JP2005223931A - User operation assisting instrument and user operation assisting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a user operation assisting instrument and its method wherein a user can select and execute only a viable task to contents in accordance with the contents to be used by the user and connection status of a device in a network. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of devices wherein type of contents which can be treated is specified, a management means which stores a data file for management which can specify that a plurality of the devices can treat which contents, and a combination display means which displays combination of a plurality of the devices and contents which can be treated with the devices are installed. Further, a task extraction means which extracts a viable task when the user utilizes a selected content, and a user interface display means which displays user interface which is used in order to execute the extracted task are installed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for controlling home appliances such as a television and a video, and a home appliance adapted to such a method, and more particularly, home appliances connected to each other via a home network operate in cooperation with a simple user interface. And a control apparatus for realizing the method.

  In recent years, home appliances represented by television and video have a great number of functions. Furthermore, with the recent development of digital technology represented by personal computers, home appliances are often connected to a network, and home appliances having a network connection function are also appearing.

  When many home appliances are connected to each other via a network in this way, a function that spans a plurality of devices can naturally be considered and is being adopted. However, in this case, a user who uses the device needs to actively select a function that the user wants to execute from a very large number of functions generated from a combination of many devices. For this reason, there is an increasing demand for users to be able to handle as many functions as possible of a single device and various combinations of functions across devices connected via a network as easily as possible.

  A video CD (Compact-Disc) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-44971 is conventionally proposed as a method for controlling functions across a plurality of devices in a network in which a plurality of devices operate in cooperation. There is a playback device. In this apparatus, information for controlling peripheral devices connected to the network is added to the video content, and when the video CD is played back, based on the control information added to the content at a specific time. The video CD playback device can automatically play an electronic piano connected to the network or can sound a buzzer.

In addition, a conventional interface for handling household appliances is equipped with a remote controller having a large number of buttons in order to correspond to many functions of the appliance. Naturally, it is conceivable to use such a conventional remote controller for controlling a plurality of devices connected to the network.
JP-A-7-284164 JP-A-9-120666

  However, in the above-described conventional technology, the control information given to the content is sent to the peripheral device without considering the connection state of the peripheral device on the network. For this reason, even if the device to be controlled by the information given to the content is not connected to the network, it is processed as if the device was controlled, and appropriate processing reflecting the actual connection status It is not intended to perform any processing. Therefore, although the function required by the content cannot be executed, the content may be processed (reproduced) as if the function is being executed. In that case, the content is processed in a manner different from the manner intended at the time of production, and as a result, there is a problem that a user who uses the content is likely to be confused.

  Further, as described above, each device has many functions and various combinations of devices, so that each device can be controlled appropriately and easily using an interface such as a single remote controller. It is very difficult to do so. In particular, in a remote controller for controlling a conventional home appliance, there is always a button corresponding to a specific function of the corresponding device. Therefore, even if the function is not executable by the user for the content used by the user, it appears as if the function can be selected because there is a button corresponding to the function. For this reason, there is a problem that the user is likely to be confused without knowing which functions can be actually used.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its purpose is to select only the tasks that can be executed by the user according to the content used by the user and the connection state of the devices in the network. It is to provide a user operation support method that can be executed.

  Another purpose is to create a user interface that allows users to select content that they want to use with simple operations and select only tasks that can be performed on the selected content, depending on the content that can be used on the network and the connection status of devices on the network. Is to provide.

A user operation support apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 is provided.
A user operation support device that supports user operations when a user selects and uses a plurality of types of content existing on a network,
A plurality of devices that exist on the network and are used when content is used, and a plurality of devices in which types of content that can be handled by each device are specified;
A management storing a management data file that can specify which of the plurality of types of content existing on the network can be handled by each of the plurality of devices existing on the network A management means having a data storage unit;
In accordance with an output signal from the management means, a combination display means for displaying a combination of the plurality of devices and content that can be handled by the devices is provided.

  In this user operation support device, a user operation when a user selects and uses a plurality of types of content existing on a network is supported. The types of content that can be handled by each of a plurality of devices that exist on the network and are used when using the content are specified. The management data file stored in the management data storage unit of the management means allows each of a plurality of devices on the network to handle which of the multiple types of content on the network. Can be specified. The combination display means displays a combination of a plurality of devices and contents that can be handled by the devices in accordance with an output signal from the management means.

In addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 1, the user operation support device according to the invention described in claim 2 includes:
The management unit is incorporated in any of the plurality of devices.

In addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the user operation support device according to the invention described in claim 3
Task extraction means for extracting a task that can be executed by a device corresponding to the combination when the user uses content corresponding to the combination selected by the user from the combinations displayed by the combination display means;
It further comprises user interface display means for displaying a user interface used for executing the task extracted by the task extraction means.

  In the above-described user operation support device, the task extraction means further corresponds to the combination when the user uses the content corresponding to the combination selected by the user from the combinations displayed by the combination display means. Tasks that can be executed by the device are extracted. Further, the user interface used for executing the task extracted by the task extraction means is displayed by the function of the user interface display means further provided.

In addition to the configuration of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the user operation support device according to the invention according to claim 4 includes:
Whether or not at least one of the same type of function that can be handled by the plurality of devices and at least one of the same type of input / output devices possessed by the plurality of devices exists in the combination displayed by the combination display means A duplicate existence confirmation means for confirming,
When it is confirmed that at least one of them is duplicated by the duplication existence confirmation unit, the duplication existence confirmation unit further includes duplication existence display unit for displaying the existence of the duplication existence function and the input / output device.

  In the above-described user operation support device, the same type of function that can be handled by a plurality of devices and the same type of input / output possessed by a plurality of devices in the combination displayed by the combination display means by the operation of the duplication existence confirmation unit further provided. It is confirmed whether at least one of the devices is duplicated. Further, when at least one of the duplication existence confirmation means confirms that there is duplication by the action of the duplication existence display means further provided, the existence of duplicate functions and input / output devices are displayed.

In addition to the configuration of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the user operation support device according to the invention according to claim 5 includes:
Dependent content extracting means for extracting dependent content that can be handled in a subordinate manner together with the content selected by the user from among the combinations displayed by the combination display means,
A combination is also displayed by the combination display unit for the subordinate content extracted by the subordinate content extraction unit.

  In the above-described user operation support device, the dependent content extracting means further extracts dependent content that can be subordinately handled together with the content selected by the user from the combinations displayed by the combination display means. .

  The combination is also displayed by the combination display unit for the subordinate content extracted by the subordinate content extraction unit.

In addition to the configuration of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the user operation support device according to the invention according to claim 6 includes:
At least one of deletion of any of the plurality of devices and the plurality of types of contents existing on the network and addition of any of new devices and new contents on the network is performed. An additional deletion confirmation means for confirming whether or not
When it is confirmed by the addition / deletion confirmation means that at least one of addition and deletion has been performed,
The management data file is updated in accordance with the plurality of devices and the plurality of types of contents existing on the network confirmed by the additional deletion confirmation unit,
The combination display unit displays the combination based on the updated data file for management.

  In the above-described user operation support device, the addition / deletion confirmation unit further includes deletion of any of a plurality of devices and a plurality of types of content existing on the network, and a new device on the network and It is confirmed whether at least any of the new contents has been added. When it is confirmed that at least one of addition and deletion has been performed by the addition / deletion confirmation unit, according to a plurality of devices and a plurality of types of contents existing on the network confirmed by the addition / deletion confirmation unit, The management data file is updated, and the combination display means displays the combination based on the updated management data file.

The user operation support method according to the invention described in claim 7 is:
A user operation support method for supporting a user operation when a user selects and uses a plurality of types of content existing on a network,
On the network,
A plurality of devices used when using the content, and a plurality of devices for which the types of content that can be handled by each device are specified;
Each of the plurality of devices has a management data storage unit that stores a management data file that can identify which content among a plurality of types of content existing on the network can be handled. Management means,
In accordance with an output signal from the management means, a combination display step of displaying a combination of the plurality of devices and contents that can be handled by the devices is included.

  In this user operation support method, the user's operation when the user selects and uses a plurality of types of content existing on the network is supported. A plurality of devices provided on the network are used when content is used, and the types of content that can be handled by each device are specified. Which of the plurality of types of content existing on the network is handled by each of the plurality of devices by the management data file stored in the management data storage unit of the management means provided on the network Can be specified. By the action of the combination display step, a combination of a plurality of devices and contents that can be handled by the devices is displayed in accordance with an output signal from the management means.

In addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 7, the user operation support method according to the invention described in claim 8 includes:
A task extraction step of extracting a task executable by a device corresponding to the combination when the user uses content corresponding to the combination selected by the user from the combinations displayed in the combination display step;
And a user interface display step of displaying a user interface used for executing the task extracted by the task extraction step.

  In the above-described user operation support method, the task extraction step included further corresponds to the combination when the user uses content corresponding to the combination selected by the user from the combinations displayed in the combination display step. Tasks that can be executed by the device to be extracted are extracted. Further, the user interface used for executing the task extracted in the task extraction step is displayed by the function of the user interface display step further provided.

In addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 7 or 8, the user operation support method according to the invention described in claim 9 includes:
Whether or not at least one of the same type of function that can be handled by the plurality of devices and at least one of the same type of input / output devices possessed by the plurality of devices exists in the combination displayed in the combination display step. A duplicate existence confirmation step to confirm
When the duplication existence confirmation step confirms that at least one of the duplication exists, the duplication existence display step of displaying the duplication existence function and the existence of the input / output device is further included.

  In the above-described user operation support method, the function of the same type that can be handled by a plurality of devices and the same type of input that the plurality of devices have in the combination displayed in the combination display step by the action of the duplication existence confirmation step further included. It is confirmed whether at least one of the output devices is duplicated. Further, when it is confirmed that at least one of them is duplicated in the duplication existence confirmation step by the operation of the duplication existence display step further provided, the existence of duplicate functions and input / output devices are displayed.

The user operation support method according to the invention described in claim 10 includes, in addition to the configuration of the invention described in claims 7-9,
A subordinate content extracting step of extracting subordinate content that can be subordinately handled together with the content selected by the user from among the combinations displayed by the combination display step;
The combination is also displayed by the combination display step for the dependent content extracted by the dependent content extraction step.

