Home appliance system

Abstract

The present application provides a home appliance system that can improve safety. The home appliance system has a registration management unit, a storage unit, and an information deletion unit. The registration management unit receives registration of a home appliance. The storage unit is external to the home appliance and accumulates information obtained when the home appliance is used, regarding the home appliance for which registration is received. In the case where registration of the home appliance or a user associated with the home appliance is canceled, the information deletion unit deletes at least a part of the information accumulated in the storage unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to home appliance systems. Background Technology

[0002] A method for storing personal and connection information in a connection information retention unit within a household electrical appliance is proposed. This aims to further enhance the security of home appliance systems.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-75023 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a home appliance system that can improve safety.

[0008] Solution for solving the problem

[0009] The home appliance system of this embodiment includes a registration management department, a storage department, and an information deletion department. The registration management department accepts registrations for home appliances. The storage department is located outside the home appliances and accumulates information obtained while using the home appliances for which registration has been accepted. When the registration of the home appliance or the registration of a user associated with the home appliance is cancelled, the information deletion department deletes at least a portion of the information accumulated in the storage department.

[0010] Invention Effects

[0011] According to the present invention, a home appliance system is provided that can improve safety. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the overall configuration of the home appliance system according to the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the home appliance according to the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server device according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 4 A diagram illustrating an example of a user DB in the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 5 A diagram illustrating an example of a household appliance DB according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 6 A diagram illustrating an example of accumulated information in the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the control process of the server device according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 8 This diagram illustrates the overall configuration of the home appliance system according to the second embodiment.

[0020] Figure 9 A diagram illustrating an example of a household appliance DB according to the second embodiment.

[0021] Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server device according to the third embodiment.

[0022] Figure 11 This diagram illustrates the overall configuration of the home appliance system according to the fourth embodiment.

[0023] Figure 12 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server device according to the fourth embodiment.

[0024] Figure 13 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server device according to the fifth embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The following description of the home appliance system according to the embodiments is based on the accompanying drawings. In this specification, "based on XX" means "at least based on XX," and may also include cases based on other elements besides XX. Furthermore, "based on XX" is not limited to directly using XX, but may also include cases based on the results obtained from calculations or processing of XX. In this specification, "XX or YY" is not limited to only "XX" or only "YY," but may also include both "XX" and "YY." This is also true when three or more elements are selected. "XX" and "YY" are arbitrary elements (e.g., arbitrary information). Furthermore, in the following description, "database" will be denoted as "DB."

[0026] (First Implementation)

[0027] The first implementation is an example as follows: In the case that the registration of the home appliance 100 managed by the server device 200 is cancelled, at the time when the registration of the home appliance 100 is cancelled, the accumulated information 430 associated with the home appliance 100 and accumulated on the server device 200 is deleted.

[0028] <1. Overall Composition of Home Appliance Systems>

[0029] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the overall configuration of the home appliance system (information processing system) 1 according to the first embodiment. The home appliance system 1 includes, for example, one or more home appliances 100, a server device 200, and a terminal device 300. Furthermore, one or both of the home appliances 100 and the terminal device 300 can be configured as external components of the home appliance system 1. That is, the home appliance system 1 can be configured solely by the server device 200. The network NW, described later, can be, for example, the Internet, cellular network, Wi-Fi network, LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), or other public lines, dedicated lines, etc., depending on the situation. In this embodiment, a residential LAN 5 is provided in the residence of user U by using a wireless router R and a modem M configured in the residence of user U.

[0030] Home appliance 100 is installed in the residence of user U. Home appliance 100 is connected to network NW, for example, via a wireless router R and a modem M installed in the residence of user U. Home appliance 100 can communicate with server device 200 via network NW. Home appliance 100 may be, for example, a refrigerator, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, air conditioner, oven, rice cooker, iron, etc., but is not limited to these. Home appliance 100 will be described in detail later.

[0031] Server device 200 consists of one or more devices (e.g., cloud servers). Server device 200 is also referred to as a "server system". Server device 200 can communicate with home appliance 100 and terminal device 300 via network NW. Server device 200 is a management server for managing home appliance 100. For example, server device 200 can remotely control home appliance 100 based on user U's operation of terminal device 300, or obtain information about the setting status and operation status of home appliance 100 from home appliance 100 based on user U's operation of terminal device 300. However, server device 200 is not limited to cloud servers located outside user U's residence. Server device 200 can also be a server device located inside user U's residence and connected to LAN 5 within the residence. Server device 200 will be described in detail later.

[0032] The terminal device 300 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet computer. An application program for managing or operating the home appliance 100 is installed on the terminal device 300. However, the terminal device 300 is not limited to a portable terminal device; it could also be a personal computer, etc.

