Patent ID: 6754719
Filing Date: 2004-06-22
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
An information network system comprising:a plurality of functional appliances each operated in response to a predetermined function command; a plurality of relaying appliances, each associated with at least one of said plurality of functional appliances; a data transfer path connecting said plurality of relaying appliances to each other and enabling said plurality of relaying appliances to communicate with each other; an operation part associated with a predetermined one of said plurality of functional appliances, and provided in said predetermined one of said plurality of functional appliances to control each of said plurality of functional appliances by selecting a desired functional appliance from among said plurality of functional appliances and selecting a desired function from among a plurality of functions that can be performed by the functional appliance selected by said operation part, said operation part and said predetermined one of said plurality of functional appliances corresponding to a human interface; and a command conversion part provided between said operation part of said predetermined functional appliance of said plurality of functional appliances and the relaying appliance corresponding to said predetermined functional appliance and having a command conversion table having stored therein a plurality of predefined function commands each of which corresponds to one of said plurality of functional appliances and a function associated with the one said functional appliance, each of said plurality of predefined function commands including a path command, wherein each of said plurality of relaying appliances is configured to transmit data from a corresponding functional appliance to each of the other of said relaying appliances through said data transfer path and to receive data from a functional appliance other than that corresponding to said relaying appliance through said data transfer path; wherein said command conversion part reads out a predefined function command corresponding to said functional appliance selected by use of said operation part and said function selected by use of said operation part, by referring to said command conversion table, said predefined function command being transmitted to the functional appliance to which the functional command corresponds by use of said path command included in said predefined function command and through one of said relaying appliances corresponding to said predetermined functional appliance, while setting a path of transfer of data sent to the functional appliance to which the functional command corresponds and that of transfer of data sent, from the functional appliance to which the functional command corresponds, to the functional appliance associated therewith; wherein a command from one of said plurality of functional appliances other than said predetermined functional appliance is transmitted to said predetermined functional appliance through said one of said relaying appliance corresponding thereto, while setting a path of transfer of data sent, from the one of said plurality of functional appliances other than said predetermined functional appliance, to the functional appliance associated therewith.