Program, information processing system, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide a home appliance system and a program, which can improve convenience.SOLUTION: A home appliance system according to an embodiment includes a device registration unit and a service provision unit. The device registration unit registers a home appliance used by a user. The service provision unit provides the user with a service related to the home appliance in a first mode in which functions are restricted, before the home appliance is registered by the device registration unit, and provides the user with the service, after the home appliance has been registered by the device registration unit, in a second mode in which the functions are not restricted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to Program, Information Processing System, and Information Processing Method the following.

Background Art

[0002] Refrigerators that receive cooking data from a server are known. By the way, the home appliance system is expected to further improve convenience.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide Program, Information Processing System, and Information Processing Method something that can improve convenience.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In the embodiments The program causes a computer to receive an application for registration of home electric appliances used by a user, and before the registration is performed, causes the user to be provided with a service related to the home electric appliances in a first mode with restricted functions, and after the registration is performed, causes the user to be provided with the service in a second mode with the restrictions on the functions released. The functions include a browsing function for browsing information related to the service. In the first mode, the information corresponding to a specific model of the home electric appliances is browsable, and in the second mode, the information corresponding to the model of the home electric appliances used by the user is browsable.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] Hereinafter, the home appliance system, terminal device, and program according to the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals. And redundant descriptions of these components may be omitted. In the present 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 the case of directly using XX, and may include cases based on those obtained by performing calculations or processing on XX. In the present application, "XX or YY" is not limited to either one of XX and YY, and may include both cases of XX and YY. This is the same even when there are three or more selectable elements. XX and YY are arbitrary elements (for example, arbitrary information).

[0008] In the present application, "remote operation" is not limited to operating home appliances from outside the residence where the home appliances are located, and may also include operating home appliances using a terminal device inside the residence where the home appliances are located. In the present application, "operation" broadly means changing the state of home appliances. Also, hereinafter, "database" will be denoted as "DB".

[0009] (Embodiment) <1. Overall Configuration of Home Appliance System> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the home appliance system 1 according to the 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 components outside the home appliance system 1. The network NW described later may be, for example, the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), or other public lines or dedicated lines, which may be used according to the situation.

[0010] The home appliance 100 is an electrical appliance mainly used at home. The home appliance 100 is placed within the residence of the user U. The home appliance 100 is, for example, an air conditioner 100A, a refrigerator 100B, a cooking heater 100C, a washing machine 100D, a vacuum cleaner, a rice cooker, or an iron, etc., but is not limited thereto. The home appliance 100 is connected to the network NW via a wireless router WR and a modem M installed within the residence of the user U. The home appliance 100 can communicate with the server 200 or the terminal device 300 via the network NW. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the air conditioner 100A may be referred to as the "air conditioner 100A", and the cooking heater 100C may be referred to as the "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 (for example, a cloud server). The server 200 may be referred to as a "server system". The server 200 can communicate 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 (for example, the wireless router WR), etc.

[0012] The terminal device 300 is a terminal device used by the user U of the home appliance 100. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal device. However, the terminal device 300 is not limited to a portable terminal device, and may be a personal computer, etc. The terminal device 300 includes a display device 301 including a display screen 301a capable of displaying various information, and an input device 302 capable of receiving an input from the user U. The input device 302 is, for example, a touch panel provided overlapping the display screen 301a of the display device 301. The input device 302 may include a camera, a microphone, etc. 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, for remotely operating the home appliance 100, checking its status, or using services related to the home appliance 100. Hereinafter, the application software launched when the application program P is executed is referred to as "home appliance management app APP".

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

[0015] The actuator 110 is a drive unit that operates the main function of the home appliance 100. For example, when the home appliance 100 is a refrigerator, the actuator 110 is a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a blower that circulates cold air inside the refrigerator, etc. When the home appliance 100 is a washing machine, the actuator 110 is a motor that rotates the 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 receives the operation of the user U regarding the home appliance 100. The operation unit 120 receives, for example, the operation of the user U for specifying or changing the setting content of the home appliance 100. The setting content of the home appliance 100 includes one or more of control amounts related to various controls, target values, threshold values, timer settings, operation modes, etc. The information indicating the setting content 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 CPU (Central Processing Unit) mounted on the home appliance 100 executing a program. However, part or all of the control unit 130 may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or may be realized by the cooperation of software and hardware.

[0018] The control unit 130 comprehensively controls the entire home appliance 100. For example, the control unit 130 operates the home appliance 100 by controlling the actuator 110 based on the detection result of the sensor provided in the home appliance 100 and the setting information 181. In addition, the control unit 130 executes various controls in response to requests from the server 200 and responses to the server 200.

[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), or an SSD (Solid State Drove). The storage unit 180 stores the setting information 181.

[0020] <3. Server> Next, the server 200 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200. The server 200 has, 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 provision 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 cooperation between software and hardware. Note that these functional units may be provided separately in a plurality of server devices. Also, 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. For example, the service provision unit 230 may be provided as part of the home appliance management app APP of the terminal device 300.

[0022] <3.1 Device Registration Unit> 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 that user U (i.e., the home appliance 100 to be remotely operated). Device registration is performed, for example, by registering a correspondence relationship between user information (e.g., user ID) that can identify the user U and device information (e.g., device ID) that can identify the individual of the home appliance 100. In the present embodiment, the above correspondence relationship is registered in the device registration DB 281 stored in the storage unit 280. The device ID is, for example, the manufacturing 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 a specific home appliance 100 instead of associating a specific user U with a specific home appliance 100.

[0023] FIG. 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, the type of the home appliance 100 (home appliance type), the model of the home appliance 100, and a display name on the home appliance management app APP are registered in association with each other.

[0024] When the device registration unit 210 performs device registration of the home appliance 100 in response to a request from the terminal device 300, it transmits information indicating the home appliance 100 for which the device registration has been performed to the terminal device 300. The information indicating the home appliance 100 for which the device registration has been performed 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 Unit> 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 operation request for remotely operating the home appliance 100 from the terminal device 300, it notifies the home appliance 100 of a control command corresponding to the received remote operation request, thereby remotely operating the home appliance 100. Further, when the home appliance management unit 220 receives a confirmation request for confirming the state of the home appliance 100 from the terminal device 300, it 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 the present embodiment, the home appliance management unit 220 includes a batch operation management unit 221. The batch operation management unit 221 collectively controls a plurality of home appliances 100 (for example, a plurality of home appliances 100 of the same type) based on a predetermined signal received from the terminal device 300. In the present embodiment, the batch operation management unit 221 can collectively control a plurality of air conditioners 100A installed in the residence of the user U. For example, the batch operation management unit 221 can collectively operate the power supplies of the plurality of air conditioners 100A to the OFF state.

[0027] <3.3 Service Provision Unit> The service providing unit 230 provides services related to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. The services provided by the service providing unit 230 are, for example, services related to the home appliance 100 and different from the operation (control) of the home appliance 100. In the present embodiment, the service providing unit 230 includes a food management unit 231, a recipe providing unit 232, a reference information providing unit 233, an advertisement information providing unit 234, and a function restriction management unit 235.

[0028] (Food Management Unit) The food management unit 231 provides a food management service. The food management service is a service for managing the inventory of foodstuffs existing in the user U's home (for example, the refrigerator 100B). In the present embodiment, the food 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 function restrictions) when device registration of the refrigerator 100B is performed. The food management unit 231 receives an input of foodstuffs existing in the user U's home, and registers and manages the input foodstuffs in the inventory list DB 282 stored in the storage unit 280.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the inventory list DB 282. In the inventory list DB 282, a management ID, foodstuff name, foodstuff classification, storage location, purchase date, expiration date (or consumption deadline), quantity, unit, and history are associated and managed as inventory list information. The inventory list DB 282 is managed separately for each individual refrigerator 100B, for example.