[0033] <2. Composition of Home Appliances>

[0034] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of a home appliance 100. The home appliance 100 includes, for example, a main body 110, a camera 120, a sensor 130, a communication module 140, and a control unit 150.

[0035] The main body 110 of the home appliance includes electrical components 111 that enable the home appliance 100 to function and an operating unit 112 for operation by the user U. If the home appliance 100 is a refrigerator, the electrical components 111 include a compressor that compresses refrigerant and a fan that circulates cold air inside the refrigerator. If the home appliance 100 is a washing machine, the electrical components 111 include a motor that rotates the washing tub. The operating unit 112 includes buttons, switches, etc. The operating unit 112 may be a touch sensor or similar device integrated with the display screen of a display device. The user U can change the operating settings of the home appliance 100 by operating the operating unit 112.

[0036] Camera 120 is installed on the main body 110 of the home appliance to film the main body 110 of the home appliance. When the home appliance 100 is a refrigerator, camera 120 is an in-refrigerator camera that films the interior of the storage compartment. When the home appliance 100 is a washing machine, camera 120 is a camera that films the interior of the washing tub.

[0037] Sensor 130 is installed on the main body 110 of the home appliance to detect the state of the main body 110 and the surrounding conditions. Sensor 130 may be a sensor that detects information directly or indirectly indicating the presence of a user U in the vicinity of the home appliance 100 (e.g., within the same residence). If the home appliance 100 is a refrigerator, sensor 130 may be a door switch that detects the opening and closing state of the refrigerator door, or a human body sensor that detects the user U. If the home appliance 100 is a washing machine, sensor 130 may be a switch that detects the opening and closing state of the door (lid).

[0038] Communication module 140 is a communication module capable of communicating with server device 200. For example, communication module 140 can communicate with server device 200 via a wireless router R, modem M, and network NW. Communication module 140 is, for example, a communication module corresponding to a wireless LAN communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Communication module 140 is an example of a "communication unit".

[0039] The control unit 150 includes, for example, a setting registration unit 151, a control unit 152, an information transmission unit 153, and a storage unit 154. The setting registration unit 151, control unit 152, and information transmission unit 153 are implemented by executing programs (software) using a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) mounted on the home appliance 100. However, all or part of these functional units can be implemented using hardware (including circuitry) such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or through a combination of software and hardware. The storage unit 154 is implemented using one or more of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Read-Only Memory).

[0040] The setting registration unit 151 updates the operation setting information 154a stored in the storage unit 154 based on the user U's operations performed on the operation unit 112. The operation setting information 154a is information indicating the operation settings of the home appliance 100. The operation settings may include, for example, the washing operation settings when the home appliance 100 is a washing machine, and other settings that can be arbitrarily set according to the user U's preferences.

[0041] The control unit 152 provides overall control of the entire home appliance 100. For example, the control unit 152 controls the operation of the main body of the home appliance 110, the camera 120, the communication module 140, and the control unit 150 based on the operation setting information 154a.

[0042] The information transmission unit 153 transmits information obtained during the use of the home appliance 100 to the server device 200 at predetermined intervals. The information obtained during the use of the home appliance 100 includes, for example, one or more of the following: user U's operations on the operation unit 112, images captured by the camera 120, detection results from the sensor 130, control commands output from the control unit 152, and the latest operating setting information 154a stored in the storage unit 154. This information represents the user U's usage history of the home appliance 100.

[0043] <3. Composition of Server Device>

[0044] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server device 200. The server device 200 includes, for example, a communication module 210, a registration management unit 220, an information acquisition unit 230, a control unit 240, an information deletion unit 250, and a storage unit 260. The registration management unit 220, the information acquisition unit 230, the control unit 240, and the information deletion unit 250 are implemented by executing programs (software) using a hardware processor such as a CPU mounted on the server device 200. However, all or part of these functional units can be implemented using hardware (including circuitry) such as ASICs, PLDs, or FPGAs, or through a combination of software and hardware. This also applies to the judgment unit 270 and the timestamp assignment unit 280, which will be described later. Storage unit 260 is implemented using one or more of the following: RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory), SSD (Solid State Drive), HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Storage unit 260 is an example of a storage unit (external storage unit) located outside of the home appliance 100.

[0045] The communication module 210 is capable of communicating with the home appliance 100 and the terminal device 300 via the network NW. The communication module 210 is an example of a "communication unit".

[0046] The registration management department 220 includes a user management department 221 and a home appliance management department 222. The user management department 221 manages the registration, modification, and cancellation (deletion) of identification information (user ID, hereinafter referred to as "user account") used to identify user U. For example, based on the information input by user U to the terminal device 300, the user management department 221 issues a user account for user U and registers the user account and password in a corresponding manner. The registration of the user account and password is stored in the storage department 260 as part of the user DB410. User U can log in to the home appliance system 1, for example, by inputting the user account and password on a designated screen displayed on the terminal device 300.

