JP2003219487A - Time setting system, portable telephone, time setting program, server for providing time setting program, and time setting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a time setting system for easily setting the time of a time-settable electric product by a remote control operation of a remote controller, utilizing a portable telephone, and provide a portable telephone, a time setting program, a time setting server for providing the time setting program and a time setting method. <P>SOLUTION: The time setting system 1 comprises: an electric product 2 capable of various operations such as time setting by a remote controller; a portable telephone 3 having the same radio communication function as the remote controller which is capable of setting the time of the electric product 2, utilizing this function; a server 4 for providing a time setting program over the Internet 5; and the Internet 5. A time setting unit 3a of the portable telephone 3 runs the program and an IR communication unit 3b transmits a command to set the time of the electric product. Thus the time can be set by the portable telephone 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric appliance whose time can be set by a remote control device, and more particularly to a time setting system suitable for setting the time of the electric appliance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are electric appliances which can be operated in various ways by remote control by a remote control device.
Among such electric appliances, there are some which can set the time with a remote control device. In addition, there are electric appliances that automatically set the time by receiving a radio wave including accurate time information such as a radio wave including time signal information from a television station.

On the other hand, there is a remarkable spread of mobile phone devices, and the number of owners of the mobile phone devices is increasing to the extent that they can be said to be familiar to us. In addition to the wireless communication means for call, the mobile phone device is provided with a wireless communication means for short distance used for a purpose other than the call, and a GPS (Global P
ositioning System) and the like, some have a function of setting the time of the own device to an accurate time.

[0004]

However, in the case of the electric appliances which can be remotely controlled by the conventional remote control device, the time can be set while watching the clock or listening to the time signal by telephone or the like. Many of them require manual and troublesome work such as setting, and setting the time is troublesome.

An electric appliance that receives a radio wave including time information and automatically sets the time to an accurate one is a function specialized for a limited electric appliance such as a video device. The current situation is that there are still more electric appliances that do not have the. Therefore, the present invention has been made by paying attention to the unsolved problem of such a conventional technique, and the time of an electric appliance whose time can be set by remote control by a remote control device is set by a mobile phone device. An object of the present invention is to provide a time setting system, a mobile phone device, a time setting program, a time setting program providing server that provides this program, and a time setting method that can be easily set by using the time setting system. .

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a time setting system according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises:
An electronic product that can set the time by a remote control device, and a mobile phone device having a wireless communication means similar to that of the remote control device, wherein the mobile phone device is the electronic product via the wireless communication device. It is characterized by having a time setting means for automatically setting the time of 1 to the same as the time of its own device.

With such a configuration, for an electric appliance whose time can be set by the remote control device, the time of the electric appliance can be set by the time setting means in the portable telephone device having the same wireless communication means as the remote control device. It is possible to automatically set the same time as the time of its own device, which can reduce the troublesome time setting work by the manual operation of the remote control device and easily set the time of the electric appliance. Here, the mobile phone device has a function similar to that of a known mobile phone device, and allows a wireless conversation with another mobile phone device or a stationary phone device via a dedicated mobile phone line. There are also those that are capable of connecting to the Internet. Further, the remote control device is a known remote control device that is attached to an electric appliance and that allows each operation actually performed by pressing a button on the main body to be performed remotely by using infrared communication or the like.

The invention according to claim 2 is the time setting system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication means is
It is characterized by being a communication means using infrared rays. That is, the wireless communication means of the remote control device uses infrared rays. Therefore, the mobile phone device is provided with the same wireless communication means by infrared rays, and the automatic time setting by the time setting means is performed by infrared rays. It will be performed by using wireless communication means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the time setting system according to the first or second aspect, the portable telephone device automatically sets the time of its own device to an accurate time. It is characterized by having means.
In other words, since the mobile phone device can automatically adjust the time of its own device to the correct time by the time automatic setting means, the time setting means sets the time of the electric appliance to the correct time. It becomes possible. For example, a mobile phone device equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) function can obtain an accurate time from an artificial satellite by a GPS function during a fixed time interval or during a call to accurately determine the time of the device itself. It is supposed to be set to one.

The invention according to claim 4 is the time setting system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the time setting means automatically adjusts the time of the electric appliance by the remote controller. It is characterized by comprising a time setting program for realizing the setting by remote control of the portable telephone device via the wireless communication means.

