Electronic equipment and information processing methods

Abstract

To provide an electronic device and an information processing method that reduce the user's burden of logging in to a service.SOLUTION: An electronic device includes a communication unit that communicates with a service provider that provides a service, and a control unit that controls login to a service, and the control unit acquires connection state information indicating a connection state between a communication device and a terminal device and controls whether to maintain a login state or log off from the service based on the connection state information when a login state to the service is completed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, an information processing method, and the like.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, techniques used in services for distributing video content and the like are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of saving an association between content and a user profile and applying the settings of the user profile to a local content viewing device when a user logs in to the user profile on the local content viewing device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In conventional techniques such as Patent Document 1, when viewing content from a local content viewing device, a user needs to perform operations such as login / logout.

[0005] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an electronic device, an information processing method, and the like that reduce the user burden related to logging in to a service.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of this disclosure relates to an electronic device that includes a communication unit for communicating with a service provider that provides a service, and a control unit for controlling login to the service, wherein the control unit acquires connection status information representing the connection status between a communication device and a terminal device, and, when the login to the service is complete and the user is logged in, controls whether to maintain the login status or log off from the service based on the connection status information.

[0007] Another aspect of this disclosure relates to an information processing method for using a given service in an electronic device, which acquires connection status information representing the connection status between a communication device and a terminal device, and, when the login status is that of a completed login to the service, controls whether to maintain the login status or log off from the service based on the connection status information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1A] Examples of electronic devices. [Figure 1B] Examples of electronic devices. [Figure 2] An example of a system configuration including electronic equipment. [Figure 3] Example of an electronic device configuration. [Figure 4] An example of a system configuration including electronic equipment. [Figure 5] A flowchart explaining the processing of electronic devices. [Figure 6] A sequence diagram illustrating the process of acquiring identification information for a terminal device. [Figure 7] An example of connection settings information displayed on the display unit. [Figure 8] A sequence diagram illustrating the process of storing identification information and user profiles. [Figure 9] A flowchart explaining the processing of electronic devices. [Figure 10] A schematic diagram representing a facility where electronic equipment and communication devices are installed. [Figure 11] An example of a system configuration including electronic equipment. [Figure 12] An example of a system configuration including electronic equipment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. This embodiment described below is not intended to unduly limit the content described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in this embodiment are essential components of this disclosure.

[0010] 1. First Embodiment The electronic device 100 according to this embodiment is a device that can utilize services such as video distribution services. The electronic device 100 is also a device that can acquire information from the communication device 200 and performs control related to login to the above service based on the connection status between the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300. This reduces the number of user operations related to login and logoff, thereby improving convenience. After describing an example configuration of the electronic device 100, the details of the processing will be explained below.

[0011] 1.1 Example System Configuration Figures 1A and 1B show examples of electronic equipment 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1A, the electronic equipment 100 of this embodiment may be a display device 10 that includes a display unit for displaying images. The display device 10 is a device that has an interface for receiving signals from an antenna, a decoder, a display, a speaker, etc., and is a device that acquires a video signal based on a television broadcast wave and displays the video signal on a display. However, the display device 10 may be a device that does not receive a television broadcast wave. For example, the display device 10 may be a device that acquires a video signal via a network such as the Internet and displays the video signal on a display.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1B, the electronic device 100 of the present embodiment may be a recorder 20 having a recording and playback function. The recorder 20 here is a device capable of storing video signals, for example, based on broadcast waves of television broadcasts. The recorder 20 may also be a device that acquires video signals via a network such as the Internet. The recorder 20 may be an HDD recorder capable of storing video information in an HDD (hard disk drive), a BD recorder capable of reading / writing BD (Blu-ray Disc), or other recorders.

[0013] The recorder 20 shown in FIG. 1B is a device including, for example, an interface for receiving signals from an antenna, a decoder, a memory, and an output interface, and is connected to an external display device via the output interface, for example. The display device here is, for example, a television receiver. The output interface is, for example, an interface corresponding to HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface). However, the recorder 20 and the display device may be connected using a D-terminal cable, a component cable, or the like, and various modifications of the specific form of the output interface are possible.

[0014] Also, the electronic device 100 of the present embodiment is not limited to the display device 10 and the recorder 20. For example, the electronic device 100 may be a set-top box that receives broadcast waves of television broadcasts or other video signals and outputs the video signals to a television receiver or a recorder. In addition, the electronic device 100 of the present embodiment can be extended to other devices that acquire video signals.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a system including the electronic device 100 of the present embodiment. Hereinafter, an example in which the electronic device 100 includes a display unit is shown, but as described above, the electronic device 100 can be realized by various devices.

