Program, information processing system, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide a program, an information processing system, and an information processing method that can improve convenience.SOLUTION: A program causes a computer serving as a terminal device having a display screen to implement an information acquisition section and a display control section. The display control section causes a selection screen including a plurality of selection operation sections for selecting an operation target home appliance from among a plurality of home appliances to be displayed, causes the selection screen to transit to a first operation screen for operating a first home appliance when a first selection operation section corresponding to the first home appliance is operated among the plurality of selection operation section displayed on the selection screen, and causes the first operation screen to display a plurality of device operation sections for respectively operating the first home appliances and a first special operation section for causing the first operation screen to transit to a second operation screen for operating a second home appliance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, an information processing system, and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Terminal devices that display a plurality of icons corresponding to a plurality of home appliances on a display screen have been proposed. Further improvements in the convenience of such information processing systems are expected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-36276 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a program, an information processing system, and an information processing method that can improve convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A program according to an embodiment causes a computer, which is a terminal device having a display screen, to realize an information acquisition unit and a display control unit. The information acquisition unit acquires information related to a home appliance for which device registration has been performed to associate the home appliance with a user. The display control unit displays information related to the home appliance on the display screen based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit. When there are a plurality of home appliances for which the device registration has been performed, the display control unit displays a selection screen including a plurality of selection operation units for selecting a home appliance to be operated from among the plurality of home appliances on the display screen, and when a first selection operation unit corresponding to a first home appliance included in the plurality of home appliances is operated among the plurality of selection operation units displayed on the selection screen, the selection screen transitions to a first operation screen for operating the first home appliance, and displays, on the first operation screen, a plurality of device operation units for operating the first home appliance, and a first special operation unit for transitioning the first operation screen to a second operation screen for operating a second home appliance different from the first home appliance included in the plurality of home appliances. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a home appliance management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a device registration DB according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a basic screen of the home appliance management application according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a transition destination operation screen in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a usage screen to which a transition is made in the first embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a basic screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of an operation screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a theme of a transition destination list in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of relevance information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] 6 is a flowchart showing a process related to the relevance level according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of the subject of the transition destination list in the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of the subject of the transition destination list in the first embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing switching between displaying and hiding a search window in the first embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing switching between displaying and hiding a search window in the first embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method for adding a favorite registration according to the second embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method for deleting a favorite registration according to the second embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is another diagram for explaining the method of adding to favorites according to the second embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a usage screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of an individual function screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a special operation unit according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 25] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another example of the individual function screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another example of the special operation unit according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, the program, information processing system, and information processing method of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to configurations having the same or similar functions. And, duplicated descriptions of those configurations may be omitted. In this application, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX" and may include cases based on other elements in addition to XX. Also, "based on XX" is not limited to cases based directly on XX, but may also include cases based on XX that has been calculated or processed. In this application, "XX or YY" is not limited to either one of XX and YY, but may include both XX and YY. This also applies to cases where there are three or more selective elements. XX and YY are any elements (for example, any information).

[0008] In this application, "obtain" is not limited to actively obtaining information by sending a transmission request, but may also include obtaining information by passively receiving information transmitted from another device. Furthermore, "obtain" is not limited to directly obtaining target information (information to be obtained) from outside, but may also include generating and obtaining target information by performing calculations or processing on information obtained from outside. In this application, database is abbreviated as "DB."

[0009] (First embodiment) <1. Overall composition> 1 is a diagram showing a home appliance management system 1 according to a first embodiment. The home appliance management system 1 includes, for example, a plurality of home appliances 100, a server 200, and a home appliance management application AP of a terminal device 300. The network NW described below may be, for example, the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), or other public or dedicated lines, depending on the situation.

[0010] (home appliances) The home appliance 100 is an electric appliance mainly used at home. The home appliance 100 is placed in the residence of a user U. The home appliance 100 is, but is not limited to, an air conditioner 100A, a refrigerator 100B, a cooking device 100C, a clothes treatment device 100D, a rice cooker 100E, an air purifier, a vacuum cleaner, a coffee maker, or an iron. The "clothes treatment device" is, for example, a washing machine (including a washer-dryer) or a closet-type clothes treatment device. The home appliance 100 is connected to a network NW via a wireless router WR and a modem M installed in the residence of the user U. The home appliance 100 can communicate with a server 200 or a terminal device 300 via the network NW. The home appliance 100 may be directly communicated with the terminal device 300 by using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). For ease of explanation, the air conditioner 100A may be referred to as an "air conditioner 100A", the cooking appliance 100C may be referred to as an "oven range 100C", and the clothes treating machine 100D may be referred to as a "washing machine 100D".

[0011] (server) The server 200 is a management server that manages the home appliance 100. The server 200 is configured by one or more server devices (e.g., cloud servers). The server 200 is capable of communicating with the home appliance 100 or the terminal device 300 via the network NW. The server 200 may include an information processing unit that performs edge computing or fog computing, such as an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW. The server 200 is not limited to a cloud server, and may be a computer in the residence of the user U, a home router, or the like.

[0012] (Terminal Device) The terminal device 300 is an electronic device used by a user U. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal device. However, the terminal device 300 is not limited to a mobile terminal device and may be a personal computer or the like.

[0013] The terminal device 300 includes, for example, a display device 301, an input device 302, and a communication unit 303. The display device 301 is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and has a display screen 301a capable of displaying various information. The input device 302 is a device that accepts an operation by a user U. The input device 302 is, for example, a touch panel that is provided on top of the display screen 301a. The input device 302 may include a camera, a microphone, and the like provided in the terminal device 300. The communication unit 303 is, for example, a communication module capable of wireless communication. The communication unit 303 is connected to the network NW directly or via a wireless router WR and a modem M. The communication unit 303 is capable of communicating with the home appliance 100 or the server 200 via the network NW. The terminal device 300 may be capable of directly communicating with the home appliance 100 using short-distance wireless communication such as Bluetooth.

[0014] An application program P is installed in the terminal device 300, and the terminal device 300 supports the functions described below. The application program P is, for example, an application program for managing a plurality of home appliances 100. Hereinafter, application software that is started by executing the application program P is referred to as a "home appliance management application AP."

[0015] In this embodiment, an example of an "information processing system" is realized by the home appliance management application AP of the terminal device 300. However, instead of the above example, the "information processing system" may be realized only by the server 200, or may be realized by any two or more of the server 200, the home appliance management application AP, and the home appliance 100. In this embodiment, each of the home appliance 100, the server 200, and the terminal device 300 is an example of a "computer."

[0016] <2. Server> Next, the server 200 will be described. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200. The server 200 includes, for example, a device registration unit 210, a home appliance management unit 220, a service providing unit 230, an information transmission unit 240, and a storage unit 290.

[0017] <2.1 Device Registration Section> The device registration unit 210 performs device registration of the home appliance 100 in response to a request from the terminal device 300 (i.e., an application from the user U). Device registration means associating a specific user U with the home appliance 100 used by the user U. Device registration is performed, for example, by registering a correspondence between user information (e.g., a user ID) capable of identifying the user U and device information (e.g., a device ID) capable of identifying an individual home appliance 100. In this embodiment, the correspondence is registered in a device registration DB 291 stored in the storage unit 290. Note that device registration may be performed by associating a specific terminal device 300 used by the user U with the specific home appliance 100 instead of associating a specific user U with the specific home appliance 100.

