Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP4804364B2/en
Timestamp: 2019-12-14 07:28:33
Document Index: 83146770

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 2', 'art 3', 'art 4', 'art 5', 'art 6', 'art 7', 'art 8', 'art 10', 'art 13', 'art 14']

JP4804364B2 - Communication system, terminal device and communication device - Google Patents
Communication system, terminal device and communication device Download PDF
JP4804364B2
JP4804364B2 JP2006552936A JP2006552936A JP4804364B2 JP 4804364 B2 JP4804364 B2 JP 4804364B2 JP 2006552936 A JP2006552936 A JP 2006552936A JP 2006552936 A JP2006552936 A JP 2006552936A JP 4804364 B2 JP4804364 B2 JP 4804364B2
JP2006552936A
JPWO2006075616A1 (en
紋太 中塚
宰司 國平
宏和 玉野
2005-01-13 Priority to JP2005006505 priority Critical
2005-01-13 Priority to JP2005006505 priority
2006-01-11 Application filed by パナソニック株式会社 filed Critical パナソニック株式会社
2006-01-11 Priority to PCT/JP2006/300211 priority patent/WO2006075616A1/en
2006-01-11 Priority to JP2006552936A priority patent/JP4804364B2/en
2008-06-12 Publication of JPWO2006075616A1 publication Critical patent/JPWO2006075616A1/en
2011-11-02 Publication of JP4804364B2 publication Critical patent/JP4804364B2/en
A communication system including: a terminal ( 121 ); and a device ( 111 ), a device ( 112 ), and a device ( 113 ) existing within a LAN ( 110 ) connected to the terminal ( 121 ) through the Internet. The terminal ( 121 ) includes: a representative device preference storing unit ( 14 ) that stores information about processing performed by plural devices; a terminal control unit ( 15 ) that determines a representative device serving as a representative from among a plural devices based on information stored in the representative device preference storing unit ( 14 ); and a terminal side communication unit ( 10 ) that transmits a request for information about the devices within the LAN ( 110 ) to the representative device and receives a response to the request from the representative device. The device ( 111 ) includes: a device side communication unit ( 1 ) that receives a request for the information about the devices within the LAN from the terminal ( 121 ); and a device control unit ( 6 ) that acquires the information about the devices within the LAN ( 110 ) from the devices within the LAN ( 110 ). When receiving the request from the terminal ( 121 ), the device side communication unit ( 1 ) further transmits, as a response, the information acquired by the device control unit ( 6 ) to the terminal ( 121 ).
The present invention relates to a communication system, a terminal device, and a communication device in which a terminal connected to the Internet communicates with a communication device in a LAN.
When communication is performed between devices connected to the Internet, a global IP address uniquely assigned to each device is used. However, with the recent increase in the number of devices connected to the Internet, a shortage of the number of global IP addresses is a problem. As a general method for dealing with this problem, a device belonging to a local area network (hereinafter referred to as “LAN”) in a home or a company is unique only within the same LAN defined by RFC1918. When a certain private IP address is assigned and the LAN is connected to the Internet, a router having a Network Address Translation (hereinafter referred to as “NAT”) function or a Network Address Port Translation (hereinafter referred to as “NAPT”) function is provided. A method of using it has been proposed.
The NAT and NAPT functions convert a private IP address and a global IP address to each other, so that a device assigned a private IP address on a LAN can communicate with a device on the Internet. (Hereinafter, “NAT” and “NAPT” have the same operation property, and therefore, when there is no need to distinguish between them, “NAT” is representatively described).
When a router having a NAT function is used, it is easy to connect to a device on the Internet from a device in the LAN having a private IP address. On the other hand, it is generally impossible to connect freely from a device on the Internet to a device in a LAN having a private IP address.
Note that transmission of information from a device on the Internet over a router having a NAT function to a device in the LAN is generally called “beyond NAT” or “pass NAT”.
As a technique for solving this, there is a technique called static NAT or port forwarding. When using the static NAT function, the user needs to set a static NAT table in the router in advance. The entries of the static NAT table that need to be set are the private IP address and port number of the device in the LAN to be connected, and the free port number of the router.
When it is desired to connect from a device on the Internet to a device in the LAN, the user transmits a packet by designating a combination of the router's global IP address and the router's port number set in the static NAT table. In the router that has received the packet, the packet is compared with the entry in the static NAT table set in advance by the user, and the transmission destination of the packet is replaced with the private IP address and port of the device in the LAN in the entry. Transfer to LAN.
By using the above static NAT function, communication from a device on the Internet to a device in the LAN is possible. However, the use of the static NAT function not only requires the user to set the static NAT table in advance, but the setting contents are complicated for the end user who does not have knowledge of the IP address. In addition, when the global IP address of a router with a static NAT function is dynamically allocated by PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) or DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), the user knows the address. There is a problem that it is difficult to specify the connection destination when connecting from the Internet to the LAN.
In order to easily connect to a LAN from a wide area network such as the Internet (hereinafter referred to as “WAN”) without specifying a complicated static NAT table, Conventionally, there are a method using a universal plug and play NAT traversal (UPnP-NAT traversal) technique and a method disclosed in Patent Document 1.
When the UPnP-NAT traversal method is used, it is assumed that a universal plug and play Internet gateway device (UPnP-IGD) function is installed in the router. UPnP-IGD is an industry standard issued by UPnP Forum and is currently implemented in many broadband routers. In the UPnP-NAT traversal method, a device in the LAN makes a TCP / IP connection to the router connected to itself, calls the UPnP-IGD function, and refers to or sets the static NAT table in the router. Is possible.
In other words, according to the UPnP-NAT traversal method, static NAT can be used so that a device in the LAN can automatically start communication from the Internet to the device itself without a complicated manual setting by the user. Table settings can be made. In this case, the device can automatically acquire the WAN side IP address and port.
However, when the devices in the LAN do not set the UPnP-IGD static NAT table in advance, the devices on the Internet cannot directly operate the UPnP-IGD of the router. There is a problem that it is not possible to start connection to an internal device at an arbitrary time. On the other hand, when a device in the LAN sets up a UPnP-IGD static NAT table in advance, any device on the Internet can always connect to a device in the LAN indiscriminately. There is a problem in terms. Furthermore, there is a problem that the UPnP-NAT traversal method cannot be applied when a router not equipped with the UPnP-IGD function is used.
Here, as a method for connecting from a device on the Internet to a device in the LAN, a communication method is also disclosed which ensures communication safety and does not require a router having a special function (for example, a patent). Reference 1).
In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, a server device for passing NAT is prepared on the Internet, and a device in the LAN periodically transmits a UDP (User Datagram Protocol) packet to the server device. When necessary, the server device transmits a reply packet as a reply to the UDP packet to a device in the LAN, so that communication over the NAT from the server device on the Internet to the device in the LAN can be performed.
In such a system, the static NAT function and the UPnP-IGD system are set to receive communication from any device on the Internet, but basically only the reply UDP packet from the server is stored in the LAN. If the device stops sending periodic UDP packets, connection from the Internet cannot be made automatically. Therefore, since it is highly secure and can be operated by a router having a simple NAT function, a router having a UPnP-IGD function is not required, and a device on the Internet can be connected to a device in the LAN at any time. Can start.
Japanese Patent No. 3445986
As described above, starting communication from a device on the Internet to a device in the LAN beyond the NAT generally has a high processing load and requires processing time. In addition, assuming one-to-one communication, if you want to search or obtain any information from multiple connection destinations belonging to the same LAN on the network, you can pass through NAT for each connection destination. Therefore, communication with the server device for use and communication path creation work associated therewith always occur.
On the other hand, when considering networking of home appliances in the future, a user can use a mobile communication device outside the home to collect an AV content list and AV content from a large number of communication devices existing in the home LAN and having an AV function. It is expected that usage methods such as acquisition will increase. In such a case, according to the above-described conventional technology, the number of times of communication with the dedicated server device for passing through the NAT described above and the communication path creation work associated therewith increases, resulting in processing load and traffic load. There is a problem that the amount of operation increases in order to connect one by one.
In addition, the above-described communication method using the static NAT table and the communication method using the UPnP-NAT traversal technique are communication methods assuming one-to-one communication, and there are a plurality of devices on the Internet in the LAN. In the case of acquiring information from other devices, a traffic load associated with communication is generated for each connected device, and a user operation is required.
In consideration of the above problems, the present invention provides a communication system and communication that can reduce the amount of communication and the load on user operations when a terminal device connected to the Internet communicates with a plurality of communication devices in a LAN. An object is to provide equipment and terminal equipment.
To achieve the above object, a communication system of the present invention is a communication system comprising a terminal device and a plurality of communication devices existing in a LAN connected to the terminal device via the Internet, wherein the terminal The device is representative of the plurality of communication devices based on the information stored in the LAN and information stored in the information storage in the LAN, which stores information related to processing performed by the plurality of communication devices. A determination unit that determines one representative device that is a communication device; a request transmission unit that transmits a request for information about the communication device in the LAN to the representative device determined by the determination unit; and Response receiving means for receiving a response to the request, wherein the communication device receives a request for information regarding the communication device in the LAN from the terminal device. When the request receiving unit receives the request from the terminal device, the device information acquiring unit acquires as a response to the request when the request receiving unit receives information about the communication device in the LAN. Response transmission means for transmitting the received information to the terminal device.
The terminal device of the present invention is a terminal device that is connected to the Internet and communicates with a plurality of communication devices in the LAN connected to the Internet, and stores information related to processing performed by the plurality of communication devices. An internal information storage means; a determination means for determining one representative device that is a representative communication device from the plurality of communication devices based on information stored in the LAN internal information storage means; and the determination A request transmitting unit configured to transmit a request for information regarding the communication device in the LAN to the representative device determined by the unit; and a response receiving unit configured to receive a response to the request from the representative device.
The communication device of the present invention is a communication device that exists in a LAN where a plurality of communication devices exist and communicates with a terminal device via the Internet connected to the LAN, from the terminal device to the LAN. A request receiving means for receiving a request for information relating to a communication device within the device, a device information obtaining means for obtaining information relating to a communication device within the LAN, and the request receiving means when receiving the request from the terminal device, Response transmission means for transmitting information acquired by the device information acquisition means to the terminal device as a response to the request.
As described above, in the communication system of the present invention, when the terminal device acquires information from the communication device in the LAN, the representative device determined by the terminal device acquires information on the communication device in the LAN and transmits the information to the terminal device. To do. Therefore, the terminal device does not need to communicate with each of the plurality of communication devices existing in the LAN, and the communication amount is reduced. In addition, the user can acquire information held by a plurality of communication devices in the LAN collectively only by making a single request from the terminal device.
In addition, the terminal device of the present invention can store information related to processing performed by a communication device in the LAN, and can determine a representative device based on the information. That is, the terminal device can determine the representative device without causing the user to perform an operation such as selection. In addition, information regarding a plurality of communication devices in the LAN can be received by communication with the representative device.
Further, the communication device of the present invention can acquire information related to the communication device in the LAN, and can transmit the acquired information as a response to the request from the terminal device. That is, the communication device can cause the terminal to acquire information regarding other communication devices in the LAN.