[0016] The system according to this embodiment includes an electronic device 100, a terminal device 300, and a service server 400. The electronic device 100 also includes a communication device 200. However, the configuration of the system including the electronic device 100 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2, and various modifications such as omitting some configurations and adding other configurations are possible.

[0017] For example, the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 of this embodiment may be devices installed in facilities such as hotels. For example, the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 are installed in hotel rooms and are devices that can be used by guests. However, the facilities in this embodiment are not limited to hotels, and the locations where the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 are installed are not limited to guest rooms.

[0018] The electronic device 100 is connected to a device of a service provider via, for example, a network NW. The network NW is, for example, a public communication network such as the Internet, but other networks may also be used. Note that the electronic device 100 may be connected to a public communication network such as the Internet via a network within a hotel or the like.

[0019] The device of the service provider is, for example, the service server 400. The service server 400 is, for example, a server for providing a service for distributing video content. Also, the service server 400 is not limited to a single server, and may be a server system composed of a plurality of servers. For example, the service server 400 may include a database server for storing content, an authentication server for performing processing related to login, and the like. Here, the server may represent a physical server or a virtual server. Also, a plurality of servers may be distributed, and the specific configuration of the service server 400 can be variously modified. Also, the device used by the service provider is not limited to the service server 400.

[0020] For example, the service server 400 is a server of a service provider that offers video distribution services such as YouTube® and Netflix®. The electronic device 100 has application software installed for using these services. Hotel guests can use the video distribution services using the electronic device 100 by launching the application software on the electronic device 100 and selecting the desired video content.

[0021] Furthermore, the communication device 200 is capable of transmitting information to the control unit 110 and accepts connection requests from the terminal device 300. The communication device 200 is, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access point, which is a device capable of connecting to a public communication network such as the Internet. The communication device 200 may also be a router with routing functionality. Alternatively, the communication device 200 may be an access point without routing functionality, which is connected to a public communication network such as the Internet via a gateway provided in the hotel's network, etc.

[0022] The terminal device 300 is a device carried by a user who uses the service using the electronic device 100, and is, for example, a smartphone owned by a hotel guest. However, the terminal device 300 may also be a portable PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal that does not use mobile communication, etc., and various variations are possible in its specific form. For example, a guest brings the terminal device 300 that they use on a daily basis at home to the hotel where they are staying, and connects the terminal device 300 to the communication device 200, which is part of the hotel's facilities, to use the internet, etc. However, as will be described later using Figure 12, the terminal device 300 may also be a device lent to the guest by the hotel or other facility.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the use of the electronic device 100 enables the use of services such as video distribution services. Furthermore, the use of the communication device 200 enables connection between the terminal device 300 and the internet. Considering the example of the hotel described above, guests will be able to use video distribution services and connect their terminal device 300 to the internet, thereby enabling the provision of appropriate services to guests.

[0024] Figure 3 shows an example configuration of the electronic device 100. The electronic device 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, a communication device 200, a storage unit 130, and a display unit 140. However, the configuration of the electronic device 100 is not limited to Figure 3, and modifications such as omitting some components or adding other components are possible. For example, as shown in Figure 1B, the electronic device 100 of this embodiment may not include the display unit 140. Also, as will be described later using Figure 4, the electronic device 100 of this embodiment may not include the communication device 200.

[0025] The control unit 110 of this embodiment is composed of the following hardware. The hardware may include at least one of a circuit that processes digital signals and a circuit that processes analog signals. For example, the hardware may consist of one or more circuit devices or one or more circuit elements mounted on a circuit board. One or more circuit devices may be, for example, an IC (Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), etc. One or more circuit elements may be, for example, a resistor, a capacitor, etc.

[0026] The control unit 110 may also be implemented by the following processor. The electronic device 100 of this embodiment includes a memory for storing information and a processor that operates based on the information stored in the memory. The information is, for example, a program and various types of data. The processor includes hardware. Various types of processors can be used, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The memory may be a semiconductor memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), a register, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD, or an optical storage device such as an optical disk drive. For example, the memory stores instructions that can be read by a computer, and the functions of the control unit 110 are realized as processing when the processor executes these instructions. The instructions here may be instructions from an instruction set that constitutes a program, or instructions that instruct the hardware circuit of the processor to operate.

