Program, display method, control method and terminal device

Abstract

To provide a program, a display method, a control method, and a terminal device capable of improving convenience.SOLUTION: A program according to an embodiment causes a computer to function as a display control unit. In response to registration of a plurality of home appliances that are permitted to be operated collectively, the display control unit controls the display state on a display device in a state in which a user can input an instruction regarding collective operation of the plurality of registered home appliances.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, a display method, a control method, and a terminal device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Terminal devices that display icons for operating home appliances are known. However, there are expectations for further improvements in the convenience of terminal devices that operate home appliances. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-036276 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a program, a display method, a control method, and a terminal device that can improve convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The program causes a computer to function as a display control unit. When a plurality of home appliances that are allowed to be operated collectively are registered, the display control unit controls a display state on a display device so that a user can input an instruction to operate the plurality of registered home appliances collectively. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a home appliance system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a home electric appliance according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a device registration DB according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of an inventory list DB according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a recipe DB according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a reference information DB according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of display content displayed on the terminal device of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen on which the home electric appliance of the first embodiment can be operated. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a portion of the display content displayed on the terminal device of the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a portion of the display content displayed on the terminal device of the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen corresponding to the foodstuff management service of the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the individual operation screen corresponding to the foodstuff management service of the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen corresponding to the recipe service according to the first embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen corresponding to the collective operation service according to the first embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a portion of the display content displayed on the terminal device of the first embodiment. [Figure 18] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a display example of a second operation part B2d which is a specific example of the second operation part B2 in the first embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen corresponding to a home appliance related service according to the first embodiment. [Figure 20] 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of display processing of a home screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 21]6 is a flowchart showing the flow of display processing of a home screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a display process of reference information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a first specific example of a process flow when home electric appliances 100 are operated collectively using a "collective operation service." [Figure 24] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a second specific example of the flow of processing when home electric appliances 100 are operated collectively using the “collective operation service.” [Diagram 25] 4A to 4C are diagrams showing specific examples of display control by a display control unit 320. [Figure 26] 4A to 4C are diagrams showing specific examples of display control by a display control unit 320. [Figure 27] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a terminal device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, the program, display method, control method, and terminal device 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 where XX is directly used, but may also include cases where XX is based on something 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 when there are three or more selective elements. XX and YY are any elements (for example, any information).

[0008] In this application, "remote control" is not limited to controlling a home appliance from outside the residence where the home appliance is located, but may also include controlling the home appliance using a terminal device inside the residence where the home appliance is located. In this application, "operation" broadly means changing the state of a home appliance. In addition, "database" will be abbreviated as "DB" below.

[0009] (First embodiment) <1. Overall configuration of home appliance system> 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a home appliance system 1 according to a first embodiment. The home appliance system 1 includes, for example, one or more home appliances 100, a server 200, and a terminal device 300. Note that one or more of the home appliances 100, the server 200, and the terminal device 300 may be provided as external components of the home appliance system 1. 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 lines or dedicated lines, depending on the situation.

[0010] 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 may be, but is not limited to, an air conditioner 100A, a refrigerator 100B, a cooking device 100C, a washing machine 100D, a vacuum cleaner, a rice cooker, an air conditioner such as an electric fan or an air purifier, or other lighting, a television, or an iron. 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. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the air conditioner 100A may be referred to as an "air conditioner 100A" and the cooking device 100C may be referred to as an "oven range 100C".

[0011] The server 200 is a management server that manages the home appliance 100. The server 200 is composed of one or more server devices (e.g., cloud servers). The server 200 may be referred to as a "server system." 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, or a home router (e.g., a wireless router WR).

[0012] The terminal device 300 is a terminal device used by a user U of the home appliance 100. 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. The terminal device 300 has a display device 301 including a display screen 301a capable of displaying various information, and an input device 302 capable of receiving input from the user U. The input device 302 is, for example, a touch panel provided on the display screen 301a of the display device 301. The input device 302 may include a camera, a microphone, and the like provided in the terminal device 300.

[0013] An application program P is installed in the terminal device 300, and the functions described below are supported. The application program P is an application program for managing the home appliance 100. The application program P is used, for example, to remotely control or check the status of the home appliance 100, or to use services related to the home appliance 100. Hereinafter, application software that is started by executing the application program P is referred to as a "home appliance management application APP."

[0014] <2. Home appliances> First, the home appliance 100 will be described in detail. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the home appliance 100. The home appliance 100 includes an actuator 110, an operation unit 120, a control unit 130, and a storage unit 180, for example.

[0015] Actuator 110 is a drive unit that operates the main functions of home appliance 100. For example, if home appliance 100 is a refrigerator, actuator 110 is a compressor that compresses a refrigerant, a blower that circulates cool air inside the refrigerator, etc. If home appliance 100 is a washing machine, actuator 110 is a motor that rotates a washing tub, etc.

[0016] The operation unit 120 is an operation button or a touch panel provided on the home appliance 100. The operation unit 120 accepts an operation by the user U regarding the home appliance 100. For example, the operation unit 120 accepts an operation by the user U to specify or change the setting contents of the home appliance 100. The setting contents of the home appliance 100 include one or more of control amounts related to various controls, target values, threshold values, timer settings, operation modes, and the like. Information indicating the setting contents of the home appliance 100 is stored in the storage unit 180 as setting information 181.

[0017] The control unit 130 is realized by one or more hardware processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU) mounted on the home appliance 100, executing a program. However, a part or all of the control unit 130 may be realized by hardware, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0018] The control unit 130 performs overall control of the home appliance 100. For example, the control unit 130 operates the home appliance 100 by controlling the actuator 110 based on the detection results of sensors provided in the home appliance 100 and the setting information 181. The control unit 130 also executes various controls in response to requests from the server 200, responses to the server 200, and the like.

[0019] The storage unit 180 is a functional unit that stores various information. The storage unit 180 is realized by a combination of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. The storage unit 180 stores setting information 181.

[0020] <3. Server> Next, the server 200 will be described in detail. 3 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, and a storage unit 280.

[0021] The device registration unit 210, the home appliance management unit 220, and the service providing unit 230 are realized by one or more hardware processors, such as a CPU, mounted on the server 200 executing a program. However, some or all of these functional units may be realized by hardware, such as an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. These functional units may be provided separately in multiple server devices. Furthermore, one or more of these functional units may be provided in the terminal device 300 or the home appliance 100 instead of the server 200.

[0022] <3.1 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 (i.e., the home appliance 100 to be remotely controlled). 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 281 stored in the storage unit 280. The device ID is, for example, a serial number of the home appliance 100. 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.

[0023] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the device registration DB 281. In the device registration DB 281, 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, and a display name on the home appliance management application APP are registered in association with each other.

[0024] 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 information indicating the home appliance 100 that has performed device registration to the terminal device 300. The information indicating the home appliance 100 that has performed device registration is stored in the storage unit 380 of the terminal device 300 as device registration information 381, which will be described later.

[0025] <3.2 Home appliance management department> 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 a remote control request from the terminal device 300 to remotely control the home appliance 100, the home appliance management unit 220 remotely controls the home appliance 100 by notifying the home appliance 100 of a control command corresponding to the received remote control request. Furthermore, when the home appliance management unit 220 receives a confirmation request from the terminal device 300 to confirm the state of the home appliance 100, the home appliance management unit 220 notifies the home appliance 100 of a request to transmit state information indicating the state of the home appliance 100. The home appliance management unit 220 transmits information indicating the state of the home appliance 100 to the terminal device 300 based on the state information received from the home appliance 100.

[0026] In this embodiment, the home appliance management unit 220 has a collective operation management unit 221. The collective operation management unit 221 collectively controls a plurality of home appliances 100 (e.g., a plurality of home 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 221 can collectively control a plurality of air conditioners 100A installed in the residence of the user U. For example, the collective operation management unit 221 can collectively operate the power of the plurality of air conditioners 100A to be turned off.

[0027] <3.3 Service Provision Department> The service providing unit 230 provides a service related to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. The service provided by the service providing unit 230 is, for example, a service related to the home appliance 100 and is 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 reference information providing unit 233, and an advertisement information providing unit 234.

[0028] (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 (or the oven range 100C), and becomes available to the user U (for example, available without functional restrictions) 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 inventory list DB 282 stored in the memory unit 280.

[0029] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the stock list DB 282. In the stock list DB 282, management ID, ingredient name, ingredient classification, storage location, purchase date, best-before date (or expiry date), quantity, unit, and history are associated and managed as stock list information. The stock list DB 282 is managed separately for each refrigerator 100B, for example.

[0030] In addition to the inventory list information, the ingredient management unit 231 may manage shopping list information, candidate list information, and regular item list information. The shopping list information is information that the user U can refer to when shopping to prevent forgetting to buy something. The shopping list information registers ingredients that the user U has confirmed to purchase (e.g., an explicit intention to purchase). The candidate list information is information that the user U can refer to as a supplement to prevent forgetting to buy something. When the quantity of a particular ingredient (e.g., a regular item) decreases and a predetermined condition is met (e.g., when the stock becomes zero), that ingredient is automatically registered in the candidate list information. The regular item list information registers ingredients that are managed as regular items.

[0031] The ingredient management unit 231 provides a registration function for registering, changing the quantity, or deleting ingredients included in the stock list information, shopping list information, candidate list information, or regular supplies. For example, the ingredient management unit 231 registers, changes the quantity, or deletes ingredients included in each list information based on a user's operation on the operation reception unit 330 of the terminal device 300 described below. The above registration function is an example of a "registration function for registering information related to a service."