Further, in the communication system and the terminal device of the present invention, the determination unit further includes information stored in the intra-LAN information storage unit when the response reception unit does not receive a response to the request from the representative device. Based on the above, a communication device in the LAN other than the communication device previously determined as a representative device may be determined as a new representative device.
As a result, when the terminal device does not receive a response from the representative device, that is, when communication with the representative device is impossible, a new representative device is selected from a plurality of communication devices in the LAN based on the stored information. Determine the device and communicate with the representative device. Therefore, for example, the user can acquire information on a plurality of devices in the LAN from the terminal device without performing operations such as selecting and setting a new representative device.
In the communication system and the communication device of the present invention, the request receiving unit further receives a request for information about the communication device from another communication device in the LAN, and the response transmitting unit further includes the When the request receiving unit receives the request from another communication device in the LAN, information related to the communication device may be transmitted to another communication device in the LAN as a response to the request.
Thereby, the communication apparatus of this invention can transmit information according to the request | requirement from a representative apparatus, when the other communication apparatus in LAN is determined as a representative apparatus. That is, the communication device of the present invention can exhibit a function as a representative device and a function of transmitting information in response to a request from the representative device.
Thus, the communication device acquires and stores information related to the communication device in the LAN in advance. For this reason, for example, when a user makes a request from a terminal device, the user can quickly acquire information held by a plurality of communication devices in the LAN.
As described above, the communication system, the communication device, and the terminal device of the present invention do not need to perform communication for each communication device when the terminal device acquires information from a plurality of communication devices in the LAN. It is possible to reduce the total communication amount and the load related to user operations.
Furthermore, the present invention can be realized as a method using the characteristic components of the communication system, communication device and terminal device of the present invention as a step, or can be realized as a program including those steps, or the program can be stored. It can also be realized as a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or as an integrated circuit. The program can also be distributed via a transmission medium such as a communication network.
The present invention provides a communication system, a communication device, and a terminal device that can reduce the amount of communication when a terminal device connected to the Internet communicates with a plurality of communication devices in a LAN and a load related to user operations. can do.
Therefore, the user can easily acquire information from a plurality of devices in the LAN using a terminal device connected to the Internet, and usability is improved. Further, since the communication amount is reduced, for example, it is possible to contribute to the reduction of the entire communication traffic amount on the Internet.
First, the configuration of the communication system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment. In the communication system shown in FIG. 1, a user who owns a plurality of devices existing in the same LAN can send information on the plurality of devices, for example, contents held by the plurality of devices from the outside via the Internet. It is a system for obtaining.
As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system according to the first embodiment includes an external network 105 and a LAN 110.
The external network 105 includes the Internet 100, a terminal 121, and a NAT passage server 103, and the terminal 121 and the NAT passage server 103 are connected to the Internet 100.
The LAN 110 includes a NAT router 119, a device 111, a device 112, and a device 113, and the NAT router 119, the device 111, the device 112, and the device 113 are connected to be communicable with each other. The LAN 110 is connected to the Internet 100 via a NAT router 119.
In addition, a communication path for communication between the NAT router 119 and the Internet 100 is a first communication path 101, and a communication path for communication between the terminal 121 and the Internet 100 is a second communication path 102.
In the following description, a device in a LAN refers to a device provided in the LAN. That is, a device in the LAN is a device that can communicate with a device on the Internet via a NAT router provided in the LAN.
The terminal 121 is a device for communicating with a device in the LAN 110, and is a mobile phone, for example. The device 111, the device 112, and the device 113 are devices that store contents such as moving images, and are, for example, hard disk recorders.
The NAT router 119 is a router having the above-described NAT function, and is a router device that performs mutual conversion between a global IP address and a private IP address for communication between devices in the LAN 110 and devices on the Internet 100.
The device 111, the device 112, the device 113, and the terminal 121 have an identifier for identifying each device. Hereinafter, this identifier is referred to as “device ID”.
Each of the device 111, the device 112, and the device 113 is an example of the communication device of the present invention. Each device is a control point defined by the UPnP-DA (device architecture) standard, and has a function of CDS (Contents Delivery Service) of the UPnP-AV standard (hereinafter referred to as “CDS function”). Can be provided to other devices.
In order to protect the content provided by the CDS function from being viewed by others, a password for authenticating each of the devices 111, 112, and 113 when accessed from another device is provided. Is set.
In addition, the user can register a device ID, which is an identifier of a device permitted to provide the CDS function, for each of the device 111, the device 112, and the device 113 for authentication when the CDS function is provided to another device. . That is, the device 111, the device 112, and the device 113 provide the CDS function only when a correct password is transmitted from a device having a registered device ID.
These passwords and device IDs are held in a storage unit or the like built in each of the devices 111, 112, and 113. The components included in the device 111 and the like will be described later with reference to FIG.
The NAT passing server 103 is a server for establishing communication from the terminal 121 to a device in the LAN 110. Even if the NAT router 119 exists on the route, the terminal 121 can start communication with devices in the LAN 110 using the NAT passing server 103. As a method for realizing this communication, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used.
Specifically, a device in the LAN 110 periodically transmits a UDP packet to the NAT passing server 103. The NAT passing server 103 can transmit information to devices in the LAN 110 at an arbitrary timing as a response to the UDP packet. In this situation, when the NAT passing server 103 receives a connection request to a device in the LAN 110, for example, the device 111 from the terminal 121, the NAT passing server 103 transmits the connection request to the device 111.
After receiving the connection request, the device 111 establishes communication with the NAT passing server 103 and is set in the NAT router 119 at the time of establishment, and the port number for direct communication with the device on the Internet and the NAT router 119 global The connection information including the IP address and the like is transmitted to the NAT passing server 103.
The NAT passing server 103 transmits the connection information to the terminal 121. The terminal 121 establishes a connection with the device 111 using the received connection information. Thereby, thereafter, the terminal 121 and the device 111 can directly communicate with each other.
As described above, the NAT passing server 103 is a device for establishing communication from the terminal 121 to the device in the LAN 110, and is involved in the exchange of information after the communication is established between the terminal 121 and the device in the LAN. do not do. Therefore, when the communication from the terminal 121 to the device in the LAN is started, the NAT passing server 103 always performs the above-described operation, and the functional configuration and communication sequence of the device shown in FIGS. The illustration and description of the NAT passing server are omitted. Also, since the NAT router 119 only performs IP address conversion and the like and is not related to the characteristics of the communication system, the illustration and description are omitted in the same manner.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating functional configurations of the terminal 121 and the device 111 in the communication system according to the first embodiment. The functional configurations of the device 112 and the device 113 are the same as those of the device 111, and the description thereof is omitted.
Further, with respect to the device 111, description of functions related to content reproduction is omitted, and only characteristic components in the communication system of the present invention will be described. Similarly, only the characteristic components of the terminal 121 in the communication system of the present invention will be described.
As described above, the device 111 is a device that accumulates content such as moving images, and is, for example, a hard disk recorder. The device 111 includes a device-side communication unit 1, an input unit 2, a display unit 3, a device ID storage unit 4, a content storage unit 5, and a device control unit 6.
The device-side communication unit 1 is a processing unit for exchanging information with other devices in the LAN 110 and the terminal 121. The device-side communication unit 1 implements a function of receiving or transmitting information included in each of the request receiving unit, the response transmitting unit, the identifier receiving unit, and the identifier transmitting unit in the communication device of the present invention. Note that the device control unit 6 performs processing for generating information to be transmitted and extracting necessary information from the received information.
The input unit 2 is an example of an accepting unit in the communication device of the present invention, and is a processing unit that accepts the device ID of the terminal 121 that the user inputs to the device 111.
The display unit 3 is a liquid crystal screen or the like that provides a user with a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for displaying information and inputting instructions. The device ID storage unit 4 is an example of an identifier storage unit in the communication device of the present invention, and is a storage device for storing the device ID of the device 111 itself and the ID of another device for authenticating communication.
The content storage unit 5 is a storage device for storing content such as moving images. The device control unit 6 is a processing unit that controls and executes processing such as communication and authentication performed by the device 111, and holds a password set by the user. The device control unit 6 is an example of device information acquisition means in the communication device of the present invention.
In addition, similarly to the device 111, the device 112 and the device 113 are the device-side communication unit 1, the input unit 2, the display unit 3, the device ID storage unit 4, the content storage unit 5, and the device control unit, respectively. 6.
As described above, the terminal 121 is a device for communicating with a device in the LAN 110, and is a mobile phone, for example. The terminal 121 includes a terminal-side communication unit 10, an input unit 11, a display unit 12, a device list storage unit 13, a representative device preference storage unit 14, and a terminal control unit 15.
The terminal-side communication unit 10 is a processing unit for exchanging information with other devices such as devices in the LAN 110. The terminal-side communication unit 10 realizes a function of transmitting or receiving information included in each of the request transmission unit and the response reception unit in the terminal device of the present invention.
The input unit 11 is a button or the like for the user to input an instruction or selection to the terminal 121. The display unit 12 is a liquid crystal screen or the like that provides a user with a GUI for displaying information and inputting instructions.
The device list storage unit 13 is a storage unit that stores device IDs of devices in the LAN 110 as a device list in the LAN 110. The operation when registering the device ID of the device in the LAN 110 will be described later with reference to FIGS.
The representative device preference storage unit 14 is an example of an in-LAN information storage unit in the terminal device of the present invention, and is a storage unit that stores the representative device preference in the LAN 110. Here, the representative device refers to a device that communicates with the terminal 121 on behalf of a plurality of devices within the LAN 110 when the terminal 121 communicates with a device within the LAN 110.
The LAN 110 representative device preference is data for determining a representative device in the LAN 110, and records information related to processing performed by a device in the LAN 110. Specifically, the device ID of a device having a UPnP control point function is registered. The operation of the terminal 121 when registering the device ID in the representative device preference in the LAN 110 will be described later with reference to FIGS.
The terminal control unit 15 is a processing unit that controls and executes processing performed by the terminal 121 such as communication and representative device determination, and holds the device ID of the terminal 121. It should be noted that the terminal control unit 15 determines whether the representative information included in the representative determination unit of the terminal device of the present invention and the individual information regarding the devices in the LAN included in the determination unit satisfy a predetermined standard. Function is realized.
Next, the operation of the communication system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a communication sequence when a device ID of the terminal 121 is registered with a device in the LAN 110 in order for a device in the LAN 110 to communicate with the terminal 121.
The user knows the device ID of the terminal 121 and the device ID of the device 111 in advance, and the device ID of the device 111 has already been registered in the device 112 and the device 113. Description will be made assuming that the device ID of the device 111 is stored in the device ID storage unit 4.
First, the device 111 starts registration of the device ID of the terminal 121 in accordance with a predetermined instruction from the user input unit 2 (S201).
The device control unit 6 of the device 111 performs UPnP discovery for other devices connected to the LAN 110 via the device-side communication unit 1, that is, for the devices 112 and 113 in the first embodiment. An M-Search request that is a message is transmitted (S202, S203).
The devices 112 and 113 respond to the M-Search request that they are present (S204, S205). Note that processing such as responses performed by the device 112 and the device 113 is performed by the device control unit 6 included therein, and transmission / reception of information is performed by the device-side communication unit 1.
The device-side communication unit 1 of the device 111 receives the response, and the device control unit 6 confirms that the device 111, the device 112, and the device 113 are present in the LAN 110 in a normal state based on the response. In order to inform the user, a list of these devices is displayed on the display unit 3 of the device 111 (S206).
