corresponding to the service of the home electronic device in which the UESG server is not installed is registered in advance in the home server 100 through the Internet, a CD-ROM, or another UESG server. You. Of course, the user may interactively input information regarding the service of the corresponding device, and the UESG object may be automatically generated based on the information.

[0114] The device registration processing of a home electronic device having no UESG server is performed by a user operation. The home electronic device not equipped with the UESG server is provided with at least communication means (local network connection,
It is a necessary requirement that a wireless connection or an infrared communication connection etc) is mounted, that is, it can be remotely controlled by receiving a device-specific control command wirelessly or by wire.

The navigation operation from the UESG client is converted into a device-specific control command registered on the home server 100 by the proxy UESG server.
Sent to the target device.

<Cooperation Function with Personal Portable Information Device> When the personal portable information device 300 is a UESG client,
The home server 100 performs the conversion process of the UESG object provided according to the device type / capability of the personal portable information device 300 as described above. Also, the home server 10
0 provides the following functions to connect the personal portable information device 300 to the home information system.

1) Connection from External Network To enable the personal portable information device 300 to connect to the home information system from the Internet via a telephone line network or the like, the home server 100 has a line connection function such as a telephone line and has an Internet connection function. Implement the connection function.

2) Connection to Home Information System The home server 100 executes connection to the home information system and user authentication to make the personal portable information device 300 participate in the home information system. After the user confirmation, the home server 100 performs function authentication (capability negotiation processing / model discrimination processing) of the personal portable information device 300 for the navigation operation of the personal portable information device 300. The home server 100 performs the following processing by this function authentication.

[0119] 1. In the case of a personal portable information device implementing a UESG client, the home server 100
In response to the UESG object operation from the SG client, the operation request is relayed and transmitted to a device connected to the home information system. However, when the personal portable information device 300 exists in the home and communicates directly with the home device, the home server 300 does not function.

[0120] 2. In the case of a personal portable information device that partially implements a UESG client / implements a limited function, the home server 100
The function of the personal portable information device 300 is determined, and the conversion level of the UESG object is determined. In the conversion, data conversion is performed based on a capability level such as a display capability, a user interface capability, and a script capability obtained by the capability negotiation.

3. In the case of a personal portable information device that does not have a UESG client, the home server 100 is basically intended for a personal portable information device 300 that has only a browser function.
Transform objects. In this case, data described in XML is converted into data of C-HTML standard or WAP standard. The XML data is obtained from a template of screen configuration information determined from profile information (display capability and the like) for the personal portable information device 300, from a C-HTML standard or WA.
It is converted to the screen layout of the P standard. The JAVA script etc. attached to the XML data is deleted or substitute C
Replaced by a GI script. Thus, for example, X
Conversion is performed such that the screen format of the guidance screen, which is assumed to be displayed when ML data is used, is converted into image data as it is and presented to the user as an HTML standard clickable map.

<Integrated remote control operation function of home device by personal portable information device> In order to enable service control of each home electronic device from personal portable information device 300, home server 100 executes the following processing. .

1. Automatic Collection of UESG Objects / UESG Object List Creation by Home Server 100 FIG. 16 shows a case where UESG objects are collected from refrigerator 200c. In the home server 100, in addition to the UESG client 502,
A UESG object collection task 503 and a UESG object generation task 504 for generating a UESG object list are executed. The UESG object collection task 503 transmits the UESG object from the UESG server of the refrigerator 200c via the UESG client 502.
Obtain the object 401. The UESG object 401 includes an operation setting service of the refrigerator 200c,
The service definition includes a notification service (information log service) of a current state such as a temperature, a failure report service, and the like. The UESG object collection task 503 includes:
UESG obtained from the UESG server of the refrigerator 200c
The object 401 is stored in the storage area (UESG object database) 501 in the home server 100 together with the UESG object of another home electronic device including a broadcast service.

[0124] 2. Participation of Personal Portable Information Device 300 in Home Information System / UESG Operation FIG. 17 shows registration of personal portable information device 300 and UESG operation from personal portable information device 300.

On the personal portable information device 300 side, UESG
A client 303, a UESG server 304, and a browser application (UESG navigation application) 305 operate, and the home server 10
On the 0 side, the personal mobile device authentication task 510, the UESG object conversion task 511, and the UESG server 5
13 operates. The personal portable device authentication task 510 determines the capability of the personal portable information device 300 based on the capability information such as device information from the UESG server 304 of the personal portable information device 300, and uses the result as a device registration database (device profile database) 512. Register with.

When a UESG object is requested from the UESG client 303 on the personal portable information device 300 side, the UESG server 513 on the home server 100 side
UESG from UESG object database 501
Retrieve the object list and pass it through the UESG object conversion task 511 to the personal portable information device 300
To the UESG client 303 on the side. In this case, the UESG object conversion task 511 performs a UESG object conversion process based on the capability information registered in the device profile database 512, and sends the converted information to the UESG client 303.