[0027] The control unit 110 controls login to the service provided by the service server 400. Specifically, the control unit 110 acquires connection status information representing the connection status between the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300, and if the login to the service is complete, it controls whether to maintain the login status or log off from the service based on the connection status information. In other words, the login control here may include control for automatic logoff. Furthermore, as will be described later, the login control may also include control for automatic login.

[0028] The communication unit 120 is an interface for communication over a network. The electronic device 100 communicates with the service server 400 via the communication unit 120. The communication unit 120 includes, for example, an antenna, an RF (radio frequency) circuit, and a baseband circuit. The communication unit 120 operates according to the control of the control unit 110. The communication unit 120 may also include a communication control processor separate from the control unit 110. The communication unit 120 may be an interface that performs communication according to, for example, IEEE 802.11, and specifically, it performs communication according to WiFi (registered trademark). However, the communication unit 120 is not limited to a wireless communication interface, but may also be a wired communication interface. For example, the communication unit 120 may include a port for connecting a LAN cable and control circuits.

[0029] The communication device 200 is, for example, a device that performs wireless communication and includes an antenna, an RF circuit, and a baseband circuit. The communication device 200 may perform communication in accordance with a standard such as IEEE 802.11. The communication device 200 functions, for example, as a wireless LAN access point and accepts connection requests from stations such as terminal devices 300. The communication device 200 is connected to the control unit 110, for example, using a bus inside the electronic device 100.

[0030] The storage unit 130 is the work area of ​​the control unit 110 and stores various information. The storage unit 130 can be implemented using various types of memory, and the memory may be a semiconductor memory, a register, a magnetic memory device, or an optical memory device.

[0031] For example, the storage unit 130 stores application software for using video distribution services, etc. The control unit 110 operates according to the application software and performs various controls for using the service. The controls for using the service may include communication control with the service server 400, video content download control, video content playback control, UI (User Interface) control, etc.

[0032] The memory unit 130 may also store identification information for the terminal device 300 (described later), user profiles for using the service, and the like.

[0033] The display unit 140 is a display that shows video information. The display unit 140 can be implemented using, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 140 displays video content downloaded from the service server 400, etc.

[0034] In the above description, an example was given in which the electronic device 100 includes a communication device 200. However, the method of this embodiment is not limited to this.

[0035] Figure 4 shows another example of the system configuration including the electronic device 100 of this embodiment. Comparing Figure 2 and Figure 4, the system in Figure 4 differs in that the communication device 200 is provided separately from the electronic device 100.

[0036] The communication device 200 is connected to the electronic device 100. For example, the electronic device 100 may include a second communication unit, which is a communication interface conforming to a standard such as IEEE 802.11, in addition to the communication unit 120 shown in Figure 3. The second communication unit is, for example, a WiFi chip. The second communication unit functions as a station in WiFi and communicates with the communication device 200, which is an access point. However, the communication method used for communication between the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 is not limited to this, and other wireless communication methods or wired communication may be used. For example, the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 may be connected using a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or a LAN cable.

[0037] The electronic device 100 is connected to the service server 400 via a network NW such as the Internet, and the terminal device 300 is connected to the network NW via a communication device 200, as in the example in Figure 2. Figure 4 shows an example where the electronic device 100 can connect to the network NW without going through the communication device 200. However, the electronic device 100 may also be connected to the network NW via the communication device 200, and then connected to the service server 400 via that network NW.

[0038] In the system shown in Figure 4, guests can use the video distribution service using the electronic device 100 and connect the terminal device 300 to the internet using the communication device 200, thus enabling the provision of appropriate services to guests.

[0039] In other words, in the method of this embodiment, the electronic device 100 may include a communication device 200 as shown in Figure 2, or it may not include a communication device 200 as shown in Figure 4. When the electronic device 100 includes a communication device 200, the transmission and reception of information between the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 can be performed within the electronic device 100, which has the advantage of making it easy to obtain connection status information, etc., as described later. When the electronic device 100 does not include a communication device 200, since TVs and wireless LAN access points with network communication functions are widely used in facilities such as hotels, there is the advantage of minimizing changes from existing devices. When the electronic device 100 does not include a communication device 200, the communication device 200 is installed within a range of a given distance or less from the electronic device 100. Here, the given distance is, for example, several meters to several tens of meters, but it may be any other distance. For example, as mentioned above, the communication device 200 may be installed in the same room as the electronic device 100.