[0018] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the device registration DB 291. In the device registration DB 291, for example, a user ID, a device ID, a type (home appliance type) of the home appliance 100, a model of the home appliance 100, a display name on the home appliance management application AP, and the like are associated and registered.

[0019] When the device registration unit 210 has performed device registration of the home appliance 100 in response to a request from the terminal device 300, the device registration unit 210 transmits the details of the device registration to the terminal device 300. The details of the device registration of each home appliance 100 are stored in the storage unit 390 of the terminal device 300 as device registration information 391, which will be described later.

[0020] <2.2 Home appliance management department> Returning to FIG. 2, the remaining configuration will be described. The home appliance management unit 220 manages the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. For example, when the home appliance management unit 220 receives an operation request to operate the home appliance 100 from the terminal device 300, the home appliance management unit 220 generates a control command in response to the received operation request and notifies the home appliance 100 of the generated control command. This causes the home appliance 100 to be operated in response to the operation request from the terminal device 300. In this application, "operation of the home appliance" refers to, but is not limited to, starting an operation, stopping an operation, setting or changing the content of an operation, setting or changing a scheduled operation, adding or deleting a special function, checking the status of the home appliance, and the like.

[0021] Furthermore, when a change in state occurs in home appliance 100 (start of operation, stop of operation, setting or change of operation content, setting or change of operation reservation, addition or deletion of special function, etc.), home appliance management unit 220 receives state information SI indicating the latest state of home appliance 100 from home appliance 100. Home appliance management unit 220 registers the received state information SI of home appliance 100 in state information DB 292 stored in storage unit 290. As a result, state information DB 292 has the latest state information SI of home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed.

[0022] <2.3 Service Provision Department> When a service related to the home appliance 100 (hereinafter referred to as a "home appliance related service") becomes available by registering the home appliance 100, the service providing unit 230 provides the home appliance related service. The home appliance related service includes, for example, a service related to the home appliance 100 and different from the operation (control) of the home appliance 100. In this embodiment, the service providing unit 230 includes an ingredient management unit 231, a recipe providing unit 232, a collective operation management unit 233, and a reference information providing unit 234.

[0023] (Food Management Department) The ingredient management unit 231 provides an ingredient management service. The ingredient management service is a service for managing the inventory of ingredients present in the home of the user U (for example, the refrigerator 100B). In this embodiment, the ingredient management service is a service related to the refrigerator 100B, and becomes available to the user U when the refrigerator 100B is registered as a device. The ingredient management unit 231 accepts input of ingredients present in the home of the user U, and registers and manages the input ingredients in an ingredient management DB 293 stored in the memory unit 290.

[0024] (Recipe provided by) The recipe providing unit 232 provides a recipe service. The recipe service is a service related to proposing or searching for a recipe. In this embodiment, the recipe service is a service related to the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C, and becomes available to the user U when the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C is registered. The recipe providing unit 232 proposes or searches for a recipe based on a recipe DB 294 stored in the storage unit 290.

[0025] (Centralized Operation Management Department) The collective operation management unit 233 provides a collective operation service. The collective operation management unit 233 collectively controls a plurality of home electric appliances 100 (e.g., a plurality of home electric appliances 100 of the same type) based on a predetermined signal received from the terminal device 300. In this embodiment, the collective operation management unit 233 can collectively control a plurality of air conditioners 100A installed in the residence of the user U. For example, the collective operation management unit 233 can collectively operate the power of the plurality of air conditioners 100A to the OFF state.

[0026] (Reference Information Department) The reference information providing unit 234 provides a reference information service. The reference information service is information indicating reference information related to the home appliance 100 (for example, a recommended way of using the home appliance 100). The recommended way of using the home appliance 100 is a convenient way of using the home appliance management application AP, or a maintenance method for making the home appliance 100 last longer. In this embodiment, the reference information providing unit 234 registers and manages the above-mentioned reference information in a reference information DB 295 stored in the storage unit 290.

[0027] <2.4 Information transmission section> When the terminal device 300 receives a transmission request requesting transmission of information related to the home appliance 100, the information transmitting unit 240 transmits to the terminal device 300 information related to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed in association with the user U of the received terminal device 300. For example, when the terminal device 300 receives a transmission request requesting transmission of the latest state information SI of the home appliance 100, the information transmitting unit 240 transmits to the terminal device 300 the latest state information SI of the home appliance 100 based on the state information DB 292. Furthermore, when the terminal device 300 receives a transmission request requesting transmission of information related to a home appliance-related service, the information transmitting unit 240 transmits to the terminal device 300 information related to the home appliance-related service corresponding to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed in association with the user U of the received terminal device 300.

[0028] <2.5 Storage section> The storage unit 290 is realized by, for example, a combination of a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit 290 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 290 stores a device registration DB 291, a status information DB 292, an ingredient management DB 293, a recipe DB 294, and a reference information DB 295.

[0029] <3. Terminal device> Next, the terminal device 300 will be described first. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 300. The terminal device 300 includes an information acquisition unit 310, a display control unit 320, an operation acceptance unit 330, an information transmission unit 340, and a storage unit 390, for example.

[0030] The information acquisition unit 310, the display control unit 320, the operation reception unit 330, and the information transmission unit 340 are realized by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU mounted on the terminal device 300 executing the application program P. In other words, the information acquisition unit 310, the display control unit 320, the operation reception unit 330, and the information transmission unit 340 are software function units included in the home appliance management application AP. Note that the information acquisition unit 310 and the display control unit 320 may be provided in the server 200 instead of / in addition to the terminal device 300. In this case, the display contents of a selection screen, an operation screen, and a function operation screen, which will be described later, may be determined by the display control unit 320 of the server 200, and an image generated by the display control unit 320 of the server 200 may be displayed on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300.

[0031] <3.1 Information acquisition section> The information acquiring unit 310 acquires various kinds of information from the server 200 or the home appliance 100 by communicating with the server 200 or the home appliance 100. For example, the information acquiring unit 310 acquires information related to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed from the server 200 by communicating with the server 200. For example, when an operation screen or an individual function screen, which will be described later, is to be displayed on the display screen 301a, the information acquiring unit 310 transmits a transmission request to the server 200 requesting transmission of the latest status information SI of the home appliance 100 to be displayed, and receives the latest status information SI of the home appliance 100 from the server 200 as a response to the transmission request.

[0032] <3.2 Display control section> The display control unit 320 controls the display device 301 of the terminal device 300, thereby controlling the contents displayed on the display screen 301a of the display device 301. A basic screen, an operation screen, an individual operation screen, various operation units, and the like displayed on the display screen 301a described below are displayed under the control of the display control unit 320. For example, when the latest status information SI of the home appliance 100 is acquired by the information acquisition unit 310, the display control unit 320 controls the contents displayed on the display screen 301a based on the acquired latest status information SI.

[0033] <3.3 Operation reception section> The operation accepting unit 330 accepts an operation of the user U performed on the input device 302 with respect to a screen (for example, a basic screen, an operation screen, an individual function screen, and various operation units, which will be described later) displayed by the display control unit 320. For example, the operation accepting unit 330 accepts an operation of the user U to press (for example, tap) various operation units displayed on the above screen. When the operation accepting unit 330 accepts an operation of the user U, it generates information or a signal according to the accepted operation, and transmits the generated signal or information to the server 200.