The browser application (UESG navigation application) 305 displays a guidance screen on the display monitor 301 based on the UESG object list. The guidance screen displays a list of home appliances that can receive the service. When the user of the personal portable information device 300 selects a service operation target device by operating the numeric keypad 302, the information is sent to the UESG server 513 of the home server 100 via the UESG client 303. The UESG server 513 stores the UESG object corresponding to the selected service operation target device in the UESG
It is retrieved from the object database 501 and transmitted to the UESG client 303 of the personal portable information device 300 through the UESG object conversion task 511. As a result, guidance for using the service on the service operation target device is displayed on the guidance screen of the display monitor 301. Then, when an actual service is selected, J required for the service control is selected.
The AVA program is downloaded from the UESG server 513 of the home server 100, and the personal portable information device 30 is downloaded.
Executed in 0. As a result, a message indicating the service request is sent to the UESG server 513 of the home server 100 via the UESG client 303, and control of the service operation target device is performed by the UESG server 513. Of course, device control can also be performed directly from the personal portable information device 300.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained by introducing the UESG system into the home information system.

1) Unification of Guidance Function by Integrated Electronic Service Guide Since various services can be guided in an integrated system,
For example, the user can be provided with a function of operating a household device as an extension of the television operation. In addition, since various devices constituting the home information system can be handled by a unified operation, the service function can be used regardless of the internal mounting form of each home electronic device.

2) Provision of a home server function By providing a home server function, as a core of a home information system, automatic cataloging (generation of a UESG object list) of devices having UESG objects, connection management, and external devices (portable (E.g., equipment) to a home information system. This allows
It is possible to provide a function of automatically managing a device without incorporating the device into or out of the home information system.

3) Coexistence of Home Server and Conventional Device By mounting a proxy server function as a home server function, network connection or infrared communication is possible even for a conventional home device having no UESG server function. For example, remote management from a home server becomes possible. In addition, since the home server can perform proxy processing of a request from the UESG client, it appears as if a user using the UESG client operates a device equipped with the UESG server.

4) Cooperation between portable device and home server A device having only a part of the function of the UESG system by providing an object conversion function for providing a service according to the capability of the portable electronic device as a home server function. Also, even in a portable device having only a normal Internet connection browser function, it is possible to connect to the UESG system and perform an operation.

5) Authentication The user can obtain personalized authentication by owning his / her portable device, and can receive individual services at home even by personal authentication. This personal authentication is automatically performed when the portable device participates in the home information system without the user's awareness. In addition, since the withdrawal from the home information system is automatically recognized, the environment can be shifted without the user being conscious of moving outdoors or indoors.

In the present embodiment, the location of the JAVA program required for service control is embedded in the UESG object. However, a UESG object containing the program required for service control in advance is prepared. May be downloaded from the UESG server. In addition, the UESG server does not necessarily need to be provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the service providing system, and the UESG objects of a plurality of home electric appliances may be collectively recorded in one or two UESG servers.

Further, a UESG object having a systematized structure of a service providing system, a service provider, a service, and an event is created for each service providing system, and is created in a unit of, for example, a valid period (for example, three months) It is also possible to regularly record and distribute on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM. This makes it possible to guide necessary services without downloading the UESG object from the UESG server. Alternatively, UESG objects corresponding to a plurality of service providing systems may be collectively recorded on one CD-ROM.

Since the functions added to the UESG client / server and the home server are each realized by software, a computer program including those function procedures is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM. By doing
A normal personal computer or the like can be operated as a UESG client / server or as a home server.

[0137]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By coordinating the portable device and the home information system, it is possible to operate / control various types of home electronic devices from the portable device by unified operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exemplary view for explaining contents of service information used in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view for explaining an overview of a UESG object used in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view showing an example of a guidance screen used in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing a relationship between a UESG client and a UESG server applied to the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary block diagram showing the configuration of the entire system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary view showing an implementation example of a bidirectional communication function used in the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary view showing how information is exchanged between a home server and a portable device used in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart showing a procedure of a PPP connection authentication process performed in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary flowchart showing the procedure of terminal identification processing performed by the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the procedure of data reception processing performed by the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary flowchart showing the procedure of UESG terminal identification processing performed in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary view showing a management structure of family / personal information in the system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary view showing how information is exchanged between a home server and a home electronic device used in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an exemplary view for explaining automatic collection processing of UESG objects in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an exemplary view for explaining registration processing of the home electronic device in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary view showing a functional configuration relating to UESG object collection of a home server used in the system of the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an exemplary view showing a functional configuration relating to UESG operation of a home server used in the system of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 100 home server 200a cooler 200b sensing device 200c sensing device 200d microwave oven 200e stereo set 200f video device 300 personal portable information device 502 home server UESG client 503 UESG object collection task 504 UESG object Generation task 510: Personal portable device authentication task 511: UESG object conversion task