Next, the user inputs the device ID of the terminal 121 by operating the input unit 2 (S207). Here, the device 111 has a mechanism in which the device ID of the terminal 121 is registered with respect to the device 111, the device 112, and the device 113 once the user manually inputs the device ID of the terminal 121 once. .
Specifically, the device control unit 6 of the device 111 displays the GUI shown in FIG. 4 on the display unit 3.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a GUI for the user to register the device ID of the terminal in a plurality of devices in the LAN.
The device control unit 6 of the device 111 displays the GUI shown in FIG. 4 on the display unit 3. The device ID of the terminal 121 is input from the GUI by the user, and the input device ID of the terminal 121 is temporarily held by the device control unit 6.
Next, the device control unit 6 of the device 111 displays the GUI shown in FIG. 5 on the display unit 3.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a GUI for the user to select a device in the LAN in which the device ID of the terminal 121 is registered.
When the device 111, the device 112, and the device 113 in the LAN 110 are selected by the check boxes indicating the respective devices on the GUI shown in FIG. The unit 6 accepts the click, and generates a terminal registration request including the device ID of the terminal 121 and the device ID of the device 111. The device-side communication unit 1 transmits the generated terminal registration request to each of the device 112 and the device 113 (S208, S209).
The device 112 and the device 113 receive the terminal registration request and confirm that the device ID of the device 111 is registered therein, and then register the device ID of the terminal 121 in each device.
In the device 111, the device ID of the terminal 121 is registered in the device. That is, in each device, the device ID of the terminal 121 is stored in the device ID storage unit 4. Furthermore, the device 112 and the device 113 transmit a response indicating the terminal registration success to the device 111 (S210, S211), and the registration is completed.
With the communication sequence described above, the device ID of the terminal 121 is registered in each of the device 111, the device 112, and the device 113. That is, conventionally, it is possible to input a device ID of a terminal that has to be manually input from the GUI or the like of each device for each device by a single device ID input. .
Specifically, in the communication system of the first embodiment, a connection is permitted from one device in the LAN 110 (the device 111 in the first embodiment) to a device selected from all the devices in the LAN 110. The device IDs of terminals to be connected (terminal 121 in the first embodiment) can be registered in a lump.
Further, the device ID is registered in the device ID storage unit 4 included in each device ID. Each device can determine whether or not communication is possible depending on whether or not the registered device ID is included in the information transmitted from another device. That is, connection requests from unregistered devices can be rejected.
That is, it is possible to set communication authority for other devices in the LAN 110 with a small load on the user. As a result, it is possible to reduce the work related to the setting of the communication authority for other devices of the user.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a communication sequence when the terminal 121 registers the device ID of the device 111 in the device list in the LAN 110 used for communication with the device in the LAN 110.
First, it is assumed that the device 113 is in a power-off state (S221).
In the terminal 121, registration of the device 111 is started by a predetermined instruction given by the user from the input unit 11 (S222).
The device ID of the device 111 is input by the user's operation of the input unit 11 (S223). The terminal control unit 15 receives the input, and establishes communication with the device 111 via the terminal-side communication unit 10 by a communication method using the above-described NAT passing server 103. After the communication is established, a connection request is transmitted to the device 111 via the second communication path 102, the Internet 100, the first communication path 101, and the NAT router 119 (S224).
The terminal 121 receives a response indicating a successful connection (S225), and performs authentication and capability confirmation for the device 111 (S226, S227). Capability confirmation means what kind of processing the device can perform, and how much the processing capability is, that is, individual information that is information related to processing performed by the device. It is obtained and determined whether or not a predetermined standard is satisfied. In the present embodiment, the predetermined criterion is to have a UPnP control point function, and when the individual information indicates that it has a UPnP control point function, it is determined that the predetermined criterion is satisfied. This determination is made by the terminal control unit 15 of the terminal 121.
Specifically, the terminal 121 is authenticated by the device 111 by transmitting the password of the device 111 from the terminal 121. In addition, the terminal 121 confirms the capability of the device 111 such as whether or not the device 111 is a UPnP control point (indicated by “CP” in the drawing including FIG. 6).
Thereafter, the terminal control unit 15 of the terminal 121 creates a device list in the LAN 110 in the device list storage unit 13 in the terminal 121 (S228). The device list in the LAN 110 is a list for holding device IDs of devices connected in the LAN 110. The terminal control unit 15 registers the device ID of the device 111 in the device list in the LAN 110 (S229).
By having such a device list in the LAN 110, the terminal 121 can grasp the presence of devices that exist in the LAN 110 and can communicate with the terminal 121.
In addition, a representative device preference in the LAN 110 is held in the representative device preference storage unit 14 as data inside the terminal 121. While the device IDs of all communicable devices in the LAN 110 are registered in the device list in the LAN 110, the device IDs of devices that can be representative devices are registered in the representative device preference in the LAN 110. The
The terminal 121 can determine the representative device in the LAN 110 without requiring a user operation when acquiring information from the devices in the LAN 110 collectively by referring to the representative device preference in the LAN 110. It becomes.
In the first embodiment, a plurality of device IDs of devices that have been previously established and confirmed to have a UPnP control point function are stored in the LAN 110 representative device preference. The device 111 is a UPnP control point, and is added to the representative device preference in the LAN 110 by the terminal control unit 15 (S230).
In addition, when a plurality of device IDs are registered in the representative device preference in the LAN 110, the priority as a representative device is determined based on the capability of the device acquired in the capability confirmation, and the one with the highest priority is determined. Selected as a representative device. Processing for the representative device preference in the LAN 110 is performed by the terminal control unit 15.
Further, registration of the device ID in the device list in LAN 110 and the representative device preference in LAN 110 and determination of the representative device are performed by the terminal control unit 15.
With the above-described operation, registration of the device 111 in the terminal 121 is completed.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a communication sequence when the device list in the LAN 110 is updated. With this update, the device ID of the device 112 that is not registered in the device list in the LAN 110 is added to the device list in the LAN 110.
In the following description, unless otherwise specified, processing executed by devices such as the device 111, the device 112, and the device 113 is performed by the device control unit 6 included in each device, and all transmission and reception of information is performed on each device. This is performed by the device-side communication unit 1 included in. Further, processing executed by a terminal such as the terminal 121 is performed by the terminal control unit 15, and transmission / reception of information is all performed via the terminal-side communication unit 10.
Assume that the device 113 is in a power-off state (S241).
After the communication sequence when registering the device ID of the device 111 to the terminal 121 shown in FIG. 6, the terminal 121 automatically refers to the representative device preference in the LAN 110 (S242), and the device in the LAN 110 Updating of the list is started (S243).
The terminal 121 transmits a device search request including the device ID of the terminal 121 as a request for information regarding the device in the LAN 110 to the device 111 determined as the representative device by referring to the representative device preference in the LAN 110. (S244). The device search request is a search request for devices that can communicate within the LAN 110.
The device 111 that has received the device search request transmits an M-Search request that is a UPnP discovery message to the devices in the LAN 110. In the first embodiment, an M-Search request for requesting a response is transmitted to the device 112 and the device 113 (S245, S246).
The device ID of the terminal 121 is added to the request header of the M-Search request by the device control unit 6 of the device 111.
Next, the device 112 and the device 113 that are transmission destinations of the M-Search request confirm the device ID of the terminal 121 included in the M-Search request, and are already registered in the device ID storage unit 4 included in each device. A response is returned only when the device ID matches.
That is, if they do not match, no response is returned. Further, when a response is returned to the M-Search request, the device ID is included in the response.
In the first embodiment, as described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 3, the device ID of the terminal 121 is already registered in the device 112, and the device 112 responds to the M-Search request. A response including the device ID is transmitted (S247). Although the device ID of the terminal 121 is registered in the device 113, the device 113 does not respond to the M-Search request because the power is off. Therefore, the device 111 receives only a response from the device 112 (S247).
The device 111 returns the device ID of the device 111 and the device ID of the device 112 as device search results to the terminal 121 as information for identifying the device 111 and the device 112 (S248). That is, the device ID of the device 112 that is not registered in the device list in the LAN 110 of the terminal 121 is transmitted to the terminal 121.
Using the device ID of the device 112, the terminal 121 registers the device 112 in the device list in the LAN 110 and the representative device preference in the LAN 110 in the following operations.
After receiving the device search result from the device 111, the terminal 121 starts work for causing the device 112 to authenticate the terminal 121 and confirming the capability of the device 112 in order to register the device ID of the device 112 in the terminal 121. (S249).
The terminal 121 displays the connection status of devices in the LAN 110 to the user using a GUI as shown in FIG.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a GUI for a user to select a device in the LAN 110 to be registered in the terminal 121. This GUI is displayed by the display unit 12.
When the check box corresponding to the device 112 on the GUI illustrated in FIG. 8 is checked by the user's operation of the input unit 11, the terminal 121 receives a request for registration of the device 112. Thereafter, the terminal 121 prompts the user to input a password on the GUI.
When the correct password set in the device 112 is input by the user and a predetermined operation is performed, the terminal 121 includes a device ID of the terminal 121 and a password input by the user for the device 111. A registration request is transmitted (S250).
Upon receiving the device registration request, the device 111 transmits a SOAP action request, which is a UPnP control message, to the device 112 over the LAN 110 (S251). This SOAP action request includes the device ID of the terminal 121 and the password input by the user on the terminal 121.
The device 112 authenticates the terminal 121 using information included in the SOAP action request. Specifically, only when the device ID of the terminal 121 included in the SOAP action request is stored in the device ID storage unit 4 of the device 112 and the password included in the SOAP action request matches its own password, The terminal 121 is authenticated.
If the authentication is successful, the device 112 transmits to the device 111 a response including the content for permitting device registration and the content indicating that the device 112 has the UPnP control point function (S252). The device 111 transmits, to the terminal 121, a response including the content received from the device 112 that permits device registration and the content indicating that the device has a UPnP control point function (S253). That is, the individual information of the device 112 is transmitted. Thereby, the terminal 121 can acquire the individual information of the device 112 via the device 111 which is a representative device.
Upon receiving this response, the terminal 121 completes the authentication work with the device 112 and the capability confirmation of the device 112 (S254), adds the device ID of the device 112 to the device list in the LAN 110, and the device in the LAN 110 The list update is completed (S255). Next, since the device 112 has a UPnP control point function, the device ID of the device 112 is additionally recorded in the representative device preference in the LAN 110 (S256).
As described above, in the communication system according to the first embodiment, the device 111 transfers the device search request transmitted from the terminal 121 to the device in the LAN 110 in order to update the device list in the LAN 110 inside the terminal 121. Specifically, the device search request is converted into an M-Search request in the LAN to search for a device in the LAN 110, and the device search result is returned to the terminal 121. In other words, the terminal 121 can grasp the existence of a communicable device in the LAN 110 by communicating only with the device 111 that is the representative device, and does not need to try connection for each device in the LAN. That is, it is possible to reduce the communication amount, the user operation amount, and the processing amount of the terminal 121.
In addition, the device 112 can confirm the communication authority of the requesting device simply by confirming whether or not the device ID of the terminal 121 included in the request header of the M-Search request transmitted from the device 111 has been registered, There is no burden on the user. Furthermore, only when the device ID of the terminal 121 has been registered, that is, when the device 112 permits communication with the terminal 121, it is possible to respond to the M-Search request and cause the terminal 121 to grasp its presence.