  In the above-described user operation support method, the subordinate content that can be subordinately handled together with the content selected by the user is extracted from the combinations displayed in the combination display step by the operation of the subordinate content extraction step further included. The

  The combinations are also displayed in the combination display step for the dependent contents extracted in the dependent content extraction step.

In addition to the configuration of the invention described in claims 7 to 10, the user operation support method according to the invention described in claim 11 includes:
At least one of deletion of any of the plurality of devices and the plurality of types of contents existing on the network and addition of any of new devices and new contents on the network is performed. And an additional deletion confirmation step for confirming whether or not
When it is confirmed that at least one of addition and deletion has been performed in the addition / deletion confirmation step,
The management data file is updated in accordance with the plurality of devices and the plurality of types of contents existing on the network, confirmed by the addition / deletion confirmation step,
The combination display step displays the combination based on the updated data file for management.

  In the above-described user operation support method, the additional deletion confirmation step further includes deletion of any of a plurality of devices and a plurality of types of content existing on the network, and a new device on the network. Then, it is confirmed whether or not any of the new contents has been added. If it is confirmed that at least one of addition and deletion has been performed in the addition / deletion confirmation step, it will be matched to multiple devices and multiple types of content existing on the network confirmed in the additional / deletion confirmation step. The management data file is updated, and the combination based on the updated management data file is displayed in the combination display step.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a television receiver (hereinafter simply referred to as “TV”) and a DVD (Digital Video Disc) player are connected to each other, and further a video cassette recorder (VCR). A liquid crystal display device (LCD) is connected in order, and a scene in which four home appliances are finally networked is assumed.

  In the present embodiment described below, it is assumed that information regarding devices, contents, functions, IO devices, and tasks existing in the network is centrally managed in the server. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and such information may be distributed and managed in each device. In the following description, management information is described in a document file in XML (eXtensible Markup Language) format, but may be described in other formats.

  XML refers to one of extensible markup languages (Markup Language) for exchanging and distributing data on the World Wide Web of the Internet. In short, XML is characterized in that it can describe the data structure of an electronic document and the user can define the language for that structure.

  XML consists of an XML declaration that declares the XML version and the character code to be used, a language definition part called DTD (Document Type Definition) that is described to define the language, and a document body. And an XML instance part to configure.

  Very roughly speaking, in XML, a part of a document is surrounded by a start tag and an end tag corresponding to the element defined in the DTD, and that part is an element corresponding to the tag. Is shown. For example, in an embodiment described later, an element “name” is a portion surrounded by a start tag “<name>” and an end tag “</ name>”. The element “input” is a portion surrounded by a start tag “<input>” and an end tag “</ input>”. In this way, the structure of the document can be defined by tagging the contents of the document.

  Since the XML declaration part and the DTD part do not have a direct relationship with the present invention, they are omitted in the following description for the purpose of simplifying the explanation.

[Network Summary]
Referring to FIG. 1, a network (hereinafter referred to as “home network”) 103 including home appliances according to the present embodiment is constructed using an existing digital network construction technique such as IEEE1394 or Ethernet (registered trademark). The remote controller 102 is operated by the user 101 and connected to the home network 103 by optical communication to control each device in the home network 103, and manages various information related to the home network 103. The server 104 for configuring the user interface for controlling the device of the home network 103 by the method to be realized on the remote controller 102, the TV 105 connected to the home network 103, and the home network 103 And a DVD player 106 for playing back a DVD disc and playing it on the TV 105 or the like.

  It is assumed that each device 102, 103, 104, 105, and 106 constituting the home network 103 can recognize the presence of other devices and can transmit and receive data between the devices. Such mutual recognition and data transmission / reception can be performed by using a network connection technology such as Jini (SUN MICROSYSTEMS) or Universal Plug and Play (MICROSOFT). Each device connected to the home network 103 described below, including the server 104, the TV 105, and the DVD player 106, has wireless transmission / reception means, and is connected to the remote controller 102 using infrared rays or RF (wireless radio waves), or other devices. Data can be transmitted to and received from the device.

  The devices of the TV 105 and the DVD player 106 can receive data from the remote controller 102 and control the functions of the devices according to the contents. The same applies to other devices connected to the home network 103, which will be described later.

  The server may exist independently on the network as one server 104 as shown in FIG. 1, or may be realized by being incorporated in a device such as the TV 105 or the DVD player 106, for example. Furthermore, the home network 103 may be connected to a communication network represented by the Internet. In this case, various types of information described later that are managed by the server 104 can also be obtained from a communication network connected to the home network 103.

[Remote controller 102]
Referring to FIG. 2, the remote controller 102 shown in FIG. 1 has a wireless transceiver 201, and can transmit and receive data to and from other devices using infrared or RF (wireless signal). is there. The remote controller 102 has a liquid crystal display device 202 with a touch panel as shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the remote controller 102 executes a predetermined control program to perform processing for controlling each part of the remote controller 102, and receives a signal from the server 104 wirelessly and receives the processor 301. A receiving unit 302 for feeding to the home network 103, a transmitting unit 303 for wirelessly transmitting a signal from the processor 301 to other devices connected to the home network 103, and a liquid crystal display device with a touch panel connected to the processor 301 UI element for storing data for realizing a user interface on the output unit 306 and the input unit 307 based on user interface information described later, which is received from the server 104, and the output unit 306 and the input unit 307 that constitute the data 202 Storage unit 304 and processor 301 Connected, including the processor 301 to store the data control program uses the data and a processor 301 received from the server 104 executes, and a memory accessible 305 by the processor 301.

  As a device for the reception unit 302 that wirelessly receives data, a device that receives data using light such as infrared rays, a device that receives data using radio waves, or the like is used. As a device for the transmission unit 303 that wirelessly transmits data, a device that receives data using light such as infrared rays or a device that receives data using radio waves is used.

  UI elements stored in the UI element storage unit 304 include parts for configuring and displaying a general graphical user interface, such as buttons and sliders. A user interface is realized by arranging such components on the display screen.

  The device used as the output unit 306 for outputting information is assumed to be a liquid crystal display device in this embodiment, but may be a light emitting diode, a speaker, or the like. The input unit 307 includes a device that inputs some information to the remote controller, and converts the input information into an appropriate format and transmits it to the control program 301. In this embodiment, a touch panel is assumed as a device for the input unit 307, but an input device such as a button or a keyboard may be used.

[Devices such as TV 105 and DVD player 106]
Referring to FIG. 4, a device 550 such as a TV 105 or a DVD player 106 is transmitted from a processor 501 for executing a program for controlling the operation of each unit of the device 550, the remote controller 102 in FIG. 1, and other devices. A receiving unit 502 for providing received data to the processor 501, a transmitting unit 503 for transmitting data from the processor 501 to other devices, and the device 550 controlled by the processor 501. The device main body 505 for realizing the original functions of the device, and the device information 508 that is accessible from the processor 501 and related to the device 550, which is a data file described in XML, and the function of the device main body 505 are described in XML. Function information 509, which is a data file that has been recorded, and the device 5 Stores IO device information 510, which is a data file describing data relating to an IO device possessed by 0, in XML, data received from other devices connected to the processor 501, and data used by a control program executed by the processor 501. And an output unit 506 that is connected to the device main body 505, is controlled by the processor 501 via the device main body 505, and outputs some information according to a command from the device main body 505, and is operable by the user. And an input unit 507 for providing the processor 501 with information corresponding to the user's operation.

  When the device 550 has content to be provided to other devices such as the DVD player 106, the device 550 further has content information. The content information is content information 514 regarding the content, a task that can be executed with respect to the content, a function necessary for executing the task, and the like, such as content 511 and content information 512, content 513 and content information 514. Including.

  A device for receiving unit 502 that receives data includes a device that receives wireless data using light such as infrared rays, a device that receives wireless data using radio waves, a device that receives wired data using Ethernet (registered trademark), and IEEE1394. Devices that receive wired data are used.

  As a device for the transmission unit 503 that transmits data, a device that performs wireless data transmission using light such as infrared rays, a device that performs wireless data transmission using radio waves, a device that performs wired data transmission using Ethernet (registered trademark), and IEEE1394 Devices that perform wired data transmission are used.

  The device main body 505 includes hardware and software for realizing the functions of the device. The device main body 505 receives information from a control program executed by the processor 501, executes functions of the device main body 505, and controls the output unit 506, the input unit 507, and the contents 511 and 513. In addition, information on the device main body 505 is transmitted to the processor 501.

  The output unit 506 includes a device that transmits some information to the user by the device, and outputs some information according to a command from the device main body 505. As a device for outputting information, a liquid crystal display device, a CRT, a light emitting diode, a speaker or the like is used.

  The input unit 507 includes a device that allows the user to input some information to the device, and converts the input information into an appropriate format and transmits it to the device body 505. A touch panel, a button, a keyboard, a slider, a microphone, or the like is used as a device for inputting information.

  The contents 511 and 513 are contents handled by the device 550. For example, if the device is a TV, each program that can be viewed on the TV is the content, and if the device is a DVD, the DVD software inserted in the device is the content. Although two contents are shown in FIG. 4, this number is variable.

  The content information 512 and 514 include information related to tasks performed by the user for the contents 511 and 513, respectively. The content information 512 and 514 are data files described in XML.

  The device information 508, the function information 509, and the IO device information 510 may be given in advance to the device 550, or may be given from outside the device through a public network. The content information may be given to the content in advance or may be given from outside the device through a public network.

  The device information of each device is described in a file Appliance.xml that exists in each device. The function information of each device is described in a file Function.xml existing in each device. The IO device information of each device is described in a file IO-Device.xml existing in each device.

  Referring to FIG. 5, “TV” is given as a device name in the device information file Appliance.xml of TV 105 (name sentence). Referring to FIG. 6, in the device information file Appliance.xml of the DVD player 106, “DVD” is given as the device name.