[0034] <3.4 Storage section> The storage unit 390 is realized by, for example, a combination of RAM, ROM, EEPROM, SSD, etc. The storage unit 390 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 390 stores an application program P, device registration information 391, association degree information 392 described later, and usage history information 393 described later.

[0035] <4. Example of terminal device screen display> Next, a description will be given of a display example displayed on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300. In the following, an example will be given in which an air conditioner 100A, a refrigerator 100B, a microwave oven 100C, a washing machine 100D, and a rice cooker 100E are present as home appliances 100 registered in association with a user U, and a foodstuff management service, a recipe service, a collective operation service, and a reference information service are available as home appliance management services.

[0036] <4.1 Basic screen (selection screen)> 5 is a diagram showing an example of a basic screen D10 of the home appliance management application AP. The basic screen D10 is, for example, a home screen (top screen) of the home appliance management application AP. The basic screen D10 is an example of a "selection screen." In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 causes the basic screen D10 to display a first display area A1 and a second display area A2. The display content of the basic screen D10 is determined based on, for example, device registration information 391 stored in the storage unit 390.

[0037] (1st display area) The first display area A1 is a display area related to the operation of the home appliance 100. The first display area A1 includes one or more selection operation units B11 corresponding to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. For example, when there are a plurality of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed, the first display area A1 includes a plurality of selection operation units B11 corresponding to the plurality of home appliances 100. The selection operation unit B11 is an operation unit for selecting a home appliance 100 to be operated from among the home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed, and transitioning the basic screen D10 to an operation screen D20 for operating the selected home appliance 100.

[0038] In this embodiment, when a new device registration of a home electric appliance 100 is performed, a selection operation unit B11 corresponding to the home electric appliance 100 for which the device registration has been performed is added to the first display area A1. That is, the number of selection operation units B11 corresponds to the number of home electric appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a selection operation unit B11a for selecting "air conditioner 100A", a selection operation unit B11b for selecting "refrigerator 100B", a selection operation unit B11c for selecting "convection range 100C", a selection operation unit B11d for selecting "washing machine 100D", and a selection operation unit B11e for selecting "rice cooker 100E" are displayed as the multiple selection operation units B11.

[0039] (Second display area) The second display area A2 is a display area related to home appliance-related services. The second display area A2 includes one or more selection operation units B12 corresponding to home appliance-related services that have become available in association with the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. For example, when there are available home appliance-related services, the second display area A2 includes a plurality of selection operation units B12 corresponding to the plurality of home appliance-related services. The selection operation unit B12 is an operation unit for selecting a home appliance-related service to be used from among the available home appliance-related services, and transitioning the basic screen D10 to a usage screen D40 for using the selected home appliance-related service.

[0040] In this embodiment, when a new home appliance-related service becomes available as a result of new device registration of home appliance 100, a selection operation unit B12 corresponding to the new home appliance-related service is added to second display area A2. That is, the number of selection operation units B12 corresponds to the number of available home appliance-related services. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a selection operation unit B12a for selecting "ingredients management service", a selection operation unit B12b for selecting "recipe service", and a selection operation unit B12c for selecting "collective operation service", and a selection operation unit B12d for selecting "reference information service" are displayed as the multiple selection operation units B12.

[0041] <4.2 Operation screen> 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen D20. The operation screen D20 is a screen for operating a home electric appliance 100 selected as an operation target, and is a screen displayed separately for each individual home electric appliance 100.

[0042] 6(a) shows an operation screen D21 for operating the air conditioner 100A as an example of the operation screen D20. As described above, the air conditioner 100A is an example of a "first home appliance." The operation screen D21 is an example of a "first operation screen." The operation screen D20 includes, for example, a display area A21, a plurality of device operation sections B21, and a search window WS.

[0043] (display area) Display area A21 displays status information SI indicating the status of home appliance 100 to be operated. Status information SI is information acquired from server 200 by information acquisition unit 310, for example.

[0044] (Equipment operation section) Each of the multiple device operation units B21 is an operation unit for operating the home appliance 100 that is the operation target. In the present application, the "operation unit for operating the home appliance" is not limited to an operation unit that directly operates the home appliance 100, and may be, for example, an operation unit that additionally displays detailed operation units in a pop-up format, or an operation unit that transitions to a separate screen for operation.

[0045] In the example shown in (a) of Figure 6, the multiple device operation units B21 include device operation unit B21a for switching the air conditioner 100A between the ON and OFF states, device operation unit B21b for changing the set temperature of the air conditioner 100A, device operation unit 21c for changing the air volume or direction of the air conditioner 100A, device operation unit 21d for setting additional functions of the air conditioner 100A, device operation unit 21e for setting the weekly timer of the air conditioner 100A, and device operation unit 21f for setting the timer of the air conditioner 100A.

[0046] (Search box) The search window WS is an input unit that accepts an input for transitioning the currently displayed operation screen D20 (for example, the operation screen D21) to an operation screen D20 for operating another home appliance 100 or a usage screen D40 for using a home appliance-related service. The search window WS is an example of a "first special operation unit."

[0047] In this embodiment, the search window WS receives an operation by the user U for displaying the transition destination list LT. For example, when an operation of pressing (e.g., tapping) the search window WS is received by the operation receiving unit 330, the display control unit 320 causes the transition destination list LT to be displayed on the operation screen D20 (e.g., the operation screen D21) (see (b) in FIG. 6).

[0048] The transition destination list LT includes a plurality of special operation units B31. Each of the plurality of special operation units B31 is an operation unit for transitioning the currently displayed operation screen D20 (for example, the operation screen D21) to an operation screen D20 for operating a home appliance 100 (for example, the air conditioner 100A) different from the currently displayed operation screen D20 (for example, the operation screen D21), or to a usage screen D40 for using a home appliance-related service. For example, when the special operation unit B31 is operated, the currently displayed operation screen D20 transitions to an operation screen D20 for operating another home appliance 100, or to a usage screen D40 for using a home appliance-related service, without going through the basic screen D10. Note that in this application, "displaying a plurality of device operation units and a special operation unit on the operation screen" is not limited to the case where a plurality of device operation units and a special operation unit are displayed simultaneously, and also includes the case where the special operation unit is not displayed in the initial state of the operation screen, and the special operation unit is additionally displayed in response to a predetermined operation by the user U.

[0049] In the example shown in (b) of Figure 6, the multiple special operation units B31 include special operation unit B31a for transitioning to an operation screen D20 for operating the air conditioner 100A, special operation unit B31b for transitioning to an operation screen D20 for operating the refrigerator 100B, special operation unit B31c for transitioning to an operation screen D20 for operating the oven range 100C, special operation unit B31d for transitioning to an operation screen D20 for operating the washing machine 100D, and special operation unit B31e for transitioning to an operation screen D20 for operating the rice cooker 100E.

[0050] In addition, the multiple special operation units B31 include a special operation unit B31f for transitioning to a usage screen D40 for using an ingredient management service, a special operation unit B31g for transitioning to a usage screen D40 for using a recipe service, a special operation unit B31h for transitioning to a usage screen D40 for using a bulk operation service, a special operation unit B31i for transitioning to a usage screen D40 for using a reference information service, and a special operation unit B31j for transitioning to a registration screen for registering a new home appliance 100.