[0030] In addition to the inventory list information, the food ingredient management unit 231 may manage shopping list information, candidate list information, standing stock list information, and the like. The shopping list information is information that can be referred to by the user U when shopping to prevent forgetting to buy. The food ingredients for which the purchase plan (for example, the explicit intention to purchase) of the user U has been confirmed are registered in the shopping list information. The candidate list information is information that can be referred to by the user U as an auxiliary to prevent forgetting to buy. When the quantity of a specific food ingredient (for example, a standing stock) decreases and a predetermined condition is satisfied (for example, when the inventory becomes zero), the food ingredient is automatically registered in the candidate list information. The food ingredients to be managed as standing stocks are registered in the standing stock list information.

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

[0032] (Recipe providing unit) The recipe providing unit 232 provides a recipe service. The recipe service is a service related to the proposal or search of recipes. In the present 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 function restrictions) when the device registration of either the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C is performed. The recipe providing unit 232 proposes or searches for recipes based on the recipe DB 283 stored in the storage unit 280. In the present 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 propose or search for recipes (hereinafter referred to as "general recipes") regardless of the household appliances 100 used for cooking. In the present embodiment, the first recipe service is linked with the food ingredient management service, and can propose or search for recipes using the food 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 propose or search for recipes (hereinafter referred to as "oven range recipes") using the oven range 100C for cooking. In the present embodiment, the second recipe service is linked with the food ingredient management service, and can propose or search for recipes using the food ingredients included in the inventory list DB282. In other words, in the present embodiment, the second recipe service related to the oven range 100C can propose or search for recipes using the food ingredients existing as inventory in the refrigerator 100B beyond the types of the household appliances 100.

[0035] Also, in the present embodiment, the second recipe service can propose or search for oven range recipes corresponding to the model of the oven range 100C for which device registration has been performed, and can transmit information indicating the heating time to the oven range 100C for which device registration has been performed. This will be described later. Also, in the present embodiment, the second recipe service can perform a search based on search items (for example, nutrients) that are not available in the first recipe service.

[0036] FIG. 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, recipe contents, and search words are associated. On the other hand, in the second recipe DB 283b, a management ID, a name, a thumbnail image, recipe contents, search words, the model of the corresponding oven range 100C, the heating time in the corresponding oven range 100C, and nutrients (nutritional components) are associated. 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 the recipes registered in the recipe DB 283. For example, based on an operation of the user U on the operation receiving unit 330 of the terminal device 300, the recipe providing unit 232 identifies the recipes included in the recipe DB 283 and transmits the information of the recipes to the terminal device 300. The above browsing function is an example of a "browsing function for browsing information related to services". In the present embodiment, the recipe providing unit 232 can browse information corresponding to the model of the home appliance 100 used by the user U.

[0038] Also in the present embodiment, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a search function for searching the recipes included in the recipe DB 283. For example, based on an operation of the user U on the operation receiving unit 330 of the terminal device 300, the recipe providing unit 232 searches for and identifies the recipes included in the recipe DB 283 and transmits the information of the recipes to the terminal device 300. The above search function is an example of a "search function for searching information related to services". In the present embodiment, the recipe providing unit 232 can search 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 for transmitting information indicating the heating time to the oven range 100C for which device registration has been performed. For example, the recipe providing unit 232 can acquire information indicating the model of the oven range 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 oven range 100C included in the selected recipe based on the second recipe DB 283b. Then, by communicating between the server 200 and the oven range 100C, the recipe providing unit 232 transmits information indicating the heating time corresponding to the selected recipe to the oven range 100C. The above transmission function is an example of the "transmission function for transmitting a control amount to a home electric appliance". The heating time is an example of the "control amount of a home electric appliance".

[0040] (Reference information providing unit) The reference information providing unit 233 provides a reference information service. The reference information service is information indicating reference information related to the home electric appliance 100 (for example, recommended usage techniques of the home electric appliance 100). The recommended usage techniques are convenient ways to use the home electric appliance 100, convenient ways to use the home appliance management app APP, or maintenance methods for making the home electric appliance 100 last longer. The recommended usage techniques are an example of the "information indicating a proposal for a usage method or maintenance method of a home electric appliance". From another perspective, the recommended usage techniques are an example of the "information indicating a recommended usage method or maintenance method of a home electric appliance". From still another perspective, it is an example of the "information indicating a method for improving the quality or efficiency of housework using a home electric appliance". In this embodiment, the reference information providing unit 233 registers and manages the reference information as described above in the reference information DB 284 stored in the storage unit 280.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the reference information DB 284. In the reference information DB 284, for example, a management ID, a name, a thumbnail image, the content of the reference information (for example, the content of the usage technique), and the related home electric appliance 100 are associated. The reference information providing unit 233 can acquire reference information corresponding to a specific type of home electric appliance 100 based on the reference information DB 284.

[0042] The reference information providing unit 233 selects reference information to be displayed on the home screen DH of the home appliance management app APP described later based on the selection rule information 285 described later. Details of this will be described later.

[0043] (Advertisement information providing unit) 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 appliances 100. In the present embodiment, the advertisement information providing unit 234 registers and manages the above-described 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 appliance 100 targeted for advertisement based on the advertisement information DB 286.

[0044] (Function restriction management unit) In the present embodiment, when the device registration of the home appliance 100 is not registered, the service providing unit 230 provides the user U with the service related to the home appliance 100 in a first mode (for example, a so-called "trial mode") in which the function is restricted, and when the device registration of the home appliance 100 is registered, the service providing unit 230 provides the user U with the service in a second mode (for example, a full service mode) in which the function restriction is released.

[0045] When the function restriction management unit 235 receives a notification from the terminal device 300 requesting service provision (such as a food ingredient management service or a recipe service) by the service providing unit 230, the function restriction management unit 235 identifies the type of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed by the user U of the terminal device 300 based on the device registration DB 281. Then, the function restriction management unit 235 determines whether to provide the requested service in the first mode or the second mode based on the type of the home appliance 100 for which the identified device registration has been performed.

[0046] When the function limit management unit 235 determines to provide services in the first mode, it identifies the restriction details for the requested service based on the restriction range information 287 stored in the storage unit 280. Then, the service providing unit 230 provides services in the first mode in which some functions identified by the function limit management unit 235 are restricted. This will be described in detail later. Note that the function limit management unit 235 may be provided as part of the home appliance management application APP of the terminal device 300 instead of the server 200.

[0047] <3.5 Storage Unit> The storage unit 280 is implemented by a combination of, for example, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, or SSD. The storage unit 280 stores, for example, the device registration DB 281, the inventory list DB 282, the recipe DB 283, the reference information DB 284, the selection rule information 285, the advertisement information DB 286, and the restriction range information 287.

[0048] <4. Terminal Device> Next, the terminal device 300 will be described in detail. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 300. The terminal device 300 includes, for example, a registration reception unit 310, a display control unit 320, an operation reception unit 330, a notification unit 340, and a storage unit 380.

[0049] 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 installed in the terminal device 300 executing an 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 functional units included in the home appliance management application APP.

