Patent ID: 7293236

Claim:
A method of controlling devices in a home network environment, according to which status information about a plurality of controlled devices is displayed in a control device on a home network and a control command input to the control device by a user is transmitted to a corresponding controlled device, the method comprising: (a) running an application program configured to provide a user interface on said control device; (b) the control device from time to time receiving said status information from said plurality of controlled devices; (c) the application program displaying information regarding only controlled devices which are in operation on a display of said control device, referring to the status information received in step (b); (d) upon user selection of a controlled device among said plurality of controlled devices which are displayed in step (c), displaying on said display a web page indicative of operation of the selected controlled device; and (e) upon user input of a control command referring to said web page, transmitting said control command to said selected controlled device, wherein when status information relating to at least one operation of a particular one of said plurality of controlled devices has not been received from said plurality of controlled devices in step (b) for a predetermined time, the application program clears the information regarding said particular one of said plurality of controlled devices from said display of said control device or deactivates the information displayed on said display regarding said particular one of said plurality of controlled devices in step (c), thereby preventing a user from selecting said particular one of said plurality of controlled devices in step (d).