The device ID of the device 112 that has been newly identified is transmitted from the device 111 that is the representative device to the terminal 121. That is, conventionally, it is possible to reduce the input of the device ID of the device 112 that the user has to manually input on the terminal 121.
The user uses the transmitted device ID of the device 112 and simply adds the password set in the device 112 to the terminal device 121 without entering the device ID in the terminal 121. It can be performed. At the same time, since the capability of the device 112 is also checked, it can be added to the representative device preference in the LAN 110. That is, the communication system of the first embodiment can reduce the amount of work for the user to register the device in the LAN 110 at the terminal 121.
7 is added to the LAN 110 internal device list and the LAN 110 representative device preference, similar to the device 112, after the power is turned ON in the sequence diagram shown in FIG. The The time of addition will be described later in the description of FIG.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a communication sequence when the user instructs the terminal 121 to collectively acquire a content list of devices in the LAN 110.
The power source of the device 113 is in an ON state (S271), and the power source of the device 111 is in an OFF state (S272).
First, in the terminal 121, a content batch search for devices in the LAN 110 is instructed by a user's operation of the input unit 11 (S273). The terminal 121 starts determining the representative device of the LAN 110 that is the transmission destination of the collective acquisition request (S274).
The terminal 121 refers to the representative device preference in the LAN 110 (S275). It should be noted that the device IDs of the devices 111 and 112 are registered in the representative device preference in the LAN 110 according to the communication sequence shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the device ID of the device 111 is registered at the upper level. It shall be. That is, the device 111 is selected as the representative device by the terminal control unit 15.
The terminal 121 transmits a connection request to the device 111 (S276). However, the device 111 is in a power-off state, that is, communication is impossible, and the terminal 121 cannot receive a response to the connection request. That is, the connection fails (S277). Here, the terminal 121 refers to the representative device preference in the LAN 110, and transmits a connection request to the device 112 registered as the representative device next to the device 111 (S278).
If this connection is successful (S279), after authentication between the terminal 121 and the device 112, the terminal 121 confirms the capability of the device 112 (S280, S281). In addition, although the capability check has already been performed when the device 112 is registered in the terminal 121, when a new selection is made as a representative device, the capability check is also performed at the time of determination.
By this capability confirmation, the terminal 121 confirms that the device 112 has a UPnP control point function. Thus, the representative device in the LAN 110 is determined to be the device 112 (S282). That is, the device 112 that is a device in the LAN 110 other than the device 111 that has been previously determined as the representative device is determined as a new representative device.
After the representative device is determined, in the first embodiment, before transmitting a content list batch acquisition request from the terminal 121 to the device 112, the device 113 is additionally registered in the device list in the LAN 110 (S283). ). The communication sequence for registration is the same as that shown in FIG.
That is, the terminal 121 transmits a device search request including the device ID of the terminal 121 to the device 112 that is the representative device. The device 113 receives the M-Search request transmitted from the device 112 and including the device ID of the terminal 121, confirms that the device ID of the terminal 121 is stored in the device ID storage unit 4 of the device 113, A response including the device ID of the device 113 is transmitted to the device 112. The device 112 transmits the response to the terminal 121.
The terminal 121 uses the device ID of the device 113 included in the received response, receives the password authentication from the device 113, confirms the capability of the device 113, and registers the device ID of the device 113 in the LAN 110 device list. To do. Further, it is confirmed that the device 113 has the UPnP control point function, and the device ID of the device 113 is registered in the representative device preference in the LAN 110 (S283).
Next, the terminal 121 transmits the device ID of the terminal 121 and a content list batch acquisition request to the device 112 (S284).
Upon receiving the content list batch acquisition request, the device 112 transmits a UPnP discovery message (M-search request) on the LAN 110 to search for the device. In the first embodiment, the device 111 is in a power-off state, and only the device 113 responds to the M-search request.
The device 112 transmits a content list acquisition request that is a UPnP control message to the responding device 113 (S285). This content list acquisition request includes the device ID of the terminal 121.
The device 113 confirms that the device ID of the terminal 121 included in the content list acquisition request from the device 112 is stored in the device ID storage unit 4 of the device 113, and then the content storage unit 5 of the device 113. All the contents stored in is searched, and a contents list is transmitted to the device 112 as a search result (S286).
The device 112 collects its own content list stored in the content storage unit 5 of the device 112 and the content list of the device 113, and transmits them to the terminal 121 (S287).
Thus, the content batch search within the LAN 110 in the terminal 121 ends (S288). The terminal 121 displays a list of contents of the device 112 and the device 113, which is a response from the device 112, on the display unit 12 of the terminal 121 (S289).
As described above, conventionally, a connection is established and a content list is acquired for each of the devices 112 and 113 in the LAN 110, whereas in the communication system according to the first embodiment, the connection with the device 112 is established. Is established, and a content list batch acquisition request is transmitted to the device 112, whereby content lists of a plurality of devices can be acquired in a batch. That is, it is possible to reduce a communication amount, a user operation amount, and a device processing amount.
In the communication system according to the first embodiment, when a device is added to the LAN 110, or when a device that has been powered off is turned on, the device itself permits communication. Only in response to the search from the terminal 121, additional registration of the device to the terminal 121 is performed based on the response. That is, the user can check which devices are communicable and input the device ID, so that the burden on the user can be reduced.
In addition, even when the representative device in the LAN 110 becomes incapable of communication, the terminal 121 selects a device that can be connected and functions as the representative device from the devices in the LAN 110 without additional operation by the user. The content list can be acquired from all communicable devices in the LAN 110 through the representative device.
That is, even if one representative device cannot communicate, the terminal 121 selects and determines an alternative representative device, so that a request for browsing the user's content list is not imposed on the user. Can be satisfied.
For the connection to access the LAN 110 from the external network 105 side, the representative device performs authentication and encryption communication using an asymmetric key method, etc., and communication within the LAN can be performed by simple authentication such as a password and plain text communication. Good. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the communication load without lowering the security level related to communication from outside the LAN.
In the first embodiment, the connection destination is a plurality of devices in the LAN. However, even when the connection destination is a device in the same subnet instead of a device existing in the LAN, the operation of each device is not affected. The same effect can be obtained.
In addition, after the sequence in which the terminal 121 registers the device 111 shown in FIG. 6, the terminal 121 automatically processes the update of the device list in the LAN 110 shown in the sequence in FIG. The device list in the LAN 110 may be updated by operation.
Further, the user may add a device in the LAN 110 to the device list in the LAN 110 by operating the terminal 121.
Regarding the representative device preference, in the first embodiment, the device ID of the device that has been confirmed to have the UPnP control point function as a result of the capability confirmation as a result of the capability confirmation in the representative device preference in the LAN 110. Are registered together with a predetermined priority. Further, the terminal 121 refers to the representative device preference in the LAN 110 and determines the representative device according to the priority order. However, another method may be used to determine the representative device.
For example, 1) Pre-setting by the user for the representative device preference in the LAN 110, 2) Arbitrary selection by the user from registered devices in the representative device determination sequence, 3) Devices of the candidate devices in the LAN 110 for all the devices in the LAN 110 The ID may be stored and the device ID may be determined by other methods such as the terminal 121 referring to the device ID.
As described above, by leaving a certain process to the user's explicit operation, for example, the user can grasp the situation of the entire communication system.
In the first embodiment, the terminal 121 requests the devices in the LAN 110 to collectively acquire the content list, but other requests may be used. For example, when the terminal 121 transmits a content acquisition request to the representative device in the LAN 110, it is possible to acquire the desired content to the terminal 121 via the representative device, and the effect of the present invention is not necessarily the content. It is not limited to list acquisition purposes.
Further, in the sequence when the terminal 121 collectively acquires a content list from the devices in the LAN 110 shown in FIG. 9, the terminal 121 is a device 113 that is a device that is newly communicable after determining a representative device. It was decided to perform additional registration. However, the time for registering a newly communicable device may be another time.
For example, an operation for registration may be performed at regular intervals, or registration may be performed by a user operation as described above.
In addition, although the devices 111, 112, and 113 provide services in accordance with the UPnP standard, the effects of the present invention can be similarly exerted as long as the communication standard realizes the search for devices and contents. It is not limited to communication standards.
Furthermore, regarding the content list batch acquisition request, it is possible to select a specific target device from the terminal 121 side by defining a request for transmitting the device ID of the target device.
The criterion for recording the device ID in the LAN representative device preference is that the device has a UPnP control point function. However, other criteria may be used. In short, any standard that can determine that the device has a relay function that acquires information related to other devices in the LAN 110 and transmits the information to the terminal 121 in response to a request from the terminal 121 may be used.
In the first embodiment, the method described in Patent Document 1 is used as a communication method via the NAT router 119. However, the same effect can be obtained as in the STUN technology described in RFC3489, for example. The effect of the present invention is not limited to the case where the method described in Patent Document 1 is used.
Further, although the terminal 121 does not belong to the LAN via the NAT router, the terminal 121 may be a device that belongs to a specific LAN. Equivalent effects are obtained by using a method and a technology that allows connection via a NAT router, such as the STUN technology described in RFC3489.
As described above, by changing the communication content, communication standard, and communication method to another one, for example, when designing a communication system, it is possible to design an optimum system in accordance with the user's request. .
(Embodiment 2: Multiple LANs)
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to the second embodiment. Unlike the communication system according to the first embodiment, the communication system according to the second embodiment is a system in which terminals in an external network perform communication targeting a plurality of LANs.
As shown in FIG. 10, the communication system according to the second embodiment includes an external network 305, a LAN 310, and a LAN 320.
The external network 305 includes the Internet 100, a terminal 331 and a NAT passing server 304, and the terminal 331 and the NAT passing server 304 are connected to the Internet 100.
The LAN 310 includes a NAT router 319, a device 311, a device 312, and a device 313, and the NAT router 319, the device 311, the device 312 and the device 313 are connected to be communicable with each other. The LAN 310 is connected to the Internet 100 via a NAT router 319.
The LAN 320 includes a NAT router 329, a device 321, a device 322, and a device 323, and the NAT router 329, the device 321, the device 322, and the device 323 are connected to be communicable with each other. The LAN 320 is connected to the Internet 100 via a NAT router 329.
In addition, a communication path for communication between the NAT router 319 and the Internet 100 is a first communication path 301, a communication path for communication between the NAT router 329 and the Internet 100 is a second communication path 302, and the terminal 331 and the Internet 100 are connected. A communication path for communicating with the third communication path 303 is a third communication path 303.
The terminal 331 is a device that includes the same components as the terminal 121 in the first embodiment and has the same functions. That is, the terminal-side communication unit 10, the input unit 11, the display unit 12, the device list storage unit 13, the representative device preference storage unit 14, and the terminal control unit 15 are provided. Also, it has a device ID that identifies the terminal 331. The terminal 331 is a mobile phone, for example.
The device 311, the device 312, the device 313, the device 321, the device 322, and the device 323 are devices that include the same components as the device 111 in Embodiment 1 and have the same functions. That is, each device includes a device-side communication unit 1, an input unit 2, a display unit 3, a device ID storage unit 4, a content storage unit 5, and a device control unit 6. Each device stores contents such as moving images, and is, for example, a hard disk recorder.