  Referring to FIG. 7, the function information file Function.xml of TV 105 includes descriptions 4901, 4902, and 4903. A description 4901 is a description about the function VOLUME of the TV. In the case of FIG. 7, this function takes SOUND as an input (input statement) and SOUND as an output (output statement). A description 4902 is a description about the function IMAGE of the TV. In the case of FIG. 7, this function takes NTSC as input and NTSC as output. NTSC is an abbreviation of “National Television System Committee” and refers to a signal according to the NTSC system, which is a television signal system adopted in Japan and the United States. A description 4903 is a description about the function TV-PLAY of the TV 105. In the case of FIG. 7, this function takes SOUND and NTSC as inputs and SOUND and NTSC as outputs.

  With reference to FIG. 8, the function information file Function.xml of the DVD player 106 includes a description 5001. According to the description 5001, the DVD player 106 has a function named DVD-PLAYBACK. The function DVD-PLAYBACK takes SOUND and NTSC as inputs and SOUND and NTSC as outputs.

  Referring to FIG. 9, a file IO-Device.xml in which IO device information of TV 105 is described is a description 5301 about a display that is an IO device, a description 5302 about a speaker that is an IO device, and an IO device. A button description 5303.

  According to the description 5301, the device name of the display which is the IO device is DISPLAY, and receives the NTSC signal as an input.

  According to the description 5302, a speaker which is an IO device has SPEAKER as a device name and receives SOUND as an input.

  According to the description 5303, a button that is an IO device has BUTTON as a device name and VALUE (value) as an output. The button here refers to an input device for inputting some value by the user pressing the button.

  Referring to FIG. 10, file IO-Device.xml in which IO device information of DVD player 106 is described includes a description 5401 regarding a button that is an IO device.

  According to the description 5401, the device name of the button which is an IO device is BUTTON, and has VALUE as an output.

  Referring to FIG. 11, TV 105 has a plurality of contents, and file Content-3.xml, which is content information given to the content “Kinki Television”, which is one of them, describes information about the content itself. A description 5701 and descriptions 5702, 5706, and 5710, which are information on three tasks set in the content, are included.

  Description 5701 describes that this content belongs to TV (type statement), that its name is “Kinki TV” (name statement), and has NTSC and SOUND as output (output statement). ing.

  Of the descriptions 5702, 5706 and 5710 which are information relating to the task, the description 5702 relating to the first task is a description 5703 which describes general information about this task and a function to receive and process data output from the content And a description 5705 describing an IO device that receives data output from this function.

  The description 5703 regarding the general information of the task is that the content is named “volume adjustment” (name sentence), is a normal task (not a “subordinate task” as described later), and for this task Describes that the part as a user interface to be displayed on the remote controller 102 is PANEL (ui sentence). Here, the “subordinate task” refers to a task that belongs to content (subordinate content) that can be handled (subordinately) by a certain task together with the content selected by the user. When the user interface for controlling this task is displayed on the remote controller 102, information on the user interface described by this ui statement is sent to the remote controller 102, and the UI element in the configuration diagram of the remote controller 102 in FIG. Appropriate ones are selected from the user interface components stored in the storage unit 304 and displayed.

  The task function description 5704 indicates that the function name of this task is VOLUME (name statement), has SOUND as an input (input statement), has SOUND as an output (output statement), and this task's It describes that the component as the user interface to be displayed on the remote controller 102 for the function is SLIDER (ui sentence). In addition, although only one function is included in one task here, a plurality of functions and IO devices are connected in series or in parallel so that the other input can receive the output of one of the plurality of functions. It is also possible to set one task.

  The description 5705 regarding the IO device related to the task describes that the name of the IO device is SPEAKER (name statement), that the IO device has SOUND as an input (input statement), and the like.

  Similarly, the description 5706 for the second task is a general information description 5707 for the second task, a description 5708 for the function of this task, and an IO device to process the data output from this function. Description 5709 is included. According to the description 5707, the name of this task is “image quality adjustment”, which is a normal task, and the corresponding user interface component is PANEL. According to description 5708, the function of this task has the name IMAGE, has NTSC as input, has NTSC as output, and the corresponding user interface component is SLIDER. According to description 5709, the name of the IO device corresponding to this task is DISPLAY, and that device has NTSC as input.

  The description 5710 relating to the third task includes a general description 5711 of the third task, a description 5712 relating to the function of this task, and descriptions 5713 and 5714 relating to two IO devices which should receive data output from this function. Including. According to the description 5711, this third task has the name “view”, is a normal type task, and the user interface is PANEL. According to the description 5712, the function of this task has the name TV-PLAY, has SOUND and NTSC as inputs, has SOUND and NTSC as outputs, and does not have a corresponding user interface component. According to the description 5713, the first IO device that should receive data output from this function has the name SPEAKER and has SOUND as input. The second IO device has the name DISPLAY and has NTSC as input.

  In this example, only one function is described for each task. However, one task may include a plurality of functions.

  Referring to FIG. 12, the DVD player 106 can also have a plurality of contents. Among them, the content information Content-1.xml related to the first content includes a general description 5801 and descriptions 5802, 5806 and 5810 related to tasks.

  According to the general description 5801, this content is of the type DVD, the name is “Titanic”, and has NTSC and SOUND as outputs.

  The description 5802 relating to the first task includes a description 5803, a description 5804, and a description 5805. According to the description 5803, the name of the first task is “volume adjustment”, which is a normal type task, and the user interface is PANEL. According to description 5804, the function of this task has the name VOLUME, has SOUND as input, and SOUND as output, and the corresponding user interface component is SLIDER. According to the description 5805, the IO device that should receive the data output from the above function has the name SPEAKER and has SOUND as an input.

  Similarly, the description 5806 regarding the second task includes a general description 5807, a description 5808 regarding the function, and a description 5809 regarding the IO device. The description 5810 regarding the third task includes a general description 5811, a description 5812 regarding the function, and descriptions 5813 and 5814 regarding the IO device.

[Server 104]
Referring to FIG. 13, server 104 executes a control program for controlling the entire server 104, and performs processing for configuring a user interface displayed on the remote controller 102, and a server other than the server 104. Data is read, written, erased, etc. by the receiving unit 402 for receiving data transmitted from the device, the transmitting unit 403 for transmitting data to devices other than the server 104, and the processor 401, A memory 404 for storing data received from other devices and data for executing a control program, and information for managing devices connected to the home network 103 in FIG. Device management table 405 and the home network shown in FIG. The content management table 406 updated and browsed by the processor 401 and the information for managing the functions of the devices connected to the home network 103 in FIG. A function management table 407 updated and viewed by the user, an IO device management table 408 stored by the processor 401 that stores information managing the IO devices of the devices connected to the home network 103 in FIG. 1 stores information related to tasks executed by the user for content that can be handled in the home network 103 in FIG. 1, stores a task management table 409 updated and viewed by the processor 401, and device information related to the server 104. It is, and a device information 410 is a data file written in XML.

  As a device for the receiving unit 402, a device that receives wireless data by light such as infrared rays, a device that receives wireless data by radio waves, a device that receives wired data by Ethernet (registered trademark), or a wired data reception by IEEE1394 A device that performs the above is used.

  Devices for the transmission unit 403 include a device that transmits wireless data using light such as infrared rays, a device that transmits wireless data using radio waves, a device that transmits wired data using Ethernet (registered trademark), and a device that transmits wired data using IEEE1394. The device to be used is used.

  Referring to FIG. 14, file Appliance.xml in which device information 410 for server 104 is described describes general information of server 104. In this example, the file Appliance.xml describes that the name of the server 104 is “server” (name statement).

  Referring to FIG. 15, the device management table 405 of the server 104 is a tabular format including names, device IDs, and names of files in which device information is stored for various devices connected to the network. File. For example, in the device management table 405 shown in FIG. 15, in the row 2401 related to the DVD player 106, the name of the device is “DVD”, and the device ID assigned to it is “A-0002”. In addition, it is described that device information of the DVD player 106 is stored in a device information file “Appliance.xml” of the DVD player 106.

  The device ID is an identifier of a device given to each device connected to the network by the control program of the server 104. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the server 104 already has IDs “A-0000”, the TV 105 “A-0001”, and the DVD player 106 “A-0002” according to the order of connection to the network. It is shaken.

  Further, it is assumed that the server 104 can refer to a file describing device information of an arbitrary device.

  Referring to FIG. 16, a content management table 406 is for managing content connected to the network. For each content, a name, a content ID, and a device in which the content is placed. Device ID, content information which is a file name describing content information about the content, information indicating whether the content is selected by the user, and whether there is content dependent on the content Information. The content ID is a content identifier given by the control program of the server 104.

  For example, the row 2501 corresponding to the content named “Titanic” includes the name of the content (“Titanic”), the content ID (C-0004) assigned to the content, and the content exists. And a device ID (A-0002, see FIG. 15) assigned to the DVD player 106 that is the device. Assuming that this content is selected by the user, information (“◯” in FIG. 16) indicating that the content is selected is stored in the “selection” column of the row 2501. If there is no subordinate task in this content, the “subordinate” column is empty.

  Referring to FIG. 17, a function management table 407 of the server 104 is a table for managing each function of a device connected to the network in units of functions. The function management table 407 is a function that is a file name that describes, for each function, the name, the function ID assigned to the function, the device ID of the device that provides the function, and the function information related to the function. Information, information indicating whether or not the function is selected, and “user” column that is information indicating which function the user has selected when there are a plurality of the same functions on the network. I manage.

  For example, looking at the line 2601 regarding the function “DVD-PLAYBACK” (see FIG. 8) of the DVD player 106, “DVD-PLAYBACK” as the name, “F-0004” as the “function ID”, and “device ID”. "A-0002" corresponding to the DVD player 106 is stored (see FIG. 15), and "Function.xml" that is the file name of the function information file of the DVD player 106 is stored as function information. Further, in this example, assuming that the function called DVD-PLAYBACK is selected, information (“◯”) indicating that the function is selected is stored in the “selection” column. Since the same function as DVD-PLAYBACK does not exist on this network, nothing is stored in the “user” column. The function ID is an identifier assigned to each function by the server 104.

  The contents of the IO device management table 408 of the server 104 at this time are shown in FIG. 18, and the contents of the task management table 409 are shown in FIG. In FIG. 18, a row 2701 is a row relating to the device of the DVD player 106. In FIG. 19, rows 2801, 2802 and 2803 are rows for tasks related to the DVD player 106. In each of these “device ID” columns, “A-0002” which is an ID indicating the DVD player 106 is stored (see FIG. 15).