[0040] In the following explanation, we will mainly use the electronic device 100, including the communication device 200 shown in Figure 2, as an example. However, in each embodiment, it is possible to modify the design by placing the communication device 200 outside the electronic device 100.

[0041] 1.2 Processing Flow Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the electronic device 100 in this embodiment. When this processing begins, in step S101, the electronic device 100 first obtains identification information to identify the terminal device 300 via the communication device 200.

[0042] Figure 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating a specific example of the flow of step S101 in Figure 5. This process is executed, for example, when a hotel guest enters their room after checking in, and includes the step of connecting the terminal device 300 to the communication device 200. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a smartphone, and may be capable of mobile communication using LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 5G. However, since communication using a mobile communication network may have limitations on the amount of communication data and communication speed, if a communication device 200, which is a wireless LAN access point, is provided, the user is highly likely to connect the terminal device 300 to the communication device 200. Note that in Figure 6, the electronic device 100 and the communication device 200 are shown separately to distinguish between the processing related to the communication device 200 and the processing of other components, but as mentioned above, the electronic device 100 may include the communication device 200.

[0043] First, in step S201, the guest turns on the power to an electronic device 100, such as a TV, provided in the room. The timing and execution of step S201 can be modified; for example, the power may be turned on before the user checks in, for instance, during cleaning.

[0044] In step S202, the control unit 110 of the electronic device 100 controls the display unit 140 to display connection setting information used for connecting with the communication device 200. Since the electronic device 100 is installed near the communication device 200, the display unit 140 makes it possible to present the connection setting information to the user of the terminal device 300 in an easy-to-understand manner.

[0045] Figure 7 shows an example of the screen displayed on the display unit 140 during the processing of step S202. The communication device 200 is a wireless LAN access point, and the connection setting information may be the SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​and password of the wireless LAN access point, as shown in Figure 7. The connection setting information may also include other information, such as information specifying the authentication method and information specifying the encryption method. Furthermore, the processing of step S202 is not mandatory, and the connection setting information may be provided to the user in other ways.

[0046] In step S203, the user who viewed the screen shown in Figure 7 performs an operation to connect their terminal device 300 to the communication device 200. For example, the terminal device 300 uses its WiFi function to perform an SSID scan and obtains a list of SSIDs, including the SSID of the communication device 200. The user uses the control panel of the terminal device 300 to select "Shotel-501," which is the SSID displayed on the display unit 140, from the list and enters "12345678" as the password.

[0047] In step S204, the terminal device 300 sends a connection request to the communication device 200 based on the entered SSID and password. The connection request may include identification information that identifies the terminal device 300, which is the device that sent the request. This identification information is, for example, the MAC address of the terminal device 300, but other information may be used.

[0048] In step S205, the communication device 200 sends a response to the terminal device 300 indicating whether to permit or deny the connection in response to the connection request in step S204. Here, it is assumed that the correct password has been entered and the connection has been permitted in step S205. Upon completion of the process in step S205, the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 are connected and ready to send and receive data. Note that various variations of the communication sequence for establishing the connection are possible, and communication not shown may occur between the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 after the process in step S204 and before the process in step S205.

[0049] Furthermore, the control unit 110 of the electronic device 100 acquires identification information to identify the terminal device 300 when the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 are connected. As mentioned above, the identification information of the terminal device 300 is, for example, the MAC address of the terminal device 300.

[0050] For example, in step S206, the control unit 110 requests the communication device 200 to provide identification information for the device connected to the communication device 200. In step S207, the communication device 200 transmits the identification information of the terminal device 300 to the control unit 110.

[0051] For example, the control unit 110 may periodically send the request shown in step S206 to the communication device 200. The communication device 200 returns the identification information of the device connected to it when it receives the request. For example, the communication device 100 may be configured to allow only one connection at a time. In this case, before processing in step S205, the communication device 100 returns information indicating no connection information, and the control unit 110 determines that it could not obtain the identification information of the terminal device 300. After processing in S205, the communication device 100 returns the identification information of the terminal device 300, and the control unit 110 determines that the received identification information is the identification information of the terminal device 300.

[0052] Alternatively, devices other than the terminal device 300, such as other hotel-provided devices, may be connected to the communication device 200. In this case, the communication device 200 may return identification information of one or more connected devices in response to a request from the control unit 110. The control unit 110 determines that any of the identification information transmitted from the communication device 200, other than the identification information of the hotel-provided devices that it has previously stored, is the identification information of the terminal device 300. Alternatively, the communication device 200 may store the identification information of other hotel-provided devices in advance and transmit the other identification information to the control unit 110 as the identification information of the terminal device 300.