That is, the time setting means is provided with a time setting program for automatically setting the time of the electric appliance by the wireless communication means similar to the remote control device of the mobile phone device. The time of the electric appliance is set by being executed by the CPU provided in the mobile phone. The invention according to claim 5 is the same as claim 4
In the time setting system described above, the time setting program providing server that provides the time setting program is provided, and the mobile phone device is provided with the predetermined time from the time setting program providing server via a predetermined communication line. The feature is that it is possible to obtain a time setting program.

That is, in the time setting system according to the fourth aspect, the time setting program providing server for providing the time setting program is provided, and the portable telephone device can access, for example, an electric appliance from the server. By downloading and executing the time setting program corresponding to the model, the time of the electric appliance is set to be the same as the time of its own device. Therefore, it is possible to support various electric appliances by downloading the program, and it is easy to support new products, so there is no need to prepare a dedicated mobile phone device for each type of electric appliances, which is convenient. Is.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile telephone device having a wireless communication means similar to the remote control device capable of setting the time of an electric appliance whose time can be set by the remote control device. The telephone device is characterized by including time setting means for automatically setting the time of the electric appliance to the same time as the time of the device itself through the wireless communication means.

That is, the present invention is a portable telephone device in the time setting system according to the first aspect of the present invention, and the operation and effect thereof are duplicated, so the description thereof will be omitted. The invention according to claim 7 is the mobile phone device according to claim 6, wherein the wireless communication means is a communication means using infrared rays. That is, the present invention is the mobile phone device in the time setting system according to the second aspect of the present invention, and the description thereof will be omitted because the operational effects thereof overlap.

The invention according to claim 8 is the portable telephone device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the portable telephone device automatically sets the time of the device itself to an accurate time. It is characterized by having means. That is, the present invention is the mobile phone device in the time setting system according to the third aspect of the present invention, and the description thereof will be omitted because the operational effects thereof overlap.

The invention according to claim 9 is the portable telephone device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the time setting means sets the time of the electric appliance by the remote control device. , A time setting program to be realized by remote control of the mobile phone device via the wireless communication means. That is, the present invention is the mobile phone device in the time setting system according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, and the description thereof will be omitted because the operational effects thereof overlap.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a time setting program for setting the time of an electric appliance which can be set by a remote control device by means of a portable telephone device having the same wireless communication means as the remote control device. A time setting program for performing time setting processing of the mobile phone device in a time setting system that can be performed, the time of the electric appliance being remotely controlled through the wireless communication means of the mobile phone device. Is automatically set to the same time as that of the mobile phone device.

That is, the present invention provides claims 4 and 5.
It is a program for time setting in the described time setting system, and its effects are duplicated, so description thereof will be omitted. A time setting program providing server according to claim 11 of the present invention is the time setting program providing server according to claim 5, wherein the mobile phone device is provided with the time setting program providing server via the predetermined communication line. It is characterized by providing a time setting program.

That is, the present invention is a server for providing a time setting program in the time setting system according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, and the description of the server will be omitted because its operation and effect overlap.
The time setting method according to claim 12 of the present invention is
An electronic product that can set the time by a remote control device, and a mobile phone device having a wireless communication means similar to that of the remote control device, wherein the mobile phone device is the electronic product via the wireless communication device. Is automatically set to the same time as that of the device itself.

In other words, according to the present invention, it is possible to largely omit the troublesome manual time setting work using the remote controller of the electric appliance, and to easily set the time.
The invention according to claim 13 is the time setting method according to claim 12, wherein the wireless communication means is a communication means using infrared rays. That is, this is a case where the wireless communication means of the remote control device uses infrared rays.

The invention according to claim 14 is the invention according to claim 1.
The time setting method according to claim 2 or claim 13 is characterized in that the mobile phone device can automatically set its own time to an accurate time.
In other words, this is the case where the mobile phone device can set the time of its own device to an accurate time.

The invention according to claim 15 provides the invention according to claim 1.
The time setting method according to any one of claims 2 to 14, wherein a time for realizing time setting of the electric appliance by the remote control device by remote operation via the wireless communication means of the mobile phone device. It is characterized by having a setting program. That is, this is a case where the time setting means includes a time setting program for automatically setting the time of the electric appliance by the wireless communication means similar to the remote controller of the mobile phone device.

The invention according to claim 16 is the first aspect.
5. The time setting method according to claim 5, further comprising a time setting program providing server that provides the time setting program, wherein the mobile phone device transmits the time from the time setting program providing server via a predetermined communication line. The feature is that it is possible to obtain a setting program.

That is, it is provided with a time setting program providing server which provides a time setting program,
Since it is possible to support various electric appliances by downloading the program, there is no need to prepare a dedicated mobile phone device, which is convenient.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a time setting system according to the present invention. First, the configuration of the time setting system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the time setting system according to the present invention.