  Here, FIG. 20 shows a display on the remote controller 102 when the content “Kinki Television” of the TV 105 is selected in this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 20, in this case, two sliders which are user interfaces corresponding to two functions (volume adjustment and image quality adjustment) of the television are displayed on the upper part of the display surface. At this point, it is assumed that the Titanic 2201 that is the content of the DVD player 106 has not been selected. At this time, only the TV 105 and the DVD player 106 can be used on the network. Therefore, only the user interface for operating these is displayed on the display surface of the liquid crystal display device 202 with a touch panel of the remote controller 102. The part of is blank.

  Here, it is assumed that the user selects Titanic 2201. Then, as shown in FIG. 21, this area is highlighted to indicate that the Titanic 2201 is selected in the liquid crystal display device 202 with a touch panel, and the volume adjustment is performed as a task that the user can perform on the Titanic 2201. Are displayed, a slider 2301 for adjusting image quality, a slider 2302 for adjusting image quality, and a button 2303 for controlling playback of the DVD player 106.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when a user selects a certain content, a user interface corresponding to an operation that can be performed by the user on the content is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 202 with a touch panel of the remote controller 102. The Therefore, the user can easily perform an operation corresponding to the process he wants to perform. In addition, since a plurality of user interfaces corresponding to the same function are not displayed as a displayed user interface, there is no possibility that the user will get lost in operation. Hereinafter, how to implement such a user interface will be described focusing on the control structure of the program executed by the remote controller 102 and each device.

  Processing when the user makes some input to the remote controller 102 will be described. Referring to FIG. 22, the remote controller 102 first waits for user input (S101). If there is any input, the process proceeds to S102.

  In S102, a process for branching to each process (S103, S105, S107, etc.) is performed in response to an input from the user. Control proceeds to S103, S105, and S107 depending on whether the input from the user is content selection, task control, or function / IO device selection, respectively.

  If the user input is content selection, first, in step S103, the content ID of the content selected by the user is read out. In step S104, the selected content ID is sent to the server 104, and the process returns to the input waiting state in step S101.

  In the case of task control, in S105, the task ID of the controlled task is read from the memory, and in S106, the value changed by the user interface (such as the value of the slider for adjusting the volume or whether the playback button has been pressed) and the task. After sending the ID to the server 104, the process returns to waiting for input in S101. Such information is transmitted from the server 104 to the remote controller 102 every time a new device is connected to the home network 103 or new content is introduced as will be described later, and the remote controller 102 holds the information in the memory. Keep it.

  If it is a function / IO device selection, the ID of the duplicate function / IO device is read from the memory in S107, a dialog is displayed on the remote control in S108, and a user input is awaited. After the ID of the function / IO device selected by the user is sent to the server 104 in S109, the process returns to waiting for input in S101. In S108, if the user simply selects “Close” without selecting a function / IO device in the dialog, the dialog is closed and the process returns to waiting for input in S101.

  Referring to FIG. 23, when an operation is performed on remote controller 102 as described above, server 104 performs the following processing.

  First, in S110, reception of information from the remote controller 102 is awaited. If there is a reception from the remote controller 102, the process branches to an appropriate process according to the information received from the remote controller 102 in S111. That is, if the information received from the remote controller 102 relates to content selection, the control proceeds to S112. If the received information is related to task control, control proceeds to S115. If the received information relates to the function / IO device selection, the control proceeds to S117.

  If the received information is related to content selection, the server 104 updates the content management table 406 of the server 104 in S112. Subsequently, in S113, a task that can be executed for the newly selected content is selected. Details of this step will be described later with reference to FIG. After S113, in S114, information on the newly executable task is sent to the remote controller 102. When the process in this step is completed, the control returns to S110. Details of this step will be described with reference to FIG.

  If the information from the remote controller 102 is related to task control in S111, control proceeds to S115, and the task information corresponding to the received task ID is read with reference to the task management table 409. Subsequently, in S116, the value changed by the interface of the remote controller 102 is sent to each function set in the task information. For example, in this process, according to the designated task, the sound volume generated by the device determined based on the task information is changed, or playback is started on the DVD player 106, for example. When the process in this step is completed, the control returns to S110.

  If the information received from the remote controller 102 is selection of a function / IO device in S111, the control proceeds to S117. In S117, the function management table 407 and the IO device management table 408 are updated. Subsequently, in S118, the changed information is transmitted to a device having a newly used function / IO device. When this step ends, the control returns to S110.

[Processing due to an event occurring in the home network 103]
Next, processing performed by the server 104 due to an event occurring in the home network 103 will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 24, server 104 first waits for the occurrence of an event in home network 103 in S201. If any event, for example, a device is newly connected to the home network 103, a device is disconnected from the home network 103, or a new content is added to the device connected to the home network 103, the control is performed in step S202. Proceed to

  In S202, branching is performed according to an event that has occurred in the home network 103. If the event that has occurred is addition / deletion of a device, the control proceeds to S203, and if the event has been added or deleted, the control proceeds to S206.

  When a device is added to or deleted from the home network 103, all of the device management table 405, content management table 406, function management table 407, IO device management table 408, and task management table 409 of the server 104 are updated in S203. The In step S <b> 204, content information is sent from the server 104 to the remote controller 102. Details of this step will be described later with reference to FIG. Further, in S205, if there are duplicate functions or IO devices on the home network 103, the functions or IO device information is sent to the remote controller 102. Details of this step will be described later with reference to FIG. When the process of S205 is completed, the control returns to S201.

  If the event occurring in the home network 103 is addition or deletion of content in S202, first, in S206, the content management table and task management table of the server 104 are updated. Subsequently, in S207, the updated content information is transmitted to the remote controller 102. Details of this step will be described later with reference to FIG. When this step ends, control returns to S201.

  With this process, the remote controller 102 can maintain the content information, function, and IO device information corresponding to the latest configuration of the home network 103.

[Description of algorithm for selecting executable tasks]
Next, with reference to FIG. 25 and FIG. 26, an algorithm for the server 104 to select a task that can be executed for the selected content will be described. This process is a process executed in S113 of FIG.

  When the remote controller 102 gives information to the server 104 that a certain content has been selected by the user, the server 104 selects a task that can be executed on the selected content using the following algorithm.

  First, the processing between S301 to S311 is repeated for all task information set in the selected content. S301 is the start position of this repetition. All task information set for the selected content can be obtained by referring to the content management table 406 and the task management table 409.

  During this repetition, a loop indicated by S302 to S309 exists. Processing in this nested loop is repeated for all functions and IO devices included in the task to be processed. All functions and IO device information included in the task to be processed can be obtained by obtaining an XML file describing the task to be processed from the task management table 409 and referring to the contents.

  In S303, which is the first step in this nested loop, for a function or IO device described in the task information to be processed, a function or IO device whose name and input / output match that function or IO device. It is determined whether or not it exists on the home network 103. For functions and IO devices existing on the home network 103 and their names and input / output, obtain XML files describing each function and IO device from the function management table 407 and IO device management table 408, and refer to the contents. It is obtained by doing.

  If it is determined in S303 that there is a matching function or IO device, the control proceeds to S304. If it is determined that there is no matching function or IO device, control returns to S301, and the same processing is performed for the next task.

  If it is determined in S <b> 303 that there is a matching function or IO device, it is determined in S <b> 304 whether there are a plurality of matching functions or IO devices on the home network 103. Control proceeds to S305 when there are a plurality of matching functions or IO devices, and to S308 when only one function exists.

  If there are a plurality of matching functions or IO devices, it is determined in S305 whether there is a user setting for the functions or IO devices. Whether there is a user setting can be obtained by referring to the “user” column of the function management table 407 and the IO device management table 408 of the server 104.

  If it is determined in S305 that there is a user setting, the control proceeds to S306. If it is determined that there is no user setting, the control proceeds to S307. In S306, the function or IO device set by the user is selected. Subsequently, control proceeds to S309. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no user setting, in S307, the first one found among the plurality of functions or IO devices found is selected, and control proceeds to S309.

  If it is determined in S304 that only one matching function or IO device is found, one found function or IO device is selected in S308, and control proceeds to S309.

  In S309, it is determined whether or not processing has been completed for all functions and IO devices. If processing has been completed for all functions and IO devices, control proceeds to S310. On the other hand, if the processing has not been completed for all functions or IO devices, control returns to S302, and the above-described processing is repeated for the next function or IO device.

  If it is determined in S309 that the processing has been completed for all functions and IO devices, in S310, the task processed in the loop of S302 to S309 described above is selected as an executable task.

  In next step S311, it is determined whether or not the processing of the loop relating to the task starting from S301 has been completed for all tasks. If completed, control proceeds to S312 in FIG. If the process has not ended, the control returns to S301 and the next task is processed.

  Referring to FIG. 26, in S312, the iterative process from S312 to S328 is started for content other than the selected content.

  In this repeated loop, there is a nested loop indicated by S313 to S325. This nested loop processing is for performing processing on all task information set in the content to be processed. First, in S314, it is determined whether the task to be processed is set as a dependent task. If the task to be processed is a dependent task, the process proceeds to S315. If it is not a dependent task, the process returns to S313 to process the next task.

  S315 is a step of determining whether or not the first function among the functions set in the task to be processed can receive the output from the currently selected content. If it can be received, the process proceeds to S316. If not received, the process returns to S313 to process the next task.

  The steps after S316 are a loop for performing processing on all the function information included in the task to be processed, and are repeated between S316 and S323.

  In S317, regarding the function to be processed, it is determined whether or not a function whose name matches the input / output exists on the home network 103. If it exists, control proceeds to S318. If not, the control returns to S313 to process the next task.

  In S318, it is determined whether a plurality of matching functions exist in the network. If there are more than one, control proceeds to S319. If there is only one, control proceeds to S322.

  If there are a plurality of matching functions, it is determined in S319 whether there is a user setting for the function. If there is a user setting, the control proceeds to S320. If not, the control proceeds to S321.

  If there is a user setting, the function set by the user is selected in S320. Thereafter, the control proceeds to S323.