Each device is a control point defined by the UPnP-DA (device architecture) standard and has a CDS function of the UPnP-AV standard. In addition, the user can register the device ID of a device that is permitted to provide the CDS function for authentication when providing the CDS function to other devices. In addition, a password for protecting the AV content provided by the CDS function from being viewed by others can be set. The password is held in the device control unit 6, and the device ID is held in the device ID storage unit 4.
The NAT router 329 and the NAT router 319 are routers having a NAT function like the NAT router 119 in the first embodiment, and are router devices that mutually convert a global IP address and a private IP address.
The NAT passing server 304 has the same function as the NAT passing server 103 in the first embodiment. That is, communication from the terminal 331 to the device in the LAN 310 and the device in the LAN 320 can be established.
Next, the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment will be described.
First, the operation at the time of registering the device ID of the terminal 331 with respect to the devices in the LAN 310 and the LAN 320 and the operation at the time of registering the device ID of the device in the LAN 310 and in the LAN 320 with respect to the terminal 331 will be described.
In the second embodiment, the power sources of the device 311, the device 312, the device 313, the device 321, the device 322, and the device 323 are always ON.
Hereinafter, the user knows in advance the device ID of the terminal 331, the device ID of the device 311 and the device ID of the device 321, and the device ID of the device 311 is already registered in the device 312 and the device 313. That is, it is assumed that the device ID of the device 311 is stored in each device ID storage unit 4. Similarly, it is assumed that the device ID of the device 321 is already registered in the device 322 and the device 323, that is, the device ID of the device 321 is stored in each device ID storage unit 4. .
First, a device in the LAN 310 registers the device ID of the terminal 331 with respect to the device 311, the device 312, and the device 313 in order to communicate with the terminal 331. The communication sequence related to this registration is the same as that in the first embodiment, and is performed by the same operation as the communication sequence shown in FIG.
That is, when the device ID of the terminal 331 is input from the device 311 by the user, the device 312 and the device 313 confirm that the device ID of the device 311 is registered in the device 311, and the device ID storage unit 4 included in each device 311 and 313. Stores the device ID of the terminal 331. The device 311 also stores the device ID of the terminal 331 in the device ID storage unit 4 included in the device 311.
Similarly, the device ID of the terminal 331 is registered for the devices in the LAN 320, and the device ID of the terminal 331 is stored in the device ID storage unit 4 included in each of the device 321, the device 322, and the device 323. The
Next, the device ID of the device in the LAN 310 and the device in the LAN 320 is registered in the terminal 331. The operation related to this registration is the same as that in the first embodiment, and is performed by the same operation as the communication sequence shown in FIGS.
That is, when the terminal 331 communicates with the device 311, the device IDs of the device 311, the device 312, and the device 313 and information responding to the capability confirmation are transmitted to the terminal 331 via the device 311. Similarly, when the terminal 331 communicates with the device 321, the device ID of the device 321, the device 322, and the device 323 and information responding to the capability confirmation are transmitted to the terminal 331 via the device 321.
The devices in the LAN 310 and the LAN 320 respond to the request from the terminal 331 only when the device ID of the terminal 331 is registered in the device, and the password set in the device from the terminal 331. Only when a password that matches is transmitted, it is permitted to register its own device ID in the terminal 331.
The device ID of the device in the LAN 310 transmitted to the terminal 331 is registered in the device list in the LAN 310 and the representative device preference in the LAN 310, and the device ID of the device in the LAN 320 is registered in the device list in the LAN 320 and the representative device in the LAN 320. Registered as a preference. Note that the device ID of the device 311 is registered in the representative device preference in the LAN 310 as the device having the highest priority as the representative device, and the device ID of the device 321 is registered as the representative device preference in the LAN 320 representative device preference. It is assumed that the highest priority is registered.
Through the above operation, the LAN 310 device list and the LAN 320 device list are stored in the device list storage unit 13 of the terminal 331, and the LAN 310 representative device preference and the LAN 320 representative device preference are the representative device preferences of the terminal 331. It is stored in the storage unit 14.
Next, a communication sequence when the terminal 331 performs a content batch search for the devices in the LAN 310 and the devices in the LAN 320 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a communication sequence when the user instructs collective acquisition of a content list possessed by a device in the LAN 310 from the terminal 331. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a communication sequence at the time of batch acquisition of a content list possessed by devices in the LAN 320, which is performed after the end of the communication sequence shown in FIG.
In the terminal 331, the GUI shown in FIG. 13 is displayed on the display unit 12.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a GUI for the user to select a LAN to be searched for content list batch acquisition.
In the GUI shown in FIG. 13, the user selects the LAN 310 and the LAN 320 to instruct batch acquisition of a content list for the devices in the LAN 310 and the devices in the LAN 320 (S401).
Receiving the instruction, the terminal 331 starts determining the representative device in the LAN 310 (S402). First, the terminal 331 refers to the representative device preference in the LAN 310 (S403), selects the device 311 as the representative device, and transmits a connection request to the device 311 (S404). If this connection is successful (S405), the authentication is performed between the terminal 331 and the device 311 using a password, and then the capability is confirmed (S406, S407). Thus, the representative device in the LAN 310 is determined as the device 311 (S408).
Next, the terminal 331 transmits the device ID of the terminal 331 and the content list batch acquisition request to the device 311 (S409). Upon receiving the content list batch acquisition request, the device 311 transmits a UPnP discovery message (M-search request) on the LAN 310 to search for a device. Then, a content list acquisition request that is a UPnP control message is transmitted to the responding devices 312 and 313 (S410, S411). This content list acquisition request includes the device ID of the terminal 331. The device 312 and the device 313 are respectively provided after confirming that the device ID of the terminal 331 included in the content list acquisition request from the device 311 is stored in the device ID storage unit 4 included therein. All the contents stored in the content storage unit 5 are searched, and a content list is transmitted to the device 311 as a search result (S412 and S413). The device 311 collects its own content list and the content lists of the device 312 and the device 313, and transmits them to the terminal 331 via the Internet 100 (S414). Thus, the batch acquisition of the content list in the LAN 310 in the terminal 331 ends (S415).
Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the terminal 331 starts to determine a representative device in the LAN 320 (S451). The terminal 331 refers to the intra-LAN 320 representative device preference (S452), and selects the device 321 as the representative device of the LAN 320.
The following is the same as the communication sequence of FIG. 11, and the terminal 331 transmits a connection request to the device 321 (S453). When the connection is successful (S454), authentication and capability confirmation are performed (S455, S456). Thus, the representative device in the LAN 320 is determined as the device 321 (S457).
Next, the terminal 331 transmits the device ID of the terminal 331 and a content list batch acquisition request to the device 321 (S458). Upon receiving the content list batch acquisition request, the device 321 transmits a UPnP discovery message (M-search request) on the LAN 320 to search for a device. Then, a content list acquisition request is transmitted to the responding devices 322 and 323 (S459, S460).
Each of the device 322 and the device 323 confirms that the device ID of the terminal 331 included in the content list acquisition request from the device 321 is stored in the device ID storage unit 4 included therein, and the content included in each of the devices 322 and 323 All the contents stored in the storage unit 5 are searched, and a content list is transmitted to the device 321 as a search result (S461, S462).
The device 321 collects its own content list and the content list of the device 322 and the device 323, and transmits them to the terminal 331 via the Internet 100 (S463).
Thus, the content batch search in the LAN 310 in the terminal 331 ends (464).
As described above, the terminal 331 collectively displays the content list of the devices in the LAN 310 and the content list of the devices in the LAN 320 on the display unit 12 (S465).
As described above, in the communication system according to the second embodiment, the terminal 331 holds the intra-LAN device list and the intra-LAN representative device preference in the device list storage unit 13 and the representative device preference storage unit 14. To do. Thereby, even when the connection destination is a plurality of LANs, it is possible to transmit a request for each LAN, or to request processing for all devices existing in the plurality of LANs.
In addition, the communication system of the second embodiment also includes the functions of the terminals and devices that make up the communication system of the first embodiment. Therefore, the effects such as the reduction of the communication amount and the user's work amount described in the description of the communication system of the first embodiment are also exhibited as they are in the communication system of the second embodiment. In addition, as with the communication system of the first embodiment, it is possible to leave a user's explicit operation for a certain process, or to change the communication content, communication standard, and communication method to those described above. .
In addition, although the case where the content list batch acquisition request is transmitted to the devices in the LAN 310 and the LAN 320 has been described, the content list acquisition request may be selectively made to individual devices.
For example, in the GUI shown in FIG. 13, which is a GUI for allowing the user to select a LAN to be searched, by selecting “individual selection” displayed on the GUI by the user, as shown in FIG. Displays the GUI. As shown in FIG. 14, the user can individually select a device in a specific LAN as a search target, and by defining a request for transmitting the device ID of the device selected by the user, a terminal 331 is provided. It is possible to acquire a list of contents existing in a specific device.
This makes it possible to acquire a content list desired by the user with a minimum necessary communication amount when the user has previously determined a device from which the content list is to be acquired.
(Embodiment 3: There is a cache service)
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to the third embodiment. The communication system according to the third embodiment is a system in which a terminal existing in an external network and a device in one LAN communicate with each other as in the communication system according to the first embodiment. Unlike the communication system, the communication system uses a cache function of a device in the LAN.
As shown in FIG. 15, the communication system according to the third embodiment includes an external network 505 and a LAN 510.
The external network 505 includes the Internet 100, a terminal 521, and a NAT passing server 503, and the terminal 521 and the NAT passing server 503 are connected to the Internet 100.
The LAN 510 includes a NAT router 519, a device 511, a device 512, and a device 513, and the NAT router 519, the device 511, the device 512, and the device 513 are connected to be communicable with each other. The LAN 510 is connected to the Internet 100 via a NAT router 519.
In addition, a communication path between the NAT router 519 and the Internet 100 is a first communication path 501, and a communication path between the terminal 521 and the Internet 100 is a second communication path 502.
Terminal 521 is a device that includes the same components as terminal 121 in the first embodiment and has the same functions. That is, the terminal-side communication unit 10, the input unit 11, the display unit 12, the device list storage unit 13, the representative device preference storage unit 14, and the terminal control unit 15 are provided. Also, it has a device ID that identifies the terminal 521. The terminal 521 is a mobile phone, for example.
The device 511 and the device 512 have the same components as the device 111 in Embodiment 1 and have the same functions. That is, each device includes a device-side communication unit 1, an input unit 2, a display unit 3, a device ID storage unit 4, a content storage unit 5, and a device control unit 6.
The device 513 includes a cache storage unit for caching information in addition to the same components as the device 111 in the first embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the device 513 in the communication system according to the third embodiment.
As illustrated in FIG. 16, the device 513 includes the same components as the device 111 in the first embodiment, that is, the device-side communication unit 1, the input unit 2, the display unit 3, the device ID storage unit 4, and the content A storage unit 5 and a device control unit 6 are provided, and a cache storage unit 7 is further provided.
The device 513 has a function as a UPnP control point similar to the device 111 in the first embodiment, and further has a cache function. The cache function here refers to a function of transmitting device search, device setting confirmation, and content list acquisition requests for all devices in the same LAN at regular time intervals and holding the responses as internal data.