[0047] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates an example of user DB410. In user DB410, user U is associated with a corresponding user account, user name, and password.

[0048] The Home Appliance Management Department 222 manages the registration, modification, and deregistration (deletion) of home appliances 100 that are designated as management objects in the Home Appliance System 1. For example, based on operations performed by user U logged into the Home Appliance System 1 on the terminal device 300, the Home Appliance Management Department 222 registers home appliances 100 that are managed in association with user U's user account. For example, based on the identification information of the home appliance 100 input by user U to the terminal device 300, the Home Appliance Management Department 222 identifies the home appliance 100 that is managed in association with user U's user account and issues and registers a home appliance ID. The identification information of the home appliance 100 may include, but is not limited to, the manufacturing number of the home appliance 100, or an image obtained by photographing a two-dimensional barcode affixed to the home appliance 100. The registration of the home appliance 100 is stored in the storage unit 260 as part of the home appliance DB420.

[0049] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates an example of a home appliance device DB420. In the home appliance device DB420, for each home appliance 100, a pointer is created to a storage location corresponding to the home appliance ID assigned to the home appliance 100, the user account of the user U registered with the home appliance 100, and the accumulated information 430 (described later) of the home appliance 100. The user account is an example of "the registration of a user associated with the home appliance." For example... Figure 5 As shown, the accumulated information 430 of the home appliance 100 is not directly associated with the user account, but is directly associated with the home appliance ID.

[0050] The information acquisition unit 230 acquires information sent from the information transmission unit 153 of the home appliance 100 when the home appliance 100 is used. For example, the information acquisition unit 230 acquires one or more of the following: the operation content of the user U on the operation unit 112 of the home appliance 100; the image captured by the camera 120 of the home appliance 100; the detection results of the sensor 130 of the home appliance 100; the control commands output from the control unit 152 of the home appliance 100; and the latest operation setting information 154a of the home appliance 100. The information acquisition unit 230 stores this acquired information as part of the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from which the information is acquired in the storage unit 260.

[0051] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates an example of accumulated information 430. Accumulated information 430 is set up according to the home appliances 100 registered by the registration management department 220. Each accumulated information 430 is managed in correspondence with a home appliance ID. The accumulated information 430 contains historical records of user U's operations on the operation unit 112 of the home appliance 100, historical records of images captured by the camera 120 of the home appliance 100, historical records of detection results from the sensor 130 of the home appliance 100, historical records of control commands output from the control unit 152 of the home appliance 100, and the latest operating setting information 154a of the home appliance 100. Accumulated information 430 is an example of information obtained from the home appliance 100 when using it.

[0052] Based on the user U's operations on the terminal device 300, the control unit 240 performs prescribed processing on the home appliances 100 registered by the registration management unit 220. For example, based on the user U's operations on the terminal device 300, the control unit 240 performs remote control of the home appliances 100 (power ON / OFF, temperature setting changes, operating mode changes, etc.). Furthermore, based on the user U's operations on the terminal device 300, the control unit 240 outputs information contained in the accumulated information 430 (images captured by the home appliance 100's camera 120, detection results from the home appliance 100's sensor 130, and information indicating control commands output from the control unit 152 of the home appliance 100, or the latest operating setting information 154a of the home appliance 100) to the terminal device 300. Thus, regarding the home appliances 100 registered by the registration management unit 220, the user U can remotely control the home appliances 100 or check the status of the home appliances 100.

[0053] When the registration of home appliance 100 in home appliance system 1 is cancelled, the information deletion unit 250 deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from the storage unit 260. "Cancellation of home appliance registration" means, for example, cancelling (deleting) the registration of home appliance 100 from the home appliance DB420. For example, user U can cancel the registration of home appliance 100 from the home appliance DB420 based on an operation on terminal device 300. When the registration of home appliance 100 is cancelled, the information deletion unit 250 deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from the storage unit 260 (i.e., the accumulated information 430 that is managed in association with the home appliance ID of the home appliance 100 to be deleted).

[0054] In this embodiment, when the registration of the home appliance 100 is cancelled, the information deletion unit 250 deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 at the point when the registration of the home appliance 100 is cancelled. That is, the storage unit 260 of the server device 200 deletes the historical records of the user U's operation of the operation unit 112 of the home appliance 100, the historical records of images captured by the camera 120 of the home appliance 100, the historical records of the detection results of the sensor 130 of the home appliance 100, the historical records of the control commands output from the control unit 152 of the home appliance 100, and the operation setting information 154a of the home appliance 100, etc. Furthermore, the "deletion of accumulated information 430" is not limited to deleting all the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 whose registration has been cancelled; it may also retain information that is not useful for determining the user U's lifestyle and has no or minimal security risk. This definition of deletion is also the same in the following description.