[0051] Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a transition destination operation screen D20. When the operation receiving unit 330 detects that the special operation section B31b (the special operation section B31 corresponding to the refrigerator 100B) is operated (e.g., tapped) on the operation screen D21 shown in (a) of Fig. 7, the display control unit 320 displays the operation screen D22 shown in (b) of Fig. 7 on the display screen 301a instead of the operation screen D21.

[0052] (b) in FIG. 7 shows an operation screen D22 for operating the refrigerator 100B as an example of the operation screen D20. As described above, the refrigerator 100B is an example of a "second home appliance." The special operation section B31b is another example of a "first special operation section." The operation screen D22 is an example of a "second operation screen." Like the first operation screen D21, the second operation screen D22 includes, for example, a display area A21, a plurality of device operation sections B21, and a search window WS.

[0053] In the example shown in (b) of Figure 7, the multiple equipment operation units B21 include an equipment operation unit B21g for changing the temperature setting of the refrigerator compartment, an equipment operation unit B21h for setting the cooling mode of the chilled compartment, an equipment operation unit B21i for setting the cooling mode of the upper freezer compartment, an equipment operation unit B21j for changing the temperature setting of the main freezer compartment, an equipment operation unit B21k for setting the cooling mode of the ice-making compartment, an equipment operation unit B21m for setting the sterilization mode, and an equipment operation unit B21n for setting the power saving mode.

[0054] Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of a usage screen D40 to which the user is to transition. When the operation receiving unit 330 detects that the special operation section B31f (the special operation section B31 corresponding to the foodstuff management service) is operated (e.g., tapped) on the operation screen D21 shown in (a) in Fig. 8, the display control unit 320 causes the display screen 301a to display the usage screen D40 shown in Fig. 9 instead of the operation screen D21. The special operation section B31f is an example of a "second special operation section."

[0055] 8 shows a usage screen D41 for using the food ingredient management service as an example of the usage screen D40. The usage screen D41 includes an operation section B41 for displaying a list of food ingredients that are in stock in each storage compartment of the refrigerator 100B, for example.

[0056] <4.3 Example of transition list display> In this embodiment, the number of the multiple special operation sections B31 displayed on the operation screen D20 (for example, the operation screen D21) is changed according to the number of home electric appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed. The details of this will be described below.

[0057] 9 is a diagram showing a display example of the basic screen D10. In this embodiment, the number of selection operation units B11 and B12 displayed on the basic screen D10 is changed according to the number of home electric appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed. For example, when the device registration of refrigerator 100B is deleted, selection operation unit B11b corresponding to refrigerator 100B is deleted from the basic screen D10. Also, when the device registration of refrigerator 100B is deleted, selection operation unit B12a corresponding to the food management service is deleted from the basic screen D10.

[0058] 10 is a diagram showing a display example of an operation screen D20 (for example, a first operation screen D21). In this embodiment, the number of special operation sections B31 displayed on the operation screen D20 is changed according to the number of home electric appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed. For example, when the device registration of the refrigerator 100B is deleted, the special operation section B31b corresponding to the refrigerator 100B is deleted from the operation screen D20 (for example, the first operation screen D21), and the special operation section B31f corresponding to the food management service is deleted from the operation screen D20 (for example, the first operation screen D21).

[0059] <4.4 Examples of topics in transition list> Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of the subject of the transition destination list LT. Fig. 11 shows an example in which an operation screen D22 for operating the refrigerator 100B is displayed as the currently displayed operation screen D20 (transition source screen). The transition destination list LT may be only one of several transition destination lists LT described below.

[0060] In this embodiment, the transition destination list LT can be switched according to a theme selected by the user U from among a plurality of themes. For example, the display control unit 320 displays a plurality of transition destination lists LT together with a switching tab TB (switching operation unit). The plurality of transition destination lists LT include, for example, a transition destination list LT1 corresponding to "all", a transition destination list LTA corresponding to "extraction based on a predetermined condition", and a transition destination list LTB corresponding to "classification based on a predetermined criterion".

[0061] (Transition list corresponding to "All") The transition destination list LT1 corresponding to "all" includes all the home electric appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed and a plurality of special operation units B31 corresponding to all the available home electric appliance related services (see (b) in FIG. 6).

[0062] (Transition list corresponding to "Extraction based on specified conditions") The transition destination list LTA corresponding to "extraction based on a predetermined condition" includes only a plurality of special operation units B31 corresponding to some of the home appliances 100 or home appliance-related services that are determined by the display control unit 320 to satisfy the predetermined condition and selected from among the plurality of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed and the services that become available in relation to the plurality of home appliances 100. The number of the plurality of special operation units B31 included in the transition destination list LTA corresponding to "extraction based on a predetermined condition" is less than the total number of all the home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed and all the home appliance-related services that can be used. The transition destination list LTA corresponding to "extraction based on a predetermined condition" includes, for example, a transition destination list LT2 based on "relevance" (see (a) in FIG. 11), a transition destination list LT3 based on "recently used" (see (b) in FIG. 11), and a transition destination list LT4 based on "free word" (see FIG. 14).

[0063] (Transition list based on "relevance") The transition destination list LT2 includes a plurality of special operation units B31 corresponding to some of the home appliances 100 or home appliance-related services that are determined to satisfy a predetermined condition related to the degree of association as the above-mentioned predetermined condition. The determination regarding the "predetermined condition related to the degree of association" is made based on, for example, the degree of association between the home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed and the services that become available in relation to the plurality of home appliances 100, and the home appliance 100 to be operated that corresponds to the operation screen D20 being displayed.

[0064] In this embodiment, the degree of association is determined based on the type of home appliance 100 (for example, the type of home appliance 100 that is the operation target on the currently displayed operation screen D20). For example, in the example shown in (a) of Fig. 11, an operation screen D22 for operating a refrigerator 100B is displayed as the currently displayed operation screen D20. In this case, the transition destination list LT2 displays a plurality of special operation sections B31 corresponding to some of the home appliances 100 or home appliance-related services having a predetermined degree of association (for example, a degree of association of 70% or more, described later) with the type of home appliance 100, namely, refrigerator 100B.

[0065] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of relevance information 392 stored in storage unit 390. Relevance information 392 shows a list of the relevance between home appliances 100 and home appliance-related services. Fig. 12 shows a list of correspondence relationships that satisfy the above-mentioned predetermined condition regarding the relevance (for example, correspondence relationships with a relevance of 70% or more).

[0066] 13 is a flowchart showing a process related to the degree of association. First, when an operation of pressing the search window WS is detected, the display control unit 320 identifies the type of home appliance 100 corresponding to the currently displayed operation screen D20 or the type of home appliance-related service corresponding to the currently displayed usage screen D40 (S101). Next, the display control unit 320 acquires information indicating the home appliance 100 and home appliance-related service available to the user U (the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed and the home appliance-related service that has become available in association with the home appliance 100) based on the device registration information 391 stored in the storage unit 390 (S102).