[0032] (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 (for example, available without specific functional restrictions) by registering either the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C. The recipe providing unit 232 proposes or searches for a recipe based on a recipe DB 283 stored in the storage unit 280. In this embodiment, the recipe service includes a first recipe service and a second recipe service.

[0033] The first recipe service is a service that becomes available when the refrigerator 100B is registered as a device. The first recipe service can suggest or search for recipes (hereinafter referred to as "general recipes") that do not depend on the home appliance 100 used for cooking. In this embodiment, the first recipe service is linked to the ingredient management service, and can suggest or search for recipes that use ingredients included in the inventory list DB282.

[0034] The second recipe service is a service that becomes available when the oven range 100C is registered as a device. The second recipe service is a service that can suggest or search for recipes that use the oven range 100C for cooking (hereinafter referred to as "oven range recipes"). In this embodiment, the second recipe service is linked to an ingredient management service, and can suggest or search for recipes that use ingredients included in the inventory list DB282. In other words, in this embodiment, the second recipe service related to the oven range 100C can suggest or search for recipes that use ingredients that are in stock in the refrigerator 100B, regardless of the type of home appliance 100.

[0035] In this embodiment, the second recipe service can suggest or search for oven range recipes that correspond to the model of the oven range 100C for which device registration has been performed, and can transmit information indicating heating times to the oven range 100C for which device registration has been performed. This will be described later. In this embodiment, the second recipe service can perform searches based on search items (e.g. nutrients) that are not available in the first recipe service.

[0036] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the recipe DB 283. The recipe DB 283 includes a first recipe DB 283a and a second recipe DB 283b. In the first recipe DB 283a, a management ID, a name, a thumbnail image, a recipe content, and a search word are associated with each other. Meanwhile, in the second recipe DB 283b, a management ID, a name, a thumbnail image, a recipe content, a search word, a model of the corresponding oven range 100C, a heating time in the corresponding oven range 100C, and nutrients (nutritional components) are associated with each other. For example, the second recipe DB 283b is provided for each model of the oven range 100C.

[0037] As described above, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a browsing function for browsing recipes registered in the recipe DB 283. For example, the recipe providing unit 232 identifies a recipe included in the recipe DB 283 based on an operation of the user U on the operation receiving unit 330 of the terminal device 300, and transmits information on the recipe to the terminal device 300. The above browsing function is an example of a "browsing function for browsing information related to a service." In this embodiment, the recipe providing unit 232 can browse information corresponding to the model of the home appliance 100 used by the user U.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a search function for searching for recipes included in the recipe DB 283. For example, the recipe providing unit 232 searches for and identifies a recipe included in the recipe DB 283 based on an operation of the user U on the operation receiving unit 330 of the terminal device 300, and transmits information on the recipe to the terminal device 300. The above search function is an example of a "search function for searching for information related to a service." In this embodiment, the recipe providing unit 232 is capable of searching for information corresponding to the model of the home appliance 100 used by the user U.

[0039] In this embodiment, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a transmission function that transmits information indicating a heating time to the microwave oven 100C for which device registration has been performed. For example, the recipe providing unit 232 can acquire information indicating the model of the microwave oven 100C for which device registration has been performed, based on the device registration DB 281. When a recipe included in the second recipe DB 283b is selected, the recipe providing unit 232 acquires information indicating the heating time of the microwave oven 100C included in the selected recipe, based on the second recipe DB 283b. Then, the server 200 and the microwave oven 100C communicate with each other, and the recipe providing unit 232 transmits information indicating the heating time corresponding to the selected recipe to the microwave oven 100C. The above transmission function is an example of a "transmission function that transmits a control amount to a home electric appliance." The heating time is an example of a "control amount of a home electric appliance."

[0040] (Reference Information Department) The reference information providing unit 233 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 APP, or a maintenance method for making the home appliance 100 last longer. The recommended way of using the home appliance is an example of "information indicating a proposal for a way of using or maintaining the home appliance". From another perspective, the recommended way of using the home appliance is an example of "information indicating a way of improving the quality or efficiency of housework using the home appliance". In this embodiment, the reference information providing unit 233 registers and manages the above-mentioned reference information in the reference information DB 284 stored in the storage unit 280.

[0041] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the reference information DB 284. In the reference information DB 284, for example, a management ID, a name, a thumbnail image, the contents of the reference information (for example, the contents of how to use the device), and a related home appliance 100 are associated with each other. The reference information providing unit 233 can acquire reference information corresponding to a specific type of home appliance 100 based on the reference information DB 284.

[0042] The reference information providing unit 233 selects reference information to be displayed on a home screen DH of the home appliance management application APP, which will be described later, based on the selection rule information 285, which will be described later. The contents of this will be described in detail later.

[0043] (Advertising Information Department) The advertisement information providing unit 234 provides an advertisement information service. The advertisement information service is a service that provides advertisement information introducing the latest home electric appliances 100. In this embodiment, the advertisement information providing unit 234 registers and manages the above-mentioned advertisement information in the advertisement information DB 286 stored in the storage unit 280. The advertisement information providing unit 234 can acquire advertisement information corresponding to the home electric appliance 100 that is the advertisement target based on the advertisement information DB 286.

[0044] <3.5 Storage section> The storage unit 280 is realized by a combination of a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an SSD, etc. The storage unit 280 stores, for example, a device registration DB 281, an inventory list DB 282, a recipe DB 283, a reference information DB 284, selection rule information 285, and an advertisement information DB 286.

[0045] <4. Terminal device> Next, the terminal device 300 will be described in detail. 8 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the terminal device 300. The terminal device 300 includes a registration receiving unit 310, a display control unit 320, an operation receiving unit 330, a notification unit 340, and a storage unit 380, for example.

[0046] The registration reception unit 310, the display control unit 320, the operation reception unit 330, and the notification 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 registration reception unit 310, the display control unit 320, the operation reception unit 330, and the notification unit 340 are software function units included in the home appliance management application APP.

[0047] <4.1 Registration Reception> The registration acceptance unit 310 accepts an application for device registration of the home appliance 100, based on an operation of the user U on the operation acceptance unit 330. In this application, "accepting an application for registration" or "accepting registration" is not limited to a case where the registration process is completed by the terminal device 300, but may also include a case where an operation of the user U instructing device registration (i.e., an application for registration) is accepted by the terminal device 300 and the actual registration process is performed by the server 200.

[0048] In this embodiment, the registration acceptance unit 310 accepts an application for registration of a home appliance 100 (hereinafter referred to as a "target home appliance 100") associated with a user ID used for login, when the user ID is used to log in to the home appliance management application APP. For example, a user U reads a QR code (registered trademark) attached to the target home appliance 100 using a camera of the terminal device 300. The registration acceptance unit 310 transmits QR code information indicating the QR code read using the camera of the terminal device 300 to the server 200. As a result, the device registration unit 210 of the server 200 performs device registration by associating the device ID indicated by the QR code information received from the terminal device 300 with the user ID used for login. The QR code is an example of a "two-dimensional barcode."

[0049] <4.2 Display control section> The display control unit 320 controls the display device 301 of the terminal device 300 to control the contents displayed on the display screen 301a of the display device 301. For example, the display control unit 320 causes the display screen 301a to display one or more first operation units B1 for operating the home appliance 100, one or more second operation units B2 for using a service related to the home appliance 100, one or more third operation units B3 for viewing reference information related to the home appliance 100, one or more fourth operation units B4 for viewing recommended recipes, and one or more fifth operation units B5 for viewing advertisement information in a predetermined manner (see FIG. 9). A specific example of the second operation unit B2 is a second operation unit B2c for using a "collective operation service" described later. The display control unit 320 may control the display on the display screen 301a to a state in which the user U can input an instruction for operating the registered home appliances 100 in a collective manner in response to the registration of a plurality of home appliances 100 that are permitted to be operated in a collective manner. For example, the display control unit 320 may display a second operation unit B2c (collective operation unit) on the display screen 301a in response to the fact that a plurality of home appliances 100 that are permitted to be operated collectively are registered. In addition, the display control unit 320 may control the display on the display screen 301a to a state in which a user U can input an instruction for operating the registered plurality of home appliances 100 collectively in response to the fact that a plurality of home appliances 100 that are permitted to be operated collectively are registered and the registered home appliances 100 are operated. For example, the display control unit 320 may display a second operation unit B2c (collective operation unit) on the display screen 301a in response to the fact that a plurality of home appliances 100 that are permitted to be operated collectively are registered and the user U actually inputs an instruction for operating the home appliances 100. Hereinafter, when the first to fifth operation units B1, B2, B3, B4, and B5 are not distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as "operation unit B". The display control unit 320 will be described in detail later.

[0050] <4.3 Operation reception section> The operation receiving unit 330 receives an operation by the user U performed on the input device 302 in relation to the home appliance management application APP. For example, the operation receiving unit 330 receives an operation by the user U on the operation unit B (first to fifth operation units B1, B2, B3, B4, B5) displayed on the display screen 301a. The operation receiving unit 330 transmits a signal corresponding to the operation unit B operated by the user U to the server 200. As a result, the server 200 performs a process corresponding to the operation unit B operated by the user U.

[0051] <4.4 Notification Department> The notification unit 340 notifies the user U of predetermined content through the display device 301. For example, the notification unit 340 notifies the user U of how to use the home appliance management application APP.