[0053] Furthermore, the process by which the control unit 110 acquires the identification information of the terminal device 300 is not limited to the processes in steps S206 and S207. For example, the communication device 200 may, triggered by the connection of a new device, push notification of the device's identification information to the control unit 110. The control unit 110 determines that the received identification information is the identification information of the terminal device 300.

[0054] In step S208, the control unit 110 stores the identification information of the terminal device 300 acquired in step S207 in the storage unit 130. This makes it possible to appropriately identify the terminal device 300 of a user using the electronic device 100. In the hotel example described above, it becomes possible to store in association the electronic device 100 placed in a given room and the terminal device 300 used by the guest of that room.

[0055] Returning to Figure 5, let's continue the explanation. After acquiring the identification information of the terminal device 300 in step S101, in step S102, the control unit 110 of the electronic device 100 associates the identification information with the user profile, which is information for using the service. Specifically, the control unit 110 may perform control to associate the identification information with the user profile and store it in the storage unit 130.

[0056] Figure 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating the specific flow of step S102 in Figure 5. The process shown in Figure 8 corresponds to the initial operation by a guest to use the service using the electronic device 100.

[0057] First, in step S301, the user determines which service to use by operating an unillustrated control panel on the electronic device 100. This control panel may be a remote control or a button on the main body of the electronic device 100. For example, the display panel 140 of the electronic device 100 displays multiple icons corresponding to YouTube, Netflix, etc., and the user selects one of them.

[0058] In step S302, the control unit 110 of the electronic device 100 performs the process of starting the application software corresponding to the selected service.

[0059] In the case of video streaming services, it is conceivable that users would need to log in to use the service. For example, in some cases, payment is required to use video content, and logging in as a user who has paid the fee is necessary to use the service. Alternatively, even if no payment is required, logging in may still be beneficial. For instance, in services that allow user customization, such as registering favorite content, actors, or genres, logging in allows users to access their customized settings.

[0060] For example, guests obtain a user profile (account information) in order to use the service on a daily basis at their homes, etc. Here, the user profile refers to the user ID and password. However, the user profile only needs to contain information used when using the service, and its specific form is not limited to this.

[0061] In step S303, the user logs into the service by entering their user profile using the control panel of the electronic device 100. For example, the application software launched in step S302 displays a screen on the display unit 140 requesting the user ID and password, and the user enters their user ID and password using this screen.

[0062] In step S304, the electronic device 100 sends a login request to the service server 400. The login request sent in step S304 includes the user profile entered in step S303.

[0063] In step S305, the service server 400 performs authentication processing based on the received user profile. Specifically, the service server 400 has a list of user profiles of service subscribers in advance, and determines whether the user profile included in the login request matches any of the profiles in the list.

[0064] If the user profile is valid, in step S306, the service server 400 sends a response to the electronic device 100 indicating that the login is complete. As a result, the electronic device 100 is logged into the service using the user profile of the guest. In step S307, the electronic device 100 associates the properly logged-in user profile with the identification information of the terminal device 300 and stores it in the storage unit 130.

[0065] For example, the control unit 110 may control the storage unit 130 to store information representing identification information, information representing a user profile, and information representing the association between the identification information and the user profile. The information representing identification information includes at least the identification information itself, such as a MAC address, and may also include other information such as an identification information ID and acquisition time. The information representing a user profile includes at least the user profile itself, such as a user ID and password, and may also include other information such as a user profile ID, service name, and acquisition time. The information representing the association between identification information and a user profile includes, for example, one identification information ID and one user profile ID representing the user profile associated with the identification information identified by that identification information ID. However, the data format when storing the association between identification information and a user profile is not limited to this, and various variations are possible.

[0066] Furthermore, in step S307, the control unit 110 may perform a process to compare the timing of acquiring the identification information with the timing of acquiring the user profile, and if the timing difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value, it may associate the identification information with the user profile and store them together. In this way, for example, it is possible to prevent the identification information corresponding to a guest who previously stayed in the same room from being mistakenly associated with the user profile of the most recent guest. Alternatively, the electronic device 100 may perform a process to delete the identification information if a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the identification information was acquired, or if it is determined that the guest has checked out. In this case, since the acquired identification information is highly likely to correspond to the current guest, the control unit 110 associates the identification information with the user profile.