[0050] <4.1 Registration Reception Unit> The registration reception unit 310 receives an application for device registration of the home appliance 100 based on the operation of the user U on the operation reception unit 330. In this application, "receiving an application for registration" or "receiving registration" is not limited to the case where the registration process is completed on the terminal device 300, and may include the case where the operation of the user U instructing device registration (i.e., the application for registration) is received on the terminal device 300 and the actual registration process is performed on the server 200.

[0051] In this embodiment, the registration reception unit 310 receives an application for registration of the home appliance 100 (hereinafter referred to as "target home appliance 100") associated with the user ID used for login in a state where login is performed using the user ID in the home appliance management app APP. For example, the user U uses the camera of the terminal device 300 to read the QR code (registered trademark) attached to the target home appliance 100. The registration reception unit 310 transmits the QR code information indicating the QR code read using the camera of the terminal device 300 to the server 200. Thereby, 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".

[0052] <4.2 Display control unit> The display control unit 320 controls the display content on the display screen 301a of the display device 301 by controlling the display device 301 of the terminal device 300. For example, the display control unit 320 causes one or more first operation units B1 for operating the home appliance 100, one or more second operation units B2 for using services related to the home appliance 100, one or more third operation units B3 for browsing reference information related to the home appliance 100, one or more fourth operation units B4 for browsing recommended recipes, and one or more fifth operation units B5 for browsing advertisement information to be displayed on the display screen 301a in a predetermined manner (see FIG. 9). Hereinafter, when the first to fifth operation units B1, B2, B3, B4, B5 are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as "operation unit B". The display control unit 320 will be described in detail later.

[0053] <4.3 Operation Reception Unit> The operation reception unit 330 receives the operations of the user U performed on the input device 302 in relation to the home appliance management application APP. For example, the operation reception unit 330 receives the operations of the user U on the operation unit B (the first to fifth operation units B1, B2, B3, B4, B5) displayed on the display screen 301a. The operation reception unit 330 transmits a signal corresponding to the operation unit B operated by the user U to the server 200. Thereby, the processing corresponding to the operation unit B operated by the user U is performed by the server 200.

[0054] <4.4 Notification Unit> 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 the usage method of the home appliance management application APP.

[0055] <4.5 Storage Unit> The storage unit 380 is realized by a combination of RAM, ROM, EEPROM, or SSD, etc. The storage unit 380 stores the application program P and the device registration information 381. In the device registration information 381, a list of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed is registered in association with the user ID of the user U who uses the terminal device 300.

[0056] <5. Display Content of the Display Screen> Next, the display content of the terminal device 300 will be described. The display content described below is realized by the processing of the display control unit 320 unless otherwise specified. In the following description, the "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 to call that function. The operation unit B is, for example, an icon displayed on the display screen 301a.

[0057] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the display content displayed on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300. The screen shown in FIG. 9 is, for example, the home screen (top screen) DH of the home appliance management application APP. The "home screen" is the screen that is first displayed as the operation screen of the home appliance management application APP. Note that the black frame indicated by the reference numeral 301a shown in FIG. 9 indicates the content that is displayed on the display screen 301a of the display device 301 at one time.

[0058] In the present embodiment, the display control unit 320 causes 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 to be displayed on the home screen DH. That is, the display control unit 320 causes the first to fifth function areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 to be displayed on one screen. In the present application, "display on one screen" means "display on a continuous screen". That is, "display on one screen" is not limited to being displayed within a screen that can be visually recognized at one time (for example, within the display screen 301a), and may also include cases where it is displayed in order by scrolling from a state where a part is hidden with respect to a screen that can be visually recognized at one time.

[0059] In the present embodiment, the horizontal widths of the first to fifth function areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 are the same as each other. For example, the horizontal widths of the first to fifth function areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 match the horizontal width of the display screen 301a. The first to fifth function areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction with respect to the screen. Hereinafter, when the first to fifth function areas R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as "function area R".

[0060] <5.1 First Function Area> The first function area R1 is a function area corresponding to "home appliance control (home appliance operation)". The first function area R1 includes one or more first operation units B1 for operating the home appliance device 100. In the present embodiment, a plurality of first operation units B1 for operating different home appliance devices 100 are displayed in the first function area R1.

[0061] In this application, the "operation unit for operating the home appliance 100" is not limited to an operation unit that directly operates the home appliance 100, and may also be an operation unit for transitioning to an operation screen capable of operating the home appliance 100. In this embodiment, when the first operation unit B1 is operated (for example, tapped) by the user U, it transitions to an individual operation screen of the home appliance 100 corresponding to the operated first operation unit B1 (an operation screen divided for each home appliance 100).

[0062] In this embodiment, when device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the first operation unit B1 corresponding to the home appliance 100 for which the device registration is performed is added to the first function area R1. That is, the number of first operation units B1 corresponds to the number of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed.

[0063] In this embodiment, the size (for example, the vertical width) of the first function area R1 is changed according to the number of first operation units B1. That is, the larger the number of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed, the larger the size (for example, the vertical width) of the first function area R1. On the other hand, the smaller the number of home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed, the smaller the size (for example, the vertical width) of the first function area R1.

[0064] For example, when there is no home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, the display control unit 320 does not display (makes non-display) the first function area R1. Note that in this application, "not displaying a function area" is not limited to the case where the function area is not completely displayed, and may include a hidden state in a mode where the display state can be switched (such as a state where only an operation unit that can transition to the display state is displayed and other areas are hidden). This is the same for the second function area R2. Note that, 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 mode (for example, a mode with a smaller vertical width) compared to the first function area R1 when there is a home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed.

[0065] FIG. 9 shows an example in which devices such as "Air conditioner 1", "Air conditioner 2", "Refrigerator", "Oven range", and "Washing machine" are registered as a plurality of home appliances 100. As a result, as a plurality of first operation units B1, 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 "Oven range", and a first operation unit B1e for operating "Washing machine" are displayed.

[0066] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen 410 capable of operating the home appliance 100. On the individual operation screen 410, one or more operation units 411 capable of operating the home appliance 100 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" is operated (for example, tapped) on the home screen DH.

[0067] On the individual operation screen 410 corresponding to Air conditioner 1, as operation units 411 capable of operating Air conditioner 1, an operation unit 411a for switching the ON state / OFF state of the operation of Air conditioner 1, an operation unit 411b for changing the room temperature setting, etc. are displayed. In addition, the individual operation screen 410 includes a display unit 412 on which the state of the home appliance 100 is displayed. Although FIG. 10 illustrates the individual operation screen 410 corresponding to Air conditioner 1, on the individual operation screen 410 corresponding to other types of home appliances 100, operation units 411 and display units 412 corresponding to the type of the home appliance 100 are displayed.

[0068] The operation of the user U on the operation unit 411 displayed on the individual operation screen 410 is received by the operation reception unit 330, and a signal corresponding to the operated operation unit 411 is transmitted to the home appliance control unit 220 of the server 200. Thereby, remote operation and status confirmation of the home appliance 100 are performed.

[0069] <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 the 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 the present embodiment, a plurality of second operation units B2 corresponding to different home appliance-related services are displayed in the second functional area R2.

[0070] In the present application, the "operation unit for using a service" is not limited to an operation unit for directly using a service, and may also be an operation unit for transitioning to an operation screen where a service can be used. In the present embodiment, when the second operation unit B2 is operated (for example, tapped) by the user U, the operation transitions to an individual operation screen of the home appliance-related service corresponding to the operated second operation unit B2 (an operation screen divided for each home appliance-related service).

