JP4416710B2 - Information communication system and information terminal device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information communication system and an information terminal device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an information terminal device capable of operating a predetermined device such as a water heater and functioning as a terminal device in a network, and an information communication system including the information terminal device.

  An operation remote controller is installed in a kitchen, bathroom, or the like to turn on or off the water heater or to set a hot water temperature. This operation remote control generally includes a display unit, an operation unit, an audio output unit, and the like, and various improvements have been made regarding the display content and operation content. In recent years, this has been used as a simple operation device for a water heater. In addition to use, it has been proposed to be used as an information terminal device in a television receiver or a network.

Further, in a general information terminal device, it is proposed to automatically update the menu application of the information terminal device when a new application is added to the information terminal device in order to improve user convenience ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
The update method described in Patent Document 1 checks the version information file of the automatic update browser when the automatic update browser starts or every time a predetermined time elapses, and downloads the latest version information file from the server based on the result. Is.

JP 11-95989 A

According to the updating method as described above, the menu application of the information terminal device can be automatically updated without any user operation. However, conventionally, the latest version information file is downloaded when the automatic update browser is started or when a predetermined time elapses. For example, the information terminal device and the management server are downloaded during the download of the latest version of the application. If a communication failure occurs, the data of the latest version of the application is stored incompletely, not only for the application you tried to download, but also for other local applications related to it. May occur.
On the other hand, in order to solve the above inconvenience, a means for detecting the occurrence of a communication failure is provided on the client (terminal) side, and an incomplete file downloaded until the occurrence of the communication failure is stored to eliminate the communication failure. After that, you can try to download again.
However, even in this case, the latest version of the application cannot be used until the communication failure is resolved, and the storage area of the information terminal device is incomplete until the download is completely completed. There is an inconvenience of being spent.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and communicates between the information terminal device and the management server in automatically updating the application of the information terminal device to the latest version uploaded to the management server. An object of the present invention is to provide an information communication system and an information terminal device that can ensure a sound operation of the information terminal device even when a failure occurs.

In the information communication system of the present invention, a management server, a content server, and an information terminal device are connected via a wide area communication network and a local network, and a menu application included in the information terminal device receives information from the management server. An information communication system configured to be updated by:
The information terminal device includes a first storage area in which a default menu application is stored, and a second storage area in which the updated menu application is stored,
When a communication failure occurs between the management server and the information terminal device, the menu application stored in the first storage area can be operated.

  In the information communication system of the present invention, the menu application of the information terminal device is updated with information from the management server, and this updated menu application is stored in the second storage area of the information terminal device. The default menu application of the information terminal device is stored in the first storage area of the information terminal device. Therefore, at the time of normal use, the latest version of the application can be used according to the updated menu application. On the other hand, even if a communication failure occurs between the management server and the information terminal device, the menu application stored in the first storage area can be operated. Can continue to be used. For this reason, inconvenience associated with the communication failure can be minimized.

The information terminal device starts at a predetermined time and monitors the menu application stored in the second storage area and inquires of the management server, and in the second storage area according to the obtained information It further includes means for automatically updating the stored menu application,
When the version information related to the menu application stored in the second storage area is different from the version information related to the menu application held by the management server obtained by the inquiry, the automatic update unit manages the version information from the management server. It is preferable to download and set up the menu application that the server has. In this case, when a new application is added or an application is deleted, the management server only needs to respond (update the menu application on the management server), and it is connected to this management server via the wide area network. It is possible to manage menu applications of a plurality of information terminal devices.

  It is preferable that version information is inquired to the management server by HTTP, and the menu application is downloaded by FTP. By inquiring version information by HTTP, the access load is reduced. In addition, file download with high reliability can be performed by downloading by FTP.

  When a communication failure occurs in the content server connected to the management server via the wide area communication network, the version information of the management server can be updated to a version in which an application that cannot be used due to the communication failure is deleted. Thereby, an unusable application can be deleted from the updated menu application in the information terminal device.

  A menu application in which, when a communication failure occurs in the content server connected to the information terminal device via the local network, the automatic update unit deletes an application that cannot be used due to a communication failure from the menu application downloaded from the management server. It is preferable to start up. In this case, it is possible to prevent the user from starting an unusable application.

  When a communication failure occurs in the information terminal device, it is preferable that the automatic update unit starts a menu application in which an application that cannot be used due to the communication failure is deleted from the menu application stored in the first storage area. Also in this case, it is possible to prevent the user from starting an unusable application.

In the information terminal device of the present invention, a management server, a content server, and an information terminal device are connected via a wide area network and a local network, and a menu application included in the information terminal device is transmitted from the management server. An information terminal device in an information communication system configured to be updated with information of:
A first storage area in which a default menu application is stored; and a second storage area in which the updated menu application is stored;
When a communication failure occurs between the management server and the information terminal device, the menu application stored in the first storage area can be operated.