[0067] Returning to Figure 5, let's continue the explanation. As a result of the processes up to steps S101 and S102, the user's terminal device 300 is able to connect to the internet via the communication device 200, and is logged into the service using the electronic device 100. Although the above example shows obtaining the user profile after obtaining the identification information, the order in which the identification information and user profile are obtained can be reversed, and the specific processing flow can be modified.

[0068] In the method of this embodiment, subsequent login / logoff is automatically controlled based on connection status information. In step S103, the electronic device 100 determines whether the terminal device 300 is connected to the communication device 200. Specifically, the electronic device 100 acquires connection status information representing the connection status between the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300.

[0069] For example, in step S103, the electronic device 100 acquires identification information of the device connected to the communication device 200. If the electronic device 100 includes the communication device 200, the control unit 110 can acquire the identification information using any internal interface. If the communication device 200 is provided separately from the electronic device 100, for example, the electronic device 100 may be able to communicate with the communication device 200, which is an access point, as a station in a WiFi network. In this case, the electronic device 100 can acquire the identification information by querying the access point for the MAC addresses of other stations belonging to the same network. Furthermore, the method by which the electronic device 100 queries the communication device 200 for identification information is not limited to the above example, and various variations are possible.

[0070] The control unit 110 determines the connection status information by determining whether the identification information obtained in step S101 is included in the list of identification information of devices currently connected to the communication device 200. If the identification information obtained in step S101 is included, the connection status information is information indicating that the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 are connected. If the identification information obtained in step S101 is not included, the connection status information is information indicating that the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 are not connected. Although this example shows the comparison of identification information performed on the electronic device 100 side, the communication device 200 may also perform the comparison of identification information and transmit the comparison result to the electronic device 100 as connection status information.

[0071] As will be described later using Figure 11, a server for managing facilities such as hotels (for example, a hotel server 500) may be provided, and the acquisition of identification information of devices connected to the communication device 200 and comparison with the identification information of the terminal device 300 may be performed on the hotel server 500.

[0072] In this embodiment, when a user is logged into the service, the system controls whether to maintain the login state or log off the service based on connection status information representing the connection status between the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300. This makes it possible to appropriately determine whether to maintain the login state or log off the user depending on whether the user is likely to continue using the service.

[0073] As described above, the communication device 200 in the method of this embodiment is a device capable of sending and receiving information with the electronic device 100. For example, it is assumed that the communication device 200 is included inside the electronic device 100, or is located close enough to enable communication without the need for other devices. The terminal device 300 is not directly related to the use of services using the electronic device 100, but it is used by users of the service and is highly likely to be carried by the user. Therefore, the connection status between the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 can be used as an indicator of whether the terminal device 300 is located near the communication device 200, or in other words, whether the user of the terminal device 300 is highly likely to use the service using the electronic device 100.

[0074] For example, at the stage when step S101 in Figure 5, or more specifically, step S205 in Figure 6, is executed, the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 are connected. Furthermore, as long as the user is near the guest room, the connection between the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 will be maintained. On the other hand, if the user leaves the guest room or checks out, the terminal device 300 moves to a location away from the guest room, and the connection between the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 is disconnected.

[0075] In other words, if it is determined that the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 are connected, the user is in the vicinity of the electronic device 100 and may be able to use the service. Therefore, if the user is logged in, maintaining that state can improve user convenience.

[0076] Specifically, if the terminal device 300 is connected to the communication device 200 (Yes in step S103), in step S106, the control unit 110 determines whether or not it is currently logged in. If it is logged in (Yes in step S106), the control unit 110 returns to step S103 while maintaining the logged-in state.

[0077] Furthermore, if it is determined that the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 are not connected, it is assumed that the user is in a location away from the electronic device 100. For example, the user may be temporarily not using the service, such as when going out, or the likelihood of reuse is very low, such as when checking out. Therefore, if the control unit 110 determines, based on the connection status information, that the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 are not connected while the user is logged in, it logs the user off from the service. In this way, automatic logoff can be appropriately performed when the likelihood of using the service is low, thus preventing unauthorized use of the service by a third party, for example.

[0078] Specifically, if the terminal device 300 is not connected to the communication device 200 (No in step S103), in step S104, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the terminal device is currently logged in. If it is logged in (Yes in step S104), in step S105, the control unit 110 performs a logoff operation from the service and then returns to step S103.

[0079] Furthermore, if the control unit 110 determines, based on connection status information, that the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 are connected while the user is logged off and has not logged into the service, it may execute control to log in to the service based on the user profile.

