Linkage system and device control server

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11057473-B2
Application number	US-201615555549-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2016
Priority date	Jul 24, 2015
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

In the present disclosure, an appropriate control-target device is caused to carry out an operation without the control-target device being designated. A linking system ( 7 ) includes: a linking server ( 1 ); a device controlling server ( 2 ); one or more devices ( 4 ); and an information providing server ( 5 ). In a case where the device controlling server ( 2 ) has received from the linking server ( 1 ) an instruction for carrying out an operation in accordance with a linking rule, the device controlling server transmits ( 2 ) a command to carry out the operation to at least one device, the at least one device having been identified by the device controlling server ( 2 ) from among the one or more devices ( 4 ) in accordance with a user specified in the linking rule. The information providing server ( 5 ) transmits, to the linking server ( 1 ), notification of a trigger for the operation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A linking system comprising:
an information providing server;
a device controlling server,
a linking server; and
a plurality of control-target devices,
the linking server being configured to cause an operation to be carried out in accordance with a linking rule in which a trigger is associated with the operation,
the plurality of control-target devices being not designated in the linking rule,
the trigger being predetermined information being transmitted from the information providing server to the linking server,
the device controlling server comprising:
a memory that stores instructions; and
a processor that executes the instructions stored in the memory to:
in a case where the device controlling server has received from the linking server an instruction for carrying out the operation in accordance with the linking rule,

(i) identify, with reference to information in which devices are associated with users, a plurality of devices to be controlled from among the plurality of control-target devices based on a target user designated by the linking rule and is controlled by the device controlling server,
(ii) select one or more control-target devices from among the plurality of devices which have been identified, the one or more selected control-target devices having been selected by the device controlling server from among the plurality of devices to be controlled in accordance with information received from each of the plurality of devices to be controlled, the information indicates an operational status of a device from which the information was transmitted, and
(iii) transmit a command to carry out the operation to the one or more selected control-target devices.

2. The linking system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of control-target devices include a plurality of operation-capable control-target devices which are capable of carrying out the operation; and
the device controlling server is configured to transmit the command to carry out the operation to Whichever of the plurality of operation-capable control-target devices first detects a user for which the operation is to be carried out.

3. The linking system according to claim 1 , wherein: the operation specified in the linking rule is output of a predetermined message specified in the linking rule and the device controlling server is configured to transmit, to one or more control-target devices, at least one of (i) a command to carry out an operation of outputting the predetermined message via display and (ii) a command to carry out an operation of outputting the predetermined message via audio output.

4. The linking system according to claim 1 , wherein: in the information in which the devices are associated with the users, there is one of the plurality of control target devices which is associated with a group of the users.

5. A device controlling server for causing a plurality of control-target devices to carry out an operation which is predetermined,
the device controlling server comprising:
a memory that stores instructions; and
a processor that executes the instructions stored in the memory to:
in a case where an instruction for carrying out the operation in accordance with a linking rule is received from a linking server, identify, with reference to information in which devices are associated with users, a plurality of devices from among the plurality of control-target devices based on a target user designated by the linking rule and is controlled by the device controlling server;
select one or more recipient devices from among the plurality of devices which have been identified, the one or more recipient devices being selected in accordance with information received from each of the plurality of devices which have been identified, the information indicates an operational status of a control-target device from which the information was transmitted; and
transmit to the one or more recipient devices a command to carry out the operation,
wherein the device controlling server being controlled by the linking server in accordance with the linking rule in which a trigger is associated with the operation, and the plurality of control-target devices being not designated in the linking rule,
the trigger being a predetermined information being transmitted from an information providing server to the linking server.

6. The device controlling server according to claim 5 , the processor further executes instructions to:
acquire information relating to one or more of the plurality of control-target devices; and in a case Where the information acquired satisfies a predetermined condition, (i) change content of the command to carry out the operation or (ii) cause to skip transmission of the command to carry out the operation.

7. A linking system comprising:
an information providing server;
a device controlling server,
a linking server;
a plurality of control-target devices; and
a terminal device,
the linking server being configured to cause the plurality of control-target devices to carry out an operation in accordance with a linking rule in which a trigger is associated with the operation, the plurality of control-target devices being not designated in the linking rule,
the trigger being predetermined information being transmitted from the information providing server to the linking server,
the terminal device being configured to notify the device controlling server of whether or not to cause the plurality of control-target devices to carry out the operation,
the device controlling server comprising:
a memory that stores instructions; and
a processor that executes the instructions stored in the memory to:
in a case where the device controlling server receives, from the linking server, an instruction for carrying out the operation in accordance with the linking rule, (i) identify, with reference to information in which devices are associated with users, a plurality of devices from among the plurality of control-target devices based on a target user designated by the linking rule and is controlled by the device controlling server,
(ii) select one or more recipient devices from among the plurality of devices which have been identified, the one or more recipient devices being selected in accordance with information received from each of the plurality of devices which have been identified, the information indicates an operational status of a control-target device from which the information was transmitted, and
(iii) transmit to the one or more recipient devices, a command to carry out the operation in accordance with a notification, from the terminal device, to cause the one or more recipient devices to carry out the operation.

8. The linking system according to claim 7 , wherein: the linking server is configured to transmit, to the device controlling server, origin information which indicates at least one of (a) the linking rule specifying the operation, (b) the trigger specified in the linking rule, and (c) information relating to the information providing server; and
the device controlling server is configured to transmit the origin information to (i) the one or more recipient devices which will carry out the operation or (ii) the terminal device.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Ueda Toru
• Chiba Masahiro

Classifications

• H04L12/2803

  Home automation networks · CPC title

• H04L43/0817

  by checking functioning · CPC title

• G06F13/00

  Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units (interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 {; multiprogram control therefor  G06F9/46}; multiprocessor systems  G06F15/16 ) · CPC title

• H04L67/125 Primary

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• H04L41/0803

  Configuration setting · CPC title