[0055] In this embodiment, when the user account of user U in the home appliance system 1 is deleted, the information deletion unit 250 deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 associated with that user account from the storage unit 260. "Deletion of user account" means, for example, deleting user U's user account from the user database 410. For example, user U can delete their own user account from the user database 410 based on an operation on the terminal device 300. In this embodiment, when a user account is deleted, the registration management unit 220 deletes the registration of the home appliance 100 associated with that user account. Therefore, the accumulated information 430 corresponding to that home appliance 100 is deleted from the storage unit 260.

[0056] In this embodiment, when a user account is deleted, the information deletion unit 250 deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 associated with that user account at the time the user account was deleted. That is, it deletes from the storage unit 260 of the server device 200 the historical records of the user U's operation content on the operation unit 112 of the home appliance 100, the historical records of images captured by the camera 120 of the home appliance 100, the historical records of the detection results of the sensor 130 of the home appliance 100, the historical records of the control commands output from the control unit 152 of the home appliance 100, and the operation setting information 154a of the home appliance 100.

[0057] <4. Control Flow>

[0058] Figure 7 The flowchart illustrates the control process of the server device 200. First, the registration management unit 220 determines, based on information received from the terminal device 300, whether the user U has deregistered the home appliance 100 on the terminal device 300 (S101). If the user U has deregistered the home appliance 100 on the terminal device 300 (S101: Yes), the registration management unit 220 deregisters the home appliance 100 (S102). In this case, the information deletion unit 250 deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the deregistered home appliance 100 from the storage unit 260 (S103).

[0059] On the other hand, if user U does not deregister home appliance 100 on terminal device 300 (S101: No), registration management unit 220 determines whether user U has deleted user account on terminal device 300 based on information received from terminal device 300 (S201). If user U has deleted user account on terminal device 300 (S201: Yes), registration management unit 220 deletes user account (S202). In this case, information deletion unit 250 deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to home appliance 100 associated with the deleted user account from storage unit 260 (S203).

[0060] If user U does not delete the user account on terminal device 300 (S201: No), server device 200 terminates. Figure 7 The server device 200 repeats the above processes at a predetermined cycle.

[0061] <5. Advantages>

[0062] In recent years, the number of IoT (Internet of Things) home appliances has been increasing. These appliances accumulate various types of data on server devices to provide convenience to users. This information may include details that could identify individuals or, if maliciously, be used for criminal purposes. For example, one could imagine the possibility that a user's face, captured in a camera image, could be publicly posted on social networking services (SNS), or that the user's absence from home could be estimated based on the appliance's usage history. Therefore, it is necessary to protect this information from malicious use.

[0063] Here, we discuss the possibility of information leakage. While it's possible to infiltrate server device 200 to steal information, it's difficult to pinpoint the server device 200's location on the internet and ensure it's securely authenticated. Furthermore, since the data is encrypted, even if stolen, decryption is difficult. On the other hand, the risk of information leakage is higher when the owner of home appliance 100 changes from an old user to a new user. This is because the owner of home appliance 100 has access to information. If information management is inadequate, the new user could access the old user's information. Changes in ownership of home appliance 100 could include transfer to an acquaintance, sale in a secondhand store or auction website, or disposal as waste. The ideal scenario is that these everyday occurrences prevent the new user from accessing the old user's information.

[0064] The easiest method is to set up a function to delete request information in the home appliance system 1. However, it is difficult to expect user U to request the deletion of information before relinquishing ownership of home appliance 100. This is because user U is not consciously aware that various kinds of information have accumulated on server device 200. To provide convenience, home appliance system 1 also tries to minimize user awareness. Therefore, it is conceivable that the user might not think to request the deletion of information. Furthermore, it is conceivable that even if the user is aware, they might forget to delete the request. Home appliance system 1 will not be aware of this situation when home appliance 100 is handed over to a new user. That is to say, it is impossible to determine which user to provide service to based on the information accumulated from home appliance 100 on server device 200. Providing service to the wrong user U could lead to information leakage.

[0065] Therefore, in this embodiment, the home appliance system 1 includes: a registration management unit 220 for accepting registrations of home appliances 100; a storage unit 260, located outside the home appliance 100, for storing accumulated information 430 obtained while using the home appliance 100; and an information deletion unit 250 for deleting at least a portion of the accumulated information 430 stored in the storage unit 260 when the registration of the home appliance 100 or the registration (user account) of a user associated with the home appliance 100 is cancelled. With this configuration, at least a portion of the accumulated information 430 stored in the storage unit 260 is automatically deleted when the registration of the home appliance 100 or the registration (user account) of a user associated with the home appliance 100 is cancelled. Thus, even if the user U does not request deletion, the accumulated information 430 will be automatically deleted at an appropriate time. Therefore, even if the user does not particularly care, a new user cannot access the information of an old user. This improves security.