[0052] <4.5 Storage section> The storage unit 380 is realized by a combination of a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an SSD, etc. The storage unit 380 stores an application program P and device registration information 381. In the device registration information 381, a list of home electric appliances 100 that have been registered in association with a user ID of a user U who uses the terminal device 300 is registered.

[0053] <5. Display screen contents> Next, the display contents of the terminal device 300 will be described. The display contents described below are realized by the processing of the display control unit 320 unless otherwise specified. In the following description, "operation unit B" refers to an operation unit displayed on the display screen 301a, and is a function key to which a specific function is assigned in order to call that function. Operation unit B is, for example, an icon displayed on the display screen 301a.

[0054] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of display contents displayed on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300. The screen shown in Fig. 9 is, for example, a home screen (top screen) DH of the home appliance management application APP. The "home screen" is a screen that is displayed first as an operation screen of the home appliance management application APP. Note that the black frame indicated by the reference numeral 301a in Fig. 9 indicates the contents that are displayed on the display screen 301a of the display device 301 at one time.

[0055] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 displays the first function area R1, the second function area R2, the third function area R3, the fourth function area R4, and the fifth function area R5 on the home screen DH. That is, the display control unit 320 displays the first to fifth function areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 on one screen. In this application, "displaying on one screen" means "displaying on a continuous screen". That is, "displaying on one screen" is not limited to being displayed on a screen that can be viewed at one time (for example, on the display screen 301a), but may also include a case where a part of the screen that can be viewed at one time is hidden and then displayed in order by scrolling.

[0056] In this embodiment, the first to fifth functional areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 have the same width. For example, the width of the first to fifth functional areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 is the same as the width of the display screen 301a. The first to fifth functional areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 are arranged in a vertical line on the screen. Hereinafter, when the first to fifth functional areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 are not distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as "functional areas R."

[0057] <5.1 First functional area> The first functional area R1 is a functional area corresponding to "Home Appliance Control (Home Appliance Operation)". The first functional area R1 includes one or more first operation units B1 for operating the home appliance 100. In this embodiment, a plurality of first operation units B1 for operating different home appliances 100 are displayed in the first functional area R1.

[0058] In the present application, the "operation unit for operating the home appliance 100" is not limited to an operation unit for directly operating the home appliance 100, and may be an operation unit for transitioning to an operation screen capable of operating the home appliance 100. In the present embodiment, when the first operation unit B1 is operated (e.g., tapped) by the user U, transition is made to an individual operation screen (an operation screen separate for each home appliance 100) of the home appliance 100 corresponding to the operated first operation unit B1.

[0059] In this embodiment, when the home appliance 100 is registered, the first operation unit B1 corresponding to the home appliance 100 for which the device registration has been performed is added to the first function area R1. That is, the number of the first operation units B1 corresponds to the number of the home appliances 100 for which the device registration has been performed.

[0060] In this embodiment, the size (e.g., vertical width) of the first function area R1 is changed according to the number of first operation parts B1. That is, the larger the number of registered home appliances 100, the larger the size (e.g., vertical width) of the first function area R1. On the other hand, the smaller the number of registered home appliances 100, the smaller the size (e.g., vertical width) of the first function area R1.

[0061] For example, when there is no home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, the display control unit 320 does not display (hides) the first function area R1. In this application, "does not display the function area" is not limited to not displaying the function area at all, but may include a state in which the function area is hidden in a manner that can be switched to a display state (such as a state in which only the operation unit that can be switched to a display state is displayed and other areas are hidden). This also applies to the second function area R2. Instead of the above example, when there is no home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, the display control unit 320 may display the first function area R1 in a smaller form (e.g., a smaller vertical width) than the first function area R1 in a case in which there is a home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed.

[0062] FIG. 9 shows an example in which an "air conditioner 1," an "air conditioner 2," a "refrigerator," a "microwave oven," and a "washing machine" are registered as multiple home appliances 100, and as a result, multiple first operation units B1 are displayed, including a first operation unit B1a for operating "air conditioner 1," a first operation unit B1b for operating "air conditioner 2," a first operation unit B1c for operating "refrigerator," a first operation unit B1d for operating "microwave oven," and a first operation unit B1e for operating "washing machine."

[0063] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen 410 on which the home appliance 100 can be operated. On the individual operation screen 410, one or more operation units 411 on which the home appliance 100 can be operated are displayed. For example, Fig. 10 shows an individual operation screen 410 corresponding to air conditioner 1. The individual operation screen 410 corresponding to air conditioner 1 is displayed by transitioning from the home screen DH when, for example, the first operation unit B1a corresponding to "air conditioner 1" on the home screen DH is operated (for example, tapped).

[0064] On the individual operation screen 410 corresponding to the air conditioner 1, operation units 411 capable of operating the air conditioner 1 are displayed, such as operation unit 411a for switching the operation of the air conditioner 1 between ON / OFF state and operation unit 411b for changing the room temperature setting. The individual operation screen 410 also includes a display unit 412 on which the state of the home appliance 100 is displayed. Note that while Fig. 10 illustrates an example of the individual operation screen 410 corresponding to the air conditioner 1, on individual operation screens 410 corresponding to other types of home appliances 100, operation units 411 and display units 412 according to the type of home appliance 100 are displayed.

[0065] An operation by the user U on the operation unit 411 displayed on the individual operation screen 410 is accepted by the operation acceptance unit 330, and a signal corresponding to the operated operation unit 411 is transmitted to the home appliance management unit 220 of the server 200. This allows the home appliance 100 to be remotely operated or its status to be confirmed.

[0066] <5.2 Second functional area> Returning to FIG. 9, the second functional area R2 will be described. The second functional area R2 is a functional area corresponding to services related to home appliance 100 (hereinafter referred to as "home appliance-related services"). The second functional area R2 includes one or more second operation units B2 for using the home appliance-related services. In this embodiment, a plurality of second operation units B2 each corresponding to a different home appliance-related service are displayed in the second functional area R2.

[0067] In this application, the "operation unit for using the service" is not limited to an operation unit for directly using the service, but may be an operation unit for transitioning to an operation screen in which the service can be used. In this embodiment, when the second operation unit B2 is operated (e.g., tapped) by the user U, transition is made to an individual operation screen (an operation screen divided for each home appliance-related service) of the home appliance-related service corresponding to the operated second operation unit B2.

[0068] In this embodiment, the home appliance related services include a first home appliance related service and a second home appliance related service. The first home appliance related service is a service related to the home appliance 100 and is different from the operation of the home appliance 100. The first home appliance related service is a "ingredients management service" or a "recipe service" described later. On the other hand, the second home appliance related service is a service related to the home appliance 100 and is related to the operation of the home appliance 100. The second home appliance related service is a "collective operation service" described later.

[0069] In this embodiment, when the home appliance 100 is registered and there is a home appliance-related service related to the home appliance 100 for which the device registration has been performed, a second operation unit B2 corresponding to the home appliance-related service is added to the second function area R2. On the other hand, when the home appliance 100 is registered and there is no home appliance-related service related to the home appliance 100 for which the device registration has been performed, the second operation unit B2 is not added. That is, the number of second operation units B2 corresponds to the number of home appliance-related services that become available to the user U by the home appliance 100 being registered.

[0070] In this embodiment, the size (e.g., vertical width) of the second function area R2 is changed according to the number of second operation units B2. That is, the larger the number of home appliance related services related to the registered home appliance 100, the larger the size (e.g., vertical width) of the second function area R2. On the other hand, the smaller the number of home appliance related services related to the registered home appliance 100, the smaller the size (e.g., vertical width) of the second function area R2. For example, in this embodiment, there is no home appliance related service related to the washing machine 100D. In this case, if the only home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed is the washing machine 100D, the first operation unit B1 for operating the washing machine 100D is added to the first function area R1, but the second operation unit B2 is not added to the second function area R2.

[0071] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 does not display (hides) the second function area R2 for all home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed, when there is no home appliance-related service related to one or more of all the home appliances 100. Note that, instead of the above example, when there is no home appliance-related service, the display control unit 320 may display the second function area R2 in a smaller form (e.g., a smaller vertical width) than the second function area R2 in the case where a home appliance-related service is present.

[0072] FIG. 9 shows an example in which a "food management service," a "recipe service," and a "collective operation service" exist as home appliance-related services related to registered home appliance 100 (air conditioner 1, air conditioner 2, refrigerator, and oven range), and as a result, multiple second operation units B2 are displayed, including second operation unit B2a for using the "food management service," second operation unit B2b for using the "recipe service," and second operation unit B2c for using the "collective operation service."

[0073] The "food management service" is a service related to the refrigerator 100B (or the oven range 100C), and is a service provided by the food management unit 231 of the server 200. The second operation unit B2a corresponding to the "food management service" is added when the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C is registered as a device. The "food management service" is an example of a "first home appliance related service." The "food management service" will be described in detail later.

[0074] The "recipe service" is a service related to the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C, and is a service provided by the recipe providing unit 232 of the server 200. The second operation unit B2b corresponding to the "recipe service" is added when the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C is registered as a device. The "recipe service" is another example of a "first home appliance related service." Details of the "recipe service" will be described later.

[0075] The "collective operation service" is, for example, a service related to the air conditioner 100A, and is a service provided by the collective operation management unit 221 of the server 200. In this embodiment, the air conditioner 100A is a home appliance 100 for which collective operation is permitted. Note that the home appliance 100 for which collective operation is permitted in this manner does not need to be limited to the air conditioner 100A. For example, appliances such as the refrigerator 100B, the oven range 100C, the washing machine 100D, an electric fan, an air purifier, an electric stove, and a lighting fixture may be used as the home appliance 100 for which collective operation is permitted. The second operation unit B2c corresponding to the "collective operation service" is displayed so that the user U can operate it when multiple air conditioners 100A are registered. The "collective operation service" is an example of a "second home appliance related service". The second operation unit B2c is an example of a "special operation unit". Details of the "collective operation service" will be described later.