  The information terminal device of the present invention includes a first storage area in which a default menu application is stored, and a second storage area in which an updated menu application is stored. The latest version of the application can be used according to the menu application. On the other hand, even if a communication failure occurs between the management server and the information terminal device, the menu application stored in the first storage area can be operated. Can continue to be used. For this reason, inconvenience associated with the communication failure can be minimized.

A menu application that starts at a predetermined time and monitors the menu application stored in the second storage area and inquires of the management server, and stores the menu application in the second storage area according to information obtained as a result And a means for automatically updating
When the version information related to the menu application stored in the second storage area is different from the version information related to the menu application held by the management server obtained by the inquiry, the automatic update unit manages the version information from the management server. It is preferable to download the menu application that the server has, store it in the second storage area, and restart the menu application. In this case, when a new application is added or an application is deleted, the management server only needs to respond (update the menu application on the management server), and it is connected to this management server via the wide area network. It is possible to manage menu applications of a plurality of information terminal devices.

  According to the information communication system and the information terminal device of the present invention, a communication failure occurs between the information terminal device and the management server when the application of the information terminal device is automatically updated to the latest version uploaded to the management server. Even if it is done, the sound operation of the information terminal device can be secured

Hereinafter, embodiments of an information communication system and an information terminal device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an information communication system (hereinafter also simply referred to as a system) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this system, a management server 1, a karaoke content server 2 that is a content server, and a bathroom information terminal device 3 that is an information terminal device are connected via the Internet 4 and a home LAN 5. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a router HUB.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 5, the management server 1 stores a compressed file of the Web server 6 that exchanges version information with the bathroom information terminal device 3 and the updated menu application, and the compressed file. Is transmitted to the bathroom information terminal device 3.

  The bathroom information terminal device 3 is an operation unit for setting a hot water supply temperature, instructing bath water to be refilled, and selecting various services (Internet, karaoke, etc.) that can be used in the bathroom information terminal device 3. 8. Display unit 9 for displaying the set hot water temperature and TV image, etc., change the hot water related information such as the set hot water temperature, and notify the completion of hot water supply to the bathtub, or output TV broadcast audio A voice output unit 10 is provided. The operation unit 8 may be a switch, a touch panel, a wireless operation unit, or the like, and the display unit 9 may be a light emitting diode (LED), a fluorescent display tube (FLD), a liquid crystal display (LCD). Etc. can be employed, and none of them is particularly limited in the present invention. In addition, other configurations such as a voice input unit including a microphone or the like can be added as desired.

  In the present embodiment, the karaoke content server 2 is connected to the bathroom information terminal device 3 via the Internet 4 which is a wide area communication network and the home LAN 5 which is a local network, and also via the home LAN 5 and the router HUB 20. A music server 11 is connected to the bathroom information terminal device 3. The type and number of contents provided to the user are not particularly limited in the present invention, and in addition to the karaoke and music, various information such as games, electronic books, video images or still images, news and weather forecasts, etc. Etc. can be provided. These content servers may be connected to the bathroom information terminal device 3 via the Internet 4 or may be connected to the bathroom information terminal device 3 via the home LAN 5.

  Although not shown, the bathroom information terminal device 3 has a control unit for controlling the operation of the operation unit 8, the display unit 9, and the audio output unit 10, and a default menu application is provided. The storage unit includes a stored first storage area and a second storage area in which the updated menu application is stored. The first storage area is a read-only storage area, for example, a hard disk (in principle, it is set to read-only by keying on the hard disk), CD-ROM, ROM, compact flash (registered trademark), on-board flash. Or the like. On the other hand, the second storage area is a readable / writable area and can be constituted by, for example, a hard disk, a RAM, or a flash memory.

    The system of the present invention is configured such that the menu application of the bathroom information terminal device 3 is updated with information from the management server 1. Specifically, the bathroom information terminal device 3 starts at a predetermined time, monitors the menu application stored in the second storage area, and inquires the management server 1 to obtain information obtained as a result. In response, there is means for automatically updating the menu application stored in the second storage area, and the automatic update means includes version information relating to the menu application stored in the second storage area, When the version information related to the menu application of the management server 1 obtained by the inquiry is different, the menu application of the management server 1 is downloaded from the management server 1 and set up.