The time setting system 1 has an electric appliance 2 capable of various operations such as time setting by a remote controller and a wireless communication function similar to that of the remote controller, and the time of the electric appliance 2 is set by using this function. Configurable mobile phone device 3,
The configuration includes a time setting program providing server 4 that provides a time setting program via the Internet 5, and the Internet 5.

The electric appliance 2 includes a first electric appliance 2a and a second electric appliance 2a.
The electric appliances 2b are different from each other, and the manufacturers are different from each other, and the procedure of time setting by the remote controller is also different. The mobile phone device 3 includes a time setting unit 3a.
The infrared communication unit 3b, the GPS function unit 3c, and the mobile phone function unit 3d are included.

The time setting unit 3a executes a time setting program to automatically set the time of the electric appliance for which the time is to be set. In the present embodiment, the time setting unit 3a Select the type of appliance by operation,
By executing the program, the time of the electric appliances can be set. The infrared communication unit 3b is for transmitting an operation command for setting the time of an electric appliance by wireless communication using infrared rays according to the processing of the time setting program.

The GPS function unit 3c is for acquiring position information and time information from a GPS artificial satellite.
As a result, the time of the mobile phone device 3 can be set to an accurate time. The mobile phone function unit 3d is provided with a function of a known mobile phone such as a function for wirelessly talking with another phone and a function of connecting to the Internet.

Here, the portable telephone device 3 is provided with a CPU for executing the program stored in the ROM or the rewritable memory, and in this embodiment, the CPU executes the time setting program. By doing so, the time of the electric appliance is set. The time setting program providing server 4 is a server that provides a time setting program that enables the mobile phone device 3 to set the time of the electric appliances of various manufacturers, and the electronic products that are not registered in the mobile phone device 3. Also, a time setting program corresponding to a new product or the like is provided so as to be downloadable via the Internet 5 by the mobile phone function unit 3d of the mobile phone device 3.

The Internet 5 is a large-scale network in which various networks around the world are interconnected, and is connected by a terminal device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a mobile phone device via a telephone line or a dedicated line. It is possible. Further, it is possible to browse and download public information from a WWW (World Wide Web) server or the like connected to a network with dedicated browser software, and it is used for various purposes such as online business.

A more specific operation of the system 1 will be described. First, when setting the time of the first electric appliance 2a, the time setting menu is displayed by operating the operation unit of the mobile phone device 3. The time setting mode item is selected from the displayed time, and a list of pre-registered electric appliances for which the time can be set is displayed in the mobile phone device 3. First in the list of products
It is checked whether or not there is a corresponding electric appliance 2a.
If there is a corresponding item, the electric appliance is selected by operating the operation unit, and the infrared communication unit 3b of the mobile phone device 3 is selected.
The infrared transmitting section of is directed to an electric appliance and the enter button of the mobile phone device 3 is pressed. By this operation, the time setting unit 3a
In the above, the time setting program of the first electric appliance 2a is executed, and the operation command is the infrared communication section 3 according to the operation procedure of the time setting by the remote control device determined for each electric appliance.
It is transmitted to the first electric appliance 2a via b. Here, the operation command is transmitted at a constant interval (time interval in which the time can be set), and the time of the first electric appliance 2a becomes the same as the time of the mobile phone device 3. As described above, the time is set automatically.

Further, a case will be described in which, when the time of the second electric appliance 2b is set, the electric appliance is not registered in the portable telephone device 3. In this case, it is necessary to obtain a program for setting the time of the second electric appliance 2b somewhere. In the present embodiment, the corresponding time setting program is sent from the time setting program providing server 4 Is downloaded via the Internet 5, it is possible to obtain a time setting program for an unregistered electric appliance (for example, a new product). That is, the mobile phone function unit 3 of the mobile phone device 3
By connecting to the Internet 5 by d, and further connecting to the time setting program providing server 4, a desired one is obtained from the time setting programs provided therein. In this embodiment, a dedicated program is also prepared for the download processing of this time setting program, and by executing it, the connection processing from the Internet is downloaded, and the downloaded program file is added to the list. Processing and the like are performed automatically. Then, by operating the operation unit of the mobile phone device 3, the second electric appliance 2b is selected from the registered electric appliance list, and the infrared communication unit 3 is selected.
The program for time setting is executed by pressing the enter button with the infrared transmitter of b pointed to the same electric appliance 2b,
Operation commands are transmitted via the infrared communication unit 3b in the same order as the time setting operation procedure by the remote control device of the second electric appliance 2b, and the time of the second electric appliance 2b is the same as the time of the mobile phone device 3. The automatic settings are made so that they will be realized.