[0071] In the present 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 a service different from the operation of the home appliance 100. The first home appliance-related service is the "food ingredient management service" or the "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 a service related to the operation of the home appliance 100. The second home appliance-related service is the "batch operation service" described later.

[0072] In the present embodiment, when device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, if there are home appliance-related services related to the home appliance 100 for which the device registration has been performed, the second operation unit B2 corresponding to the home appliance-related service is added to the second functional area R2. On the other hand, when device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, if there are no home appliance-related services 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 when device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed.

[0073] In this embodiment, the size (e.g., vertical width) of the second functional area R2 is changed according to the number of second operation units B2. That is, the larger the number of home appliance related services associated with the home appliance 100 registered in the device, the larger the size (e.g., vertical width) of the second functional area R2. On the other hand, the smaller the number of home appliance related services associated with the home appliance 100 registered in the device, the smaller the size (e.g., vertical width) of the second functional area R2. For example, in this embodiment, there is no home appliance related service associated with the washing machine 100D. In this case, if the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed is only the washing machine 100D, the first operation unit B1 for operating the washing machine 100D is added to the first functional area R1, but the second operation unit B2 is not added to the second functional area R2.

[0074] In this embodiment, when there is no home appliance related service associated with one or more of all the home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed, the display control unit 320 does not display (makes non-display) the second functional area R2. Note that, instead of the above example, when there is no home appliance related service, the display control unit 320 may display the second functional area R2 in a mode smaller (e.g., having a smaller vertical width) than the second functional area R2 when there is a home appliance related service.

[0075] FIG. 9 is an example in which, as home appliance related services associated with the home appliances 100 (air conditioner 1, air conditioner 2, refrigerator, and oven range) for which device registration has been performed, there are a "food ingredient management service", a "recipe service", and a "batch operation service", and as a result, as a plurality of second operation units B2, a second operation unit B2a for using the "food ingredient management service", a second operation unit B2b for using the "recipe service", and a second operation unit B2c for using the "batch operation service" are displayed.

[0076] The "Food Ingredient Management Service" is a service related to the refrigerator 100B (or the oven range 100C), and is a service provided by the food ingredient management unit 231 of the server 200. The second operation unit B2a corresponding to the "Food Ingredient Management Service" is added when the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C is device-registered. The "Food Ingredient Management Service" is an example of the "First Home Appliance Related Service". Details of the "Food Ingredient Management Service" will be described later.

[0077] 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 device-registered. The "Recipe Service" is another example of the "First Home Appliance Related Service". Details of the "Recipe Service" will be described later.

[0078] The "Batch Operation Service" is, for example, a service related to the air conditioner 100A, and is a service provided by the batch operation management unit 221 of the server 200. The second operation unit B2c corresponding to the "Batch Operation Service" is added when a plurality of air conditioners 100A are device-registered. The "Batch Operation Service" is an example of the "Second Home Appliance Related Service". The second operation unit B2c is an example of the "Special Operation Unit". Details of the "Batch Operation Service" will be described later.

[0079] In this embodiment, each of the second operation unit B2a corresponding to the "Food 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 device 100 (for example, registering food ingredients in the inventory 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 also be an operation unit for transitioning to an operation screen capable of registering or searching for information.

[0080] (Food Ingredient Management Service) FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen 510 that can use home appliance-related services. On the individual operation screen 510, an operation unit for using home appliance-related services is displayed. For example, FIG. 11 shows the individual operation screen 510 that can use the "food ingredient management service". The individual operation screen 510 is displayed by transitioning from the home screen DH when, for example, the second operation unit B2a corresponding to the "food ingredient management service" is operated (e.g., tapped) on the home screen DH.

[0081] On the individual operation screen 510, as an operation unit for using home appliance-related services, an operation unit 511 for viewing the inventory list information and shopping list information of food ingredients is displayed. Also, on the individual operation screen 510, a display unit 512 showing the state of food ingredient management (e.g., inventory state) is displayed.

[0082] In the present embodiment, on the individual operation screen 510 corresponding to the "food ingredient management service", an operation unit 515 for transitioning to the individual operation screen 610 (see FIG. 13) corresponding to the "recipe service", which is another home appliance-related service, is displayed. The operation unit 515 is an operation unit that can switch between a plurality of mutually independent home appliance-related services without returning to the home screen DH.

[0083] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of another individual operation screen 520 that can use the "food ingredient management service". The individual operation screen 520 is displayed by transitioning from the individual operation screen 510 when, for example, the operation unit 511 for viewing the inventory list information is operated (e.g., tapped) on the above-described individual operation screen 510. On the individual operation screen 520, as an operation unit for using home appliance-related services, an operation unit 521 for viewing the details of each food ingredient registered in the inventory list information is displayed.

[0084] (Recipe service) FIG. 13 shows the individual operation screen 610 that can use the "recipe service". The individual operation screen 610 is displayed by transitioning from the home screen DH when, for example, the second operation unit B2b corresponding to the "recipe service" is operated (e.g., tapped) on the home screen DH.

[0085] On the individual operation screen 610, as an operation unit for using home appliance-related services, an operation unit 611 for viewing individual recipes, an operation unit 612 for searching for recipes, and an operation unit 613 for switching the types of recipes are displayed.

[0086] In the present embodiment, when the device registration of the refrigerator 100B and the oven range 100C is performed, on the individual operation screen 610, 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., "oven range recipes") are displayed. Each recipe is attached with a first display M1 indicating that the recipe is a "general recipe" or a second display M2 indicating that the recipe is an "oven range recipe".

[0087] And in the present embodiment, when the operation unit 613 corresponding to "all" is operated, both "general recipes" and "oven range recipes" are displayed. When the operation unit 613 corresponding to "general" is operated, only "general recipes" are displayed. When the operation unit 613 corresponding to "oven range" is operated, only "oven range recipes" are displayed.

[0088] In the present embodiment, on the individual operation screen 610, an operation unit 614 for viewing a set of recipes set as "featured recipes" is displayed. The "featured recipes" are an aggregate of recipes for each 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 at a predetermined frequency.

[0089] In the present embodiment, the display of the operation unit 614 changes according to the device registration status of the home appliance 100. For example, when the device registration of the refrigerator 100B is performed, operation units 614 corresponding to a plurality (e.g., two) of "featured recipes" that are "general recipes" are displayed. When the device registration of the oven range 100C is performed, operation units 614 corresponding to a plurality (e.g., two) of "featured recipes" that are "oven range recipes" are displayed.

[0090] In this embodiment, on the individual operation screen 610 corresponding to the "recipe service", an operation unit 615 for transitioning to the individual operation screen 510 (see FIG. 11) corresponding to the "food ingredient management service", which is another home appliance-related service, is displayed. The operation unit 615 is an operation unit capable of switching between a plurality of mutually independent home appliance-related services without returning to the home screen DH.

[0091] (Batch operation service) FIG. 14 shows an individual operation screen 710 on which the "batch operation service" can be used. The individual operation screen 710 is displayed by transitioning from the home screen DH when, for example, a second operation unit B2c corresponding to the "batch operation service" is operated (e.g., tapped) on the home screen DH.

[0092] On the individual operation screen 710, as an operation unit for using the home appliance-related service, an operation unit 711 for operating a plurality of home appliances 100 (e.g., a plurality of air conditioners 100A) in a batch (e.g., turning them off in a batch) is displayed. Also, on the individual operation screen 710, a display unit 712 showing the state of each home appliance 100 (e.g., each air conditioner 100A) is displayed.