[0076] 11 and 12 are diagrams showing examples of a part of the display contents displayed on the terminal device of the first embodiment. In the display example shown in FIG. 9, the second operation part B2c corresponding to the "collective operation service" is displayed, whereas in FIG. 11, the second operation part B2c corresponding to the "collective operation service" is not displayed. In FIG. 12, the second operation part B2c corresponding to the "collective operation service" is displayed in a different manner from that in FIG. 9. For example, in FIG. 12, the second operation part B2c is displayed in a so-called grayed-out state. In a state in which a plurality of home appliances 100 that allow collective operation are not registered, the display control part 320 may control the display on the display screen 301a so that the user U cannot input instructions to the second operation part B2c. For example, the display control part 320 may display a state in which input is not possible by not displaying the second operation part B2c on the display screen 301a as shown in FIG. 11, or may display a state in which input is not possible by displaying the second operation part B2c on the display screen 301a in a manner different from that in FIG. 9 as shown in FIG. 12. Specific examples of aspects different from those in FIG. 9 include, for example, displaying the second operation unit B2c in a grayed-out state, displaying another image (e.g., an “X” image) superimposed on the second operation unit B2c, displaying another image (e.g., an “X” image) near the second operation unit B2c, and displaying the second operation unit B2c itself with a changed display shape (e.g., size, color, line type, etc.).

[0077] The display of the second operation unit B2c according to the "collective operation service" may be controlled based on a different condition in addition to the condition of whether or not a plurality of home electric appliances 100 that are permitted to be operated in a collective manner as described above are registered. The predetermined state may be, for example, a state in which the power is ON, or a state in which the power is OFF. For example, the second operation unit B2c may be displayed as operable as shown in Fig. 9 on the condition that the power of the plurality of air conditioners 100A is ON, and when the power of the plurality of air conditioners 100A is not ON, the second operation unit B2c may be displayed as inoperable as shown in Fig. 11 or 12.

[0078] In this embodiment, each of the second operation unit B2a corresponding to the "ingredient management service" and the second operation unit B2b corresponding to the "recipe service" is an operation unit for registering or searching for information related to the home appliance 100 (for example, registering ingredients in stock list information or searching for recipes). Note that in this application, the "operation unit for registering or searching for information" is not limited to an operation unit that directly registers or searches for information, and may be an operation unit for transitioning to an operation screen that allows registration or search for information.

[0079] (Food management service) Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen 510 on which home appliance related services can be used. On the individual operation screen 510, operation units for using home appliance related services are displayed. For example, Fig. 13 shows an individual operation screen 510 on which a "food management service" can be used. The individual operation screen 510 is displayed by transitioning from the home screen DH, for example, when the second operation unit B2a corresponding to the "food management service" on the home screen DH is operated (e.g., tapped).

[0080] On the individual operation screen 510, an operation section 511 for viewing food stock list information and shopping list information is displayed as an operation section for using home appliance related services. Also, on the individual operation screen 510, a display section 512 showing the food management status (e.g., stock status) is displayed.

[0081] In this embodiment, an operation unit 515 for transitioning to an individual operation screen 610 (see FIG. 15) corresponding to a "recipe service" that is another home appliance related service is displayed on the individual operation screen 510 corresponding to the "ingredients management service" in the present embodiment. The operation unit 515 is an operation unit that allows switching between a plurality of home appliance related services that are independent of each other without returning to the home screen DH.

[0082] 14 is a diagram showing an example of another individual operation screen 520 on which the "ingredients management service" can be used. The individual operation screen 520 is displayed by transitioning from the individual operation screen 510 described above, for example, when the operation unit 511 for viewing the stock list information is operated (e.g., tapped) on the individual operation screen 510. On the individual operation screen 520, an operation unit 521 for viewing details of each ingredient registered in the stock list information is displayed as an operation unit for using home appliance-related services.

[0083] (Recipe service) 15 shows an individual operation screen 610 in which the "recipe service" can be used. The individual operation screen 610 is displayed by transitioning from the home screen DH, for example, when the second operation part B2b corresponding to the "recipe service" on the home screen DH is operated (for example, tapped).

[0084] On the individual operation screen 610, operation units for using home appliance related services are displayed, including an operation unit 611 for viewing individual recipes, an operation unit 612 for searching for recipes, and an operation unit 613 for switching recipe types.

[0085] In this embodiment, when the refrigerator 100B and the microwave oven 100C are registered, both the recipes registered in the first recipe DB 283a (i.e., "general recipes") and the recipes registered in the second recipe DB 283b (i.e., "microwave oven recipes") are displayed on the individual operation screen 610. Each recipe is marked with a first display M1 indicating that the recipe is a "general recipe" or a second display M2 indicating that the recipe is a "microwave oven recipe."

[0086] In this embodiment, when operation unit 613 corresponding to "all" is operated, both "general recipes" and "microwave oven recipes" are displayed. When operation unit 613 corresponding to "general" is operated, only "general recipes" are displayed. When operation unit 613 corresponding to "microwave oven" is operated, only "microwave oven recipes" are displayed.

[0087] In this embodiment, the individual operation screen 610 displays an operation unit 614 for viewing a collection of recipes set as "featured recipes." A "featured recipe" is a collection of recipes by theme, such as season, event, or cooking method. The "featured recipes" are registered in the recipe DB 283 of the server 200 by the operator updating them at a predetermined frequency.

[0088] In this embodiment, the display of operation unit 614 changes depending on the device registration state of home appliance 100. For example, when refrigerator 100B is registered, operation unit 614 corresponding to multiple (e.g., two) "featured recipes" that are "general recipes" is displayed. When oven range 100C is registered, operation unit 614 corresponding to multiple (e.g., two) "featured recipes" that are "oven range recipes" is displayed.

[0089] In this embodiment, an operation unit 615 for transitioning to an individual operation screen 510 (see FIG. 13) corresponding to a "ingredients management service," which is another home appliance-related service, is displayed on the individual operation screen 610 corresponding to the "recipe service" in the present embodiment. The operation unit 615 is an operation unit that allows switching between a plurality of home appliance-related services that are independent of each other without returning to the home screen DH.

[0090] (Bulk operation service) 16 shows an individual operation screen 710 on which the "collective operation service" can be used. The individual operation screen 710 is displayed by transitioning from the home screen DH, for example, when the second operation unit B2c corresponding to the "collective operation service" on the home screen DH is operated (for example, tapped).

[0091] On the individual operation screen 710, an operation unit 711 for collectively operating a plurality of home electric appliances 100 (e.g., a plurality of air conditioners 100A) is displayed as an operation unit for using a home electric appliance-related service. The operation unit 711 is an operation unit (collectively change operation unit) for receiving an instruction related to changing the operation state of the plurality of home electric appliances 100. The operation unit 711 may receive an instruction from the user U, for example, for turning the power supply of the plurality of air conditioners 100A from ON to OFF collectively. The operation unit 711 may receive an instruction from the user U, for example, for turning the power supply of the plurality of air conditioners 100A from OFF to ON collectively. The operation unit 711 may receive an instruction from the user U, for example, for changing the set temperature or operation type (cooling, heating, dehumidification, etc.) of the plurality of air conditioners 100A collectively.

[0092] In the individual operation screen 710, a display unit 712 showing the state of each home electric appliance 100 (for example, each air conditioner 100A) and a selection display unit 713 for selecting each home electric appliance 100 are displayed. The selection display unit 713 may be displayed as, for example, a check box. The selection display unit 713 is displayed in a different manner when the home electric appliance 100 is selected by the user U and when the home electric appliance 100 is not selected by the user U. At the initial time when the individual operation screen 710 is displayed, the selection display unit 713 may be displayed in a state in which all the displayed home electric appliances 100 are selected. Thereafter, the user U can individually cancel the selection of the home electric appliances 100 by operating (for example, tapping) the selection display unit 713. In response to the cancellation, the display manner of the selection display unit 713 changes. Such display of the selection display unit 713 is controlled by the display control unit 320. An instruction from the user U according to the operation unit 711 is accepted only for the home electric appliances 100 whose selection display unit 713 is in a selected state at the time when the operation unit 711 is operated.

[0093] The combination of the home appliances 100 that are the targets of the "collective operation service" may be defined in any way. For example, one or more air conditioners and one or more electric fans may be defined as the home appliances 100 that are to be operated collectively in the "collective operation service". In this case, for example, the second operation unit B2c and the individual operation screen 710 may display "air conditioning related collective operation". For example, a plurality of lighting fixtures may be defined as the home appliances 100 that are to be operated collectively in the "collective operation service". In this case, for example, the second operation unit B2c and the individual operation screen 710 may display "lighting collective operation". For example, a combination of the home appliances 100 installed in each room may be defined as the home appliances 100 that are to be operated collectively. For example, if an air conditioner a, a humidifier a, and a light a are installed in the living room, these three electric appliances 100 may be operated collectively. When such an operation is performed, for example, a second operation unit B2 with a name such as "room-specific collective operation" may be defined as the second operation unit B2. Furthermore, when such a second operation unit B2 is provided and operated, the electric appliances 100 defined for each room may be described, and the selection display unit 713 may be displayed for each room. In response to the selection display unit 713 being selected by the user U, the electric appliances 100 installed in the selected room are operated collectively. The combination of the multiple home electric appliances 100 targeted for the "collective operation service" and the contents of the operation may be defined by the user U.

