Communication method, communication device, appliance control method, and appliance control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9369515-B2
Application number	US-201314358901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2013
Priority date	Oct 2, 2012
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A communication method including: generating image data of an item on which an electric appliance performed processing; obtaining setting information of the electric appliance which indicates the processing performed on the item; converting the obtained setting information into reference setting information that is setting information in a general format; generating combined data by adding the converted reference setting information to the generated image data; and transmitting the generated combined data to a storage server. For instance, in the communication method, setting information of the electric appliance when the processing was performed on the item is obtained by performing proximity wireless communication with the electric appliance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A communication method using a communication device and an appliance control device, the communication method comprising:
performing, using the communication device, generating image data of an item on which a first electric appliance performed processing,
obtaining first setting information of the first electric appliance which indicates the processing performed on the item,
converting the obtained first setting information into reference setting information that is setting information in a general format,
generating combined data by adding the converted reference setting information to the generated image data, and

transmitting the generated combined data to a storage server; and
performing, using the appliance control device, obtaining, from the storage server, the combined data, the combined data including the reference setting information and the image data of the item on which the first electric appliance performed processing;
separating the reference setting information from the obtained combined data;
converting the reference setting information into second setting information in a format executable by, among a plurality of electrical appliances previously designated by a user, a second electric appliance capable of performing the processing indicated in the obtained first setting information, and

transmitting the converted second setting information to the second electric appliance.

2. The communication method according to claim 1 , wherein the first setting information is obtained from the first electric appliance, the first setting information being obtained when the processing was performed on the item.

3. The communication method according to claim 1 , wherein the obtained first setting information is converted into the reference setting information by referring to a conversion table that stores setting information in a general format independent of a model of the first electric appliance in association with setting information in a dedicated format of a specific model of the first electric appliance.

4. The communication method according to claim 1 , wherein the combined data is generated by adding the reference setting information to the image data in a format compliant with Exchangeable image file format (Exif).

5. A communication method using a communication device and an appliance control device, the communication method comprising:
performing, using the communication device, generating image data of an item on which a first electric appliance performed processing,
obtaining first setting information of the first electric appliance which indicates the processing performed on the item,
transmitting the obtained first setting information to a processing server, and obtaining, from the processing server, information specifying reference setting information that is setting information in a general format converted from the setting information,
generating combined data by adding the obtained information specifying the reference setting information to the generated image data, and

transmitting the generated combined data to a storage server; and
performing, using the appliance control device, obtaining, from the storage server, the combined data, the combined data including the reference setting information and the image data of the item on which the first electric appliance performed the processing;
separating the reference setting information from the obtained combined data,
transmitting the separated reference setting information to the processing server,
receiving, from the processing server, second setting information in a format executable by, among a plurality of electric appliances previously designated by a user, a second electric appliance capable of performing the processing indicated in the transmitted first setting information, the second setting information in the format being converted from the transmitted first setting information; and

transmitting the received second setting information to the second electric appliance.

6. A communication method using a communication device and an appliance control device, the communication method comprising:
performing, using the communication device, generating image data of an item on which a first electric appliance performed processing,
obtaining, from the electric appliance, first setting information of the first electric appliance which indicates the processing performed on the item,
generating combined data by adding the obtained first setting information to the generated image data, and
transmitting the generated combined data to a storage server; and
performing, using the appliance control device,
obtaining, from the storage server, the combined data, the combined data including the first setting information and the image data of the item on which the first electric appliance performed the processing;
separating the first setting information from the obtained combined data;
converting the first setting information into second setting information in a format executable by, among a plurality of electrical appliances previously designated by a user, a second electric appliance capable of performing the processing indicated in the obtained first setting information, and

transmitting the converted second setting information to the second electric appliance.

7. The communication method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the separated reference setting information is converted into second setting information in a format executable by, among the electric appliances previously designated by the user, the second electric appliance identified by electric appliance identification information inputted by an operation performed by the user.

8. The communication method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the separated reference setting information is converted into the second setting information by referring to a conversion table for the reference setting information and the second setting information, the conversion table being stored in a storage unit.

9. The communication method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first setting information is setting information in a general format.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Ohnishi Toshiaki
• Yamaoka Masaru
• Nakaso Mariko

Classifications

• H04L67/02 Primary

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• G06Q30/06 Primary

  Buying, selling or leasing transactions · CPC title