[0093] Instead of the above example, the second operation unit B2c displayed on the home screen DH may be an operation unit for directly operating a plurality of home appliances 100 (e.g., a plurality of air conditioners 100A) in a batch (e.g., turning them off in a batch). That is, when the second operation unit B2c is operated, the plurality of home appliances 100 may be directly operated without transitioning to the individual operation screen 710.

[0094] The above described an example in which the second operation unit B2 corresponding to the "food ingredient management service", "recipe service", and "batch operation service" is displayed in the second function area R2 as a home appliance related service. However, the home appliance related service is not limited to the above example. For example, in the second function area R2, the second operation unit B2 corresponding to the "monitoring service", "after service", "automatic ordering of consumables", "web shopping", "health management", or "video content distribution" may be displayed.

[0095] <5.3 Third Function Area> Returning to FIG. 9, the third function area R3 will be described. The third function area R3 is a function area corresponding to the "reference information service". The "reference information service" is a service provided by the reference information providing unit 233 of the server 200. The third function area R3 includes one or more third operation units B3 for browsing reference information related to the home appliance device 100. In the present embodiment, a plurality of third operation units B3 corresponding to different reference information are displayed in the third function area R3.

[0096] In the present application, the "operation unit for browsing reference information" is not limited to an operation unit that directly browses reference information, and may also be an operation unit for transitioning to an operation screen where reference information can be browsed. From one perspective, browsing reference information related to the home appliance device 100 can also be said to be one of the home appliance related services.

[0097] In the present embodiment, the reference information associated with the third operation unit B3 changes according to the device registration status of the home appliance device 100. For example, the reference information associated with a plurality of third operation units B3 gives priority to the reference information corresponding to the type of the home appliance device 100 for which device registration has been performed.

[0098] Also, in this embodiment, the number of the third operation units B3 displayed in the third function area R3 is not changed according to the number and types of the home electric appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed. That is, even when there is no home electric appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, or when there is no reference information related to the home electric appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed, a predetermined number (for example, four) of third operation units B3 are displayed. In this case, reference information related to a home electric appliance 100 for which device registration has not been performed is associated with the predetermined number of third operation units B3.

[0099] On the other hand, when there is a home electric appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed and there is reference information related to the home electric appliance 100, reference information related to the home electric appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed is associated with a part or all of the predetermined number of third operation units B3. For example, when only the device registration of the refrigerator 100B has been performed, four third operation units B3 for respectively viewing the reference information related to the refrigerator 100B are displayed. For example, when the device registrations of the air conditioner 100A and the refrigerator 100B have been performed, two third operation units B3 for respectively viewing the reference information related to the air conditioner 100A and two third operation units B3 for respectively viewing the reference information related to the refrigerator 100B are displayed.

[0100] The reference information associated with these third operation units B3 is selected from among a plurality of pieces of reference information registered in the reference information DB284 stored in the storage unit 280 of the server 200 and is displayed in the third function area R3. The selection of this reference information is determined by the reference information providing unit 233 of the server 200 based on the type of the home electric appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed and the selection rule information 285 stored in the storage unit 280 of the server 200.

[0101] <5.4 Fourth Function Area> The fourth functional area R4 is a functional area corresponding to the "recommended recipe (pick-up recipe)". The "recommended recipe" 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 the recommended recipe. In the present embodiment, a plurality of fourth operation units B4 corresponding to different recommended recipes are displayed in the fourth functional area R4.

[0102] In the present embodiment, the recommended recipe associated with the fourth operation unit B4 changes according to the device registration status of the home appliance 100. For example, the recommended recipes associated with the plurality of fourth operation units B4 are selected from the recipes corresponding to the home appliances 100 for which device registration has been performed. For example, when the device registration of the refrigerator 100B is performed, the recommended recipes selected from the plurality of recipes (i.e., "general recipes") included in the first recipe DB283a become the display candidates. Also, when the device registration of the oven range 100C is performed, the recommended recipes selected from the plurality of recipes (i.e., "oven range recipes") included in the second recipe DB283b become the display candidates. Then, in the fourth functional area R4, the fourth operation units B4 corresponding to a predetermined number (e.g., 4) of recommended recipes randomly selected from these plurality of display candidates are displayed.

[0103] The recommended recipe associated with the fourth operation unit B4 is randomly selected from, for example, the "featured recipes" described in the description of the second functional area R2. In a specific example, Recipe 1, Recipe 2, and Recipe 3 are included in "Feature A" of the oven range recipes, Recipe 4, Recipe 5, and Recipe 6 are included in "Feature B" of the oven range recipes, Recipe 7, Recipe 8, Recipe 9, and Recipe 10 are included in "Feature C" of the general recipes, and Recipe 11, Recipe 12, and Recipe 13 are included in "Feature D" of the general recipes. In this case, the fourth operation units B4 corresponding to a predetermined number (e.g., 4) of recommended recipes randomly selected from these Recipes 1 to 13 are displayed in the fourth functional area R4.

[0104] <5.5 The 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 browsing advertising information. In the present embodiment, a plurality of fifth operation units B5 corresponding to different advertising information are displayed in the fifth functional area R5. In the present embodiment, the number of the fifth operation units B5 is a fixed number regardless of the type and number of the home appliances 100 registered with the device.

[0105] <6. Other operation units> Next, referring to FIG. 9, other operation units will be described. On the home screen DH, an operation button B6 corresponding to the "service list" is displayed. In the present embodiment, when the operation unit B6 is operated (for example, tapped) by the user U, a transition is made to an individual operation screen corresponding to the "service list".

[0106] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen corresponding to a home appliance related service. (a) in FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an individual operation screen 810 corresponding to the "service list". A plurality of operation units 811 corresponding to different home appliance related services are displayed on the individual operation screen 810.

[0107] Here, in the present embodiment, in the second functional area R2 of the home screen DH, when 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. On the other hand, on the individual operation screen 810 corresponding to the "service list", operation units 811 corresponding to all the home appliance related services provided by the service providing unit 230 of the server 200 are displayed regardless of whether the home appliance 100 is registered or not. That is, even when the refrigerator 100B and the oven range 100C are not registered, the operation units 811 for using the "food ingredient management service" and the "recipe service" are displayed.

[0108] In this embodiment, as the plurality of operation units 811, an operation unit 811a for using the "food ingredient management service" and an operation unit 811b for using the "recipe service" are displayed. The operation unit 811a is an operation unit having the same function as, for example, the second operation unit B2a displayed in the second function area R2. The operation unit 811b is an operation unit having the same function as, for example, the second operation unit B2b displayed in the second function area R2.

[0109] On the other hand, the operation unit corresponding to the "batch operation service" is not displayed. In other words, on the individual operation screen 810, an operation unit 811 for using a service different from the operation of the home appliance device 100 among the home appliance-related services is displayed. On the other hand, on the individual operation screen 810, an operation unit for using a service related to the operation of the home appliance device 100 among the home appliance-related services is not displayed.

[0110] Also in this embodiment, on the individual operation screen 810, as one of the operation units 811, an operation unit 811c for using the "reference information service" is displayed. When the operation unit 811c is operated (for example, tapped), the individual operation screen 810 transitions to the individual operation screen 820.

[0111] (b) in FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the individual operation screen 820 for using the "reference information service". On the individual operation screen 820, a plurality of operation units 821 for browsing different reference information (for example, recommended utilization techniques) are displayed. On the individual operation screen 820, unlike the fourth function area R4, operation units 821 corresponding to all the reference information registered in the reference information DB 284 are displayed regardless of whether they are related to the home appliance device 100 in which the device is registered. That is, when browsing reference information (for example, recommended utilization techniques) related to the home appliance device 100, the content and amount displayed on the home screen DH and the content and amount displayed on the individual operation screen 820 transitioned from the "service list" are different.