[0094] Note that, instead of the above example, the second operation unit B2c displayed on the home screen DH may be an operation unit that directly operates a plurality of home appliances 100 (for example, a plurality of air conditioners 100A) in a lump (for example, turns them OFF in a lump). That is, the second operation unit B2c may be operated to directly operate a plurality of home appliances 100 without transitioning to the individual operation screen 710. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a display example of a part of the display contents displayed on the terminal device of the first embodiment in such a case. In FIG. 17, information indicating the operation state of each home appliance 100 is displayed on each first operation unit B1 of each home appliance 100 corresponding to the "lump operation service". In the example of FIG. 17, information indicating that the state of each air conditioner is in operation is displayed on the first operation unit B1a of air conditioner 1 and the first operation unit B1b of air conditioner 2. Note that the displayed information on the operation state is not limited to information indicating whether or not the air conditioner is in operation, but may be other information (for example, operation type, set temperature, etc.).

[0095] Alternatively, each first operation unit B1 may be displayed first without showing information on the operating state as in Fig. 9, and then a screen including the first operation unit B1 having information on the operating state may be displayed as in Fig. 17 in response to the second operation unit B2c being operated. In this case, multiple home electric appliances 100 may be directly operated without transitioning to individual operation screen 710 in response to further operation of second operation unit B2c in the display of Fig. 17.

[0096] Also, as the second operation unit B2, an operation unit for collectively displaying information on the operation states of the plurality of home electric appliances 100 on the first operation unit B1 may be displayed. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a display example of a second operation unit B2d, which is a specific example of such a second operation unit B2. In FIG. 18, the second operation unit B2d is displayed as a button called "air conditioner collective display". First, as shown in FIG. 18, each first operation unit B1 may be displayed without displaying information on the operation state, and a screen including the first operation unit B1 having information on the operation state may be displayed as shown in FIG. 17 in response to the operation of the second operation unit B2d (air conditioner collective display). In this case, in response to the operation of the second operation unit B2c in the display of FIG. 17, the plurality of home electric appliances 100 may be directly operated without transitioning to the individual operation screen 710.

[0097] The above describes an example in which the second operation unit B2 corresponding to the "ingredients management service", "recipe service", and "collective operation service" are displayed in the second functional area R2 as home appliance related services. However, the home appliance related services are not limited to the above examples. For example, the second function area R2 may display the second operation unit B2 corresponding to the "monitoring service", "after-sales service", "automatic ordering of consumables", "web shopping", "health management", or "video content distribution".

[0098] <5.3 Third functional area> Returning to FIG. 9, the third functional area R3 will be described. The third functional area R3 is a functional area corresponding to a "reference information service." The "reference information service" is a service provided by the reference information providing unit 233 of the server 200. The third functional area R3 includes one or more third operation units B3 for viewing reference information related to the home appliance 100. In this embodiment, a plurality of third operation units B3 each corresponding to a different piece of reference information are displayed in the third functional area R3.

[0099] In the present application, the "operation unit for viewing reference information" is not limited to an operation unit for directly viewing reference information, but may be an operation unit for transitioning to an operation screen on which reference information can be viewed. From one perspective, viewing reference information related to home appliance 100 can be considered as one of home appliance-related services.

[0100] In the present embodiment, the reference information associated with the third operation unit B3 changes depending on the device registration state of the home appliance 100. For example, among the reference information associated with a plurality of third operation units B3, the reference information corresponding to the type of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed is given priority.

[0101] In this embodiment, the number of third operation parts B3 displayed in the third function area R3 is not changed according to the number and type of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed. That is, even if there is no home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed or there is no reference information related to a home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, a predetermined number (for example, four) of third operation parts B3 are displayed. In this case, the predetermined number of third operation parts B3 are associated with reference information related to a home appliance 100 for which device registration has not been performed.

[0102] On the other hand, when a home electric appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed exists and reference information related to the home electric appliance 100 exists, some or all of the predetermined number of third operation parts B3 are associated with the reference information related to the home electric appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. For example, when only refrigerator 100B has been registered, four third operation parts B3 for viewing reference information related to refrigerator 100B are displayed. For example, when air conditioner 100A and refrigerator 100B have been registered, two third operation parts B3 for viewing reference information related to air conditioner 100A and two third operation parts B3 for viewing reference information related to refrigerator 100B are displayed.

[0103] The reference information associated with the third operation unit B3 is selected from a plurality of pieces of reference information registered in the reference information DB 284 stored in the storage unit 280 of the server 200 and displayed in the third function area R3. The selection of the reference information is determined by the reference information providing unit 233 of the server 200 based on the type of the home appliance 100 for which the appliance has been registered and the selection rule information 285 stored in the storage unit 280 of the server 200.

[0104] <5.4 Fourth functional area> The fourth functional area R4 is a functional area corresponding to "recommended recipes (picked recipes)." "Recommended recipes" is a service provided by the recipe providing unit 232 of the server 200. The fourth functional area R4 includes one or more fourth operation units B4 for viewing recommended recipes. In this embodiment, the fourth functional area R4 displays multiple fourth operation units B4, each corresponding to a different recommended recipe.

[0105] In this embodiment, the recommended recipes associated with the fourth operation unit B4 change depending on the state of device registration of the home appliance 100. For example, the recommended recipes associated with the multiple fourth operation units B4 are selected from among the recipes corresponding to the home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed. For example, when the refrigerator 100B is registered, the recommended recipes selected from among the multiple recipes (i.e., "general recipes") included in the first recipe DB 283a become display candidates. When the oven range 100C is registered, the recommended recipes selected from among the multiple recipes (i.e., "oven range recipes") included in the second recipe DB 283b become display candidates. Then, the fourth function area R4 displays the fourth operation units B4 corresponding to a predetermined number (for example, four) of recommended recipes randomly selected from among the multiple display candidates.

[0106] The recommended recipes associated with the fourth operation unit B4 are, for example, randomly selected from the "feature recipes" described in the description of the second function area R2. In a specific example, if "feature A" of oven range recipes includes recipe 1, recipe 2, and recipe 3, "feature B" of oven range recipes includes recipe 4, recipe 5, and recipe 6, "feature C" of general recipes includes recipe 7, recipe 8, recipe 9, and recipe 10, and "feature D" of general recipes includes recipe 11, recipe 12, and recipe 13, the fourth operation unit B4 corresponding to a predetermined number (for example, four) of recommended recipes randomly selected from these recipes 1 to 13 are displayed in the fourth function area R4.

[0107] <5.5 Fifth functional area> Next, the fifth functional area R5 will be described. The fifth functional area R5 is a functional area corresponding to the "advertising information service". The "advertising information service" is a service provided by the advertising information providing unit 234 of the server 200. The fifth functional area R5 includes one or more fifth operation units B5 for viewing advertising information. In this embodiment, the fifth functional area R5 displays a plurality of fifth operation units B5 each corresponding to different advertising information. In this embodiment, the number of fifth operation units B5 is a fixed number regardless of the type and number of registered home appliances 100.

[0108] <6. Display order of functional areas> Next, the display order of the first to fifth functional areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 will be described. In this embodiment, when the display control unit 320 displays the first to fifth functional areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 on one screen, the display control unit 320 displays the first functional area R1, the second functional area R2, the third functional area R3, the fourth functional area R4, and the fifth functional area R5 in this order from the top of the screen.

[0109] From one perspective, the operation units B that are more highly associated with the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed (the home appliance 100 used by the user U) are displayed toward the top of the screen, and the operation units B that are less highly associated with the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed are displayed toward the bottom of the screen.

[0110] From another perspective, the higher the position on the screen, the more operation units B that are operated more frequently by the user U are displayed, and the lower the position on the screen, the more operation units B that are operated less frequently by the user U are displayed. From yet another perspective, the higher the position on the screen, the more operation units B that are more relevant to the operation of the home appliance 100 and the registration of information (operation units that the user U actively operates) are displayed, and the lower the position on the screen, the more operation units B that are less relevant to the operation of the home appliance 100 and the registration of information (operation units that the user U passively operates) are displayed.

[0111] In this embodiment, in an initial state (unscrolled state) in which the home screen DH is displayed on the display screen 301a, at least the first function area R1 and the second function area R2 are simultaneously displayed on the display screen 301a in a visible state. Then, by scrolling the display screen 301a, the third to fifth function areas R3, R4, and R5 are displayed in order.

[0112] <7. Other operation parts> Next, other operation units will be described with reference to Fig. 9. An operation unit B6 corresponding to a "service list" is displayed on the home screen DH. In this embodiment, when the operation unit B6 is operated (e.g., tapped) by the user U, the screen transitions to an individual operation screen corresponding to the "service list."

[0113] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen corresponding to a home appliance related service. (a) in Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen 810 corresponding to a "service list". A plurality of operation units 811 each corresponding to a different home appliance related service are displayed on the individual operation screen 810.

[0114] In this embodiment, in the case where there is a home appliance-related service related to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, only the second operation unit B2 corresponding to the home appliance-related service is displayed in the second function area R2 of the home screen DH. On the other hand, the individual operation screen 810 corresponding to the "service list" displays operation units 811 corresponding to all home appliance-related services provided by the service providing unit 230 of the server 200, regardless of whether the home appliance 100 has been registered. In other words, even if the refrigerator 100B and the oven range 100C have not been registered, the operation unit 811 for using the "ingredients management service" and the "recipe service" is displayed.