Further, the portable telephone device 3 in the present embodiment is provided with the GPS function section 3c, and the time of the portable telephone device 3 can be set to an accurate time by communicating with the artificial satellite for GPS. It is possible. Therefore, by setting the time of the mobile phone device 3 to be accurate by the GPS function before setting the time of the appliance, it is possible to set the time of the appliance to be accurate.

Next, the flow of the time setting process in the portable telephone device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a time setting process in the mobile phone device 3. As shown in FIG. 2, first, the process proceeds to step S200, the setting menu is displayed on the display unit of the own device 3 by the operation of the operation unit of the mobile phone device 3, and the item of the time setting mode is selected from the setting menu to perform the step. The process proceeds to S202.

When the process proceeds to step S202, a list of electric appliances whose time can be set is displayed. Then, a desired electric appliance is selected from the list and the process proceeds to step S204. When the process proceeds to step S204, it is determined whether or not the time setting start determination button has been pressed. If it is determined that the time setting start button has been pressed (Yes), the process proceeds to step S206; otherwise (No) waits until it is pressed. To do.

When the process goes to step S206, the time setting unit 3a reads the program for setting the time of the selected electric appliance from the storage device (not shown) and executes it, then the process goes to step S208. In step S208,
The infrared communication unit 3b transmits commands for time setting at a predetermined time interval based on the command of the executed program in the order determined by the type of the electric appliance, and the time of the electric appliance is transmitted to the mobile phone device. The time is automatically set to the same as the time of 3, and the process is ended.

That is, by selecting an electric appliance for setting the time from the list and pressing the enter button, the time setting is automatically performed. Furthermore, the flow of the process of downloading the time setting program by the mobile phone device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a download process of the time setting program by the mobile phone device 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, first, step S300.
Then, the setting menu is displayed on the display unit by operating the operation unit of the mobile phone device 3, the item for which the time setting program is downloaded is selected, and the process proceeds to step S302. After shifting to step S302,
First, a list of maker names is displayed. Select the maker name of the electrical appliance for which you want to set the time, and then a list of product types (VCR, TV, etc.) is displayed. One is selected and the process proceeds to step S304. Here, in the present embodiment, if there is no corresponding manufacturer or product type in the displayed list, the item “other” is prepared, and that is selected.

When the process proceeds to step S304, it is determined whether or not the download start button has been pressed. If it is determined that the button has been pressed (Yes), the process proceeds to step S306, otherwise (No) is pressed. Wait until. When the process proceeds to step S306, the mobile phone function unit 3d performs a process of connecting to the Internet and proceeds to step S308.

When the process proceeds to step S308, the process for connecting to the time setting program providing server 4 is performed, and when the connection is established, the process proceeds to step S310. Here, in the connection process, a URL (Uniform) generated by information of the manufacturer name and the product type (including others) selected in advance
Resource Locator) is processed.

In step S310, the mobile phone function unit 3
By d, the product list corresponding to the maker name and product type selected in advance is downloaded from the time setting program providing server 4, displayed on the display unit of the mobile phone device 3, and the process proceeds to step S312. Step S312
When the process shifts to, the target electric appliance is selected from the displayed product list, and the process proceeds to step S314.

In step S314, by selecting "Start" on the download start selection screen displayed after selection, the download of the time setting program of the selected electric appliance is started, and the process proceeds to step S316. When the process proceeds to step S316, it is determined whether or not the download of the time setting program is completed. If it is determined to be completed (Yes), the process proceeds to step S318, otherwise (No) waits until the process is completed. To do.

When the process proceeds to step S318, the downloaded file for the time setting program has been subjected to the compression process. Therefore, the file is restored to the original file and the process proceeds to step S320. That is, the time setting program is compressed in order to reduce the load at the time of downloading. After shifting to step S320,
The restored time setting program file is added to the time settable list and the process ends.

As described above, by executing the time setting program under the control of the time setting unit 3a in the portable telephone device 3, the infrared communication unit 3b transmits the command in the same procedure as the time setting of the electric appliance 2 by the remote control device. However, since it is possible to automatically set the time, it is possible to reduce the troublesome work of setting the time by the remote control device.

The time setting program not previously registered in the mobile phone 3 is downloaded and obtained from the time setting program providing server 4 via the Internet 5 by the mobile phone function of the mobile phone device 3. Therefore, it is possible to deal with various electric appliances. In addition, the mobile phone device 3 has a GPS function unit 3c.
Since it is possible to acquire the correct time from the artificial satellite for GPS and correct the time of its own device, it is easy to set the time of the electric appliance to the correct time.