[0067] Next, the display control unit 320 extracts home appliances 100 or home appliance related services having a predetermined degree of association (e.g., a degree of association of 70% or more) with the home appliances 100 or home appliance related services identified in the process of S101 based on the degree of association information 392 stored in the storage unit 390 (S103). Next, the display control unit 320 extracts home appliances 100 and home appliance related services available to the user U (home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed and home appliance related services that have become available in association with the home appliances 100) from among the home appliances 100 or home appliance related services having the predetermined degree of association extracted in the process of S103 (S104).

[0068] Next, the display control unit 320 arranges the home appliances 100 and home appliance-related services extracted by the process of S104 in descending order of the degree of association (S105). Next, when the degree of association is arranged in descending order, the display control unit 320 determines whether or not there is a home appliance 100 or home appliance-related service with the same degree of association (S106).

[0069] If the determination result of S106 is negative (S106: NO), the display control unit 320 proceeds to the process of S110. On the other hand, if the determination result of S106 is positive (S106: YES), the display control unit 320 arranges the home appliances 100 or home appliance related services having the same relevance degree in descending order of frequency of use in the most recent predetermined period (e.g., two weeks) (S107). Next, when the display control unit 320 arranges the home appliances 100 or home appliance related services in descending order of frequency of use, the display control unit 320 determines whether or not there are home appliances 100 or home appliance related services having the same frequency of use (S108).

[0070] If the determination result of S108 is negative (S108: NO), the display control unit 320 proceeds to the process of S110. On the other hand, if the determination result of S108 is positive (S108: YES), the display control unit 320 arranges the home appliances 100 or home appliance-related services with the same frequency of use in order of the date and time of last use closest to the present (S109). Then, the display control unit 320 displays the home appliances 100 or home appliance-related services that display the special operation unit B31 in the transition destination list LT2 based on the order arranged in the processes of S105, S107, and S109 (S110).

[0071] (Destination list based on "Recently Used") Next, returning to FIG. 11(b), the transition destination list LT3 will be described. The transition destination list LT3 includes a plurality of special operation units B31 corresponding to some of the home appliances 100 or home appliance-related services that are determined to satisfy the predetermined condition related to recent use as the above-mentioned predetermined condition and selected. "Satisfying the predetermined condition related to recent use" means, for example, that the appliance has been used within a recent predetermined period (for example, two weeks). Alternatively, "Satisfying the predetermined condition related to recent use" may mean, for example, that the appliance is within a predetermined number (for example, within the fifth place) set in advance when counted from the most recent time. The determination of the "predetermined condition related to recent use" is made based on the usage history information 393 indicating the usage history of the home appliance 100 or the home appliance-related service. The usage history information 393 is information stored in the storage unit 390 based on the usage state of the home appliance 100 or the home appliance-related service.

[0072] (Transition list based on "free words") 14 is a diagram for explaining a transition destination list LT4 based on a "free word." The transition destination list LT4 includes a search window WSA into which characters that are free words can be input. Characters can be input into the search window WSA, for example, using an input unit PT (for example, a keyboard-type input unit) that is displayed superimposed on the operation screen D20.

[0073] When characters are entered into the search window WSA, the display control unit 320 displays in the transition destination list LT4 a special operation unit B31 corresponding to a home appliance 100 or home appliance-related service that includes the characters. That is, in this example, the "determination regarding the predetermined condition" is made based on the characters entered into the search window WSA. "Satisfying the predetermined condition" means, for example, that at least a part of the name of the home appliance 100 or home appliance-related service matches the characters entered into the search window WSA.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a type of home appliance 100 (such as "air conditioner" or "refrigerator") is entered in the search window WSA, the display control unit 320 extracts a special operation section B31 to be displayed based on the type of home appliance 100. For example, when "refrigerator" is entered in the search window WSA, the display control unit 320 displays a special operation section B31f corresponding to a food management service and a special operation section B31g corresponding to a recipe service in addition to the special operation section B31b corresponding to the refrigerator 100B. The correspondence between the type of each home appliance 100 and the special operation section B31 to be displayed is registered in advance in the storage unit 390.

[0075] (Transition list corresponding to "Classification based on specified criteria") 15 is a diagram for explaining the transition destination list LTB corresponding to "classification based on predetermined criteria". The transition destination list LTB corresponding to "classification based on predetermined criteria" is a transition destination list in which a plurality of special operation parts B31 to be displayed are displayed based on classification based on predetermined criteria. The transition destination list LTB corresponding to "classification based on predetermined criteria" includes a transition destination list LT5 corresponding to "installation location" (see (a) in FIG. 15), a transition destination list LT6 corresponding to "operation status" (see (b) in FIG. 15), and a transition destination list LT7 corresponding to "reservation status" (see (c) in FIG. 15).

[0076] (Transition list based on "Installation location") The transition destination list LT5 is a transition destination list LT in which a plurality of special operation parts B31 to be displayed are classified according to the installation location of the home appliance 100 as the above-mentioned predetermined criterion. The "installation location" is, for example, an installation location input as part of the appliance registration. The "installation location" is determined based on, for example, appliance registration information 391 indicating the details of the appliance registration of the home appliance 100. In addition, each special operation part B31 is displayed with a classification name such as "living room," "kitchen," or "sanitary" as additional information indicating the "installation location."

[0077] (Transition list based on "operating state") The transition destination list LT6 is a transition destination list LT in which a plurality of special operation parts B31 to be displayed are classified according to the operation state of the home appliance 100, using the above-mentioned predetermined criterion. The "operation state" is, for example, "operating (operating)", "operation completed (stopped)", "waiting for scheduled operation (standby)", etc. The "operation state" is determined, for example, based on the state information SI of the home appliance 100 acquired by the information acquisition unit 310. In addition, information indicating the operation state and / or operation details is displayed together with each special operation part B31 as additional information indicating the "operation state".

[0078] (Transition list based on "Reservation status") The transition destination list LT7 is a transition destination list LT in which a plurality of special operation parts B31 to be displayed are classified according to the reservation status of the home appliance 100 as the above-mentioned predetermined criterion. The "reservation status" is, for example, "waiting for reserved operation (before operation)", "reserved operation in progress (in operation)", "reserved operation completed (stopped)", etc. The "reservation status" is determined, for example, based on the status information SI of the home appliance 100 acquired by the information acquisition unit 310. In addition, information indicating the reservation status and / or reservation time is displayed together with each special operation part B31 as additional information indicating the "operation status".

[0079] <4.5 Show / hide search window> 16 and 17 are diagrams for explaining switching between display and non-display of the search window WS. FIG. 16 shows switching of the search window WS from a non-display state to a display state. As shown in (a) of FIG. 16, the operation screen D20 includes a display operation unit B45 that switches the search window WS from a non-display state to a display state and displays it on the operation screen D20. The display operation unit B45 is, for example, a pictorial display (icon) arranged at the right end or left end of the display screen 301a. The user U presses and holds the display operation unit B45 and scrolls toward the center in the left-right direction of the display screen 301a, whereby the display operation unit B45 changes to the search window WS and the search window WS becomes a display state.

[0080] Fig. 17 shows how the search window WS is switched from a displayed state to a hidden state. As shown in (a) of Fig. 17, when the user U presses and holds the search window WS and scrolls it toward the right or left edge of the display screen 301a, the search window WS changes to a display operation section B45 and the search window WS goes into a hidden state.