[0115] In this embodiment, an operation section 811a for using the "ingredients management service" and an operation section 811b for using the "recipe service" are displayed as the multiple operation sections 811. The operation section 811a is, for example, an operation section having the same function as the second operation section B2a displayed in the second function area R2. The operation section 811b is, for example, an operation section having the same function as the second operation section B2b displayed in the second function area R2.

[0116] On the other hand, an operation unit corresponding to the "collective operation service" is not displayed. In other words, an operation unit 811 for using a home appliance-related service that is different from the operation of home appliance 100 is displayed on individual operation screen 810. On the other hand, an operation unit for using a home appliance-related service that is related to the operation of home appliance 100 is not displayed on individual operation screen 810.

[0117] In this embodiment, an operation section 811c for using a “reference information service” is displayed on the individual operation screen 810 as one of the operation sections 811. When the operation section 811c is operated (e.g., tapped), the individual operation screen 810 transitions to an individual operation screen 820.

[0118] FIG. 19(b) is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen 820 for using the "reference information service." The individual operation screen 820 displays a plurality of operation units 821 for viewing different reference information (e.g., recommended usage techniques). Unlike the fourth function area R4, the individual operation screen 820 displays operation units 821 corresponding to all reference information registered in the reference information DB 284, regardless of whether the reference information is related to the home appliance 100 that is registered as a device. In other words, when viewing reference information related to the home appliance 100 (e.g., recommended usage techniques), the content and amount displayed on the home screen DH are different from the content and amount displayed on the individual operation screen 820 transitioned to from the "service list."

[0119] <8. Processing flow> <8.1 Home screen display process> 20 and 21 are flowcharts showing the flow of display processing of the home screen DH. First, when the application program P is started and the home screen DH of the home appliance management application APP is displayed, the display control unit 320 detects the number and type of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed (hereinafter referred to as "registered home appliances 100") based on the device registration information 381 stored in the storage unit 380 (S111).

[0120] Next, the display control unit 320 determines whether or not one or more registered home appliances 100 are present (S112). If there is no registered home appliance 100 (S112: NO), the display control unit 320 determines not to display the first function area R1 and the second function area R2 (S113). On the other hand, if there is one or more registered home appliances 100 (S112: YES), the display control unit 320 determines to display the first function area R1 and the first operation unit B1 corresponding to the one or more registered home appliances 100 (S114).

[0121] Next, when there is one or more registered home electric appliances 100, the display control unit 320 determines whether or not the registered home electric appliances 100 include at least one of the refrigerator 100B and the oven range 100C (S115).

[0122] When the registered home appliances 100 include at least one of the refrigerator 100B and the oven range 100C (S115: YES), the display control unit 320 determines to display the second operation unit B2a corresponding to the "ingredients management service" and the second operation unit B2b corresponding to the "recipe service" (S116). On the other hand, when the registered home appliances 100 include neither the refrigerator 100B nor the oven range 100C (S115: NO), the display control unit 320 determines that it is not necessary to display the second operation unit B2a corresponding to the "ingredients management service" and the second operation unit B2b corresponding to the "recipe service" (S117).

[0123] Next, the display control unit 320 determines whether or not multiple air conditioners 100A are included in the registered home appliances 100 (S118). If multiple air conditioners 100A are included in the registered home appliances 100 (S118: YES), the display control unit 320 decides to display the second operation unit B2c corresponding to the "collective operation service" (S119). On the other hand, if multiple air conditioners 100A are not included in the registered home appliances 100 (S118: NO), the display control unit 320 decides that it is not necessary to display the second operation unit B2c corresponding to the "collective operation service" (S120).

[0124] Next, the display control unit 320 judges whether or not it is determined that at least one second operation unit B2 needs to be displayed (S121). If it is determined that at least one second operation unit B2 needs to be displayed (S121: YES), the display control unit 320 determines to display the second function area R2 (S122). On the other hand, if it is determined that all second operation units B2 do not need to be displayed (S121: NO), the display control unit 320 determines not to display the second function area R2 (S124).

[0125] Next, the display control unit 320 transmits to the server 200 a transmission request to transmit information used to display reference information (e.g., usage techniques) (hereinafter referred to as a "reference information list"), a transmission request to transmit information used to display recommended recipes (hereinafter referred to as "recommended recipes"), and information showing a list of registered home appliances 100 (hereinafter referred to as a "device list") (S131).

[0126] The reference information providing unit 233 of the server 200 selects reference information to be associated with multiple third operation units B3 from the reference information DB 284 based on the device list received from the terminal device 300 and the selection rule information 285, and generates a reference information list by listing the names, thumbnail images, and URLs for accessing the selected reference information (S132). Then, the reference information providing unit 233 of the server 200 transmits the generated reference information list to the terminal device 300 (S133).

[0127] The recipe providing unit 232 of the server 200 selects recommended recipes to be associated with the multiple fourth operation units B4 from the recipe DB 283 based on the device list received from the terminal device 300, and generates a recommended recipe list by listing the names of the selected recipes, thumbnail images, and URLs for accessing the recipes (S134).Then, the recipe providing unit 232 of the server 200 transmits the generated recommended recipe list to the terminal device 300 (S135).

[0128] The display control unit 320 also notifies the server 200 of a request to transmit advertising information (S141). The advertising information providing unit 234 of the server 200 selects advertising information to be associated with a plurality of fifth operation units B5 from the advertising information DB 286, and generates an advertising information list by listing the name, thumbnail image, and URL for accessing the selected advertising information (S142). The advertising information providing unit 234 of the server 200 then transmits the generated advertising information list to the terminal device 300 (S143).

[0129] Then, the display control unit 320 displays a plurality of first operation units B1 corresponding to the detected registered home appliance 100 in the first function area R1, displays a plurality of second operation units B2 corresponding to the detected registered home appliance 100 in the second function area R2, displays a plurality of third operation units B3 in the third function area R3 based on the reference information list received from the server 200, displays a plurality of fourth operation units B4 in the fourth function area R4 based on the recommended recipe list received from the server 200, and displays a plurality of fifth operation units B5 in the fifth operation area R5 based on the advertisement information list received from the server 200 (S151). As a result, the home screen DH is displayed.

[0130] <8.2 Display of reference information> Next, the display process of the reference information will be described. 22 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the display process of reference information. First, the content of the reference information is uploaded from the external device DA1 used by the content registration operator to the server 200 (S201). The content of the reference information includes the name of the reference information, a thumbnail image, the main content of the reference information (for example, the main content of how to use the reference information), and the type of related home appliance 100. In addition, the external device DA1 used by the content registration operator notifies the external device DA2 used by the selection rule registration operator of a content update (S202). When the content of the reference information is uploaded from the external device DA1, the server 200 stores the uploaded content of the reference information in the reference information DB 284 (S203).

[0131] Furthermore, the selection rule information 285 is uploaded from the external device DA2 used by the selection rule registration operator to the server 200 (S204). When the selection rule information 285 is uploaded from the external device DA2, the server 200 updates the selection rule information 285 stored in the storage unit 280 based on the uploaded selection rule information 285.

[0132] Next, when the home screen DH is to be displayed, the home appliance management application APP of the terminal device 300 transmits a request for transmitting the reference information list to the server 200 (S211). As described above, the device list is transmitted to the server 200 together with the request for transmitting the reference information list.

[0133] When the reference information providing unit 233 of the server 200 receives a request to transmit a reference information list, the reference information providing unit 233 determines reference information to be associated with a plurality of third operation units B3 based on the device list received from the terminal device 300 and the selection rule information 285 (S222). Then, the reference information providing unit 233 of the server 200 creates a reference information list by listing the names, thumbnail images, and URLs for accessing the reference information determined (S223).

[0134] The reference information providing unit 233 of the server 200 transmits the generated reference information list to the terminal device 300 (S224). Then, the display control unit 320 of the terminal device 300 displays a plurality of third operation units B3 in the third operation area R3 based on the reference information list received from the server 200 (S225). This completes a series of processes.

[0135] The operation receiving unit 330 may transmit an instruction signal so that the home electric appliances 100 are controlled at different timings. There are two specific examples of such control. In the first specific example, the control is performed with the timing shifted by the control of the server 200. In the second specific example, the control is performed with the timing shifted by the control of the home electric appliance management application APP. These two specific examples of control are described below with reference to Figs. 23 and 24, respectively.

[0136] 23 is a sequence diagram showing a first specific example of a process flow when home appliances 100 are operated collectively using the "collective operation service." The home appliance management application APP of the terminal device 300 displays a screen including a second operation unit B2c on the display screen 301a. When the second operation unit B2c corresponding to the "collective operation service" is operated by the user U, the home appliance management application APP accepts the instruction (S301).

[0137] In response to the instruction, the home appliance management application APP transmits collective instruction information to the server 200, which is information indicating that the plurality of home appliances 100 are operated by the "collective operation service" (S302). At this time, the home appliance management application APP may transmit the collective instruction information so that the power of the plurality of home appliances 100 is controlled at different timings, or may transmit the collective instruction information so that the power of the plurality of home appliances 100 is controlled at the same timing. The collective instruction information may include, for example, identification information indicating the operated second operation unit B2c. In this case, information indicating the home appliance 100 to be operated according to the identification information of the second operation unit B2c, the content of the operation (for example, turning the power ON, turning the power OFF, etc.), and the execution timing of each operation may be registered in the server 200. The transmitted collective instruction information may include, for example, information indicating the home appliance 100 to be operated according to the operated second operation unit B2c, the content of the operation, and the execution timing of the operation.