The cache storage unit 7 is an example of device information storage means in the communication device of the present invention, and is a storage device for storing information transmitted as a response from the device in the LAN 510 by the cache function. In the following description, “cache” means that information related to the device in the LAN 510 is acquired, stored in the cache storage unit 7 and stored. Further, the process related to the cache is performed by the device control unit 6 as in the other processes.
Similarly to the device 111 in the first embodiment, the device 511, the device 512, and the device 513 have content such as moving images, and are, for example, hard disk recorders. Each device is a control point defined by the UPnP-DA (device architecture) standard and has a CDS function of the UPnP-AV standard. In addition, each device has a device ID that identifies itself, and the user is permitted to provide the CDS function for authentication when providing the CDS function to other devices. The device ID of the device to be registered can be registered. In addition, a password for protecting the AV content provided by the CDS function from being viewed by others can be set. The password is held in the device control unit 6, and the device ID is held in the device ID storage unit 4.
The NAT router 519 is a router having a NAT function, like the NAT router 119 in the first embodiment, and is a router device that mutually converts a global IP address and a private IP address.
The NAT passing server 503 has the same function as the NAT passing server 103 in the first embodiment. That is, communication from the terminal 331 to the device in the LAN 510 can be established.
Next, the operation of the communication system according to the third embodiment will be described.
First, the operation when registering the device ID of the terminal 521 with respect to the device in the LAN 510 and the operation when registering the device ID of the device within the LAN 510 with respect to the terminal 521 will be described.
In the third embodiment, the power sources of the device 511, the device 512, and the device 513 are always ON.
In the following, the user knows the device ID of the terminal 521 and the device ID of the device 511 in advance, and the device ID of the device 511 is already registered in the device 512 and the device 513, that is, each device ID. Description will be made assuming that the device ID of the device 511 is stored in the storage unit 4.
First, a device in the LAN 510 registers the device ID of the terminal 521 with respect to the device 511, the device 512, and the device 513 in order to communicate with the terminal 521. The communication sequence related to this registration is the same as that in the first embodiment, and is performed by the same operation as the communication sequence shown in FIG.
That is, when the device ID of the terminal 521 is input from the device 511 by the user, the device 512 and the device 513 confirm that the device ID of the device 511 is registered in itself. After the confirmation, the device ID of the terminal 521 is stored in the device ID storage unit 4 included in each. The device 511 also stores the device ID of the terminal 521 in the device ID storage unit 4 included in the device 511.
Next, the device ID of the device in the LAN 510 is registered in the terminal 521. The operation relating to this registration is the same as that in the first embodiment, and is performed in the same manner as the communication sequence shown in FIG.
That is, when the terminal 521 communicates with the device 511, the device IDs of the device 511, the device 512, and the device 513 and information responding to the capability confirmation are transmitted to the terminal 521 via the device 511.
Each device in the LAN 510 responds to a request from the terminal 521 only when the device ID of the terminal 521 is registered in itself, and the terminal 521 receives a password that matches the password set in the device. Only when it is transmitted, it is permitted to register its own device ID in the terminal 521.
The device ID of the device in the LAN 510 transmitted to the terminal 521 is registered in the device list in the LAN 510 and the representative device preference in the LAN 510.
Here, the device 513 has a cache function as described above. Therefore, the device 513 responds to the capability confirmation from the terminal 521, directly as a response to the UPnP description acquisition of the device 511, indicating that it has a cache function.
The terminal 521 receives this response via the device 511. As a result, the terminal 521 confirms that the cache function is operating in the device 513, and registers the device 513 as the representative device having the highest priority in the representative device preference in the LAN 510. As a result, the terminal 521 can automatically connect to the device 513 having a cache function when transmitting a batch request to the devices in the LAN 510.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a communication sequence of communication using the cache function of the device 513. The operation when the device 513 acquires information from the devices 511 and 512 in the LAN 510 and stores the information in the cache storage unit will be described with reference to FIG. Note that this cache operation is performed once an hour in the third embodiment.
The device 513 transmits an M-Search request, which is a UPnP discovery message, to the devices 511 and 512 on the LAN 510 (S601, S602).
The device 511 and the device 512 transmit a response to the M-Search request to the device 513 (S603, S604). Upon receiving the response, the device 513 confirms the communication state of the device in the LAN 510, that is, whether communication is possible, and stores it in the cache storage unit 7 as internal data (S605).
Next, a request for obtaining a UPnP description is made on the LAN 510 (S606, S607), and a response is received from the device 511 and the device 512 (S608, S609). From these responses, the device settings of the devices 511 and 512 are confirmed and stored in the cache storage unit 7 as internal data (S610).
Next, a content list acquisition request which is a UPnP control message is transmitted on the LAN 510 (S611, S612). In response, the device 513 receives the content list of the device 512 and the content list of the device 511 (S613, S614). Further, the received content list of the device 512 and the content list of the device 511 are collectively stored in the cache storage unit 7 as internal data (S615).
As described above, the device 513 caches the information held by the devices existing in the LAN 510, so that the terminal 521 can acquire the information held by the devices existing in the LAN 510 more quickly. It becomes.
As an example of the case where the terminal 521 acquires information held by a device in the LAN 510, an operation when the terminal 521 acquires a content list from the devices in the LAN 510 collectively will be described.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a communication sequence when the user gives an instruction for batch acquisition of a content list possessed by a device in the LAN 510 from the terminal 521.
In the terminal 521, the user instructs a content batch search (S651).
Receiving the instruction, the terminal 521 starts determining the representative device in the LAN 510 (S652). First, the terminal 521 refers to the representative device preference in the LAN 510 (S653). As described above, the device ID of the device 513 is registered in the representative device preference in the LAN 510 as the device having the highest priority as the representative device, and the terminal 521 selects the device 513 as the representative device. To do.
The terminal 521 transmits a connection request to the device 513 (S654). When the device 513 returns a connection success response (S655), the device 513 is requested to authenticate with a password (S656) and authenticated (S657). Thus, the representative device determination in the LAN 510 is completed (S658).
Next, the terminal 521 transmits a content list batch acquisition request to the device 513 (S659). As described above, the device 513 stores the content list of the device 511, the device 512, and the device 513 in the cache storage unit 7 by the cache function. Therefore, the contents list of the device 511, the device 512, and the device 513, which is information corresponding to the request, is selected from the cache storage unit 7 and transmitted to the terminal 521 (S660).
Through the above operation, the content list batch acquisition of the devices in the LAN 510 by the terminal 521 is completed (S661).
The terminal 521 displays the acquired content list on the display unit 12 (S662).
As described above, in the third embodiment, the device having the cache function manages and caches the information held by the device existing in the LAN 510, so that the terminal 521 exists in the LAN 510 quickly. It is now possible to obtain information held by the equipment.
In addition, the communication system of the third embodiment also includes the functions of the terminals and devices that constitute the communication system of the first embodiment. Therefore, the effects such as the reduction of the communication amount and the user's work amount described in the description of the communication system of the first embodiment are also exhibited as they are in the communication system of the third embodiment. In addition, as with the communication system of the first embodiment, it is possible to leave a user's explicit operation for a certain process, or to change the communication content, communication standard, and communication method to those described above. .
In the third embodiment, for the cache function of the device 513, requests for device search, device setting confirmation, and content list acquisition are transmitted to all devices in the same LAN at regular time intervals, and the response However, the contents to be cached are not limited to this.
For example, matters that can be output by the function of the device itself, such as the remaining amount of the content storage unit included in the device and the internal temperature of the device, may be cached.
Further, in the third embodiment, the timing for caching, that is, the timing for transmitting the content list acquisition request is once per hour, but the timing is not limited to once per hour.
For example, when there is almost no change in the contents of each device, it may be once a week. Conversely, if there are frequent changes, it may be once every 10 minutes.
Further, the cache timing is not limited to a fixed time interval, and the cache contents can be efficiently kept up-to-date, for example, by caching according to an event notification from another device.
In general, when such event notification is used, the content search time is shortened, but it is known that a small amount of communication occurs regularly for the event. It is difficult to apply to communication outside the LAN where a load is generated. On the other hand, in the present invention, the cache update can be limited within the LAN, so that the search time can be shortened without causing a steady load outside the LAN.
As described above, it is possible to construct a communication system that is highly convenient for the user by changing the contents and timing to be cached.
In the third embodiment, when the device 513 becomes unable to communicate, the terminal 521 tries to connect to the device 511 or the device 512 registered in the representative device preference in the LAN 510. However, as described above, the communication system according to the third embodiment also includes the functions of the terminals and devices that constitute the communication system according to the first embodiment. Therefore, even when a device that does not have a cache function becomes a representative device, the same effect as the communication system of the first embodiment can be obtained.
In the third embodiment, only the device 513 has the cache function. However, a plurality of devices having the cache function may exist in the same LAN. By doing so, for example, even when the device 513 becomes unable to communicate, the terminal 521 can acquire information cached by other devices.
In the third embodiment, the device 513 having the cache function is preferentially selected as the representative device in the LAN 510. However, even if the device not having the cache function is preferentially selected as the representative device, Good.
By doing this, for example, since the contents of the devices in the LAN 510 are frequently changed, the cached information is used in the case where a list of contents at the time when the content search request is actually made from the terminal 521 is desired. If the user wants to acquire real-time information, the communication system is highly convenient for the user.
(Embodiment 4: Playback of encrypted content on a terminal)
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to the fourth embodiment. The communication system according to the fourth embodiment is a system in which a terminal existing in an external network and a device in one LAN communicate with each other as in the communication system according to the first embodiment. This is a system to which a content server 604 is connected.
The content server 604 is a server that provides content such as moving images and audio to devices connected to the Internet.
In the communication system according to the present embodiment, a device in the LAN can download content such as a moving image from the content server 604, and can reproduce the content on a terminal existing in an external network.
As illustrated in FIG. 19, the communication system according to the fourth embodiment includes an external network 605 and a LAN 610.
The external network 605 includes the Internet 100, a terminal 621, a NAT passing server 603, and a content server 604, and the terminal 621, NAT passing server 603, and content server 604 are connected to the Internet 100.
The LAN 610 includes a NAT router 619, a device 611, a device 612, and a device 613, and the NAT router 619, the device 611, the device 612, and the device 613 are connected to be communicable with each other. The LAN 610 is connected to the Internet 100 via a NAT router 619.
In addition, a communication path between the NAT router 619 and the Internet 100 is a first communication path 601, and a communication path between the terminal 621 and the Internet 100 is a second communication path 602.
The terminal 621 is a device for communicating with a device in the LAN 610, and is a device capable of storing content such as a moving image. For example, it is realized by a mobile phone.
The device 611, the device 612, and the device 613 are devices that can download content such as moving images from the content server 604 via the Internet 100, and are, for example, hard disk recorders.
Note that the content provided from the content server 604 is made unplayable by encryption or the like, and when downloading the content, a license key, which is information necessary for playing the content, is also downloaded. The license key is an example of a reproduction key in the communication device of the present invention.
These devices in the LAN 610 include a license key storage unit 8 for storing the license key and the device ID of the terminal in association with each other in addition to the same components as the device 111 in the first embodiment. The license key storage unit 8 is an example of a reproduction key storage unit in the communication device of the present invention.
FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the device 613 in the communication system according to the fourth embodiment. The functional configurations of the device 611 and the device 612 are the same.
As illustrated in FIG. 20, the device 613 includes the same components as the device 111 in the first embodiment, that is, the device-side communication unit 1, the input unit 2, the display unit 3, the device ID storage unit 4, and the content A storage unit 5 and a device control unit 6 are provided, and a license key storage unit 8 is further provided.
The content downloaded from the content server 604 is stored in the content storage unit 5. The license key downloaded together with the content is stored in the license key storage unit 8 in association with the device ID of the terminal that is allowed to reproduce the content.
Note that the content and the license key corresponding to the content can be uniquely identified from both by the content ID.
The terminal 621 is the same component as the terminal 121 in the first embodiment. The terminal 121 includes the terminal-side communication unit 10, the input unit 11, the display unit 12, the device list storage unit 13, and the representative device preference. A storage unit 14 and a terminal control unit 15 are provided, and a content storage unit 16 is further provided.
Further, the terminal 621 can acquire content from the device 613 by the same operation as the operation for acquiring the content list of the device in the LAN described with reference to FIG.
However, the content downloaded from the content server 604 is encrypted as described above, and a license key corresponding to the content is required for playback on the terminal 621.
In this embodiment, when a license key acquisition request is made from the terminal 621, the device 613 determines whether or not the license key is stored in the license key storage unit 8 in association with the device ID of the terminal 621. Confirm. Only when the license key is stored in association with the device ID of the terminal 621, the device 613 transmits the license key to the representative device, and the representative device transmits the license key to the terminal 621. .
That is, in the communication system of the present embodiment, only a terminal that is permitted to reproduce a certain content can acquire a license key corresponding to the content.
The other functions of the device 611, the device 612, and the device 613 are the same as those of the device 111 in the first embodiment, and have a function as a control point, a CDS function of the UPnP-AV standard, and the like.
The NAT router 619 is a router having a NAT function, like the NAT router 119 in the first embodiment, and is a router device that mutually converts a global IP address and a private IP address.
The NAT passing server 603 has the same function as the NAT passing server 103 in the first embodiment. That is, communication from the terminal 621 to a device in the LAN 610 can be established.
Here, as described above, a corresponding license key is required to reproduce the content. However, license keys are often subject to various restrictions on use, including the validity period, from the viewpoint of copyright protection. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the license key has a valid period set after being stored in the device.
For example, if the validity period is set to 24 hours in the license key, the content corresponding to the license key can be played back within 24 hours after the license key is downloaded and stored in the device 613. . The same applies when the license key is copied to the terminal 621 and is valid for 24 hours after being stored in the terminal 621.
Next, the operation of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment will be described.
The terminal 621 can acquire the content and the license key from the device 613 at the same time. However, content such as moving images has a large capacity, and transmission from the device 613 to the terminal 621 may take time. Further, as described above, a valid period is set for the license key.
For this reason, the user causes the terminal 621 to acquire the content when there is enough time, and acquires the license key when reproducing the content later, for example, so that the content can be reliably reproduced. Can do.
Therefore, in the following description, the operation of each device and the flow of information will be described separately when the terminal 621 acquires content and when it acquires a license key.
First, the operation of each device when content is downloaded from the content server 604 to the device 613 and acquired by the terminal 621 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a flow of information when content downloaded from the content server 604 to the device 613 is acquired by the terminal 621 in the communication system according to the fourth embodiment. Dashed arrows in the figure represent the flow of information.
In the communication system shown in FIG. 21, the registration of the device ID of the terminal 621 with respect to a device in the LAN 610 such as the device 613 has already been completed by a communication sequence similar to the communication sequence shown in FIG. That is, the terminal 621 is in a state where information can be acquired from a device in the LAN 610.
Further, it is assumed that the device 611 is determined as the representative device by the terminal 621. That is, the device 613 exchanges information with the terminal 621 via the device 611.
Further, it is assumed that the content downloaded from the content server 604 to the device 613 is the content A, the content ID that is the identifier of the content A, and the license key are “C001” and the license key a. The description will be given assuming that the device ID of the terminal 621 is “T0621”.
Hereinafter, the flow and operation of information corresponding to (1) to (3) shown in FIG. 21 will be described in order.
(1) Content A, content ID “C001”, and license key a are downloaded from the content server 604 to the device 613 by a user operation.
(2) Content A and content ID “C001” are associated with each other and stored in content storage unit 5, and license key a is stored in license key storage unit 8. Further, the device ID “T0621” of the terminal 621 is input from the user, and “T0621” is stored in the license key storage unit 8 in association with the license key a. That is, the terminal 621 is registered in the device 613 as a terminal that is permitted to reproduce the content A.
(3) The user considers viewing the content A on the go, and causes the terminal 621 to acquire the content A. Specifically, the terminal 621 acquires the content list of the device 613 by the same communication sequence as the communication sequence shown in FIG. The content A is selected from the content list, and the content A and the content ID “C001” are acquired via the representative device 611. The acquired content A and content ID “C001” are stored in the content storage unit 16.
The terminal 621 can acquire the content A and the content ID “C001” by the operations and information flows shown in the above (1) to (3).
In the operation and information flow shown in (2) above, the device ID “T0621” of the terminal 621 may not be input from the user. For example, the device ID “T0621” is stored in the device ID storage unit 4. Thereafter, when the license key a is stored in the license key storage unit 8, the device ID “T0621” is read from the device ID storage unit 4 automatically or in accordance with a user's explicit instruction, and is associated with the license key a. The license key storage unit 8 may store the license key.
Further, for example, device IDs of a plurality of terminals are stored in the device ID storage unit 4. Thereafter, when the license key a is stored in the license key storage unit 8, the user is allowed to select one or more device IDs to be associated with the license key a. Furthermore, the device ID of one or more selected terminals may be stored in the license key storage unit 8 in association with the license key a.
Next, the operation of each device from when the terminal 621 requests a license key to when the license key is acquired will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a flow of information when the terminal 621 acquires the license key of the content to be reproduced in the communication system according to the fourth embodiment. Dashed arrows in the figure represent the flow of information.
Hereinafter, the information flow and operation corresponding to (4) to (7) shown in FIG. 22 will be described in order.
(4) The terminal 621 receives an instruction from the user to start playback of the content A stored in the content storage unit 16.
(5) When the above instruction is received, a license key request is transmitted to the device 611 as a request for information regarding the device in the LAN 610. Specifically, the terminal 621 generates a license key request including the device ID “T0621” of the terminal 621 and the content ID “C001” that is the identifier of the content A, and transmits the license key request to the device 611 that is the representative device of the LAN 610. To do. This license key request is generated by the terminal control unit 15 and transmitted by the terminal side communication unit 10.
The device 611 receives the license key request and transmits an inquiry message including “T0621” and “C001” to the devices 612 and 613.
(6) The device 613 receives the inquiry message, and checks whether the license key a corresponding to the content ID “C001” is stored in the license key storage unit 8 in association with “T0621”. This confirmation is performed by the device control unit 6.
In the present embodiment, the license key storage unit 8 of the device 613 stores the license key a and “T0621” in association with each other, and the license key a is a representative device as a response to the inquiry message. It is transmitted to a certain device 611. The device 611 receives the license key a and transmits it to the terminal 621.
The above confirmation is performed also in the devices 611 and 612, but the operation related to the license key request from the terminal 621 is terminated because the license key a is not stored or is not associated with “T0621”. To do.
(7) The terminal 621 acquires the license key a necessary for reproducing the content A from the device 611 and reproduces the content A. Thereafter, when the valid period set in the license key a elapses, the content A cannot be reproduced on the terminal 621.
The terminal 621 can acquire the license key a and reproduce the content A by the operations and the information flow shown in the above (4) to (7).
As described above, the communication system according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention can acquire the content of the device in the LAN 610 and the license key necessary for reproducing the content from the terminal outside the LAN 610.
In addition, the terminal 621 does not need to check which device has the desired content at the time of this acquisition, and from the representative device to the device in the LAN 610 as described in the first embodiment. A list of existing contents can be acquired at once.
Also, when acquiring the license key, there is no need to be aware of which device has the license key that needs to be acquired, and a license key request including the device ID and content ID of the terminal 621 is transmitted to the representative device. Just do it.
The device 613 in the LAN receives the content ID and the device ID of the terminal 621 via the representative device, and determines whether or not a license key corresponding to the content ID is stored in association with the device ID. Check.
In other words, authentication is performed as to whether the terminal 621 requesting the license key is a terminal that is permitted to reproduce the content corresponding to the license key. When the terminal 621 is authenticated, the license key is transmitted to the representative device. The representative device transmits the license key transmitted from the device 613 in the LAN 610 to the terminal.
In this way, the terminal 621 can acquire the content without confirming whether there is a desired content for each device in the LAN 610. In addition, the license key necessary for the content can be acquired in the same manner.
That is, the communication system according to the present embodiment reduces the amount of communication required for viewing and the load on the user's operation when the user views each content of devices in a plurality of LANs on a terminal outside the LAN. be able to.
Note that the terminal 621 acquires the content A from the device 613 via the device 611 that is a representative device. However, the content A may be acquired by another means. For example, you may acquire via storage media, such as CD-ROM. Alternatively, the terminal 621 may be directly connected to the LAN 610 and acquired directly from the device 613 within the LAN 610. Alternatively, it may be obtained by downloading only the content A from the content server 604.
In the first to fourth embodiments described above, the terminal device such as the terminal 121 that communicates with a device in the LAN is a mobile phone. However, devices other than mobile phones may be used. For example, a portable terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance) or a personal computer may be used.
That is, the terminal device such as the terminal 121 can be realized as long as the terminal 121 has a function of storing a communication function, a device list, and the like.
In each of the above embodiments, the device in the LAN such as the device 111 is a hard disk recorder. However, devices other than the hard disk recorder may be used, and home appliances or personal computers having a communication function may be used.
That is, a device in the LAN such as the device 111 can be realized as long as it has a communication function and a function for managing information to be transmitted to the terminal.
As described above, by using terminals and devices that constitute a communication system in various combinations, for example, a design that optimizes the balance between user convenience and costs related to the construction of the communication system becomes possible. .
The present invention provides communication between one-to-multiple devices connected via the Internet at a low cost regardless of the bandwidth, as much as possible to a change in the state of a communication target, and to provide safety in terms of communication security. It is possible. This makes it possible to broadly apply to the provision of personal network applications, such as grasping the status of a plurality of AV devices in the house from a remote location and enjoying desired content on the go with a single connection establishment. It is.