[0081] <5. Advantages> In this embodiment, when there are multiple home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed, the display control unit 320 displays on the display screen 301a a basic screen D10 including multiple selection operation units B11 for selecting a home appliance 100 to be operated from among the multiple home appliances 100. When a first selection operation unit corresponding to a first home appliance included in the multiple home appliances 100 is operated among the multiple selection operation units B11 displayed on the basic screen D10, the display control unit 320 transitions the basic screen D10 to a first operation screen D20 for operating the first home appliance. Then, the display control unit 320 displays on the first operation screen D20 multiple device operation units B21 for operating the first home appliance, and a first special operation unit B31 for transitioning the first operation screen D20 to a second operation screen D20 for operating a second home appliance different from the first home appliance included in the multiple home appliances 100. According to this configuration, after operating the first home electric device using the first operation screen D20, the operation of operating the second home electric device using the second operation screen D20 can be smoothly performed, thereby improving convenience.

[0082] In this embodiment, when a service related to the second home appliance becomes available by performing device registration of the second home appliance, the first operation screen includes a second special operation section B31 for transitioning the first operation screen D20 to a usage screen D40 for using the service related to the second home appliance. With this configuration, after operating the first home appliance using the first operation screen D20, an operation for using the home appliance-related service related to the second home appliance can be smoothly performed. This can further improve convenience.

[0083] In this embodiment, the first operation screen D20 has a plurality of special operation sections B31 including a first special operation section B31. Each of the plurality of special operation sections B31 is an operation section that transitions the first operation screen D20 to an operation screen D20 for operating a home appliance other than the first home appliance, or a usage screen D40 for using a service related to the home appliance 100. The number of the plurality of special operation sections B31 displayed on the first operation screen D20 is changed according to the number of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed. According to such a configuration, the special operation section B31 displayed on the first operation screen D20 changes following the addition or deletion of the home appliance 100. This can further improve convenience.

[0084] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 displays a plurality of special operation units B31 corresponding to some of the home appliances 100 or services that satisfy a predetermined condition, among the plurality of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed and the services that become available in relation to the plurality of home appliances 100. With this configuration, even if many home appliances 100 are registered, the special operation units B31 that are displayed are limited, making it easier to find the desired special operation unit B31. This can further improve convenience. This is more effective in a home appliance management application AP that collectively manages a plurality of home appliances 100.

[0085] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 switches between a first state in which a plurality of special operation units B31 corresponding to some of the home appliances 100 or services that satisfy a first predetermined condition (e.g., "extraction based on relevance") as a predetermined condition, and a second state in which a plurality of special operation units B31 corresponding to some of the home appliances 100 or services that satisfy a second predetermined condition (e.g., "extraction based on recent use") different from the first predetermined condition, based on an operation of the user U. With this configuration, home appliances 100 or services that are candidates for the transition destination are displayed from multiple perspectives, and the user U can narrow down the transition destination he or she wants to find depending on his or her purpose.

[0086] In this embodiment, the determination of the predetermined condition is made based on the degree of association between the first home appliance and the plurality of home appliances 100 and the services available in relation to the plurality of home appliances 100. With this configuration, the user U who is operating the first home appliance can easily find the special operation section B31 corresponding to the home appliance 100 or home appliance-related service that he or she wants to operate next. This can further improve convenience. For example, if there is meat stored frozen and the user wants to see a recipe using the meat, the user opens the recipe service usage screen D40 to check the recipe, and since the recipe specifies the time to defrost the meat, the user returns to the operation screen D22 of the refrigerator 100B and sets the defrost mode. This can be smoothly performed.

[0087] In this embodiment, the first operation screen D20 has a search window WSA into which characters can be input. The above-mentioned predetermined condition is determined based on the characters input in the search window WSA. This configuration makes it easier for the user U to find the desired special operation section B31 based on the character input. This can further improve convenience. For example, if an air conditioner in the living room, bedroom, and child's room are registered, entering "air conditioner" in the free word search will display these three air conditioners as results. In addition, "Turn off all air conditioners at once," a service related to air conditioners, is also displayed.

[0088] In this embodiment, the determination regarding the predetermined condition is performed based on the usage history of the plurality of home appliances 100 and the services that become available in relation to the plurality of home appliances 100. With this configuration, it becomes easier for the user U to find the special operation unit B31 that corresponds to the home appliance 100 or home appliance-related service that he or she frequently uses. This can further improve convenience.

[0089] In this embodiment, the operation screen D20 includes a display operation unit B45 that switches the search window WS (special operation unit) from a hidden state to a displayed state and displays it on the operation screen D20. With this configuration, when the search window WS (special operation unit) is not required, the search window WS (special operation unit) can be made to be in a hidden state. This can further improve convenience.

[0090] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the presence or absence of favorite registration is determined as a predetermined condition for displaying the special operation section B31. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0091] (Display mode of special operation section) Fig. 18 is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation screen D20 of the second embodiment. (a) in Fig. 18 shows an operation screen D21 for operating the air conditioner 100A as an example of the operation screen D20. The operation screen D20 includes, for example, a display area A21, a plurality of device operation sections B21, a search window WS, a plurality of special operation sections B31, and a registration operation section B51.

[0092] In the example shown in (a) of FIG. 18, the multiple special operation units B31 include a special operation unit B31b for transitioning to an operation screen D20 for operating the refrigerator 100B, a special operation unit B31c for transitioning to an operation screen D20 for operating the oven range 100C, a special operation unit B31f for transitioning to a usage screen D40 for using an ingredient management service, and a special operation unit B31g for transitioning to a usage screen D40 for using a recipe service. In this embodiment, the multiple special operation units B31 are, for example, pictorial displays (icons) displayed on the operation screen D20. The multiple special operation units B31 are, for example, arranged in a line below the search window WS on the operation screen D20.

[0093] (b) in Fig. 18 is a diagram for explaining an example of the usage screen D40 to which the user is transitioned. When it is detected that the special operation section B31f (the special operation section B31 corresponding to the foodstuff management service) is operated on the operation screen D21 shown in (a) in Fig. 18, the display control section 320 causes the display screen 301a to display the usage screen D41 shown in (b) in Fig. 16 instead of the operation screen D21. On the other hand, when it is detected that the special operation section B31b (the special operation section B31 corresponding to the refrigerator 100B) is operated on the operation screen D21 shown in (a) in Fig. 18, the display control section 320 causes the display screen 301a to display the operation screen D22 for operating the refrigerator 100B instead of the operation screen D21.

[0094] In this embodiment, the same special operation section B31 is displayed on all operation screens D20 regardless of the type of home appliance 100 and on all usage screens D40 regardless of the type of home appliance service. For example, the same special operation section B31 is displayed on the operation screen D21 for operating the air conditioner 100A and the operation screen D22 for operating the refrigerator 100B.

[0095] (Add to favorites) In this embodiment, when a favorite registration for a transition destination screen is performed by the user U, a special operation unit B31 for transitioning to the transition destination screen is displayed on the operation screen D20 and the usage screen D40. In other words, each of the operation screen D20 and the usage screen D40 includes a plurality of special operation units B31 corresponding to some of the home appliances 100 or home appliance-related services that are determined by the display control unit 320 to satisfy a predetermined condition and selected from among the plurality of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed and the services that become available in relation to the plurality of home appliances 100. In this embodiment, the determination regarding the above-mentioned predetermined condition is performed based on the registration state of the favorite registration related to the transition destination screen.