[0138] When the server 200 receives the collective instruction information, it determines the control contents (operation target, operation contents, and execution timing of the operation) according to the instruction indicated by the collective instruction information (S303). For example, the server 200 determines that the control contents are to change the power states of the home appliances 1 and 2 (e.g., from OFF to ON). At this time, the server 200 determines to transmit control signals for changing the power states to the home appliances 100 at different timings. In accordance with this determination, the server 200 transmits a control signal to the home appliance 1 indicating that the power state should be changed (S304), and then waits for a predetermined time (S305), and transmits a control signal to the home appliance 2 indicating that the power state should be changed (S306).

[0139] In the case of control to change the power state of a plurality of home electric appliances 100 from OFF to ON, server 200 may determine to transmit control signals for changing the power state to each home electric appliance 100 at staggered timings as described above. In the case of control to change the power of a plurality of lights from ON to OFF, server 200 may determine to transmit a control signal for turning OFF the power to a light located at an entrance of the facility in which the lights are installed last. In the case of control to change the power of a plurality of lights from OFF to ON, server 200 may determine to transmit a control signal for turning ON the power to a light located at an entrance of the facility in which the lights are installed first.

[0140] Fig. 24 is a sequence diagram showing a second specific example of the process flow when home appliance devices 100 are operated collectively using the "collective operation service". In the process shown in Fig. 23, the control content is determined by server 200, but in the process shown in Fig. 24, the control content is determined by home appliance management application APP of terminal device 300. The home appliance management application APP displays a screen including second operation unit B2c on display screen 301a. When second operation unit B2c corresponding to the "collective operation service" is operated by user U, the home appliance management application APP accepts the instruction (S401).

[0141] The home appliance management application APP determines the control content (operation target, operation content, and execution timing of the operation) in response to the instruction (S402). For example, the home appliance management application APP determines that the control content is to change the power state of home appliance 1 and home appliance 2 (e.g., from OFF to ON). At this time, the home appliance management application APP determines that control information for changing the power state of each home appliance 100 is to be transmitted to the server 200 at a staggered timing. In accordance with this determination, the home appliance management application APP transmits control information for changing the power state of home appliance 1 to the server 200 (S403), waits a predetermined time thereafter (S404), and then transmits control information for changing the power state of home appliance 2 (S405).

[0142] When the server 200 receives the control information related to the home appliance 1, the server 200 determines the control content according to the instruction indicated by the control information (S406). In the example of Fig. 24, the server 200 determines that the control content is to change the power state of the home appliance 1 (for example, from ON to OFF). In accordance with this determination, the server 200 transmits a control signal to the home appliance 1 indicating that the power state is to be changed (S407).

[0143] When the server 200 receives the control information related to the home appliance 2, the server 200 determines the control content according to the instruction indicated by the control information (S408). In the example of Fig. 24, the server 200 determines that the control content is to change the power state of the home appliance 2 (for example, from ON to OFF). In accordance with this determination, the server 200 transmits a control signal to the home appliance 2 indicating the change of the power state (S409).

[0144] In the case of control to change the power state of multiple home appliances 100 from OFF to ON, the home appliance management application APP may determine to transmit control information for each home appliance 100 to server 200 at different timings as described above. In the case of control to change the power state of multiple lights from ON to OFF, the home appliance management application APP may determine to transmit control information to turn off the power of a light located at an entrance of the facility in which the lights are installed last to server 200. In the case of control to change the power state of multiple lights from OFF to ON, the home appliance management application APP may determine to transmit control information to turn on the power of a light located at an entrance of the facility in which the lights are installed first to server 200.

[0145] 25 and 26 are diagrams showing a specific example of display control by the display control unit 320. When a new air conditioner 2 is registered, a first operation unit B1e corresponding to the air conditioner 2 is added to the first function area R1. At this time, the display control unit 320 may display the newly added first operation unit B1e by arranging it in the rightmost position of the bottom row, as shown in FIG. 25. Such control may be performed according to a rule that the newly added first operation unit B1e is arranged in a predetermined position (the rightmost position of the bottom row, or if the bottom row is filled, the leftmost position of a new row next to it).

[0146] The display control unit 320 may display the newly added first operation unit B1e by arranging it at a position adjacent to the first operation unit B1 related to the home appliance 100 of the same type as the home appliance 100 that is the target of the operation of the added first operation unit B1e, as shown in FIG. 26. Such control may be performed by following a rule that the newly added first operation unit B1e is arranged at a position adjacent to the first operation unit B1 related to the home appliance 100 of the same type. Such control may be performed by following a rule that the newly added first operation unit B1e is arranged at a position adjacent to the first operation unit B1 related to the home appliance 100 that is the target of the collective operation service. The position of the first operation unit B1e may be determined according to a rule that combines the two rules described above.

[0147] <9. Advantages> In the conventional home appliance management app, even when the collective operation service is not available, an operation section (second operation section B2) for using the collective operation service is displayed on the display screen. The collective operation service is not available when, for example, only one home appliance is registered, or when all the registered home appliances do not support collective operation. In such a display state, there is a risk that the user U will mistakenly believe that the collective operation service is available.

[0148] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 displays the second operation unit B2c (collective operation unit) on the display screen 301a in response to the registration of a plurality of home appliances 100 that are permitted to be operated in a collective manner. This makes it possible to prevent the user U from mistakenly believing that the collective operation service is available. This makes it possible to improve the convenience for the user U.

[0149] In this embodiment, by operating the second operation unit B2c, the home screen DH transitions to an individual operation screen 710. On the individual operation screen 710, a display unit 712 showing the status of each home electric appliance 100 (e.g., each air conditioner 100A) is displayed together with an operation unit (collective change operation unit) for receiving an instruction to change the operation status of the plurality of home electric appliances 100. Therefore, the user U can operate the home electric appliances 100 collectively while checking the status of each home electric appliance 100.

[0150] In this embodiment, it is possible to select a home appliance 100 to be actually operated from among the multiple home appliances 100 displayed on the individual operation screen 710. Therefore, the user U can reflect a collective operation only on the desired home appliances 100 from among the multiple home appliances 100 that can be operated collectively.

[0151] In addition, in this embodiment, when controlling a plurality of home appliances 100 by the collective operation service, an instruction signal is transmitted so that the plurality of home appliances are controlled at different timings. Generally, when the power supply transitions from OFF to ON, a larger amount of power is consumed than during normal operation, and therefore, there is a risk of a fault such as a tripping of a breaker. In response to such a problem, the present embodiment operates as described above, thereby making it possible to prevent the possibility of a fault occurring. In addition, when a plurality of lights are controlled from ON to OFF, the lights located at the entrance of the facility in which the lights are installed may be controlled to be turned OFF last. By controlling in this way, it is possible to prevent the user U from having difficulty in judging the situation due to the lights being OFF at the entrance. In addition, when a plurality of lights are controlled from OFF to ON, the lights located at the entrance of the facility in which the lights are installed may be controlled to be turned ON first. By controlling in this way, it is possible to prevent the user U from having difficulty in judging the situation due to the lights being OFF at the entrance.

[0152] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 can display a first operation unit B1 for operating the home appliance 100 and a second operation unit B2 for using a home appliance-related service on one screen. With this configuration, when using a home appliance-related service, the service related to the home appliance 100 can be used from a certain screen (for example, a home screen DH of the home appliance management application APP) without moving to an individual operation screen of each home appliance 100. This can improve the convenience for the user U.

[0153] For example, in this embodiment, the "ingredients management service" and "recipe service," which are services related to the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C, can be used without switching to the individual operation screens of the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C.

[0154] In addition, in this embodiment, by separating services that can be used in common by a plurality of home appliances 100 from each home appliance 100, it is possible to link services beyond the types of home appliances 100, for example, thereby improving usability. For example, even if only the oven range 100C is registered as a device, it is possible to perform recipe search using the ingredient management function and ingredient inventory information.

[0155] In this embodiment, when the first operation unit B1 for operating the home appliance 100 and the second operation unit B2 for using a home appliance-related service are displayed on one screen, the display control unit 320 displays the first operation unit B1 and the second operation unit B2 in this order from the top of the screen. According to this configuration, the first operation unit B1, which is relatively likely to be frequently used by the user U, is displayed on the top of the screen, and the second operation unit B2, which is relatively unlikely to be frequently used by the user U, is displayed on the bottom of the screen. Therefore, the first operation unit B1 and the second operation unit B2 can be intuitively distinguished and visually recognized, and the operation unit that is likely to be frequently used by the user U is arranged on the top of the screen, improving operability. This can further improve the convenience for the user U.

[0156] In this embodiment, when a plurality of first operation units B1 for operating different types of home appliances 100 and a plurality of second operation units B2 for using different types of home appliance-related services are displayed on one screen, the display control unit 320 displays the plurality of first operation units B1 and the plurality of second operation units B2 in this order from the top of the screen. According to this configuration, the plurality of first operation units B1 used for operating the home appliances 100 and the plurality of second operation units B2 used for home appliance-related services are displayed together (displayed as groups), so that the groups of the first operation units B1 and the second operation units B2 can be intuitively recognized. This can further improve the convenience for the user U.