[0066] In general, there is a situation where it is difficult to directly attach information to the accumulated information 430 from the home appliance 100 to the server device 200 to determine which user used the data. This is because dealing with situations where multiple users, such as a family, can share the home appliance 100 can become complicated, or the system burden increases if user confirmation is performed one by one when reading a large amount of data.

[0067] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the registration of the home appliance 100 is cancelled, the information deletion unit 250 deletes at least a portion of the accumulated information 430 stored in the storage unit 260. With this configuration, even when multiple user accounts are associated with the accumulated information 430, complex processing can be avoided and the accumulated information 430 can be automatically deleted at appropriate intervals.

[0068] Furthermore, the phrase "deleting accumulated information when the registration of the home appliance or the registration of a user associated with the home appliance is cancelled" as used in this specification means that it is equivalent to any of the following situations: (a) the information deletion unit 250 has the function of deleting accumulated information 430 only when the registration of the home appliance 100 is cancelled; (b) the information deletion unit 250 has the function of deleting accumulated information 430 only when the user account is deleted; or (c) the information deletion unit 250 has the function of deleting accumulated information 430 when the registration of the home appliance 100 is cancelled and also when the user account is deleted.

[0069] (Second Implementation)

[0070] Next, the second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that multiple users U (users U1, U2) share the home appliance 100. However, the following description of the configuration is the same as the first embodiment except for the following configuration.

[0071] Figure 8 This diagram illustrates the overall configuration of the home appliance system 1 according to the second embodiment. In the home appliance system 1 of this embodiment, for example, multiple user accounts, belonging to a family, are registered and associated with the home appliance 100. Hereinafter, without distinguishing between the multiple users U1 and U2, the multiple users U1 and U2 will be referred to as "user U".

[0072] Figure 9 This diagram illustrates an example of the home appliance DB430A according to this embodiment. In the home appliance DB430A of this embodiment, for each home appliance 100, a corresponding home appliance ID for identifying the home appliance 100, user accounts of one or more users U associated with the home appliance 100, and a pointer to a storage location representing the accumulated information 430 of the home appliance 100 (described later) are established and registered. In this embodiment, when multiple user accounts of users U are registered and associated with one home appliance 100, a primary user (hereinafter referred to as the "representative user" for ease of explanation) is set.

[0073] In this embodiment, when a user account representing a user is deleted, the information deletion unit 250 deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 associated with that user account from the storage unit 260. On the other hand, the information deletion unit 250 does not delete the accumulated information 430 even if a user account representing a user other than the user is deleted.

[0074] Based on this configuration, accumulated information 430 can be automatically deleted at appropriate time intervals. This avoids complex processing and enhances security.

[0075] (First variation of the second embodiment)

[0076] In a first variation of the second embodiment, when multiple user accounts of user U associated with a home appliance 100 exist, and all user accounts are deleted, the information deletion unit 250 deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliances 100 associated with these user accounts from the storage unit 260. On the other hand, for the information deletion unit 250, even if some user accounts of user U associated with a certain home appliance 100 are deleted, but only one user account of user U associated with that home appliance 100 remains, the accumulated information 430 corresponding to that home appliance 100 is not deleted, but is retained.

[0077] Based on this structure, even if some user accounts are deleted, the remaining user accounts can still utilize the accumulated information 430. This allows for improved security and enhanced convenience for user accounts.

[0078] (Second variation of the second embodiment)

[0079] In a second variation of the second embodiment, if there are multiple user accounts associated with the home appliance 100, and the registration of one of the multiple users U is cancelled, the information deletion unit 250 queries the one user U or at least one of the remaining users U whether the accumulated information 430 accumulated in the storage unit 260 can be deleted.

[0080] For example, the information deletion unit 250 displays whether the accumulated information 430 can be deleted on the display screen of the terminal device 300, thereby querying the user U for the aforementioned information. Then, the information deletion unit 250 determines whether the accumulated information 430 can be deleted, for example, based on the user U's response to the terminal device 300. For example, if the information deletion unit 250 receives responses from all users U who have been queried indicating that the accumulated information 430 can be deleted, the information deletion unit 250 deletes the accumulated information 430 from the storage unit 260. With this configuration, even if some users U's user accounts are deleted, the remaining users U who want to use the accumulated information 430 can continue to use it. Thus, both security and user convenience can be improved.