  If there is no user setting, in S321, the function found first among the plurality of found functions is selected. Thereafter, the control proceeds to S323.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S318 that there is only one matching function, the found one function is selected in S322. Thereafter, the control proceeds to S323.

  In S323, it is determined whether or not the loop processing related to the function starting from S316 has been completed for all the functions. If the loop processing has been completed for all functions, the control proceeds to S324. If the process has not ended, the control returns to S316 and processes the next function.

  When it is determined that the loop processing of S316 to S324 has been completed for all functions, the task processed as described above is selected as an executable subordinate task in S324. Thereafter, the control proceeds to S325.

  S325 is the final part of the loop relating to the task starting from S313, and it is determined whether or not the processing has been completed for all tasks. If the processing has been completed for all tasks, the control proceeds to S326. If the process has not ended, the control returns to S313, and the processes of S313 to S325 are performed for the next task.

  When the processing of S313 to S325 is completed, it is determined in S326 whether there is a dependent task. If there is a dependent task, the control proceeds to S327, and the content in which the dependent task exists is selected as the dependent content, and the flow proceeds to S328. If there is no dependent task, control proceeds directly to S328.

  S328 is the final part of the loop related to all the contents other than the selected content starting from S312, and it is determined whether or not the processing has been completed for all the contents other than the selected content. If it has been completed, this process ends. If the process has not ended, the process returns to S312 in FIG. 26 to process the next content.

[Algorithm to display UI corresponding to executable task]
In home network 103 of this embodiment, a user interface corresponding to a task selected as executable by the algorithm shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 is displayed on remote controller 102. Hereinafter, an algorithm for performing processing for displaying the user interface on the remote controller 102 will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28. FIG. FIG. 27 shows processing executed by the server 104, and FIG. 28 shows processing executed by the remote controller 102.

  Referring to FIG. 27, server 104 repeats the loop of S401 to S403 for all tasks selected to be executable. That is, the process of S402 is executed for all tasks selected as executable.

  In S <b> 402, the task ID of the task that can be executed, the name, and the user interface information are transmitted from the server 104 to the remote controller 102. The task ID and the task name can be obtained from the task management table 409, and the user interface information is obtained by obtaining an XML file describing the task to be processed from the task management table 409 and referring to the contents thereof. .

  In S403, it is determined whether or not the loop processing relating to the executable task starting from S401 has been completed for all the executable tasks. If completed, the processing on the server 104 side is terminated. If the process has not ended, the control returns to S401 to process the next task.

  Referring to FIG. 28, at this time, remote controller 102 performs the following processing. That is, the processing of S404 to S408 is repeated for all the information (task ID, name, user interface information) sent from the server 104.

  First, in step S <b> 405, the transmitted information is stored in the memory 305 of the remote controller 102. Subsequently, in S406, information that matches the transmitted user interface information is selected from the UI element storage unit 304 shown in FIG. Subsequently, in S407, a user interface corresponding to the selected UI element is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 202 with a touch panel of the remote controller 102. In S408, it is determined whether or not the processing from S404 onward has been completed for all pieces of sent information. If it has been completed, the process ends. If the process has not ended, the control returns to S404 to process the next task.

[Algorithm for displaying UI for selecting content]
Next, referring to FIG. 29 and FIG. 30, an algorithm for displaying on the liquid crystal display device 202 with a touch panel of the remote controller 102 a user interface for the user to select content that can be handled by the home network 103 using the remote controller 102. Will be explained. FIG. 29 shows processing performed by the server 104, and FIG. 30 shows processing performed by the remote controller 102.

  First, the server 104 repeatedly performs the processing of S501 to S503 for all contents that can be handled by the home network 103. All content that can be handled on the network can be obtained by referring to the content management table 406 of the server 104.

  The main body of this iterative process is S502. In S502, the content ID, name, and name of the device holding the content are transmitted from the server 104 to the remote controller. Subsequently, in S503, it is determined whether or not the repetitive processing from S501 has been completed for all contents. If completed, the processing on the server 104 side is terminated. If the process has not been completed, the control returns to S501 to process the next content.

  Referring to FIG. 30, at this time, remote controller 102 performs the following processing. In the remote controller 102, the processing of S504 to S507 is performed on all information sent from the server 104.

  In step S <b> 505, which is the substantial head of this iterative process, the information sent from the server 104 is stored in the memory 305 of the remote controller 102. In step S <b> 506, the name of the content sent from the server 104 and the name of the device holding the content are displayed on the liquid crystal display device 202 with a touch panel of the remote controller 102. In S507, which is the end of the loop, a determination is made as to whether or not the processing in S504 and subsequent steps has been completed for all information sent. If the processing from S504 onward for all information has been completed, this processing ends. If the process has not ended, the control returns to S504 to process the next task.

[Algorithm to tell duplicate function or IO device to remote control]
Next, with reference to FIG. 31 and FIG. 32, an algorithm for transmitting a duplicate function or IO device on the home network 103 from the server 104 to the remote controller 102 will be described.

  Referring to FIG. 31, server 104 performs the following processing. First, the processing of S601 to S603 is performed for all function information and IO device information. In S 602, which is the main body of this repetitive processing, it is determined whether or not a function / IO device having the same name and input / output exists in the home network 103. In S603, it is determined whether or not the processing from S601 has been completed for all functions / IO devices. If completed, control proceeds to S604. If not completed, the control returns to S601 to process the next function / IO device.

  In S <b> 604, it is determined whether there is a duplicate function / IO device in the home network 103 based on the result of the repetitive processing in S <b> 601 to S <b> 603. If it is determined that there is a duplicate function / IO device, the control proceeds to S605. If there is no overlapping function / IO device, control proceeds to S606.

  In step S <b> 605, information on functions / IO devices that are duplicated in the home network 103 is transmitted from the server 104 to the remote controller 102. When this step ends, the processing on the server 104 side ends.

  On the other hand, in S606, the server 104 notifies the remote controller 102 that there are no duplicate functions / IO devices in the home network 103. When this step ends, the processing on the server 104 side ends.

  Referring to FIG. 32, at this time, remote controller 102 performs the following processing. First, in step S <b> 607, information related to the function / IO device sent from the server 104 is received. Subsequently, in S608, it is determined from the information received in S607 whether there are duplicate functions / IO devices in the home network 103. If there is a duplicate function / IO device, control proceeds to S609. If there is no overlapping function / IO device, control proceeds to S610.

  If there is a duplicate function / IO device, the duplicate function / IO device information is written into the memory 305 of the remote controller 102 in S609. When this step ends, the processing on the remote controller 102 side ends.

  If it is determined that there is no duplicate function / IO device, the duplicate function / IO device information is deleted from the memory 305 of the remote controller 102 in S610. When this step is finished, the processing on the remote control side is finished.

  The above is the outline of the configuration of the home network 103 according to this embodiment.

[Outline of device control method]
Hereinafter, the operation of the home network 103 will be described. In particular, in the case where a new device or content is added to the home network 103 as an example, how various information in the home network 103 is managed by the device control method of the present invention to control the devices in the home network 103 How the content-oriented user interface is structured will be described.

  With reference to FIG. 33, a case is assumed where a VCR 107 is newly added to the home network 103 according to the present embodiment. Of the VCR 107, the configuration related to the present invention is as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 34 shows the contents of the file Appliance.xml that is the device information 508 of the VCR 107. According to FIG. 34, the name of the VCR 107 is VCR (name sentence).

  FIG. 35 shows the contents of the file Function.xml that is the function information 509 of the VCR 107. Referring to FIG. 35, Function.xml includes a description 5101 regarding the first function and a description 5102 regarding the second function. According to the description 5101 concerning the first function, it is understood that the name of this function is VCR-PLAYBACK (VCR playback), and has SOUND and NTSC as input and SOUND and NTSC as output, respectively. According to the description 5102 for the second function, it can be seen that the name of this function is VCR-RECORD (VCR recording), which has SOUND and NTSC as input and SOUND and NTSC as output, respectively.

  FIG. 36 shows the contents of the file IO-Device.xml that is the IO device information 510 of the VCR 107. This IO-Device.xml includes a description 5501 regarding the IO device of the VCR 107. From the description 5501 related to the IO device, it can be seen that the VCR 107 has an IO device named BUTTON (button) and its output is VALUE.

  The VCR 107 can also have a plurality of contents. In the following description, it is assumed that the VCR 107 has a content called a blank tape, and the content information is described in the file Content-1.xml. FIG. 37 shows an example of the contents of this file Content-1.xml. Referring to FIG. 37, this file Content-1.xml includes a general description 5901 related to this content, and descriptions 5902, 5906, 5910, and 5915 related to four tasks that can be executed by the user for this content. Including.

  General description 5901 is information about the content itself, the content belongs to the VCR, the name is “empty tape”, NTSC and SOUND are input to the content, and NTSC and SOUND are output from the content. is described.

  The description 5902 relating to the first task includes a description 5903, a description 5904, and a description 5905. In the description 5903, the first task that can be executed by the user for this content has the name of volume adjustment, the task type is normal (not a subordinate task), and the corresponding user interface is PANEL. It is described that. The description 5904 describes that the function for receiving and processing data output from this content has the name VOLUME, has SOUND as an input and output, and the corresponding user interface component is SLIDER. The description 5905 describes that the IO device that receives data output from this function is named SPEAKER and has SOUND as an input.

  Description 5906 is information regarding the second task set in this content, and includes description 5907, description 5908, and description 5909. Description 5907 describes that the name of the task is image quality adjustment, is a normal task (not a dependent task), and the user interface displayed on the remote control is PANEL. Description 5908 describes that the function for receiving and processing data output from the content has the name IMAGE, NTSC is input and NTSC is output, and the corresponding user interface component is SLIDER. Description 5909 describes that the IO device that receives the data output from the function has the name DISPLAY and NTSC is input.

  The description 5910 is information regarding the third task set in the content, and includes a description 5911, a description 5912, a description 5913, and a description 5914. A description 5911 describes that the task name is “playback”, is a normal task (not a subordinate task), and the user interface displayed on the remote controller 102 corresponding to this function is PANEL. . Here, “subordinate task” indicates whether or not a certain task belongs to a content (subordinate content) that can be handled (subordinately) together with the content selected by the user. For example, when content of an empty videotape exists in the home network 103, if the TV content is selected, the content can be recorded on the videotape, so this content is subordinate to the TV content. The task of recording content and recording is a subordinate task.

