Patent ID: 11962653
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
Field: Digital communication (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 15:
16. A device monitoring apparatus in a network system, the network system having a plurality of devices, the plurality of devices including a first device and a second device, the first device and the second device being connected to a communication network, the device monitoring apparatus comprising:
a processor; and
a memory including a program, the program, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to:
receive a message addressed to the second device from the first device, the message being transmitted from the first device to the second device;
determine that the message received from the first device contains a device control command that controls the second device;
determine whether or not to transmit the message to the second device based on a predetermined condition, in response to the message containing the device control command; and
transmit the message to the second device, in response to the predetermined condition being satisfied,

wherein the predetermined condition includes a first condition that the first device, that is a source of transmission of the message addressed to the second device, is registered as having a predetermined function in a device list, the device list containing information about whether or not each of the plurality of devices has the predetermined function, and
the processor further determines, in determining whether or not to transmit the message to the second device based on the predetermined condition, whether or not the second device has the predetermined function in response to the first condition not being satisfied, and determines to transmit the message to the second device in response to the second device not having the predetermined function.