[0112] <7. Provision of Limited Service Functions> Next, the provision of restricted service functions will be described. As described above, before the device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the service provision unit 230 of the server 200 provides the user U with the service related to the home appliance 100 in a first mode with restricted functions, and after the device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the service provision unit 230 provides the user U with the service in a second mode with the restrictions on the functions removed. Hereinafter, this content will be described in detail. Note that the function restriction in the following description is realized by the function restriction management unit 235 unless otherwise specified.

[0113] (Restriction of Information Registration Function) The service provision unit 230 provides a registration function for registering (for example, accepting the registration of) information related to the home appliance-related service. Before the device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the service provision unit 230 provides the home appliance-related service in a first mode in which the registration function is restricted. On the other hand, after the device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the service provision unit 230 provides the home appliance-related service in a second mode in which at least a part of the restrictions on the registration function is removed.

[0114] For example, the food management unit 231 provides a registration function for registering, changing the quantity, or deleting the food ingredients included in the inventory list information, shopping list information, or candidate list information regarding the food management service described above.

[0115] In the present embodiment, before the device registration of the refrigerator 100B is performed, the food management unit 231 provides the food management service in a first mode in which the registration function is restricted. For example, in the first mode, the number of food ingredients that can be registered in the inventory list information is restricted to 20 or less. On the other hand, after the device registration of the refrigerator 100B is performed, the food management unit 231 provides the food management service in a second mode in which at least a part of the restrictions on the registration function is removed. In the second mode, the number of food ingredients that can be registered in the inventory list information is 100 or less. That is, in the first mode, the number of pieces of information that can be registered by the registration function is smaller than that in the second mode.

[0116] Note that the information whose registration is restricted by the registration function of the service providing unit 230 is not limited to the foodstuffs in the foodstuff management service. For example, it may be setting information in various household electric appliances 100 (temperature setting of the air conditioner 100A, temperature setting of the refrigerator 100B, or detergent information and softener information during use in the washing machine 100D, etc.), timer information, operation mode information (washing operation courses downloaded to the washing machine 100D, etc.), and favorite registration (favorite registration of recipes, etc.).

[0117] (Restriction of information browsing function) In the present embodiment, the service providing unit 230 provides a browsing function for browsing information related to the home electric appliance related service. Before the device registration of the home electric appliance 100 is performed, the service providing unit 230 provides the home electric appliance related service in a first mode in which the above browsing function is restricted. On the other hand, after the device registration of the home electric appliance 100 is performed, the service providing unit 230 provides the home electric appliance related service in a second mode in which at least a part of the restriction of the above browsing function is released.

[0118] For example, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a browsing function for browsing the recipes registered in the recipe DB 283 regarding the above-described recipe service.

[0119] The recipe providing unit 232 provides the recipe service in a first mode in which the above browsing function is restricted within a first restricted range in a state where neither the refrigerator 100B nor the oven range 100C has been device-registered. For example, in the first mode, the total number of browsable recipes is limited to 400. The recipes browsable in the first mode are, for example, a part of the "general recipes" included in the first recipe DB 283a (hereinafter referred to as "basic recipes") and the "oven range recipes" corresponding to the oven range 100C of a specific model (for example, the latest model) included in the second recipe DB 283b.

[0120] After the equipment registration of the refrigerator 100B is completed and before the equipment registration of the oven range C is carried out, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a recipe service in a second mode in which the browsing function is restricted within a second restricted range. The second restricted range is a looser restricted range compared to the first restricted range. For example, in the second mode, the number of recipes that can be browsed is unlimited with respect to "general recipes". That is, the recipes that can be browsed in the second mode are all of the "general recipes" included in the first recipe DB 283a and the "oven range recipes" corresponding to the oven range 100C of a specific model (for example, the latest model) included in the second recipe DB 283b.

[0121] On the other hand, after the equipment registration of the oven range 100C is completed and before the equipment registration of the refrigerator 100B is carried out, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a recipe service in a third mode in which the browsing function is restricted within a third restricted range. For example, in the third mode, the "oven range recipes" corresponding to the model of the oven range 100C for which the equipment registration has been carried out can be browsed. That is, the recipes that can be browsed in the third mode are the "basic recipes" included in the first recipe DB 283a and the "oven range recipes" corresponding to the model of the oven range 100C for which the equipment registration has been carried out. In this way, in the third mode, information corresponding to the model of the home appliance 100 used by the user U can be browsed.

[0122] When the equipment registrations of both the refrigerator 100B and the oven range 100C are completed, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a recipe service in a fourth mode in which the restriction of the browsing function is released. For example, in the fourth mode, the number of recipes that can be browsed is unlimited with respect to "general recipes", and the "oven range recipes" corresponding to the model of the oven range 100C for which the equipment registration has been carried out can be browsed. That is, the recipes that can be browsed in the fourth mode are all of the "general recipes" included in the first recipe DB 283a and the "oven range recipes" corresponding to the model of the oven range 100C for which the equipment registration has been carried out.

[0123] (Restriction of Information Search Function) In this embodiment, the service providing unit 230 provides a search function for searching information related to home appliance-related services. Before the device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the service providing unit 230 provides home appliance-related services in a first mode in which the above search function is restricted. On the other hand, after the device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the service providing unit 230 provides home appliance-related services in a second mode in which at least a part of the restriction of the above search function is released.

[0124] For example, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a search function for searching recipes registered in the recipe DB 283 regarding the above-described recipe service.

[0125] Before the device registration of the oven range 100C is performed, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a recipe service in a first mode in which the above search function is restricted. For example, in the first mode, there are fewer search items available for searching than in the second mode. For example, in the first mode, it is not possible to search for recipes based on "nutrients (nutritional components)". Searching for recipes based on "nutrients" means, for example, searching for recipes with a high intake of specific nutrients.

[0126] On the other hand, after the device registration of the oven range 100C is performed, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a recipe service in a second mode in which at least a part of the restriction of the above search function is released. For example, in the second mode, it is possible to search for recipes based on "nutrients". In this embodiment, an example in which the restriction of the search function is released when the device registration of the oven range 100C is performed has been described. Instead of / In addition to this, the restriction of the search function may be released when the device registration of another home appliance 100 (for example, the refrigerator 100B) is performed.

[0127] (Restriction of Information Transmission Function) In this embodiment, the service providing unit 230 provides a transmission function for transmitting a control amount to the home appliance 100. Before the device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the service providing unit 230 provides a home appliance-related service in a first mode in which the above transmission function is restricted. On the other hand, after the device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the service providing unit 230 provides a home appliance-related service in a second mode in which at least a part of the restriction of the above transmission function is released.

[0128] For example, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a transmission function for transmitting information indicating a heating time (hereinafter referred to as "heating information") to the oven range 100C with respect to the above-described recipe service.

[0129] Before the device registration of the oven range 100C is performed, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a recipe service in a first mode in which the above transmission function is restricted. For example, in the first mode, it is impossible to transmit heating information to the oven range 100C.

[0130] On the other hand, after the device registration of the oven range 100C is performed, the recipe providing unit 232 provides a recipe service in a second mode in which at least a part of the restriction of the above transmission function is released. For example, in the second mode, it is possible to transmit heating information to the oven range 100C for which the device registration has been performed.