  The inquiry to the management server 1 is performed at a predetermined time, for example, when the system is started or at regular time intervals (for example, every day). This inquiry is preferably performed by HTTP because the access load is small and access is easy. At the time of the inquiry, the menu application stored in the second storage area is the Internet and music (network music playback), and a new communication karaoke content server is provided between the previous update and the current inquiry. Assuming that it is connected to the system and available, the version of the menu application is updated in the Web server 6 of the management server 1 (communication karaoke is added to the Internet and music), and the management server 1 The FTP server 7 (see FIGS. 4 to 5) is prepared by compressing a menu application that can start three applications of music, the Internet, and online karaoke. In this case, as a result of the inquiry, it is found that the version information related to the menu application stored in the second storage area is different from the version information related to the menu application included in the Web server 6, and then the automatic update of the bathroom information terminal device 3 is performed. The means downloads the updated menu application to the FTP server 7 of the management server 1 and the archive compressed file of the communication karaoke player from the FTP server 7 by FTP. By downloading by FTP, highly reliable file transfer can be performed.

  The automatic update means decompresses the compressed file into an executable file and restarts the updated menu application. As a result, a new menu is displayed on the display unit 9 of the bathroom information terminal device 3. In the updated menu application, a karaoke button is linked to a karaoke server, and the compressed archive includes karaoke player software. As a result, a new online karaoke application can be used. The updated software is stored in the second storage area, and when the bathroom information terminal device 3 is restarted, the updated menu application is started. Thus, when a new application is added or an application is deleted, the management server 1 is connected to the management server 1 via the Internet only by handling the management server 1 (updating the menu application in the management server 1). It is possible to manage menu applications of a plurality of bathroom information terminal devices 3.

  A feature of the present invention is that the first storage area in which the default menu application is stored is included in the bathroom information terminal device 3 and a communication failure occurs between the management server 1 and the bathroom information terminal device 3. The menu application stored in the first storage area can be operated. That is, as described above, the updated menu application is stored in the second storage area of the bathroom information terminal device 3, but the bathroom information terminal apparatus 3 is also stored in the first storage area of the bathroom information terminal device 3. Is stored in the first storage area by the automatic updating means when a communication failure occurs between the management server 1 and the bathroom information terminal device 3. The compressed application file is decompressed into an executable file and restarted. As a result, the user can continue to use the functions of the local network. For this reason, inconvenience associated with the communication failure can be minimized.

  Next, Examples 1 to 4 for updating the top menu of the information terminal device shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

Update example 1
In the update example 1, a problem occurs in one or both of the management server 1 and the Internet 4 (see a in FIG. 1), the router HUB 20 and the Internet 4 (see b in FIG. 1), or both. As a result, a communication failure has occurred between the management server 1 and the bathroom information terminal device 3.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), the automatic updating means of the bathroom information terminal device 3 cannot inquire the management server 1 for the latest version information, and therefore can check the version. Can not. If the version cannot be checked, the automatic updating means decompresses the compressed file of the default menu application stored in the first storage area of the bathroom information terminal device 3 into an executable format file and restarts it. As shown in FIG. 2B, the menu on the top screen displayed on the display unit 9 of the bathroom information terminal device 3 includes music, the Internet, and karaoke, and the bathroom information terminal device via the home LAN 5. 3 is changed to one of the music connected to 3. “Ver 1.03” is a version in which three menus of music, Internet, and karaoke can be used, and “Ver 1.00” is a version of the default menu application (two menus of music and Internet are available). Available). However, in the update example 1, since the Internet cannot be used, the application without the Internet menu is restarted.

Update example 2
In the update example 2, a communication failure has occurred between the router HUB 20 and the bathroom information terminal device 3 (see c in FIG. 1).
Also in this case, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the automatic updating means of the bathroom information terminal device 3 cannot inquire the latest version information from the management server 1, and therefore checks the version. I can't. If the version cannot be checked, the automatic updating means decompresses the compressed file of the default menu application stored in the first storage area of the bathroom information terminal device 3 into an executable format file and restarts it. However, in the update example 2, since the bathroom information terminal device 3 cannot communicate with the outside and cannot connect to the music server 11 connected by the home LAN 5, the automatic update means The menu application stored in the first storage area is restarted after deleting the application (music) that cannot be used due to the communication failure. This can prevent the user from inquiring about an unusable application.

Update example 3
In Update Example 3, a communication failure has occurred between the karaoke content server 2 connected to the management server 1 via the Internet and the Internet 4 (see d in FIG. 1).
In this case, there are three menu applications before the update: music, the Internet, and karaoke. When the management server 1 detects that the connection with the karaoke content server 2 cannot be established, the version in the Web server 6 is updated. Is updated to the version (Ver 1.02) in which the karaoke application that has become unusable due to the occurrence of a communication failure is deleted, and the unusable application is also deleted from the compressed file of the FTP server 7.

In response to the inquiry from the automatic update means, the Web server 6 returns the updated version information to the automatic update means, and the automatic update means then verifies the version information (Ver 1 held in the bathroom information terminal device 3). .03) and the acquired version information (Ver 1.02). As a result, it is found that there is a version different from the version information held in the bathroom information terminal device 3 in the management server 1, and the automatic update means updates the menu application of the updated version of the management server 1. Is downloaded from the FTP server 7 by FTP.
The automatic update means decompresses the downloaded compressed file into an executable format file and restarts it. The menu on the top screen displayed on the display unit 9 of the bathroom information terminal device 3 is changed from music, internet, and karaoke to two, music and internet, as shown in FIG. Is done.