[0096] FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining a method of adding a favorite registration. In this embodiment, the operation screen D20 has a registration operation section B51 for performing favorite registration. (a) in FIG. 19 shows the operation screen D20 in a state where favorite registration has not been performed. (b) in FIG. 19 shows the operation screen D20 in a state where favorite registration has been performed. When the user U operates (e.g., taps) the registration operation section B51, the operation acceptance unit 330 accepts favorite registration for the operation screen D20 including the registration operation section B51. The registration operation section B51 in the target screen where favorite registration has been performed is changed to, for example, a yellow star.

[0097] FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining a method for deleting a favorite registration. In this embodiment, a favorite registration related to a transition destination screen can be deleted based on an operation on the transition origin operation screen D20. For example, in FIG. 20, a favorite registration (special operation section B31) corresponding to a food management service can be deleted based on an operation on the operation screen D21 for operating the air conditioner 100A. For example, when the special operation section B31 to be deleted is pressed and held and moved to an end (e.g., the top end) of the display screen 301a, the operation acceptance section 330 accepts an operation to delete the special operation section B31 from the operation screen D20 and to delete the favorite registration corresponding to the special operation section B31.

[0098] Fig. 21 is another diagram for explaining a method for adding a favorite registration. In this embodiment, the usage screen D40 has a registration operation section B51 for performing favorite registration. Fig. 21 shows a usage screen D43 for using a recipe service as an example of the usage screen D40. The usage screen D43 includes a plurality of operation sections B43 for displaying recipes.

[0099] 21(a) shows the usage screen D40 in a state where no favorites have been registered. FIG. 21(b) shows the usage screen D40 in a state where favorites have been registered. When the user U operates (e.g., taps) the registration operation section B51, the operation acceptance unit 330 accepts favorite registration for the usage screen D40 including the registration operation section B51.

[0100] Fig. 22 shows a usage screen D42 for using an ingredient management service as an example of the usage screen D40. The usage screen D42 includes an operation unit B42 for viewing details of each ingredient in stock at the user U's home. When the special operation unit B31g is operated on the usage screen D42 shown in Fig. 22, the display control unit 320 transitions the usage screen D42 to a usage screen D43 for using a recipe service.

[0101] (First example of registering an individual function screen as a favorite) In this embodiment, the operation accepting unit 330 can accept favorite registration of the operation screen D20 for operating the home appliance 100 and the usage screen D40 for using home appliance related services, as well as an individual function screen D50 for operating each function of the home appliance 100. When favorite registration of the individual function screen D50 is accepted, the display control unit 320 displays a special operation unit B31 for transitioning to the individual function screen D50 for which the favorite registration has been made, on the operation screen D20 or the usage screen D40.

[0102] Fig. 23 is a diagram for explaining an example of the individual function screen D50. Fig. 23(a) shows, as an example of the individual function screen D50, an individual function screen D51 for operating a weekly timer, which is one of the multiple functions of the air conditioner 100A. The individual function screen D51 is a screen that is displayed, for example, when the device operation section B21e corresponding to the weekly timer is operated on the operation screen D21 corresponding to the air conditioner 100A shown in Fig. 6. The individual function screen D51 includes, for example, a display area A22, multiple function operation sections B61, and a registration operation section B52.

[0103] Display area A22 displays information indicating a state of one function (e.g., a weekly timer) of home appliance 100 to be operated. Each of function operation units B61 is an operation unit for making settings related to the function (e.g., a weekly timer).

[0104] The registration operation part B52 is an operation part for accepting a favorite registration for registering the individual function screen D50 as a transition destination screen. When the registration operation part B52 is operated (e.g., tapped) on the individual function screen D51, a special operation part B31 (special operation part B31x) for transitioning to the individual function screen D51 of the above-mentioned function (e.g., weekly timer) of the home appliance 100 is added to the operation screen D20 (see (b) in FIG. 23). The registration operation part B52 in the individual function screen for which favorite registration has been performed is changed to, for example, a yellow star.

[0105] FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining the special operation section B31 (special operation section B31x) corresponding to the individual function screen D51 of the weekly timer. (a) in FIG. 24 shows a usage screen D41 for using the foodstuff management service as an example of the usage screen D40. When the special operation section B31 (special operation section B31x) described with reference to FIG. 23 is added, the usage screen D41 includes the special operation section B31 (special operation section B31x). When the special operation section B31 (special operation section B31x) is operated, the display control section 320 transitions the usage screen D41 to the individual function screen D51 corresponding to the weekly timer. For example, the display control section 320 transitions the usage screen D41 directly to the individual function screen D51 without passing through the basic screen D10 and the operation screen D20 of the air conditioner 100A.

[0106] (Second example of registering an individual function screen as a favorite) Fig. 25 is a diagram for explaining another example of the individual function screen D50. Fig. 25(a) shows an individual function screen D52 for setting the contents of a sterilization operation course, which is one of the functions of the washing machine 100D, and starting the operation, as an example of the individual function screen D50. The individual function screen D52 is a screen displayed, for example, by operating the device operation unit B21 corresponding to the sterilization operation course on the operation screen D20 corresponding to the washing machine 100D.

[0107] When the registration operation section B52 is operated (e.g., tapped) on the individual function screen D52, a special operation section B31 (special operation section B31y) for transitioning to an individual function screen D52 of the above function (e.g., a sterilization operation course) of the home appliance 100 is added to the individual function screen D52.

[0108] FIG. 26 is a diagram for explaining the special operation section B31 (special operation section B31y) corresponding to the individual function screen D52 of the sterilization operation course. (a) in FIG. 26 shows an operation screen D23 for operating the washing machine 100D as an example of the operation screen D20. When the special operation section B31 (special operation section B31y) described with reference to FIG. 25 is added, the operation screen D23 includes the special operation section B31 (special operation section B31y). When the special operation section B31 (special operation section B31y) is operated, the display control section 320 transitions the operation screen D23 to the individual function screen D52 corresponding to the sterilization operation course. Note that the screen on which the special operation section B31y corresponding to the individual function screen D52 of the sterilization operation course is displayed is not limited to the operation screen D23 for operating the washing machine 100D, and may be the operation screen D20 for operating another type of home appliance 100 (for example, the air conditioner 100A or the refrigerator 100B) or the usage screen D40 for using a home appliance-related service.

[0109] In this embodiment, the determination of the above-mentioned predetermined condition is performed based on the registration state of the favorite registration related to the transition destination screen. With this configuration, the user U can easily find the special operation section B31 corresponding to the frequently used home appliance 100 or home appliance related service by registering the favorite. This can further improve the convenience.

[0110] In this embodiment, the favorite registration related to the transition destination screen can be deleted based on an operation on the first operation screen D20, which is the transition source screen. With this configuration, when the favorite registration is no longer necessary, it is not necessary to perform an operation to delete the favorite registration after transitioning to the screen that is the target of the favorite registration. This can further improve convenience.

[0111] In this embodiment, when a first device operation unit included in the multiple device operation units B21 displayed on the first operation screen D20 is operated, the display control unit 320 transitions the first operation screen D20 to an individual function screen D50 for operating a first function of the first home appliance. The first individual function screen D51 includes a registration operation unit B52 that accepts a favorite registration for registering the individual function screen D50 as the transition destination screen. According to this configuration, the user U can transition the display screen 301a to the individual function screen D50 by using the special operation unit B31. This makes it easier for the user U to find frequently used functions by going one step further from favorite registration on a home appliance or service basis and registering favorites on a function basis. This can further improve convenience.

