Method and system for controlling network device and recording medium storing program for executing the method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9319233-B2
Application number	US-27816708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2006
Priority date	Feb 2, 2006
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

A task-based device control method and system for easily providing a service desired by a user in a home network using universal plug and play (UPnP), and a recording medium storing a program for executing the method are provided. The method includes, if a service is selected using a first device connected to the network, the first device generating a task according to the service; the first device notifying another device of the generation of the task via the network; if the first device receives a command to browse or search for the task from a second device via the network, the first device transmitting information on the task to the second device; and if the first device receives a request to fetch the task from the second device via the network, the first device transferring the task to the second device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for providing a service in a network by a first device, the method comprising:
generating a task including a plurality of subtasks identified based on an order of actions necessary for performing the service;
determining whether at least one subtask is to be performed by the first device;
notifying the generation of the task to at least one device connected to the network based on the determination; and
transfering the task to a second device in response to a request of the second device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first device has a user interface (UI) function.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: if the first device receives a result obtained by performing the task from the second device, the first device notifying a user of the result.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: if the first device does not receive the request for the task during a predetermined period of time after the notifying the at least one device of the generation of the task, the first device notifying a user that no response is received from the at least one device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of subtasks are to be performed sequentially according to the order.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting a subtask to be performed by the first device, among the plurality of subtasks and performing selected subtask,
wherein the notifying comprises, notifying the updated task, to the at least one device, according to the performing of the selected subtask.

7. A method for providing a service in a network by a second device, the method comprising:
receiving a notification about generating a task including a plurality of subtasks identified based on an order of actions necessary for performing the service from a first device;
requesting a task when a first subtask included in the task is to be performed to the second device;
receiving the task from the first device;
performing the first subtask included in the received task;
transmittin a notification about an updated task to at least one device connected to the network according to the performing of the first subtask; and
transferring the updated task to a third device in response to a request of the third device which can perform second subtask included in the updated subtask,
wherein the first subtask and the second subtask are identified based on order to be performed.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
the second deviceupdating the information on the task; and
the second device determining whether there is another subtask to be performed.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of sub asks are to be performed sequentially according to the order.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: after performing the first subtask, the second device notifying the first device of a result obtained by performing the task.

11. A task generating device for performing a task comprising:
a user interface (UI) which interfaces a user and the task generating device;
a storage unit which stores information on a task;
a data transmitter and receiver which transmits and receives data via the network; and
a controlling unit which, generates the task including a plurality of subtasks identified based on an order of actions necessary for performing a service, determines whether at least one subtask is to be performed by the task generatin device, notifies the generation of the task to at least one task performing device connected to the network based on the determination and transfers the task to the task performing device in response to request of a second device.

12. The task generating device of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of subtasks are to be performed sequentially according to the order.

13. The task generating device of claim 11 , wherein the controlling unit which selects the subtask to be performed by the task generating device, performs the selected subtask and notifies an updated task to the at least one task performing device according to the performing of the selected subtask.

14. The task generating device of claim 13 , wherein if the controlling unit receives a result obtained by performing the first subtask from the task performing device via the data transmitter and the receiver, the controlling unit outputs the result to the UI.

15. A task performing device for providing a service in a network, comprising:
a data transmitter and receiver which transmits and receives data via the network; and
a controlling unit which, if the controlling unit receives a notice of generating a task including a plurality of subtasks identified based on an order of actions necessary for performing the service, from a task generating device, requests a task when a first subtask included in the task is to be performed to the task generating device, receives the task from the task generating device, performs the first subtask included in the received task and transmits a notification about an updated task to at least one task performing device connected to the network according to the performing of the first subtask and transfers the updated task to another task performing device in response to request of the other task performing device which can perform second subtask included in the updated subtask,

wherein the first subtask and the second subtask are identified based on the order to be performed.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising: a storage unit which, if the controlling unit updates the information on the task after performing the task, stores the updated information on the task.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein if there is another task to be performed by the controlling unit based on the updated information on the task stored in the storage unit, the controlling unit transmits a message notifying of the generation of the task to the data transmitter and receiver, and sends the updated task via the data transmitter and receiver.

18. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method for providing a service in a network by a first device, the method comprising:
generating a task including a plurality of subtasks identified based on an order of actions necessary for performing the service;
determining whether at least one subtask is to be performed by the first device;
notifying the generation of the task to at least one device connected to the network based on the determination; and
transferring the task to second device in response to request of the second device.

19. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method for providing a service in a network by a first device, the recording medium comprising:
receiving a notification about generating a task including a plurality of subtasks identified based on an order of actions necessary for performing the service from afirst device;
requesting a task, when a first subtask included in the task is to be performed, to the first device;
receiving the task from the first device;
performing the first subtask included in the received task;
transmitting a notification about updated task to at least one device connected to the network according to the performing of the first subtask and
transferring the updated task to third device in response to request of the third device which can perform second subtask included in the updated subtask,
wherein the first subtask and the secon

Assignees

• Cho Jung-Yon
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cho Jung-Yon

Classifications

• B65H2701/377

  Adhesive tape · CPC title

• G06F2209/544

  Remote · CPC title

• H04L12/282

  based on user interaction within the home (receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204) · CPC title

• H04L12/2809

  indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network (monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51) · CPC title

• G06F9/542

  Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications · CPC title