Message notifying device, control method, and storage medium storing control program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9325651-B2
Application number	US-201414187706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2014
Priority date	Feb 25, 2013
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

An operation instruction detecting section detects an operation instruction from a message and specifies, as an instruction provider, a member who has posted the message. A report message displaying section causes a message, which (i) reports a result of an operation executed in accordance with the operation instruction and (ii) is explicitly directed to the instruction provider, to be displayed on a family message board.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A message notifying device comprising:
a memory; and
a central processing unit (CPU) configured to:
(i) detect an operation instruction, based on which an external device is operated, from a message in a communication service that displays, in a time series, messages which have been posted by members and (ii) specify, as an instruction provider of the operation instruction, the member who has posted the message;
control the external device in accordance with the operation instruction which has been detected by the CPU;
obtain a result of an operation executed by the external device in accordance with a control from the CPU;
generate a report message for reporting an operation result which has been obtained by the CPU; and
output the report message, which has been generated by the CPU, to a server, which provides the communication service, so that the communication service, which is displaying, in the time series, the message which have been posted by the members, displays, in the time series, the report message which is explicitly directed to the instruction provider who has been specified by the CPU;
the external device being other than the member's communication terminal device or the message notifying device, the operation instruction having been posted by the member from the member's communication terminal device,
wherein the CPU is further configured to detect an operation instruction from an image included in a message which has been posted on the communication service by a member and specify, as an instruction provider of the operation instruction, the member who has posted the message.

2. A message notifying device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
a storage section for storing an operation instruction, which has been detected by the CPU, and an instruction provider of the operation instruction, which is associated with the operation instruction, during a time period between (i) when the operation instruction is detected and (ii) when the external device ends the operation executed in accordance with the operation instruction; and
wherein the CPU is further configured to
judge, when an operation instruction has been detected by the CPU, whether or not the operation instruction is identical with an operation instruction which is already stored in the storage section,
and, if the operation instructions are identical with each other, the instruction provider, who has been specified by the CPU, to the storage section as an instruction provider associated with the operation instruction which is already stored in the storage section, and
generate, when the CPU has obtained an operation result of the external device, one (1) report message which is directed to all instruction providers who are associated, in the storage section, with an operation instruction of an operation whose result is to be reported by the one (1) report message.

3. The message notifying device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
the CPU is further configured to cause the communication service to display the report message with an image so that the communication service shows that the report message is explicitly directed to the member as the instruction provider, the image being an image with which the member can be identified.

4. The message notifying device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
the CPU is further configured to cause the communication service to display the report message with an image that indicates the result of the operation.

5. The message notifying device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
the external device controls an operation of another device; and
the CPU is further configured to detect an operation instruction for causing the external device to control the operation of the another device.

6. The message notifying device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
the external device is placed in a space shared by members of a community.

7. The message notifying device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
the external device is a cleaner robot.

8. A method for controlling a message notifying device, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) detecting an operation instruction, based on which an external device is operated, from a message in a communication service that displays, in a time series, messages which have been posted by members, and specifying, as an instruction provider of the operation instruction, the member who has posted the message;
(b) controlling the external device in accordance with the operation instruction which has been detected in the step (a);
(c) obtaining a result of an operation executed by the external device in accordance with a control in the step (b);
(d) generating a report message for reporting an operation result which has been obtained in the step (c); and
(e) outputting the report message, which has been generated in the step (d), to a server, which provides the communication service, so that the communication service, which is displaying, in the time series, the messages which have been posted by the members, displays, in the time series, the report message which is explicitly directed to the instruction provider who has been specified in the step (a),
the external device being other than the member's communication terminal device or the message notifying device, the operation instruction having been posted by the member from the member's communication terminal device, wherein the method further comprises detecting an operation instruction from an image included in a message which has been posted on the communication service by a member and specify, as an instruction provider of the operation instruction, the member who has posted the message.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium in which a control program for causing a computer to serve as a message notifying device is stored, the control program causing the computer to execute each of the steps of:
(a) detecting an operation instruction, based on which an external device is operated, from a message in a communication service that displays, in a time series, messages which have been posted by members, and specifying, as an instruction provider of the operation instruction, the member who has posted the message;
(b) controlling the external device in accordance with the operation instruction which has been detected in the step (a);
(c) obtaining a result of an operation executed by the external device in accordance with a control in the step (b);
(d) generating a report message for reporting an operation result which has been obtained in the step (c); and
(e) outputting the report message, which has been generated in the step (d), to a server, which provides the communication service, so that the communication service, which is displaying, in the time series, the messages which have been posted by the members, displays, in the time series, the report message which is explicitly directed to the instruction provider who has been specified in the step (a),
the external device being other than the member's communication terminal device or the message notifying device,
the operation instruction having been posted by the member from the member's communication terminal device, wherein the control program further causes the computer to execute detecting an operation instruction from an image included in a message which has been posted on the communication service by a member and specify, as an instruction provider of the operation instruction, the member who has posted the message.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Sakuta Makoto
• Nagamatsu Takayuki
• Hideishi Chie
• Waki Yoshihisa

Classifications

• H04L51/18 Primary

  Commands or executable codes · CPC title

• H04L51/02

  using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages · CPC title

• H04L51/24

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L51/224

  providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages · CPC title