[0112] (Modification) Next, a modification of the second embodiment will be described. In this modification, when the operation receiving unit 330 receives a favorite registration in which the transition destination is the individual function screen D50, the operation receiving unit 330 may associate the fact that the transition destination is the individual function screen D50 with the setting contents set using the individual function screen D50 at that time, and store them in the storage unit 390 as setting state information 394. In this case, when the special operation unit B31 in which the transition destination is the individual function screen D50 is operated, the display control unit 320 displays the individual function screen D50 in a state in which the setting contents at the time of the favorite registration are reflected in advance, based on the setting state information 394 stored in the storage unit 390.

[0113] For example, in the case of setting a washing course in the washing machine 100D and registering a screen for starting or reserving washing as a favorite, there are various washing courses, and it is necessary to start washing after deciding detailed settings such as using warm water, using bath water, washing twice, etc. It is troublesome to remember and set the washing course contents and settings every time washing is done. However, as in this modified example, for example, by registering the operation course and the setting contents as one of the favorites, it becomes possible to call it up immediately. In this case, the name of the function registered as a favorite may be freely set by the user U.

[0114] Although several embodiments and modifications have been described above, the embodiments and modifications are not limited to the above examples.

[0115] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, a first operation screen for operating a first home electric device includes a plurality of device operation units for operating the first home electric device, and a first special operation unit for transitioning the first operation screen to a second operation screen for operating a second home electric device different from the first home electric device. With such a configuration, it is possible to improve convenience.

[0116] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 100...home electric appliance, 100A...air conditioner (first home electric appliance), 100B...refrigerator (second home electric appliance), 200...server, 300...terminal device, 310...information acquisition unit, 320...display control unit, 330...operation reception unit, 340...information transmission unit, B31...special operation unit.

Claims

1. A computer, which is a terminal device having a display screen, an information acquisition unit that acquires information related to a home appliance for which device registration has been performed to associate the home appliance with a user; a display control unit that displays information related to the home appliance on the display screen based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit; Realize this, The display control unit is When there are a plurality of home appliances each having been registered, displaying on the display screen a selection screen including a plurality of selection operation units for selecting a home appliance to be operated from among the plurality of home appliances; when a first selection operation unit corresponding to a first home electric appliance included in the plurality of home electric appliances is operated among the plurality of selection operation units displayed on the selection screen, transitioning the selection screen to a first operation screen for operating the first home electric appliance; a first operation screen displaying a plurality of device operation sections each for operating the first home electric device, and a first special operation section for transitioning the first operation screen to a second operation screen for operating a second home electric device different from the first home electric device included in the plurality of home electric devices; program.

2. When a service related to the second home appliance becomes available by performing device registration of the second home appliance, the display control unit displays, on the first operation screen, a second special operation unit for transitioning the first operation screen to a usage screen for using the service related to the second home appliance. The program according to claim 1.

3. a plurality of special operation units including the first special operation unit are displayed on the first operation screen; Each of the plurality of special operation units is an operation unit that transitions the first operation screen to an operation screen for operating a home appliance different from the first home appliance, or a usage screen for using a service related to the home appliance, The number of the plurality of special operation units displayed on the first operation screen is changed according to the number of home appliances for which the appliance registration has been performed. The program according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a plurality of special operation units including the first special operation unit are displayed on the first operation screen; Each of the plurality of special operation units is an operation unit that transitions the first operation screen to an operation screen for operating a home appliance different from the first home appliance, or a usage screen for using a service related to the home appliance, the display control unit displays the plurality of special operation units corresponding to some of the home appliances or services that satisfy a predetermined condition among the plurality of home appliances for which the device registration has been performed and the services that become available in relation to the plurality of home appliances; The program according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The display control unit switches between a first state in which the plurality of special operation units corresponding to some home electric appliances or services that satisfy a first predetermined condition as the predetermined condition are displayed, and a second state in which the plurality of special operation units corresponding to some home electric appliances or services that satisfy a second predetermined condition different from the first predetermined condition as the predetermined condition are displayed, based on a user operation. The program according to claim 4.

6. The determination regarding the predetermined condition is made based on a degree of association between the first home appliance and the plurality of home appliances and a service that becomes available in association with the plurality of home appliances. The program according to claim 4.

7. a degree of association between the first home appliance and the plurality of home appliances and a service available in association with the plurality of home appliances is determined based on a type of the first home appliance; The program according to claim 6.

8. the first operation screen has a search window into which characters can be input, The determination regarding the predetermined condition is made based on the characters entered in the search box. The program according to claim 4.

9. The determination regarding the predetermined condition is made based on a usage history of the plurality of home appliances and a service that becomes available in association with the plurality of home appliances. The program according to claim 4.

10. The determination regarding the predetermined condition is made based on a registration state of a favorite registration related to the transition destination screen. The program according to claim 4.

11. The favorite registration related to the transition destination screen can be deleted based on an operation on the first operation screen which is a transition source screen. The program according to claim 10.

12. The display control unit is When a first device operation unit included in the plurality of device operation units displayed on the first operation screen is operated, transitioning the first operation screen to a first individual function screen for operating a first function of the first home electric appliance; the first individual functional screen includes a registration operation unit configured to accept a favorite registration for registering the first individual functional screen as the transition destination screen, The program according to claim 10.

13. The first operation screen includes a display operation unit for switching the first special operation unit from a hidden state to a display state and displaying the first special operation unit on the first operation screen. The program according to claim 1 or 2.

14. an information acquisition unit that acquires information related to a home appliance for which device registration has been performed to associate the home appliance with a user; a display control unit that displays information related to the home appliance on a display screen based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit; Realize this, The display control unit is When there are a plurality of home appliances each having been registered, displaying on the display screen a selection screen including a plurality of selection operation units for selecting a home appliance to be operated from among the plurality of home appliances; when a first selection operation unit corresponding to a first home electric appliance included in the plurality of home electric appliances is operated among the plurality of selection operation units displayed on the selection screen, transitioning the selection screen to a first operation screen for operating the first home electric appliance; a first operation screen displaying a plurality of device operation sections each for operating the first home electric device, and a first special operation section for transitioning the first operation screen to a second operation screen for operating a second home electric device different from the first home electric device included in the plurality of home electric devices; Information processing system.

15. One or more computers Acquire information related to a home appliance for which device registration has been performed to associate the home appliance with a user; displaying information related to the home appliance on a display screen based on the acquired information; Including, Displaying information related to the home appliance includes: When there are a plurality of home appliances each having been registered, displaying on the display screen a selection screen including a plurality of selection operation units for selecting a home appliance to be operated from among the plurality of home appliances; when a first selection operation unit corresponding to a first home electric appliance included in the plurality of home electric appliances is operated among the plurality of selection operation units displayed on the selection screen, transitioning the selection screen to a first operation screen for operating the first home electric appliance; a first operation screen displaying a plurality of device operation sections each for operating the first home electric device, and a first special operation section for transitioning the first operation screen to a second operation screen for operating a second home electric device different from the first home electric device included in the plurality of home electric devices; 2. An information processing method comprising:

Images