  Description 5912 has the function of receiving and processing data output from the content as VCR-PLAYBACK, SOUND and NTSC are input, SOUND and NTSC are output, and the corresponding user interface component is PLAYBACK BUTTON Is described. Description 5913 describes that an IO device that receives data output from this function has the name SPEAKER and SOUND is input. Description 5914 describes that another IO device that receives data output from this function has the name DISPLAY and NTSC is input.

  Description 5915 is information regarding the fourth task set in the content, and includes description 5916 and description 5917. A description 5916 indicates that the name of this task is “recording”, a subordinate task, and the corresponding user interface displayed on the remote controller 102 is PANEL. This task is a subordinate task, receives data output from the content selected by the user, and passes it to a function for performing some processing. A description 5917 describes a function for receiving and processing data output from the content selected by the user. Here, it is described that this function is a function for which the name is VCR-RECORD, SOUND and NTSC are input and SOUND and NTSC are output, and the corresponding user interface component is RECORD BUTTON. Since the fourth task is a subordinate task, the content (blank tape) receives the output of the function of the description 5917, whereby a recording task is configured.

  When the VCR 107 having the above configuration is connected to the home network 103, the processing shown in FIG. 24 is executed. In the case of this example, as a result of the determination in S202 of FIG. 24, the control proceeds to S203, where it can be seen that all the management tables of the server 104 are updated. The state of the device management table 405, content management table 406, function management table 407, IO device management table 408, and task management table 409 of the updated server 104 is shown in FIGS.

  As apparent from a comparison between FIG. 38 and FIG. 15, a row 3201 corresponding to the VCR 107 is added to the device management table 405 by this update. A new device ID “A-0003” is assigned to the VCR 107 by the server 104. Since the device information of the VCR 107 is described in the file Appliance.xml as described above, “Appliance.xml” is stored in the “device information” column of the row 3201 corresponding to the VCR 107 of the device management table 405. Is done.

  Comparing FIG. 39 and FIG. 16, it can be seen that a row 3301 related to the VCR 107 is added to the content management table 406 of the server 104 by the update. A row 3301 relating to the VCR 107 has “empty tape” that is the name of the content belonging to the VCR 107 as the name of the content, and “C-0005” is given by the server 104 as the content ID. In the “device ID” column, “A-0003” indicating the VCR 107 which is a device holding this content is stored. In the content information column, the file name “Content-1.xml” which is the content information of the VCR 107 is stored. In the “selection” column, assuming that the Kinki television is selected by the user using the remote controller 102, “○” indicating that it is selected at the Kinki television is stored. In addition, since the “empty tape” that is the newly added VCR 107 content is dependent on the selected TV content, information indicating dependency in the “dependent” column of the row 3301 related to the VCR 107 (“○” Is stored).

  It is assumed that the contents belonging to the TV 105 (content IDC-0001 to C-0003) are given names of state-run broadcasting, educational broadcasting, and Kinki TV, respectively. The name of the content (content IDC-0004) belonging to the DVD player 106 is “Titanic”.

  FIG. 40 shows a state after the function management table 407 of the server 104 is updated. As apparent from the comparison with FIG. 17, since the VCR 107 is newly connected, information (rows 3401 and 3402) regarding each function of the VCR 107 is added to the function management table 407.

  As shown in FIG. 35, the VCR 107 has two functions: VCR-PLAYBACK (playback, stop, fast forward, rewind, primary stop) and VCR-RECORD (record, stop). Rows 3401 and 3402 correspond to these, respectively.

  Referring to FIG. 40, lines 3401 and 3402 store VCR-PLAYBACK and VCR-RECORD as names of corresponding functions. Further, F-0005 and F-0006 are given by the server 104 as function IDs, respectively. The device ID is given A-0003 which is the device ID of the VCR 107 having these functions. Function.xml is given for all function information.

  Looking at the “Select” column, assuming that the content of the TV 105 is selected by operating the remote controller 102, VOLUME, IMAGE, PLAY, and VCR-RECORD are selected as functions used by the TV content. In the “selection” column, information indicating that the item is selected (indicated by “◯”) is stored. In the state of FIG. 33, since there are not a plurality of functions having the same function in the home network 103, nothing is stored in the “user” column.

  FIG. 41 shows a state after the IO device management table 408 of the server 104 is updated. In FIG. 41, information (row 3501) related to the IO device of the VCR 107 is added to the IO device management table 408.

  As described with reference to FIG. 36, the VCR 107 has an IO device called BUTTON (an input device for inputting some value by the user pressing a button) as an IO device. Therefore, the row 3501 added to the IO device management table 408 stores an IO device named BUTTON as an IO device existing in the home network 103. The IO device ID is given D-0005 by the server 104. The device ID is given A-0003 which is the device ID of the VCR 107 having a BUTTON IO device. IO-Device.xml is given to the IO device information.

  In the example shown in FIG. 41, in the “select” column, it is assumed that the user has selected the TV 105, and information indicating that the content of the TV 105 is selected for DISPLAY and SPEAKER used ( (Indicated by “O” mark).

  In the “user” column, nothing is described because there are not a plurality of IO devices having the same function in the home network 103 in the state of FIG.

  FIG. 42 shows a state after the task management table 409 of the server 104 is updated. In the state shown in FIG. 33, the home network 103 can use the five contents shown in the contents management table 406 in FIG. 39. Therefore, the task management table 409 is provided with information on tasks that can be executed by the user for these contents. ing.

  Here, as described with reference to FIG. 37, there are four tasks that can be executed by the user for the contents of the VCR 107: volume adjustment, image quality adjustment, playback, and recording. Four rows 3601 to 3604 relating to these tasks are added to the task management table 409.

  Volume adjustment, image quality adjustment, playback, and recording are given to the “name” columns in the rows 3601 to 3604, respectively. T-0013 to T-0016 are given to the task IDs by the server 104, respectively. The device ID is given A-0003, which is the device ID of the VCR 107, respectively. The content ID is given C-0005, which is the content ID of the blank tape. The task information is given Content-1.xml that is the file name of the content information in which the task information is described. Looking at the “Select” column, for example, assuming the state of FIG. 44, “Kinki TV” is selected as the content, and therefore the volume adjustment and image quality that are tasks set in the selected content Kinki TV Since adjustment and viewing can be used, information indicating selection is displayed in the “selection” column in the rows 2007 to 2009.

  Furthermore, since it is possible to record the content of Kinki TV on a blank tape, a circle is also displayed in the selection column of the row 3604. Looking at the “subordinate” column, in the state of FIG. 33, the empty tape of the VCR 107 is the subordinate content, and the recording is a subordinate task among the tasks that can be executed on it. Is stored (“◯”).

  When various management tables are updated in this way, the result is transmitted from the server 104 to the remote controller 102. As a result, content that can be newly used in the home network 103 is additionally displayed on the liquid crystal display device 202 with a touch panel of the remote controller 102. An example is shown in FIG.

  The display on the remote controller 102 in FIG. 43 indicates that the newly connected VCR 107 has a content of a blank tape 3001 and can be newly selected. Further, as a user interface corresponding to a task that can be performed by the user for the selected content Titanic 2201, in addition to a slider 2301 for volume adjustment, a slider 2302 for image quality adjustment, and a button 2303 for playback Thus, a button 3002 for recording is added, and recording on a blank tape can be executed by operating this button. This is because the added blank tape 3001 is subordinate to the selected content Titanic 2201, and the contents of the Titanic 2201 can be recorded on the blank tape 3001.

  FIG. 44 shows a change in the display of the remote controller 102 when the user selects the content called Kinki TV 1403 displayed on the remote controller 102 in the state of FIG.

  The display of the selected content Kinki TV is inverted, and an interface for controlling tasks that the user can perform on the Kinki TV 1403 is displayed at the top of the display. In this display, in addition to the slider 2301 for volume adjustment and the slider 2302 for image quality adjustment displayed in FIG. 43, an interface 3101 for recording is displayed.

[LCD 108 is connected]
Referring to FIG. 45, consider a case where LCD 108 is newly connected to home network 103. Referring to FIG. 46, it is assumed that the file describing device information 508 of LCD 108 is Appliance.xml, and the contents are as shown in FIG. The LCD 108 has the name LCD.

  Further, it is assumed that the function information 509 of the LCD 108 is described in the file Function.xml, and the contents are as shown in FIG. 47, the LCD 108 has VOLUME (volume adjustment) and IMAGE (image quality adjustment) as functions. Further, it is assumed that the IO device information 510 of the LCD 108 is described in the file IO-Device.xml, and the contents are as shown in FIG. According to FIG. 48, the LCD 108 has DISPLAY and SPEAKER as IO devices. In general, the LCD 108 does not hold content.

  Next, how various information management tables managed by the server 104 are updated will be described.

  In the following description, it is assumed that the function VOLUME and the function IMAGE are selected by the user instead of the function of the TV after the update of the various information management tables.

  FIG. 49 shows a state after the device management table 405 of the server 104 is updated. Since the LCD 108 is newly connected to the home network 103, device information related to the LCD 108 is newly added. A row 4101 is device information regarding the LCD 108. “LCD” is stored in the column of the device name, and the value of A-0004 is given by the server 104 to the device ID. Appliance information is set to Appliance.xml.

  Since the LCD 108 has no content, the content management table 406 of the server 104 does not change from the state of FIG. Similarly, the task management table 409 of the server 104 does not change from the state of FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 50, since LCD 108 is connected to home network 103, information on each function of LCD 108 is given to function management table 407 after update of server 104. As described with reference to FIG. 47, the LCD 108 has two functions, VOLUME (volume adjustment) and IMAGE (image quality adjustment). Therefore, rows 4201 and 4202 indicating these pieces of function information are added to the function management table 407. VOLUME and IMAGE are given to the names of the function information in the lines 4201 and 4202, and F-0007 and F-0008 are given to the function IDs, respectively. The device ID is given A-0004, which is the device ID of the LCD 108. Function.xml is given for all function information.