[0081] (Third Implementation)

[0082] Next, the third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the appliance 100 when the appliance 100, which has been deregistered once, is re-registered. Otherwise, the configuration described below is the same as the first embodiment.

[0083] Figure 10This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server device 200 according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the server device 200 includes an information deletion unit 250B. Similar to the first embodiment, the information deletion unit 250B deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from the storage unit 260 when the registration of the home appliance 100 is cancelled.

[0084] Furthermore, if the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 is not deleted from the storage unit 260 but remains when the re-registration of the home appliance 100 is accepted, the information deletion unit 250B of this embodiment deletes the remaining accumulated information 430 in the storage unit 260. In other words, if the registration of the home appliance 100 remains unchanged and the re-registration of the home appliance 100 is accepted by the registration management unit 220, the information deletion unit 250B deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from the storage unit 260.

[0085] Based on this structure, even if the old user forgets to deregister the appliance 100 before handing it over to a new user, the old user's accumulated information 430 will be deleted when the new user registers the appliance 100. This allows for further improvement in security.

[0086] (Fourth Implementation)

[0087] Next, the fourth embodiment will be described. The fourth embodiment differs from the third embodiment in that, even if the registration of the home appliance 100 is cancelled, the accumulated information 430 is not deleted (at least a portion of the accumulated information 430 is retained). However, if the conditions are not met when the home appliance 100, which has been cancelled once, is re-registered, the accumulated information 430 corresponding to that home appliance 100 is deleted from the storage unit 260. Furthermore, the configuration except for the configuration described below is the same as that of the third embodiment.

[0088] Figure 11 This diagram illustrates the overall configuration of the home appliance system 1 according to the fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, the home appliance 100 includes a position detection unit 501. The position detection unit 501 detects the position of the home appliance 100 at predetermined intervals, for example, based on signals from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites. The information indicating the position of the home appliance 100 detected by the position detection unit 501 is transmitted to the server device 200 by the information transmission unit 153.

[0089] In this embodiment, the terminal device 300 includes a position detection unit 502. The position detection unit 502 detects the position of the terminal device 300 at predetermined intervals, for example, based on signals from GNSS satellites. Information indicating the position of the terminal device 300 detected by the position detection unit 502 is sent to the server device 200.

[0090] Figure 12 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server device 200 according to the fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, the server device 200 includes an information deletion unit 250C and a judgment unit 270.

[0091] In this embodiment, unlike the third embodiment, when the registration of the home appliance 100 is deleted, the information deletion unit 250C at the time when the registration of the home appliance 100 was cancelled does not delete the information but retains the accumulated information 430. Then, if the prescribed conditions are not met when the home appliance 100, which has been cancelled once, is re-registered, the information deletion unit 250C deletes the accumulated information 430 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from the storage unit 260. On the other hand, if the prescribed conditions are met when the home appliance 100, which has been cancelled once, is re-registered, the information deletion unit 250C suppresses the deletion of the accumulated information 430. "Suppressing deletion example" means, for example, "not deleting," but it is not limited to this; it can also be applied to delete a portion of information that is relatively less important.

[0092] When the home appliance 100 is re-registered, the determination unit 270 determines whether the above-mentioned conditions are met. In this embodiment, the determination unit 270 determines that the above-mentioned conditions are met if any one of the first to fifth conditions shown below is met. However, the server device 200 may only have the function of determining any one of the first to fifth conditions. Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, the above-mentioned conditions will be referred to as "continuation of use determination conditions".

[0093] <First condition>

[0094] If the location of home appliance 100 meets the prescribed conditions when the registration management department 220 accepts the re-registration application for home appliance 100, the judgment department 270 determines that the aforementioned conditions for continued use are met. Prescribed conditions related to the location of home appliance 100 include, for example, the situation where the location of home appliance 100 at the time of its previous registration and its location at the time of re-registration are within a prescribed distance (within a prescribed range). The location of home appliance 100 is, for example, detected by the location detection unit 501 located at home appliance 100. "Within a prescribed distance" means within the same residence of user U, for example, within 20 meters.

[0095] <Second Condition>

[0096] If the location of the terminal device 300 meets the prescribed conditions when the registration management department 220 accepts the re-registration of home appliance 100, the judgment unit 270 determines that the above-mentioned conditions for continued use are met. The prescribed conditions related to the location of the terminal device 300 include, for example, the location of the terminal device 300 at the time of the previous registration of home appliance 100 (e.g., the time when the registration process was completed) and the location of the terminal device 300 at the time of re-registration of home appliance 100 (e.g., the time when the re-registration process was completed) being within a prescribed distance (within a prescribed range). The location of the terminal device 300 is, for example, detected by the location detection unit 502 located on the terminal device 300. "Within a prescribed distance" means a distance within the same residence of the user U, for example, within 20 meters.