[0080] Specifically, if the terminal device 300 is connected to the communication device 200 (Yes in step S103), in step S106, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the terminal device is currently logged in. If the terminal device is not logged in (No in step S106), in step S107, the control unit 110 performs a login operation for the service and then returns to step S103.

[0081] In this way, even if the user has been logged off from the service, automatic login becomes possible. The user profile required for login can be the information obtained in step 102. In particular, in this embodiment, the identification information of the terminal device 300 is associated with the user profile, so the appropriate user profile can be selected. Specifically, the control unit 110 identifies the identification information of the terminal device 300 connected to the communication device 200, and uses the user profile associated with that identification information for the automatic login process in step S107.

[0082] In the case of a hotel, after a given first guest checks out, a second guest, different from the first guest, checks into the same room. In this situation, it is undesirable from a security and personal information protection standpoint to log in to the service using the first guest's user profile, even though the second guest is in the room. In this regard, by performing an automatic login process using the user profile associated with the identification information of the terminal device 300, it becomes possible to appropriately determine the user profile to be used. Since the identification information of the terminal device 300 is different for each guest, if the second guest's terminal device 300 is connected to the communication device 200, the user profile used will be the second guest's user profile.

[0083] Furthermore, if the control unit 110 determines, based on the connection status information, that the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 are not connected while logged off, it may perform control to maintain the logged off state.

[0084] Specifically, if the terminal device 300 is not connected to the communication device 200 (No in step S103), in step S104, the control unit 110 determines whether it is currently logged in or not. If it is logged off (No in step S104), it returns to step S103 while maintaining the logged off state. In this way, the logged off state can be appropriately maintained when there is a high probability that the service will not be used for an extended period.

[0085] Furthermore, the method of this embodiment can be applied to an information processing method that performs at least a part of the steps described above using Figure 5. The information processing method according to this embodiment is an information processing method for using a given service, and includes the steps of acquiring connection status information representing the connection status between the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 (step S103), and, when the user is logged in to the service and has completed the login process, controlling whether to maintain the login status (Yes in step S106) or log off from the service (Yes in step S104 and step S105) based on the connection status information. The communication device 200 is a device capable of transmitting information to the control unit 110 of the electronic device 100, and may be included in the electronic device 100 or be an external device. The terminal device 300 is a device held (carried) by the user using the service, and is not directly related to the use of the service using the electronic device 100. As described above, the terminal device 300 may be a device owned by the user, or it may be equipment of a facility lent to the user, as will be described later in the fourth embodiment.

[0086] 2. Second Embodiment As mentioned above, a user profile is information used when using a service. Therefore, it is desirable that user profiles be strictly managed.

[0087] Therefore, the control unit 110 may determine whether a given condition is met and, if the given condition is met, perform control to delete the user profile information. In the following example, the control unit 110 of the electronic device 100 will perform the determination of the given condition, but this determination may also be performed by other devices such as the hotel server 500 or the communication device 200. In that case, the control unit 110 will obtain the determination result from the other device.

[0088] Here, the information regarding the user profile may be the association between the identification information and the user profile. When the association is deleted, the identification information and the user profile may remain as unrelated information, or they may be included in the deletion target. A user profile from which the association has been deleted will no longer be associated with the identification information and will therefore no longer be used in automatic login using connection status information (step S107 in Figure 5). Therefore, even in cases where there is a risk that the guest's terminal device 300 may connect to a communication device 200 with a connection history, such as when a given guest remains in the same hotel after leaving their room, inappropriate login processing using the guest's user profile can be suppressed.

[0089] Alternatively, the information regarding the user profile here may refer to the user profile itself. If a user profile is deleted, then naturally, login processes using that user profile will not be performed. Furthermore, deleting the user profile itself can also prevent the user profile from being leaked to external parties. For example, the control unit 110 may delete the information representing the association between the identification information and the user profile, and also delete the user profile itself.

[0090] For example, the control unit 110 may determine whether a given condition has been met based on the connection status information. The connection status information here may be information representing the connection status between the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300, or information representing the connection status between the communication device 200 and other devices. In other words, the connection status information in this embodiment can be extended to information representing what kind of equipment the communication device 200 is connected to.

[0091] For example, the control unit 110 may determine at least one of the following conditions (1) to (3) based on the connection status information. If at least one of conditions (1) to (3) is met, the control unit 110 may perform control to delete the association between the identification information and the user profile.

