Patent ID: 7631197

Claim:
A gateway device comprising: a communication device, communicably linked to a remote-control device and appliances, for receiving operation information from said remote-control device, wherein, said operation information includes an instruction from one of users to control at least one of said appliances, and said communication device includes a plurality of communication means selectively used according to a communication destination; and a controller configured to control said gateway device, said controller including a storage device for storing permitted appliance information in correspondence with each of said users, said permitted appliance information representing permitted appliances which each of said users is permitted to operate among said appliances, and storing control application programs respectively corresponding to said appliances, each of said application programs representing information processing to form control information from said operation information, and a processing unit for i) forming, based on said permitted appliance information stored in said storage device, first display information for prompting the user of a transmission source to select one of permitted appliances and controlling said communication device to transmit said first display information to said transmission source when said communication device receives user identification information identifying said user of said transmission source of said operation information and an authentication request requesting identification of said appliance, ii) forming, based on transmission source information identifying the remote-control device of said transmission source, second display information representing a user interface for prompting said user of said transmission source to select an operation of the permitted appliance selected based on said first display information, and transmitting said second display information to said transmission source by said communication device, iii) receiving, by said communication device as a reply to said second display information, information including said operation information and destination information identifying the selected permitted appliance, and converting, based on said application program, said received operation information to control information representing an operation control of said selected permitted appliance, and iv) controlling said communication device such that said control information is transmitted to said selected permitted appliance.