In addition to personal use, for example, it can be applied to a communication system for a salesperson to acquire business information stored in a plurality of servers in the company and use it for business.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of terminals and devices in the LAN in the communication system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a communication sequence when a device ID of a terminal is registered in a plurality of devices in the LAN in order for a plurality of devices in the LAN to communicate with the terminal. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a GUI for the user to register the device ID of the terminal in a plurality of devices in the LAN. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a GUI for the user to select a device in the LAN for registering the device ID of the terminal. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a communication sequence when a device ID of a device in the LAN is registered in a device list in the LAN used for the terminal to communicate with a plurality of devices in the LAN. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a communication sequence when updating the LAN device list. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a GUI for the user to select a device in the LAN to be registered in the terminal. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a communication sequence when the user instructs collective acquisition of a content list of devices in the LAN from the terminal in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a communication sequence when a user instructs collective acquisition of a content list of devices in a LAN from a terminal in the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a communication sequence for collectively obtaining a list of contents possessed by devices in another LAN, which is performed after the end of the communication sequence shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a GUI for the user to select a LAN to be searched. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a GUI for individually selecting a device in a specific LAN as a search target. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a device having a cache function in the communication system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a communication sequence of communication by the cache function. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a communication sequence when a user instructs collective acquisition of a content list of devices in a LAN from a terminal in the third embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of devices in the communication system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a flow of information when content downloaded from a content server to a device is acquired by a terminal in the communication system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a flow of information when a terminal acquires a license key of content to be played in the communication system according to the fourth embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Device side communication part 2, 11 Input part 3, 12 Display part 4 Equipment ID memory | storage part 5, 16 Content memory | storage part 6 Device control part 7 Cache memory | storage part 8 License key memory | storage part 10 Terminal side communication part 13 Equipment list memory | storage part 14 Representative device preference storage unit 15 Terminal control unit 100 Internet 101, 301, 501, 601 First communication channel 102, 302, 502, 602 Second communication channel 303 Third communication channel 103, 304, 503, 603 NAT Passing server 105, 305, 505, 605 External network 119, 319, 329, 519, 619 NAT router 110, 310, 320, 510, 610 LAN
111, 112, 113, 311, 312, 313, 321, 322, 323, 511, 512, 513, 611, 612, 613, equipment 121, 331, 521, 621 terminal 604 content server
A communication system comprising a terminal device and a plurality of communication devices existing in a LAN connected to the terminal device via the Internet,
In-LAN information storage means for storing information related to processing performed by the plurality of communication devices;
A determination unit that determines one representative device that is a representative communication device from the plurality of communication devices, based on information stored in the information storage unit in the LAN;
A request transmission unit that transmits a request for information on the communication device in the LAN to the representative device determined by the determination unit;
Response receiving means for receiving a response to the request from the representative device;
A request receiving means for receiving a request for information on the communication device in the LAN from the terminal device;
Device information acquisition means for acquiring information about communication devices in the LAN;
And a response transmission unit configured to transmit, to the terminal device, information acquired by the device information acquisition unit as a response to the request when the request reception unit receives the request from the terminal device.
The determining means further includes
If the response receiving unit does not receive a response to the request from the representative device, the communication in the LAN other than the communication device previously determined as the representative device based on the information stored in the information storage unit in the LAN The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the device is determined as a new representative device.
The request transmitting means transmits a request for individual information regarding processing performed by the communication device in the LAN to the representative device as a request for information regarding the communication device in the LAN.
The device information acquisition means acquires the individual information from a communication device in the LAN,
The response transmission unit transmits the individual information acquired by the device information acquisition unit as a response to the request for the individual information to the terminal device,
Determining means for determining whether the individual information received by the response receiving means satisfies a predetermined criterion;
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the in-LAN information storage unit stores information indicating a communication device corresponding to the individual information determined to satisfy the predetermined criterion by the determination unit.
The individual information indicates whether or not the communication device corresponding to the individual information has a relay function for acquiring information related to other communication devices in the LAN and transmitting the information to the terminal device in response to a request from the terminal device. Information to show
The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit determines that the predetermined information is satisfied when the individual information indicates that the relay function is included.
The request receiving means further receives a request for information on the communication device from the representative device,
2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein, when the request reception unit receives the request from the representative device, the response transmission unit transmits information on the communication device to the representative device as a response to the request. .
The request transmission means includes an identifier for identifying the terminal device in a request for a reproduction key, which is information necessary for reproducing the content of the communication device in the LAN, as a request for information on the communication device in the LAN. Send a request to the representative device;
Receiving means for receiving an input of an identifier for identifying the terminal device;
Reproduction key storage means for storing the identifier received by the reception means and the reproduction key corresponding to the content stored in the content storage means in association with each other;
When the request received by the request reception unit includes the identifier stored in the reproduction key storage unit, the response transmission unit sets the reproduction key associated with the identifier to the The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the communication system is transmitted to a representative device.
Identifier transmitting means for transmitting the identifier received by the receiving means to other communication devices in the LAN;
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the device information acquisition unit acquires information related to the communication device from another communication device in the LAN that stores the identifier.
The request transmission means includes an identifier for identifying the terminal device in a request for information related to a communication device in the LAN, and transmits the request to the representative device.
Identifier receiving means for receiving the identifier transmitted from the representative device;
Identifier storage means for storing the identifier received by the identifier reception means,
The response transmission unit receives information about the communication device when the request reception unit receives the request from the representative device and the request includes the identifier stored in the identifier storage unit. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein the communication device is transmitted to the representative device.
The device information acquisition means
When the request receiving unit receives the request from the terminal device, the request is transferred to the communication device in the LAN, and a response to the transferred request is received to obtain information on the communication device in the LAN. The communication system according to claim 1.
The communication device further includes device information storage means for storing information acquired by the device information acquisition means,
When the request receiving unit receives the request from the terminal device, the response transmission unit selects information corresponding to the request from information stored in the device information storage unit, and receives the request as a response to the request. The communication system according to claim 1, which is transmitted to a terminal device.
The request transmission means transmits a search request for a communication device capable of communication in the LAN to the representative device as a request for information on the communication device in the LAN.
When the request receiving unit receives the search request, the device information acquisition unit transmits a response request to the plurality of communication devices, and receives a response transmitted in response to the response request. Obtain information that identifies the communication device that sent the response,
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the response transmission unit transmits information identifying the communication device acquired by the device information acquisition unit to the terminal device.
The request transmission unit transmits an acquisition request for a list of contents of each of the plurality of communication devices to the representative device as a request for information regarding the communication device in the LAN,
When the request reception unit receives the acquisition request, the device information acquisition unit acquires a list of contents included in each of the plurality of communication devices,
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the response transmission unit collectively transmits a list of one or more contents acquired by the device information acquisition unit to the terminal device.
A terminal device connected to the Internet and communicating with a plurality of communication devices in a LAN connected to the Internet,
A terminal device comprising: response receiving means for receiving a response to the request from the representative device.
If the response receiving unit does not receive a response to the request from the representative device, the communication in the LAN other than the communication device previously determined as the representative device based on the information stored in the information storage unit in the LAN The terminal device according to claim 13, wherein the device is determined as a new representative device.
Determining means for determining whether or not the individual information received by the response receiving means satisfies a predetermined criterion;
The terminal device according to claim 13, wherein the intra-LAN information storage unit stores information indicating a communication device corresponding to individual information determined to satisfy the predetermined criterion by the determination unit.
The terminal device according to claim 15, wherein the determination unit determines that the predetermined criterion is satisfied when the individual information indicates that the relay function is provided.
A communication device that exists in a LAN where a plurality of communication devices exist and communicates with a terminal device via the Internet connected to the LAN,
When the request receiving means receives the request from the terminal device, device information acquisition means for acquiring information related to the communication device in the LAN from the communication device in the LAN;
A communication device comprising: a response transmission unit configured to transmit information acquired by the device information acquisition unit to the terminal device as a response to the request when the request reception unit receives the request from the terminal device.
The request receiving means further receives a request for information about the communication device from another communication device in the LAN,
The response transmitting means further includes, when the request receiving means receives the request from another communication device in the LAN, information on the communication device as another response to the request as another communication device in the LAN. The communication device according to claim 17.
An identifier transmitting means for transmitting the identifier received by the receiving means to another communication device in the LAN;
The communication device according to claim 17, wherein the device information acquisition unit acquires information related to the communication device from another communication device in the LAN that stores the identifier.
The request transmitted from the terminal device includes the identifier,
Identifier receiving means for receiving the identifier transmitted from another communication device in the LAN;
The response transmission means, when the request reception means receives the request from another communication device in the LAN, and the identifier stored in the identifier storage means is included in the request, The communication device according to claim 19, wherein information related to the communication device is transmitted to another communication device in the LAN.
Furthermore, it has a device information storage means for storing the information acquired by the device information acquisition means,
When the request receiving unit receives the request from the terminal device, the response transmission unit selects information corresponding to the request from information stored in the device information storage unit, and receives the request as a response to the request. The communication device according to claim 17, which is transmitted to a terminal device.
A communication method in a terminal device connected to the Internet and communicating with a plurality of communication devices in a LAN connected to the Internet,
The terminal device includes an in-LAN information storage unit that stores information related to processing performed by the plurality of communication devices.
A determination step of determining one representative device that is a representative communication device from among the plurality of communication devices, based on information stored in the information storage means in the LAN;
A request transmission step of transmitting a request for information on the communication device in the LAN to the representative device determined in the determination step;
A response receiving step of receiving a response to the request from the representative device.
A program for a terminal device connected to the Internet and communicating with a plurality of communication devices in a LAN connected to the Internet,
A program for causing a computer to execute a response receiving step of receiving a response to the request from the representative device.
A communication method in a communication device that exists in a LAN where a plurality of communication devices exist and communicates with a terminal device via the Internet connected to the LAN,
A request receiving step of receiving a request for information on the communication device in the LAN from the terminal device;
A device information acquisition step of acquiring information on the communication device in the LAN from the communication device in the LAN when the request is received from the terminal device in the request reception step;
And a response transmission step of transmitting, to the terminal device, information acquired in the device information acquisition step as a response to the request when the request is received from the terminal device in the request reception step.
A program for a communication device that exists in a LAN where a plurality of communication devices exist and communicates with a terminal device via the Internet connected to the LAN,
When the request is received from the terminal device in the request reception step, a response transmission step of causing the computer to execute a response transmission step of transmitting the information acquired in the device information acquisition step to the terminal device as a response to the request program.
JP2006552936A 2005-01-13 2006-01-11 Communication system, terminal device and communication device Expired - Fee Related JP4804364B2 (en)
JP2005006505 2005-01-13
PCT/JP2006/300211 WO2006075616A1 (en) 2005-01-13 2006-01-11 Communication system, terminal device and communication device
JP2006552936A JP4804364B2 (en) 2005-01-13 2006-01-11 Communication system, terminal device and communication device
JPWO2006075616A1 JPWO2006075616A1 (en) 2008-06-12
JP4804364B2 true JP4804364B2 (en) 2011-11-02
ID=36677641
JP2006552936A Expired - Fee Related JP4804364B2 (en) 2005-01-13 2006-01-11 Communication system, terminal device and communication device
US (1) US20080098088A1 (en)
JP (1) JP4804364B2 (en)
CN (1) CN101099357A (en)
WO (1) WO2006075616A1 (en)
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2006-01-11 CN CN 200680001876 patent/CN101099357A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
2006-01-11 US US11/795,118 patent/US20080098088A1/en not_active Abandoned
2006-01-11 WO PCT/JP2006/300211 patent/WO2006075616A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
2006-01-11 JP JP2006552936A patent/JP4804364B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
CN101099357A (en) 2008-01-02
US20080098088A1 (en) 2008-04-24
JPWO2006075616A1 (en) 2008-06-12
WO2006075616A1 (en) 2006-07-20
EP1659732A2 (en) 2006-05-24 Information terminal remote operation method and system