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 5/445 H04L 11/00 310B 310Z F-term (Reference) 5B049 BB00 CC03 CC48 DD01 DD05 EE01 EE05 FF03 FF04 FF09 GG04 GG06 GG07 5C025 AA25 DA01 DA04 DA05 5C056 AA01 BA02 BA03 BA08 5K033 AA00 AA09 BA01 BA08 DA01 DA19 5K048 AA04 BA13 DC01 DC07 EB02 EB07 EB12 FB05 FB10

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An information system for using services of a plurality of types of home electronic devices from a portable device, wherein the information system guides services of the plurality of types of home electronic devices and controls execution of the services. A home server having a plurality of pieces of service information, wherein the home server communicates with the mobile device, and in response to an information acquisition request from the mobile device,
A service list of the plurality of types of home electronic devices is generated based on the service information corresponding to each of the plurality of types of home electronic devices, and the portable device is used as information regarding service guidance of each of the plurality of types of home electronic devices. An information system comprising: a service information providing unit for transmitting to a personal computer; and a unit for controlling, based on a service request from the portable device, a home electronic device for which the service has been requested. 2. The service information has a predetermined description format in which data necessary for guiding a service of each of the plurality of types of home electronic devices and data for controlling execution of the service are unified. 2. The information system according to claim 1, wherein the information system is described as follows. 3. The home server acquires the service information from each of the home electronic devices, and displays a guidance screen for using the service of each of the home electronic devices based on the service information. A client system for making a service request to each of the home electronic devices in accordance with the operation on the guidance screen, and executing a service according to the request from the client system to each of the home electronic devices. 2. The information system according to claim 1, further comprising a server system that performs the operation. 4. The information system according to claim 3, wherein the portable device includes a client system for making a service request to each of the home electronic devices. 5. The home server, comprising: a model type determining unit configured to determine a model type of the mobile device by communicating with the mobile device; and a model type of the mobile device determined by the model type determining unit. 2. The information system according to claim 1, further comprising: means for processing service information on the plurality of home electronic devices to be transmitted to the mobile device according to the mobile device. 6. The mobile device according to claim 6, wherein the home server is configured to determine whether the portable device is capable of communicating with the portable device and determine the capability of the portable device based on the capability of the portable device. 2. The information system according to claim 1, further comprising: means for processing service information on the plurality of home electronic devices to be transmitted according to the portable device. 7. An authentication unit for performing an authentication process with the portable device communicatively connected to the home server, and when the authentication by the authentication unit succeeds, the portable device is registered as a member of the information system. 2. The information system according to claim 1, further comprising: means. 8. The mobile device has presence confirmation message transmitting means for transmitting a presence confirmation message indicating the presence to the home server, wherein the home server detects presence or absence of the presence confirmation message. The information system according to claim 5, further comprising: means for deleting the portable device from a member of the information system when it is detected that transmission of the presence confirmation message is interrupted. 9. The information system according to claim 1, wherein said home server further comprises means for encrypting and registering personal information of a user recorded in said portable device. 10. The home server corresponds to a home electronic device not equipped with the server system, so that a home electronic device not equipped with the server system can be used as a member of the information system. 4. The information system according to claim 3, further comprising proxy server means for holding service information and functioning as a proxy server system for home electronic devices not equipped with said server system. 11. An information system for using a service of a plurality of home electronic devices from a portable device, comprising: data necessary for guiding a service of each of the plurality of home electronic devices and execution of the service. A home server having a plurality of service information in which data for controlling the mobile device is described in a unified predetermined description format, wherein the home server comprises: a communication unit for communicating with the mobile device; Service information collecting means for collecting service information from the home electronic device, and service information for providing the service information on the requested home electronic device to the mobile device in response to an information acquisition request from the mobile device. Providing means for providing the plurality of home electronic devices from the portable device. Broadcast system. 12. The home electronic device has means for transmitting a presence confirmation message indicating its presence to the home server, wherein the home server transmits the presence confirmation message transmitted from the home electronic device. A recognition unit that recognizes a controllable home electronic device by a message, and a unit that transmits a list of home electronic devices recognized as the home electronic device controllable by the recognition unit to the portable device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein
1. The information system according to 1. 13. An electronic service guide method for using a service of a plurality of home electronic devices from a portable device, comprising: data necessary for guiding a service of each of the plurality of home electronic devices; Acquiring a plurality of service information from the plurality of home electronic devices, in which data for controlling execution of the plurality of home electronic devices are described in a unified predetermined description format, and in response to a request from the mobile device, Providing the service information of each of the acquired plurality of home electronic devices to the mobile device; and controlling the home electronic device for which the service has been requested based on a service request from the mobile device. An electronic service guide method, wherein services of the plurality of home electronic devices can be used from the portable device. . 14. A computer-readable storage medium in which a computer program for using a service of a plurality of home electronic devices from a portable device is recorded, wherein the computer program includes: Acquiring a plurality of service information from the plurality of home electronic devices, in which data necessary for guiding the service and data for controlling the execution of the service are described in a unified predetermined description format. Providing the service information of each of the plurality of acquired home electronic devices to the portable device in response to a request from the portable device; and Controlling the home electronic device.