[0097] <Third Condition>

[0098] If the user account meets the prescribed conditions when the registration management department 220 accepts the re-registration of home appliance 100, the judgment department 270 determines that the above-mentioned conditions for continued use are met. The prescribed conditions related to the user account include, for example, situations where the user account associated with home appliance 100 during its previous registration and the user account associated with home appliance 100 during its re-registration are the same or belong to the same specific group (e.g., a family).

[0099] <Fourth condition>

[0100] When the registration management department 220 accepts the re-registration application for home appliance 100, if the LAN connected to home appliance 100 is the same as that in the previous registration of home appliance 100, the determination department 270 determines that the above-mentioned conditions for continued use are met. For example, if the LAN connected to home appliance 100 is the same as that in the previous registration, the LAN5 connected to the residence where home appliance 100 was located is the same as that in the current re-registration application.

[0101] The judgment unit 270 determines the similarity of the LAN based on the IP (Internet Protocol) address contained in the signal received from the home appliance 100. In the case of re-registration of the home appliance 100 within the same LAN, the likelihood of it being the same user U or a close user U such as a family member is high; therefore, the accumulated information 430 is not deleted. Alternatively, the judgment unit 270 may determine the similarity of the LAN based on device-specific information such as the MAC address of the wireless router R contained in the signal received from the home appliance 100, instead of relying on the IP address.

[0102] <Fifth Condition>

[0103] When the registration management department 220 accepts the re-registration of home appliance 100, if the LAN connected to home appliance 100 is connected to the same terminal device 300 as during the previous registration of home appliance 100, the determination unit 270 determines that the above-mentioned conditions for continued use are met. For example, if the LAN connected to the same terminal device 300 was the same LAN (first LAN) when the previous registration of home appliance 100 was accepted, and the re-registration of home appliance 100 is accepted, the LAN connected to home appliance 100 and terminal device 300 are the same LAN (second LAN). Furthermore, the first LAN and the second LAN can be the same LAN or different LANs (e.g., the LANs of the residence before and after moving). The determination unit 270 determines the similarity based on the MAC address contained in the signal received from home appliance 100 and the MAC address contained in the signal received from terminal device 300. The first LAN and the second LAN are, for example, LAN 5 within the residence.

[0104] Based on this structure, even if the registration of home appliance 100 is cancelled once, the accumulated information 430 before the cancellation of the registration of home appliance 100 can still be used among close users U, such as the same user U or family members. Therefore, both security and convenience can be improved.

[0105] (Fifth Implementation)

[0106] Next, the fifth embodiment will be described. The fifth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it assigns timestamps to the information stored in the storage unit 260 and deletes information for which a predetermined time has elapsed since the timestamps were assigned. Otherwise, the configuration described below is the same as the first embodiment.

[0107] Figure 13This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server device 200 according to the fifth embodiment. In this embodiment, the server device 200 includes a timestamp assignment unit 280 and an information deletion unit 250D.

[0108] When information sent from the information transmitting unit 153 of the home appliance 100 is received by the information acquiring unit 230, the timestamp assigning unit 280 assigns a timestamp indicating the time of reception to the received information. Furthermore, the information acquiring unit 230 stores the timestamped information as part of the accumulated information 430. A timestamp is an example of "time information." The timestamp assigning unit 280 is an example of a "time information assigning unit."

[0109] The information deletion unit 250D sequentially deletes information from the accumulated information 430 that has been timestamped for a period of time shorter than two cycles of the user's lifestyle. For example, for a user who spends each week in the same lifestyle pattern, "a period of time shorter than two cycles of the user's lifestyle" is "a period of time shorter than two weeks (two cycles of the user's lifestyle)," such as one week. Regarding "the user's lifestyle cycle," if there is no specific input from the user U to the terminal device 300, one week is set as the default value; if there is input from the user U to the terminal device 300, the period input by the user U takes priority.

[0110] Based on this configuration, even if the home appliance 100 is handed over from an old user to a new user while the accumulated information 430 remains in the server device 200, the new user will find it difficult to trace back the previous user's lifestyle when using the home appliance 100. Therefore, improved security can be achieved.

[0111] The above describes several implementation methods and modifications, but the implementation methods and modifications are not limited to the examples described above. For example, the above implementation methods and modifications can also be combined with each other.

[0112] According to at least one embodiment described above, a home appliance system includes: a registration management unit for accepting registrations of home appliances; a storage unit located outside the home appliances for storing information obtained when using the home appliances; and an information deletion unit for deleting at least a portion of the information stored in the storage unit when the registration of the home appliances or the registration of a user associated with the home appliances is deleted. With this configuration, improved security can be achieved.