[0131] <8. Transfer of Information> The service providing unit 230 provides a registration function for registering (for example, accepting registration of) information related to a home appliance-related service, and transfers the information registered during use in the first mode to use in the second mode. For example, the foodstuff management unit 231 transfers the inventory list information, shopping list information, and candidate list information registered during use in the first mode to use in the second mode after the device registration of the refrigerator 100 is performed.

[0132] Note that the information carried over from the use in the first mode to the use in the second mode is not limited to information about food ingredients. The information carried over from the use in the first mode to the use in the second mode may be, for example, setting information in various home appliances 100 (temperature setting of the air conditioner 100A, temperature setting of the refrigerator 100B, or detergent information and softener information in use in the washing machine 100D, etc.), timer information, operation mode information (such as a washing operation course downloaded to the washing machine 100D), and favorite registration (such as favorite registration of recipes).

[0133] <9. Notification of Information> In the present embodiment, the notification unit 340 of the terminal device 300 notifies that the function of the home appliance-related service is restricted during the use in the above-described various first modes, and that the function of the home appliance-related service is expanded by registering a predetermined home appliance 100.

[0134] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the notification process by the notification unit 340. FIG. 16 shows, for example, the content displayed on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300 by the notification unit 340 during the use of the recipe service. The example shown in FIG. 16 shows a state where neither the refrigerator 100B nor the oven range 100C is registered.

[0135] In this case, the notification unit 340 notifies that the currently viewable recipe is an "oven range recipe" corresponding to an oven range 100C of a specific model (for example, the latest model), or only a part of the "general recipe". Further, the notification unit 340 notifies that by registering the oven range 100C, heating information can be transmitted to the oven range 100C and recipe search based on nutrients becomes possible. Furthermore, the notification unit 340 notifies that the number of viewable recipes increases by registering the refrigerator 100B.

[0136] <10. Display Mode of the Operation Unit> In this embodiment, when used in the second mode, the display control unit 320 of the terminal device 300 displays an operation unit for using a specific function included in the home appliance related service, and when used in the first mode, the operation unit is displayed in a mode different from that in the second mode (for example, different in color, shape, or size). For example, when used in the second mode, the display control unit 320 displays the operation unit in an active state, and when used in the first mode, the display control unit 320 displays the operation unit in a non-active state.

[0137] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the display mode of the operation unit by the display control unit 320. (a) in FIG. 17 shows an individual operation screen 910 in which the device registration of the oven range 100C is performed, and an operation unit Bt for transmitting heating information included in the recipe to the oven range 100C for which the device registration has been performed is displayed as the use in the second mode. The operation unit Bt is an example of "an operation unit for using a specific function of a home appliance related service". In the second mode, the operation unit Bt is displayed in color, for example. The operation unit Bt is in an active state. That is, the operation reception unit 330 receives the operation of the user U on the operation unit Bt. When the operation unit Bt is operated (for example, tapped), a transmission request for heating information is transmitted from the terminal device 300 to the server 200, and the heating information is transmitted from the server 200 to the oven range 100C.

[0138] On the other hand, (b) in FIG. 17 shows an individual operation screen 910 in which the device registration of the oven range 100C has not been performed, and an operation unit Bt with a restricted heating information transmission function is displayed as the use in the first mode. The operation unit Bt is displayed in gray, for example. The operation unit Bt is in a non-active state. That is, the operation reception unit 330 does not receive the operation of the user U on the operation unit Bt. Therefore, even if the operation unit Bt is operated (for example, tapped), a transmission request for heating information is not transmitted from the terminal device 300 to the server 200, and the heating information is not transmitted from the server 200 to the oven range 100C.

[0139] <11. Flow of processing> FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the service providing unit 230. When the function restriction management unit 235 of the service providing unit 230 receives a notification requesting the provision of a service (such as a food ingredient management service or a recipe service) from the terminal device 300, it determines the registration status of the home appliance 100 based on the device registration DB 281 (S101). That is, the function restriction management unit 235 identifies the type of the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed by the user U of the terminal device 300.

[0140] Next, the function restriction management unit 235 determines whether device registration of a specific type of home appliance 100 has been performed for the requested service based on the type of the home appliance 100 for which the identified device registration has been performed (S102). The "specific type of home appliance" is the home appliance 100 that is a condition for service provision in the second mode in various services.

[0141] If the function restriction management unit 235 determines that device registration of a specific type of home appliance 100 has not been performed for the requested service (S102: NO), it provides the service in the first mode with restricted functions (S103). Specifically, when the function restriction management unit 235 determines to provide the service in the first mode, it identifies the restriction content for the requested service based on the restriction range information 287 stored in the storage unit 280. Then, the service providing unit 230 provides the service in the first mode with restricted functions specified by the function restriction management unit 235.

[0142] On the other hand, if the function restriction management unit 235 determines that device registration of a specific type of home appliance 100 has been performed for the requested service (S102: YES), it provides the service in the second mode with the restriction of the function lifted (S104).

[0143] <12. Advantages> In this embodiment, before the device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the service providing unit 230 provides the user U with a service related to the home appliance 100 in a first mode with restricted functions, and after the device registration of the home appliance 100 is performed, the service providing unit 230 provides the user U with the above service in a second mode in which at least a part of the function restrictions is released. That is, in this embodiment, the usage right of the home appliance-related service is changed according to the registration status of the device registration of the home appliance 100. According to such a configuration, before purchasing a certain home appliance 100, the user U can experience a part of the service that will be available when the home appliance 100 is purchased. Thereby, the convenience when the user U purchases the home appliance 100 becomes clear. This contributes to the improvement of the convenience of the user U.

[0144] In this embodiment, the service providing unit 230 provides a registration function for registering information related to the service. The first mode has at least a part of the registration function restricted as compared with the second mode. According to such a configuration, before purchasing a certain home appliance 100, the user U can experience a part of the registration function that will be available when the home appliance 100 is purchased.

[0145] In this embodiment, the service providing unit 230 provides a browsing function for browsing information related to the service. The first mode has at least a part of the browsing function restricted as compared with the second mode. According to such a configuration, before purchasing a certain home appliance 100, the user U can experience a part of the browsing function that will be available when the home appliance 100 is purchased.

[0146] In this embodiment, the service providing unit 230 provides a search function for searching information related to the service. The first mode has at least a part of the search function restricted as compared with the second mode. According to such a configuration, before purchasing a certain home appliance 100, the user U can experience a part of the search function that will be available when the home appliance 100 is purchased.

[0147] In this embodiment, the service providing unit 230 provides a transmission function for transmitting a control amount to the home appliance 100. Compared with the second aspect, at least a part of the notification function is restricted in the first aspect. According to such a configuration, before purchasing a certain home appliance 100, the user U can experience a part of the transmission function that will be available when the home appliance 100 is purchased.

[0148] In this embodiment, the service providing unit 230 provides a registration function for registering information related to the service, and inherits the information registered during the use in the first aspect during the use in the second aspect. According to such a configuration, the user U can use the information registered during the use in the first aspect without re-entering it during the use in the second aspect after purchasing the home appliance 100. Thereby, further improvement in the convenience of the user U can be achieved.

[0149] In this embodiment, the notification unit 340 notifies that the function of the service is restricted during the use in the first aspect, and that the function of the service is expanded by registering the home appliance 100. According to such a configuration, the user U can more surely notice the current usage state and the availability of the expanded service. Thereby, further improvement in the convenience of the user U can be achieved.