[0157] In this embodiment, when a first function area R1 including a plurality of first operation units B1 for operating different types of home appliances 100 and a second function area R2 including one or more second operation units B2 for using home appliance-related services are displayed on one screen, the display control unit 320 displays the first function area R1 and the second function area R2 in this order from the top of the screen. According to this configuration, the plurality of first operation units B1 used for operating the home appliances 100 and the second operation unit B2 used for the home appliance-related services are displayed together, so that the first operation unit B1 and the second operation unit B2 can be intuitively recognized. This can further improve the convenience for the user U.

[0158] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 displays the first operation unit B1 corresponding to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed in the first function area R1, and displays the second operation unit B2 corresponding to the service in the second function area R2 if there is a service related to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. According to this configuration, the first operation unit B1 corresponding to the operation of the home appliance 100 and the second operation unit B2 corresponding to the home appliance-related service are displayed on one screen according to the registration status of the home appliance 100 of the user U. This makes it possible to provide a service that matches the usage status of the user U. In addition, since the first operation unit B1 or the second operation unit B2 related to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has not been performed is not displayed on the screen, the screen can be made to have a neat appearance and visibility can be improved.

[0159] In this embodiment, the second operation unit B2 is an operation unit for using a home appliance-related service that is different from the operation of the home appliance 100. The display control unit 320 displays, in addition to the second operation unit B2, a special operation unit (second operation unit B2c) for using a home appliance-related service that is related to the operation of the home appliance 100 in the second function area R2. With this configuration, the multiple first operation units B1 for operating each home appliance 100 can be arranged together in the first function area R1, and the second operation unit B2c for performing a special operation related to the home appliance 100 can be arranged in a position distinguished from the multiple first operation units B1. This makes it possible to prevent the second operation unit B2c from being erroneously operated when wishing to operate each home appliance 100, or the first operation unit B1 from being erroneously operated when wishing to perform a special operation related to the home appliance 100. This makes it possible to further improve the convenience of the user U.

[0160] In this embodiment, when the display control unit 320 displays the first functional area R1, the second functional area R2, and the third functional area R3 including one or more third operation units B3 for viewing reference information related to the home appliance 100 on one screen, the display control unit 320 displays the first functional area R1, the second functional area R2, and the third functional area R3 in this order from the top of the screen. According to such a configuration, the operation unit B that is more likely to be used frequently by the user U is arranged at the top of the screen, and the operation unit B that is less likely to be used by the user U is arranged at the bottom of the screen. This allows the first to third operation units B1, B2, and B3 to be intuitively distinguished and visually recognized, and the operation unit B that is more likely to be used frequently by the user U is arranged at the top of the screen, improving operability. This can further improve the convenience for the user U.

[0161] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 changes the content of the reference information associated with the third operation unit B3 depending on the type of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. With this configuration, the user U has more opportunities to view reference information related to the home appliance 100 used by the user U. This can further improve the convenience for the user U.

[0162] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the information displayed on the terminal device 300 differs depending on the model or specifications of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0163] 27 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a terminal device 300 according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, device registration information 381 stored in a storage unit 380 of the terminal device 300 includes information capable of identifying the model of the registered home appliance 100. The storage unit 380 of the terminal device 300 also stores product information 382 indicating specifications for each model of the home appliance 100. The "specifications" refer to, for example, the presence or absence of a specific part or function included in the home appliance 100.

[0164] In this embodiment, the home appliance management application APP includes a determination unit 350. The determination unit 350 acquires information indicating the model of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, based on the device registration information 381. Next, the determination unit 350 identifies the specifications of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, based on the information indicating the model of the home appliance 100 and information indicating the specifications for each model of the home appliance 100 included in the product information 382. Alternatively, the device registration information 381 may directly include information indicating the specifications of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed.

[0165] The determination unit 350 compares the contents of the various services provided by the service providing unit 230 of the server 200 with the specifications or model of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, and determines whether the home appliance 100 is compatible with the various services provided by the service providing unit 230. For example, the determination unit 350 determines whether the oven range 100C for which device registration has been performed is compatible with the recipe provided by the recipe providing unit 232, based on the specifications or model of the oven range 100C for which device registration has been performed. The determination unit 350 also determines whether the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed is compatible with a video distribution service (for example, whether the home appliance 100 has a display screen capable of displaying videos), based on the specifications or model of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. The determination unit 350 also determines whether the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed is compatible with a health management service (for example, whether the home appliance 100 is a high-end model that is compatible with the health management service), based on the specifications or model of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed.

[0166] In addition, the determination unit 350 compares the contents of various reference information provided by the reference information providing unit 233 of the server 200 with the specifications or model of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, and determines whether the home appliance 100 is compatible with the various reference information provided by the reference information providing unit 233.

[0167] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 displays in the second function area R2 the second operation unit B2 relating to a service that is determined by the determination unit 350 to be compatible with the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, among the various services provided by the service providing unit 230. On the other hand, for a service that is determined by the determination unit 350 to be not compatible with the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, among the various services provided by the service providing unit 230, the display control unit 320 does not display the second operation unit B2 corresponding to the service.

[0168] Furthermore, the display control unit 320 causes the third operation unit B3 relating to the reference information determined by the determination unit 350 to be compatible with the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, among various pieces of reference information provided by the reference information providing unit 233, to be displayed in the third function area R3. In other words, the display control unit 320 changes the content of the reference information associated with the third operation unit B3 according to the specifications or model of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed.

[0169] According to such a configuration, it is possible to preferentially display on the screen the second operation part B2 corresponding to a service available to the device-registered home appliance 100, or the third operation part B3 corresponding to reference information related to the device-registered home appliance 100. This makes it possible to reduce unnecessary displays and provide useful displays.

[0170] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, when a terminal device displays a first operation unit for operating a home appliance and a second operation unit for using a service related to the home appliance on one screen, the terminal device displays the first operation unit and the second operation unit in this order from the top of the screen. With this configuration, it is possible to improve convenience.

[0171] 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]

[0172] 1...home appliance system, 100...home appliance, 200...server, 210...apparatus registration section, 220...home appliance management section, 230...service providing section, 300...terminal device, 310...registration reception section, 320...display control section, 330...operation reception section, 340...notification section, 350...determination section.

Claims

1. A display control unit that displays, in response to a home appliance being registered, an individual operation unit for receiving an instruction for individually operating the home appliance on a display device, A program for causing a computer to function as a display control unit that displays, in response to the registration of multiple home appliances that are allowed to be operated in a collective manner, a collective operation unit for receiving instructions regarding the collective operation of the multiple registered home appliances, together with all of the registered individual operation units, on the display device.

2. The display control unit displays, in response to a user's operation on the collective operation unit, information on an operating state of target devices which are a plurality of home electric appliances corresponding to the collective operation unit on the display device; The program according to claim 1 , wherein the information relating to the operating state includes information other than information indicating whether the target device is operating.

3. The program according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit displays on the display device a batch change operation unit for accepting instructions to change the operating states of all or part of the target equipment while information regarding the operating states of the target equipment is displayed.

4. The program according to claim 3 , wherein the display control unit displays on the display device a selection unit for a user to select, from among the target devices, a device whose operating state is to be changed in response to a user's operation on the collective change operation unit.

5. The program according to claim 1 , wherein the collective operation unit accepts a user's instruction to collectively turn on or off power to a plurality of home electric appliances.

6. 5. The program according to claim 3, wherein the collective change operation unit accepts a user's instruction to collectively change the operation state of a plurality of home electric appliances from on to off or from off to on.

7. 3. The program according to claim 1, further causing the computer to function as an operation reception unit that transmits an instruction signal so that a plurality of home appliances are controlled in response to an instruction received by the collective operation unit.

8. A program as described in claim 3, claim 4, or claim 6, for causing the computer to further function as an operation receiving unit that transmits an instruction signal so that multiple home appliances are controlled in response to the batch change operation unit receiving an instruction.

9. The program according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the operation reception unit transmits instruction signals so that a plurality of home appliances are controlled at different timings.

10. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the display control unit controls the display mode on the display device so that a user can input instructions regarding operating the multiple registered home appliances collectively in response to the registration of multiple home appliances that are allowed to be operated collectively and the operation of the registered home appliances.

11. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the display control unit controls the display mode on the display device so that a user cannot input instructions regarding the simultaneous operation of multiple registered home appliances until multiple home appliances that are allowed to be operated simultaneously are registered.

12. In response to the home appliance being registered, displaying on a display device an individual operation section for receiving an instruction for individually operating the home appliance; displaying, in response to a plurality of home appliances that are permitted to be operated collectively, a collective operation unit for receiving an instruction to operate the plurality of registered home appliances collectively, together with all of the registered individual operation units, on the display device; A display method for a display device comprising:

13. In response to the home appliance being registered, displaying on a display device an individual operation section for receiving an instruction for individually operating the home appliance; displaying, in response to a plurality of home appliances that are permitted to be operated collectively, a collective operation unit for receiving an instruction to operate the plurality of registered home appliances collectively, together with all of the registered individual operation units, on the display device; transmitting an instruction signal to control a plurality of registered home appliances in response to a user's input of an instruction to collectively operate the plurality of registered home appliances; A control method comprising:

14. A display device for displaying an image; a display control unit that displays, in response to the home appliance being registered, an individual operation unit for receiving an instruction to individually operate the home appliance on a display device, The display control unit of the terminal device, in response to the registration of multiple home appliances that are allowed to be operated in a collective manner, displays on the display device a collective operation unit for accepting instructions regarding the collective operation of the multiple registered home appliances, together with all of the registered individual operation units.

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