  Looking at the “Select” column, information indicating that TV-PLAY, VCR-RECORD, and the functions VOLUME and IMAGE of the LCD 108 are selected as the functions used by the selected TV content are selected. Are stored in the “Select” column of each row.

  Further, in the state of FIG. 45, there are VOLUME and IMAGE as functions that perform the same function in the home network 103. For each of these, the user selects one of the same functions. Here, since it is assumed that the user has selected VOLUME and IMAGE of the LCD 108 as described above, information indicating the selection (“○” mark) is stored in the “user” column. Has been. Based on this user information, when a new content is selected in the future, VOLUME and IMAGE on the LCD 108 are first selected first.

  Referring to FIG. 51, since LCD 108 is connected to home network 103, information related to the IO device of LCD 108 is added to updated IO device management table 408 of server 104. As described with reference to FIG. 48, the LCD 108 has two IO devices, DISPLAY (output device for displaying video) and SPEAKER (output device for reproducing sound) as IO devices. Therefore, rows 4301 and 4302 corresponding to these are added to the IO device management table 408.

  DISPLAY and SPEAKER are given in the name column of lines 4301 and 4302, and D-0006 and D-0007 are given in the IO device ID column, respectively. A-0004, which is the device ID of the LCD 108, is given to the device ID. IO device information is given IO-Device.xml.

  Looking at the “Select” column, the TV content selected by the user uses the DISPLAY and SPEAKER of the LCD 108, so that it is selected in the “Select” column of the corresponding rows 4301 and 4302. Is stored (indicated by “◯” marks).

  Looking at the “user” column, in the state of FIG. 45, there are DISPLAY and SPEAKER as IO devices in which a plurality of devices having the same function exist in the home network 103. Here, as described above, it is assumed that the user has selected DISPLAY and SPEAKER on the LCD 108, so that it is selected in the “User” column of the rows 4301 and 4302 corresponding to the IO device of the LCD 108. Information to be indicated (indicated by “◯” marks) is stored. Based on this user information, when a new content is selected in the future, the DISPLAY and SPEAKER of the LCD 108 are first selected regardless of the presence of a plurality of DISPLAYs and SPEAKERs in the home network 103.

  As described above, when there are overlapping functions or IO devices in the home network 103, the functions or IO device information is transmitted from the server 104 to the remote controller 102 (S205 in FIG. 24), so that the LCD 108 is connected. As shown in FIG. 52, a function / IO device selection button 3801 for selecting a function or an IO device is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 202 with a touch panel of the remote controller 102. This is because the newly connected LCD 108 has functions and IO devices that function in the same manner as the functions and IO devices of the TV 105 that have already been connected, so it is necessary to decide which one to select. Because.

  When the user selects the function / IO device selection button 3801 shown in FIG. 52, the remote controller 102 displays a duplicate function / IO selection dialog 3901 shown in FIG. The duplicate function / IO selection dialog 3901 is arranged at the top, and is arranged at the bottom, a user interface part for selecting duplicate functions / IO selected by the user by displaying duplicate functions or IO devices. And an interface portion for the user to select which one is actually used for the function or IO device selected above.

  Referring to FIG. 53, the user interface portion for selecting overlapping functions / IO devices arranged at the top of the dialog includes a button 3902 for DISPLAY of IO device, a button 3903 for SPEAKER of IO device, It includes a button 3904 for VOLUME and a button 3905 for the function IMAGE. In the example shown in FIG. 53, the button 3902 for DISPLAY of the IO device is selected from the above functions.

  When the button 3902 for the DISPLAY of the IO device is selected in this way, options for the DISPLAY of the IO device selected at the top are displayed at the bottom of the dialog. In the example shown in FIG. 53, as these options, a button 3906 for selecting the display of the TV 105 and a button 3907 for selecting the display of the LCD 108 are displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 53, the button 3906 for selecting the display of the TV 105 is selected. At this time, as shown in FIG. 52, “Kinki TV” of the TV 105 is selected as the content, and therefore the video of the content Kinki TV is shown on the display of the TV 105 in the home network 103.

  Referring to FIG. 54, in the overlap function / IO selection dialog 3901, when the user selects button 3907 for selecting the display of LCD 108, button 3907 for selecting the display of LCD 108 is highlighted. At this time, the video of the content “Kinki TV” is displayed on the display of the LCD 108 in the home network 103. Then, by pressing a “close” button 4001 displayed in the dialog, the dialog 3901 is deleted.

  As described above, according to the home network 103 of this embodiment, according to the content used by the user and the connection state of the devices in the network, only the task that can be executed by the user can be easily selected. Can be executed. Further, according to the content that can be used in the network and the connection state of the devices in the network, the user can select the content that the user wants to use with a simple operation, and can select only the tasks that can be executed on the selected content.

  From the embodiment of the present application, the following can be summarized.

(1) preparing content information including a content name and task information related to a task that can be executed in relation to the content;
A content selection step for allowing the user to select content using a user interface;
A task selection step for causing the user to select any of tasks that can be executed in relation to the content selected in the content selection step using a user interface;
Executing a process corresponding to the task selected in the task selection step.

(2) The task information includes information for specifying a task name of a task performed on the content, and user interface information for specifying a user interface component used for the user to select and execute the task. Including
The task selecting step constructing a user interface using user interface information included in task information in content information corresponding to the content selected by the content selecting step;
The apparatus control method according to (1), further comprising: causing the user to select one of tasks using the constructed user interface.

(3) The task information further includes function information related to a function provided in association with the task, and input / output device information for specifying a type of the input / output device related to the task,
The device control method further includes a step of collecting information related to functions provided by each device existing in the system and types of input / output devices possessed by each device,
The performing step includes:
Determining a device for executing the task based on function information and input / output device information related to the selected task;
The device control method according to (2), further comprising: controlling the determined device based on the function information and the input / output device information.

(4) The task information further includes information for specifying whether or not the task is a dependent task dependent on other content,
A step of determining whether there is a task of another content subordinate to the content selected by the content selection step;
A device control method according to any one of (1) to (3), including a step of constructing a user interface for executing the dependent task when there is a dependent task.

(5) Device control for controlling a device included in the system in a system for executing the task related to the content in response to the content and the task information related to the task executable in relation to the content The task information includes information specifying a user interface component used for a user to select and execute a task, information on a function provided by the task in relation to the content, Including information specifying the type of input / output device related to the task,
The devices included in the system are:
First storage means for storing function information for specifying a function of the device;
Second storage means for storing input / output information for specifying an input / output device possessed by the device;
The device control device
Based on the contents of the first and second storage means of all the devices in the system, the functions and input / output devices possessed by each device are managed in association with the devices having each function and each input / output device. Management means for,
First user interface construction means for constructing a user interface for selecting one of the contents included in the system;
A user who presents the task information corresponding to the selected content to the user based on the information specifying the user interface component, and allows the user to select one of the tasks that can be executed on the selected content. A second user interface construction means for constructing an interface;
The selection based on information related to a function specified by task information corresponding to a task selected using the second user interface, information specifying the type of the input / output device, and management by the management means A device control unit for controlling a device included in the system so as to execute a designated task.

(6) Furthermore, means for detecting that a plurality of the same functions are provided by a plurality of devices included in the system;
(3) The apparatus control device according to (5), further including third user interface construction means for constructing a user interface for allowing a user to select one of the provided functions.

(7) Furthermore, means for detecting that a plurality of the same input / output devices are provided by a plurality of devices included in the system;
The device control device according to (5), further comprising third user interface construction means for constructing a user interface for allowing a user to select one of the plurality of input / output devices provided.

(8) The task information further includes information for specifying whether or not the task is a subordinate task dependent on other content,
The device controller further includes means for searching for subordinate tasks subordinate to the selected content,
The device control apparatus according to (5), wherein the second user interface construction unit further constructs a user interface specified by the task information of the retrieved subordinate task.

  (9) Further, an input means for receiving a selection of a task by a user using the user interface constructed by the second user interface construction means and providing information specifying the selected task to the device control means The apparatus control apparatus according to (5), including:

  The device control method according to the invention described in (1) provides a step of preparing content information including a content name and task information relating to a task that can be executed in relation to the content, and provides the content to the user using a user interface. A content selection step to be selected, a task selection step for causing the user to select one of tasks that can be executed in relation to the content selected by the content selection step, and a task selected by the task selection step And executing a process corresponding to.

  According to this method, when a user selects content, only a task that can be executed in relation to the content can be selected by the user. Operation is easy for the user.

  In the device control method according to the invention described in (2), in addition to the configuration of the invention described in (1), the task information includes information specifying a task name of a task to be performed on the content, and the task as a user. The user interface information for identifying the user interface component used to select and execute the task, and the task selection step includes a user interface included in the task information in the content information corresponding to the content selected by the content selection step Constructing a user interface using the information; and causing the user to select any of the tasks using the constructed user interface.

  Since the user interface is included in the task information in advance, it is easy to construct a user interface for selecting a task, and it is possible to construct a general-purpose system that does not depend on content.

  In the device control method according to the invention described in (3), in addition to the configuration of the invention described in (2), the task information further relates to function information related to a function provided in association with the task and to the task. The device control method further includes a step of collecting information relating to a function provided by each device existing in the system and a type of the input / output device possessed by each device. Including and executing the step of determining a device for executing the task based on the function information and the input / output device information related to the selected task, and the function information and the input / output device information for the determined device. And controlling based on the above.

  Based on the selected task, the device for performing it is automatically selected and controlled so that the user does not need to consider the combination of device functions included in the system.

  In the device control method according to the invention described in (4), in addition to the configuration of the invention described in any of (1) to (3), the task information is a subordinate task in which the task is subordinate to other contents. Further includes information for determining whether there is a task of other content that depends on the content selected by the content selection step, and there is a subordinate task. And building a user interface for performing the dependent task.

  When a certain content is selected, not only a task for the content but also a task for other content subordinate to the content can be controlled, and the user does not need to be aware of complicated control for a plurality of devices.