[0150] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 displays the operation unit Bt for using the function of the home appliance-related service during the use in the second aspect, and displays the operation unit Bt in a manner different from that during the use in the second aspect during the use in the first aspect. According to such a configuration, before purchasing a certain home appliance 100, the user U can specifically experience a part of the functions that will be available when the home appliance 100 is purchased.

[0151] In this embodiment, when used in the second mode, the operation unit Bt is displayed in an active state, and when used in the first mode, the operation unit Bt is displayed in an inactive state. According to such a configuration, when the home appliance 100 is purchased, some of the functions that become available can be more specifically experienced by the user U.

[0152] According to at least one embodiment described above, before the registration of the home appliance is performed, the home appliance system provides the user with the service related to the home appliance in the first mode with restricted functions, and after the registration of the home appliance is performed, the home appliance system provides the user with the service in the second mode with the restrictions on the functions released. According to such a configuration, the convenience can be improved.

[0153] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0154] 1... Home appliance system, 100... Home appliance, 200... Server, 210... Device registration unit, 220... Home appliance management unit, 230... Service providing unit, 300... Terminal device, 310... Registration reception unit, 320... Display control unit, 330... Operation reception unit, 340... Notification unit.

Claims

1. A computer, causes acceptance of an application for registration of home electric appliances used by a user, before the registration is performed, causes the user to be provided with a service related to the home electric appliances in a first mode with restricted functions, and after the registration is performed, causes the user to be provided with the service in a second mode with the restrictions on the functions released, the functions include a browsing function for browsing information related to the service, in the first mode, the information corresponding to a specific model of the home electric appliances is browsable, in the second mode, the information corresponding to the model of the home electric appliances used by the user is browsable, A program.

2. A computer, causes acceptance of an application for registration of home electric appliances used by a user, before the registration is performed, causes the user to be provided with a service related to the home electric appliances in a first mode with restricted functions, and after the registration is performed, causes the user to be provided with the service in a second mode with the restrictions on the functions released, the functions include a registration function for registering information related to the service, when used in the second mode, the information registered when used in the first mode is carried over, A program.

3. The functions include a registration function for registering information related to the service, in the first mode, at least a part of the registration function is restricted as compared with the second mode, The program according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

4. In the first mode, the number of pieces of information that can be registered by the registration function is smaller as compared with the second mode, The program according to Claim 3.

5. The functions include a search function for searching information related to the service, In the first aspect, at least a part of the search function is restricted as compared with the second aspect. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The function includes a transmission function that transmits a control amount to the home appliance. In the first aspect, at least a part of the transmission function is restricted as compared with the second aspect. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. An equipment registration unit that registers home appliances used by a user, Before the home appliance is registered by the equipment registration unit, a service related to the home appliance is provided to the user in a first aspect with restricted functions, and after the home appliance is registered by the equipment registration unit, the service is provided to the user in a second aspect with at least a part of the function restrictions removed. A service providing unit, comprising The service providing unit provides a browsing function for browsing information related to the service. In the first aspect, the information corresponding to a specific model of the home appliance is browsable. In the second aspect, the information corresponding to the model of the home appliance used by the user is browsable. An information processing system.

8. An equipment registration unit that registers home appliances used by a user, Before the home appliance is registered by the equipment registration unit, a service related to the home appliance is provided to the user in a first aspect with restricted functions, and after the home appliance is registered by the equipment registration unit, the service is provided to the user in a second aspect with at least a part of the function restrictions removed. A service providing unit, comprising The service providing unit provides a registration function for registering information related to the service, and transfers the information registered during use in the first aspect to the second aspect during use. An information processing system.

9. A computer, receives an application for registration of a household electrical appliance used by a user, before the registration is performed, provides a service related to the household electrical appliance to the user in a first mode with restricted functions, and after the registration is performed, provides the service to the user in a second mode with the restrictions on the functions lifted, the functions include a browsing function for browsing information related to the service, in the first mode, the information corresponding to a specific model of the household electrical appliance is browsable, in the second mode, the information corresponding to the model of the household electrical appliance used by the user is browsable, An information processing method.

10. A computer, receives an application for registration of a household electrical appliance used by a user, before the registration is performed, provides a service related to the household electrical appliance to the user in a first mode with restricted functions, and after the registration is performed, provides the service to the user in a second mode with the restrictions on the functions lifted, the functions include a registration function for registering information related to the service, when used in the second mode, the information registered when used in the first mode is carried over, An information processing method.

11. Cause a computer to receive an application for registration of a household electrical appliance used by a user, before the registration is performed, provide a service related to the household electrical appliance to the user in a first mode, and after the registration is performed, provide the service to the user in a second mode, the first mode and the second mode are available for a browsing function for browsing information related to the service, in the first mode, a first quantity of the information is browsable and the information corresponding to a specific model of the household electrical appliance is browsable, The second aspect allows viewing of the information in a second quantity that is greater than the first quantity, and also allows viewing of the information corresponding to the type of the home appliance device used by the user. Program.

12. A computer causes an application for registration of a home appliance device used by a user to be received, before the registration is performed, the user is caused to provide a service related to the home appliance device in a first aspect, and after the registration is performed, the user is caused to provide the service in a second aspect, the first aspect and the second aspect are capable of using a registration function for registering information related to the service, the first aspect is capable of registering the information in a first quantity, the second aspect is capable of registering the information in a second quantity that is greater than the first quantity, when using the second aspect, the information registered when using the first aspect is carried over, Program.

13. A device registration unit that registers a home appliance device used by a user, before the home appliance device is registered by the device registration unit, a service related to the home appliance device is provided to the user in a first aspect, and after the home appliance device is registered by the device registration unit, the service is provided to the user in a second aspect, a service providing unit, comprising: the service providing unit provides a browsing function for browsing information related to the service, in the first aspect, the information in a first quantity can be browsed, and the information corresponding to a specific type of the home appliance device can be browsed, in the second aspect, the information in a second quantity that is greater than the first quantity can be browsed, and the information corresponding to the type of the home appliance device used by the user can be browsed, Information processing system.

14. A device registration unit that registers a home appliance device used by a user, Before the household electrical appliance is registered by the device registration unit, a service related to the household electrical appliance is provided to the user in a first mode, and after the household electrical appliance is registered by the device registration unit, the service is provided to the user in a second mode. A service providing unit; comprising The service providing unit provides a registration function for registering information related to the service. In the first mode, a first quantity of the information can be registered. In the second mode, a second quantity of the information, which is greater than the first quantity, can be registered. The service providing unit inherits the information registered during use in the first mode during use in the second mode. An information processing system.

15. A computer accepts an application for registration of a household electrical appliance used by a user, before the registration is performed, a service related to the household electrical appliance is provided to the user in a first mode, and after the registration is performed, the service is provided to the user in a second mode. In the first mode and the second mode, a browsing function for browsing information related to the service is available. In the first mode, a first quantity of the information can be browsed, and the information corresponding to a specific model of the household electrical appliance can be browsed. In the second mode, a second quantity of the information, which is greater than the first quantity, can be browsed, and the information corresponding to the model of the household electrical appliance used by the user can be browsed. An information processing method.

16. A computer accepts an application for registration of a household electrical appliance used by a user, before the registration is performed, a service related to the household electrical appliance is provided to the user in a first mode, and after the registration is performed, the service is provided to the user in a second mode. The first aspect and the second aspect can utilize a registration function for registering information related to the service. The first aspect can register the information in a first quantity. The second aspect can register the information in a second quantity that is greater than the first quantity. When used in the second aspect, the information registered when used in the first aspect is carried over. Information processing method.

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