[0113] Several embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these embodiments are disclosed by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims.

[0114] [Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures]

[0115] 1… Home appliance system, 100… Home appliance equipment, 200… Server device, 220… Registration and management department, 250, 250C, 250D… Information deletion department, 260… Storage department, 270… Judgment department, 280… Timestamp assignment department (time information assignment department).

Claims

1. A home appliance system, comprising: The registration management department handles the registration of household appliances; The storage unit, located outside the aforementioned home appliance, accumulates information obtained during the use of the aforementioned home appliance regarding the home appliance for which the aforementioned registration has been accepted. as well as The information deletion unit is capable of deleting at least a portion of the information accumulated in the aforementioned storage unit. Even if the registration of the aforementioned home appliance is cancelled, the information deletion department retains at least a portion of the information accumulated in the aforementioned storage department. If the re-registration of the aforementioned home appliance after its registration has been cancelled once is not accepted by the aforementioned registration management department and does not meet the prescribed conditions, the information deletion department deletes at least a portion of the information accumulated in the aforementioned storage department.

2. A home appliance system, comprising: The registration management department handles the registration of household appliances; The storage unit, located outside the aforementioned home appliance, accumulates information obtained during the use of the aforementioned home appliance regarding the home appliance for which the aforementioned registration has been accepted. as well as The information deletion department, upon acceptance by the registration management department of at least the aforementioned home appliances' re-registration, deletes at least a portion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage department. If the location of the aforementioned home appliance meets the prescribed conditions when the re-registration of the aforementioned home appliance is accepted by the aforementioned registration management department, the aforementioned information deletion department will suppress the deletion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage department.

3. A home appliance system, comprising: The registration management department handles the registration of household appliances; The storage unit, located outside the aforementioned home appliance, accumulates information obtained during the use of the aforementioned home appliance regarding the home appliance for which the aforementioned registration has been accepted. as well as The information deletion department, upon acceptance by the registration management department of at least the aforementioned home appliances' re-registration, deletes at least a portion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage department. When the re-registration of the aforementioned home appliance is accepted by the aforementioned registration management department, and the location of the user's terminal device of the aforementioned home appliance meets the prescribed conditions, the aforementioned information deletion unit suppresses the deletion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage unit.

4. A home appliance system, comprising: The registration management department handles the registration of household appliances; The storage unit, located outside the aforementioned home appliance, accumulates information obtained during the use of the aforementioned home appliance regarding the home appliance for which the aforementioned registration has been accepted. as well as The information deletion department, upon acceptance by the registration management department of at least the aforementioned home appliances' re-registration, deletes at least a portion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage department. When the re-registration of the aforementioned home appliance is accepted by the aforementioned registration management department, and the registration of the user associated with the aforementioned home appliance meets the prescribed conditions, the aforementioned information deletion department suppresses the deletion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage department.

5. A home appliance system, comprising: The registration management department handles the registration of household appliances; The storage unit, located outside the aforementioned home appliance, accumulates information obtained during the use of the aforementioned home appliance regarding the home appliance for which the aforementioned registration has been accepted. as well as The information deletion department, upon acceptance by the registration management department of at least the aforementioned home appliances' re-registration, deletes at least a portion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage department. When the re-registration of the aforementioned home appliance is accepted by the aforementioned registration management department, and the local area network to which the aforementioned home appliance is connected meets the prescribed conditions, the aforementioned information deletion department suppresses the deletion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage department.

6. A home appliance system, comprising: The registration management department handles the registration of household appliances; The storage unit, located outside the aforementioned home appliance, accumulates information obtained during the use of the aforementioned home appliance regarding the home appliance for which the aforementioned registration has been accepted. as well as The information deletion department, upon acceptance by the registration management department of at least the aforementioned home appliances' re-registration, deletes at least a portion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage department. When the re-registration of the aforementioned home appliance is accepted by the aforementioned registration management department, and the terminal device connected to the local area network to which the aforementioned home appliance is connected meets the prescribed conditions, the aforementioned information deletion unit suppresses the deletion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage unit.

7. The home appliance system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, In the event that the registration of the aforementioned home appliance is cancelled, the aforementioned information deletion unit deletes at least a portion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage unit.

8. The home appliance system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, If a user's registration associated with the aforementioned home appliance is cancelled, the aforementioned information deletion unit deletes at least a portion of the aforementioned information accumulated in the aforementioned storage unit.

9. The home appliance system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: The time information delivery department will assign the time information to the aforementioned information. The aforementioned information deletion unit sequentially deletes the aforementioned information that has been assigned the aforementioned time information for a specified period of time, the specified period of time being shorter than the duration of two user lifestyle cycle cycles.

Images