  The device control apparatus according to the invention described in (5) is included in a system for executing a task related to content in response to the content and task information related to a task executable in relation to the content. An apparatus control apparatus for controlling an apparatus, wherein task information is provided by the task in relation to content and information identifying a user interface component used for the user to select and execute the task Including information related to the function and information specifying the type of the input / output device related to the task, and the device included in the system includes first storage means for storing function information for specifying the function of the device, Second storage means for storing input / output information for specifying the input / output device possessed by the device control apparatus, Management means for managing the functions and input / output devices of each device in association with the devices having the functions and input / output devices based on the contents of the first and second storage means of all the devices; First user interface construction means for constructing a user interface for selecting one of contents included in the system, and information for identifying a user interface component among task information corresponding to the selected content A second user interface constructing means for constructing a user interface for presenting to the user and selecting one of tasks that can be executed with respect to the selected content, and a second user interface Information about the function identified by the task information corresponding to the task selected using It includes information specifying the type of output device, based on the management by the management unit, and a device control means for controlling the equipment included in the system to perform the selected task.

  When a content is selected, only a task corresponding to the content can be selected by the user. The user can easily give an appropriate instruction without considering the function for executing the content.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 5, the device control apparatus according to the invention described in (6) further detects that a plurality of the same functions are provided by a plurality of devices included in the system. And third user interface construction means for constructing a user interface for allowing the user to select one of a plurality of provided functions.

  When there are multiple same functions in the system, the user interface for selecting one of them is automatically constructed, so the user can easily select one function, thereby appropriately selecting each device. Can be controlled.

  The device control apparatus according to the invention described in (7) is provided with a plurality of the same input / output devices by a plurality of devices included in the system in addition to the configuration of the invention according to claim 5. And a third user interface construction means for constructing a user interface for allowing the user to select one of a plurality of input / output devices provided.

  When there are multiple devices with the same type of input / output devices in the system, the user interface for selecting one of them is automatically constructed, so the user can easily have one input / output device. Devices can be selected, thereby controlling each device appropriately.

  In the device control apparatus according to the invention described in (8), in addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 5, the task information further specifies whether or not the task is a dependent task dependent on other content. The device control apparatus further includes means for searching for subordinate tasks subordinate to the selected content, and the second user interface construction means further includes the task information of the subordinate tasks searched for. It also builds the specified user interface.

  When a certain content is selected, not only a task for the content but also a task for other content subordinate to the content can be controlled, and the user does not need to be aware of complicated control for a plurality of devices.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 5, the device control apparatus according to the invention described in (9) further selects a task by the user using the user interface constructed by the second user interface construction means And an input means for giving information specifying the selected task to the device control means.

  As mentioned above, each said embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration in all the points, Comprising: It is not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but is defined by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims. Is done.

It is an external view which shows the home network 103 to which the apparatus control method of this invention is applied, and the user who uses it. 3 is an enlarged view of a remote controller 102. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a remote controller 102. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of devices 105 to 108 other than a server 104. FIG. It is a figure which shows file Appliance.xml in which the apparatus information of TV was described. It is a figure which shows file Appliance.xml in which the apparatus information of DVD was described. It is a figure which shows file Function.xml in which the function information of TV was described. It is a figure which shows file File.xml in which the function information of DVD was described. It is a figure which shows file IO-Device.xml in which IO device information of TV was described. It is a figure which shows file IO-Device.xml in which IO device information of DVD was described. It is a figure which shows the file in which the content information of the content which TV has was described. It is a figure which shows Content-1.xml which is a file with which the content information of the content which DVD has was described. 2 is a configuration diagram of a server 104. FIG. It is a figure which shows file Appliance.xml in which the device information of the server 104 was described. It is a figure which shows the state of the apparatus management table | surface 405 of the server 104. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state of the content management table | surface 406 of the server 104. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state of the function management table | surface 407 of the server 104. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of an IO device management table 408 of the server 104. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state of the task management table 409 of the server 104. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a remote controller 102. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a remote controller 102. FIG. It is a figure which shows the flow of the process performed in the remote controller 102 among the processes resulting from the user's input with respect to a remote control. It is a figure which shows the flow of the process performed in the server 104 among the processes resulting from the user's input with respect to a remote control. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a flow of processing caused by an event that occurs in a home network 103. It is a figure which shows the algorithm which selects the task which can be performed with respect to the selected content. It is a figure which shows the algorithm which selects the task which can be performed with respect to the selected content. It is a figure which shows the algorithm which displays the user interface corresponding to the task selected as executable on a remote control. It is a figure which shows the algorithm which displays the user interface corresponding to the task selected as executable on a remote control. It is a figure which shows the algorithm which displays the user interface which selects the content which can be handled with the home network 103 with a remote control. It is a figure which shows the algorithm which displays the user interface which selects the content which can be handled with the home network 103 with a remote control. It is a figure which shows the algorithm which conveys the function or IO device which overlaps in the home network 103 to a remote control. It is a figure which shows the algorithm which conveys the function or IO device which overlaps in the home network 103 to a remote control. It is a figure which shows the state by which VCR107 was newly connected to the home network 103. FIG. It is a figure which shows file Appliance.xml in which the apparatus information of VCR107 was described. It is a figure which shows file Function.xml in which the function information of VCR107 was described. It is a figure which shows file IO-Device.xml in which IO device information of VCR107 was described. It is a figure which shows Content-1.xml which is a file with which the content information of the content which VCR107 has was described. It is a figure which shows the state of the apparatus management table | surface 405 of the server 104. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state of the content management table | surface 406 of the server 104. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state of the function management table | surface 407 of the server 104. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of an IO device management table 408 of the server 104. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state of the task management table 409 of the server 104. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a remote controller 102. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a remote controller 102. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state by which LCD108 was newly connected to the home network 103. FIG. It is a figure which shows file Appliance.xml in which the apparatus information of LCD108 was described. It is a figure which shows file Function.xml in which the function information of LCD108 was described. It is a figure which shows file IO-Device.xml in which IO device information of LCD108 was described. It is a figure which shows the state of the apparatus management table | surface 405 of the server 104. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state of the function management table | surface 407 of the server 104. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of an IO device management table 408 of the server 104. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a remote controller 102. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a remote controller 102. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a remote controller 102. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  102 Remote Controller, 103 Home Network, 104 Server, 105 Television Receiver, 106 DVD Player, 107 Video Cassette Recorder, 405 Device Management Table, 406 Content Management Table, 407 Function Management Table, 408 IO Device Management Table, 409 Task Management Table, 410 device information.

Claims (11)

A user operation support device that supports user operations when a user selects and uses a plurality of types of content existing on a network,
A plurality of devices that exist on the network and are used when content is used, and a plurality of devices in which types of content that can be handled by each device are specified;
A management storing a management data file that can specify which of the plurality of types of content existing on the network can be handled by each of the plurality of devices existing on the network A management means having a data storage unit;
A user operation support apparatus comprising: a combination display unit that displays a combination of the plurality of devices and content that can be handled by the devices in accordance with an output signal from the management unit.   The user operation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the management unit is incorporated in any of the plurality of devices. Task extraction means for extracting a task that can be executed by a device corresponding to the combination when the user uses content corresponding to the combination selected by the user from the combinations displayed by the combination display means;
The user operation support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a user interface display unit that displays a user interface used for executing the task extracted by the task extraction unit. Whether or not at least one of the same type of function that can be handled by the plurality of devices and at least one of the same type of input / output devices possessed by the plurality of devices exists in the combination displayed by the combination display means A duplicate existence confirmation means for confirming,
In the case where it is confirmed by the duplication existence confirmation means that at least one of them is duplicated, the duplication existence display means for displaying the duplication existence function and the presence of the input / output device is further provided, The user operation support device according to claim 1. Dependent content extracting means for extracting dependent content that can be handled in a subordinate manner together with the content selected by the user from among the combinations displayed by the combination display means,
The user operation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the combination is displayed by the combination display unit even for the dependent content extracted by the dependent content extraction unit. At least one of deletion of any of the plurality of devices and the plurality of types of contents existing on the network and addition of any of new devices and new contents on the network is performed. An additional deletion confirmation means for confirming whether or not
When it is confirmed by the addition / deletion confirmation means that at least one of addition and deletion has been performed,
The management data file is updated in accordance with the plurality of devices and the plurality of types of contents existing on the network confirmed by the additional deletion confirmation unit,
The user operation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the combination display unit displays the combination based on the updated data file for management. A user operation support method for supporting a user operation when a user selects and uses a plurality of types of content existing on a network,
On the network,
A plurality of devices used when using the content, and a plurality of devices for which the types of content that can be handled by each device are specified;
Each of the plurality of devices has a management data storage unit that stores a management data file that can specify which content of a plurality of types of content existing on the network can be handled. Management means,
A user operation support method comprising a combination display step of displaying a combination of the plurality of devices and content that can be handled by the devices in accordance with an output signal from the management means. A task extraction step of extracting a task executable by a device corresponding to the combination when the user uses content corresponding to the combination selected by the user from the combinations displayed in the combination display step;
8. The user operation support method according to claim 7, further comprising a user interface display step of displaying a user interface used for executing the task extracted by the task extraction step. Whether or not at least one of the same type of function that can be handled by the plurality of devices and at least one of the same type of input / output devices possessed by the plurality of devices exists in the combination displayed in the combination display step. A duplicate existence confirmation step to confirm
When it is confirmed by the duplication existence confirmation step that at least one of them is duplicated, the duplication existence display step for displaying the duplication existence function and the existence of the input / output device is further included. The user operation support method according to claim 7 or 8. A subordinate content extracting step of extracting subordinate content that can be subordinately handled together with the content selected by the user from among the combinations displayed by the combination display step;
10. The user operation support method according to claim 7, wherein the combination is displayed by the combination display step even for the dependent content extracted by the dependent content extraction step. 11. At least one of deletion of any of the plurality of devices and the plurality of types of contents existing on the network and addition of any of new devices and new contents on the network is performed. And an additional deletion confirmation step for confirming whether or not
When it is confirmed that at least one of addition and deletion has been performed in the addition / deletion confirmation step,
The management data file is updated in accordance with the plurality of devices and the plurality of types of contents existing on the network, confirmed by the addition / deletion confirmation step,
11. The user operation support method according to claim 7, wherein the combination based on the updated data file for management is displayed in the combination display step.

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