Update example 4
In the update example 4, a communication failure has occurred between the router HUB 20 and the music server 11 (see e in FIG. 1). Further, it is assumed that the karaoke content server 2 is newly connected to the system between the previous update and the current update.
In this case, there are two menu applications before the update, music and the Internet (Ver 1.02). When the management server 1 confirms the connection with the karaoke content server 2, the version in the Web server 6 is updated. Is updated to the version (Ver 1.03) to which the newly available application is added, and the available application is added to the compressed file of the FTP server 7.

  Then, in response to the inquiry from the automatic update means, the Web server 6 returns the updated version information to the automatic update means, and the automatic update means obtains the version information held in the bathroom information terminal device 3 and the acquisition. Compare the version information. As a result, it is found that there is a version different from the version information held in the bathroom information terminal device 3 in the management server 1, and the automatic update means updates the menu application of the updated version of the management server 1. Is downloaded from the FTP server 7 by FTP.

The automatic update means decompresses the downloaded compressed file into an executable format file and restarts it. However, in the update example 4, the bathroom information terminal device 3 cannot establish a connection with the music server 11 connected by the home LAN 5, so that the automatic update means detects the communication failure from the decompressed menu application. Restart the application (music) that can not be used by deleting. The menu on the top screen displayed on the display unit 9 of the bathroom information terminal device 3 is changed from two of music and the Internet to two of the Internet and karaoke as shown in FIG. . In update example 4, addition and deletion of applications are performed simultaneously in one update.
In the present invention, the first storage area is not limited to a read-only area, and may be writable. Moreover, it is desirable that it is electrically non-volatile, but it may not be non-volatile.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of one Embodiment of the information communication system of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the top menu update example 1 of the information terminal device shown by FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the top menu update example 2 of the information terminal device shown by FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the top menu update example 3 of the information terminal device shown by FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the top menu update example 4 of the information terminal device shown by FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 management server 2 karaoke content server 3 bathroom information terminal 4 internet 5 home LAN
6 Web server 7 FTP server 11 Music server

Claims (8)

A management server, a content server, and an information terminal device are connected via a wide area communication network and a local network, and the menu application of the information terminal device is configured to be updated with information from the management server. An information communication system comprising:
The information terminal device includes a first storage area in which a default menu application is stored, and a second storage area in which the updated menu application is stored,
An information communication system, wherein a menu application stored in the first storage area can be operated when a communication failure occurs between the management server and the information terminal device. The information terminal device starts at a predetermined time and monitors the menu application stored in the second storage area and inquires of the management server, and in the second storage area according to the obtained information It further includes means for automatically updating the stored menu application,
When the version information related to the menu application stored in the second storage area is different from the version information related to the menu application held by the management server obtained by the inquiry, the automatic update unit manages the version information from the management server. The information communication system according to claim 1, wherein a menu application included in the server is downloaded and set up.   The information communication system according to claim 2, wherein the version information is inquired to the management server by HTTP, and the menu application is downloaded by FTP.   3. When a communication failure occurs in a content server connected to a management server via the wide area communication network, the version information of the management server is updated to a version from which an application that cannot be used due to the communication failure is deleted. The information communication system according to any one of?   A menu application in which, when a communication failure occurs in the content server connected to the information terminal device via the local network, the automatic update unit deletes an application that cannot be used due to a communication failure from the menu application downloaded from the management server. The information communication system according to any one of claims 2 to 4.   3. When a communication failure occurs in the information terminal device, the automatic update unit starts a menu application in which an application that cannot be used due to the communication failure is deleted from the menu application stored in the first storage area. 4. The information communication system according to any one of 3. A management server, a content server, and an information terminal device are connected via a wide area communication network and a local network, and the menu application of the information terminal device is configured to be updated with information from the management server. An information terminal device in an information communication system,
A first storage area in which a default menu application is stored; and a second storage area in which the updated menu application is stored;
An information terminal device configured to be able to operate a menu application stored in the first storage area when a communication failure occurs between the management server and the information terminal device. A menu that is activated at a predetermined time and monitors the menu application stored in the second storage area, and inquires of the management server, and the menu stored in the second storage area in accordance with the obtained information And a means for automatically updating the application,
When the version information related to the menu application stored in the second storage area is different from the version information related to the menu application held by the management server obtained by the inquiry, the automatic update unit manages the version information from the management server. 8. The information terminal device according to claim 7, wherein a menu application included in the server is downloaded, stored in the second storage area, and the menu application is restarted.

Images