Here, the time setting unit 3a shown in FIG.
Corresponding to the time setting means according to claims 1, 4, 6, and 9, the infrared communication section 3b is configured according to claims 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12.
The Internet 5 corresponds to a predetermined communication line according to claims 5 and 16, and corresponds to the wireless communication means described in 13 and 15. In the above embodiment, the wireless communication means of the remote control device is wireless communication using infrared rays, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the time is set by wireless communication using electromagnetic waves in a short distance used for a wireless LAN or the like. Is also good.

[0048]

As described above, according to the time setting system of the present invention, a portable telephone device having the same wireless communication means as that of the remote controller is provided for the electric appliances whose time can be set by the remote controller. It is possible to automatically set the time of the electric appliance to the same time as the time of its own device by the time setting means in, so that the troublesome time setting work by the manual operation of the remote control device is reduced and the time setting of the electric appliance is set. Can be performed easily. Further, the time setting means executes the time setting program to set the time of the electric appliance, and further, this program is transmitted from the server for providing the time setting program via the predetermined communication line by the portable telephone device. Since it is available, it is possible to support the time setting operation of the remote control devices of electric appliances of various manufacturers by adding the necessary programs, and it is easy and convenient to support new products. is there.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a time setting system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a time setting process in the mobile phone device 3.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a download process of a time setting program by the mobile phone device 3.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 time setting system 2 appliances 2a First electrical appliances 2b Second electric appliance 3 mobile phone devices 3a Time setting section 3b Infrared communication section 3c GPS function unit 3d Mobile phone function 4 Time setting program providing server 5 Internet

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Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. An electric appliance, the time of which can be set by a remote control device, and a mobile phone device having a wireless communication means similar to that of the remote control device, wherein the mobile phone device includes the wireless communication means. A time setting system having a time setting means for automatically setting the time of the electric appliance to be the same as the time of its own device via the device. 2. The time setting system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is a communication unit using infrared rays. 3. The time setting system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile phone device has an automatic time setting means for automatically setting the time of the device itself to an accurate time. 4. The time setting means includes a time setting program for realizing automatic setting of the time of the electric appliance by the remote control device by remote control of the mobile phone device via the wireless communication means. The time setting system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: 5. A time setting program providing server that provides the time setting program, wherein the mobile telephone device sets the predetermined time setting from the time setting program providing server via a predetermined communication line. The time setting system according to claim 4, wherein the program for use is available. 6. A mobile phone device having the same wireless communication means as that of the remote control device, which is capable of setting the time of an electric appliance whose time can be set by the remote control device, wherein A mobile phone device having a time setting means for automatically setting the time of an electric appliance to the same time as the time of the device itself. 7. The mobile phone device according to claim 6, wherein the wireless communication unit is a communication unit using infrared rays. 8. The mobile phone device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the mobile phone device has a time automatic setting means for automatically setting the time of the device itself to an accurate time. 9. The time setting means comprises a time setting program for realizing time setting of the electric appliance by the remote control device by remote control of the mobile phone device via the wireless communication means. The mobile phone device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, which is characterized. 10. The time of the portable telephone device in a time setting system capable of setting the time of an electric appliance which can be set by the remote controller with a portable telephone device having the same wireless communication means as the remote controller. A time setting program for performing setting processing, wherein the time of the electric appliance is automatically set to the same time as the time of the mobile phone device by remote control via the wireless communication means of the mobile phone device. A time setting program, comprising: a time setting step. 11. The time setting program providing server according to claim 5, wherein the time setting program is provided to the mobile phone device via the predetermined communication line. Server for providing programs. 12. A remote control device is provided with an electric appliance capable of setting time, and a mobile phone device having a wireless communication means similar to that of the remote control device, wherein the mobile phone device includes the wireless communication means. A time setting method for automatically setting the time of the electric appliance to be the same as the time of its own device via the device. 13. The time setting method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is a communication unit using infrared rays. 14. The time setting method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the mobile phone device is capable of automatically setting the time of its own device to an accurate time. 15. A time setting program for realizing time setting of the electric appliance by the remote control device by remote control via the wireless communication means of the mobile phone device. 15. The time setting method according to claim 14. 16. A time setting program providing server which provides the time setting program, wherein the mobile telephone device is connected to the time setting program from the time setting program providing server via a predetermined communication line. 16. The time setting method according to claim 15, wherein the time setting method is available.