Patent ID: 6667992
Filing Date: 2003-12-23
Classification: G08C,H04L,H04N

Abstract:
A network control system comprising:a plurality of equipment connected through a transmission line, said plurality of the equipment including at least a first equipment and a second equipment, said first equipment operable to control said second equipment through said transmission line; wherein: at least one of said first and second equipment handles at least one of video data, audio data, and, information data; said first equipment includes a controller having a user interface; said second equipment includes a device to be controlled by said controller; said device has function information arranged in a plurality of layers including a device information layer, a function information layer, a function GUI information layer, and a device GUI layer, said function information indicating functions of said device and includes user interface information indicating each of the functions of said device and an identifier corresponding to each of the user interface information; said device operates in accordance with the identifier received from said controller through said transmission line to realize the function indicated by said user interface information corresponding to the identifier; and said controller acquires the function information form said device through said transmission line, presents each of the functions of said device to a user through the use of the user interface information included in the function information, and transmits the identifier corresponding to said user interface to said device through said transmission line in response to a user's operation performed by said user interface for the user interface information.