Patent ID: 9621433
Date: 2017-04-11
CPC Classifications: G06F,G08C,H04L

Claim:
1. A control method used in a remote control system including a plurality of apparatuses and an information terminal that controls at least one of the apparatuses as a target apparatus via a network, the control method comprising: displaying target apparatus candidates or action type candidates on a user interface region of a display unit of the information terminal, the target apparatus candidates being candidates for the target apparatus among the apparatuses, and the action type candidates being candidates for a target action type which a user wishes to take and being associated with respective operations on the target apparatus; obtaining, via the network, a plurality of control indexes used to determine a display mode for the user interface region of the display unit of the information terminal; displaying, on the user interface region of the display unit of the information terminal, one or more control menus in the display mode determined based on (i) the target apparatus or the target action type and (ii) the control indexes, the target apparatus being selected from the target apparatus candidates, and the target action type being selected from the action type candidates; generating a control signal for causing the target apparatus to perform an operation according to control corresponding to a control menu, when the control menu is selected from the one or more control menus displayed on the user interface region of the display unit of the information terminal; and transmitting the control signal to the target apparatus via the network, wherein the control indexes include an attribute of an operator of the information terminal and a state of the target apparatus, in the displaying of the one or more control menus, when (i) the target apparatus has a heating function and (ii) the operator of the information terminal is a child, the one or more control menus displayed on the user interface region of the display unit of the information terminal include a predetermined control menu that is not selectable, the predetermined control menu being selectable when the operator of the information terminal is an adult, the predetermined control menu is for powering the target apparatus ON, and in the displaying of the one or more control menus, only a control menu for powering the target apparatus OFF is displayed on the user interface region of the display unit of the information terminal as the one or more control menus, and the control menu for powering the target apparatus ON is not displayed on the user interface region.