[0092] (Condition 1) A terminal device 300, which is stored in association with a user profile, is not connected to the communication device, and the state in which the terminal device 300 cannot be detected by the communication device 200 continues for a certain period of time. (Condition 2) When only one terminal device 300 can be connected to the communication device 200, and a different terminal device from the terminal device 300 that previously accessed the communication device is connected. (Condition 3) A special terminal device owned by a cleaning staff member or the like approached the communication device 200.

[0093] The "certain period" in (Condition 1) may be a few hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, or any other time. It can be assumed that (Condition 1) is met when a user of terminal device 300 checks out, or when a temporary outing requires a certain amount of time. In the case of checkout, there is no need to perform automatic login for the user, so deleting the user profile information is unlikely to cause problems. Also, in the case of a temporary outing, there is a possibility of re-logging in, but (Condition 1) is met at most only once every "certain period". In other words, even if user profile information is deleted based on (Condition 1), and then the user is required to manually log in when they try to use the service again, the frequency of manual logins can be kept low. That is, user profiles can be protected without excessively burdening the user.

[0094] Furthermore, as indicated in (Condition 2), if the number of devices that can be connected to the communication device 200 is limited, a change in the connected device is presumed to occur when a given guest checks out, a different guest checks in, and the sequence shown in Figure 6 is executed. In this case, it is unlikely that the user who checked out would re-log in to the service using the electronic device 100 in the room, so it is advisable to delete the user profile information of that user.

[0095] Furthermore, room cleaning is performed, for example, once a day, after check-out. Therefore, if the cleaning staff's terminal device approaches the communication device 200, there is a high probability that the guest has checked out. Also, if a guest is staying for multiple nights, even if (condition 3) is met, there is a possibility that the guest has not checked out. However, as mentioned above, cleaning is performed only about once a day, so requesting manual re-login would not significantly burden the user.

[0096] Furthermore, the cleaning staff's terminal device is a device that includes a communication interface conforming to a standard such as IEEE 802.11, and the control unit 110 may determine that (condition 3) is satisfied when the terminal device is connected to the communication device 200 as a station. Specifically, the control unit 110 can determine (condition 3) by obtaining identification information of the cleaning staff's terminal device in advance and performing the same processing as the process for obtaining connection status information between the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300. However, the communication method between the cleaning staff's terminal device and the communication device 200 is not limited to this, and a different method from the communication method between the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 may be used.

[0097] The control unit 110 may also determine whether a given condition has been met based on management information relating to the facility where the electronic equipment 100 is installed. The management information here refers to information used for facility management, and includes, for example, information regarding check-out and information regarding equipment placed within the facility.

[0098] For example, the control unit 110 may determine at least one of the following conditions (4)-(6) based on management information relating to the facility where the electronic device 100 is installed. If at least one of conditions (4)-(6) is met, the control unit 110 may perform control to delete the association between the identification information and the user profile.

[0099] (Condition 4) The hotel check-out time has arrived. (Condition 5) The connection settings information of the communication device 200 was changed. (Condition 6) A person who was staying in a room where electronic devices were placed has checked out.

[0100] If (Condition 4) is met, there is a high probability that the guest has checked out, and deleting the user profile information is unlikely to cause problems. Note that check-out times may differ depending on the accommodation plan, so "scheduled time" here may be information set for each guest or room. Electronic device 100 obtains the check-out time from the hotel's management server, for example, the hotel server 500 described later, and determines that (Condition 4) is met if the current time has passed the check-out time. Also, the scheduled time here is not limited to the check-out time, but may be a fixed time such as 10:00 a.m. every day.

[0101] Furthermore, facilities such as hotels may periodically update the connection settings information of the communication device 200. More specifically, the connection settings information here may be the password for connecting to the communication device 200. This is because, as shown in Figure 7, the connection settings information is notified to guests and is therefore likely to be widely disseminated, potentially leading to unauthorized use of the communication device 200 by non-guests. Changing the connection settings information daily or after each guest check-out can deter unauthorized use. Thus, considering the intention behind changing the connection settings information, when (Condition 5) is met, the guest has either checked out or a considerable amount of time has elapsed since the last time the condition was met, such as 24 hours. Therefore, even if user profile information is deleted when (Condition 5) is met, it is unlikely to cause problems.

[0102] Connection settings information may be centrally managed by, for example, a hotel server 500. When its own connection settings information is updated, the communication device 200 transmits the updated connection settings information to the electronic device 100. When the electronic device 100 receives the connection settings information, it may determine that (condition 5) has been met. The control unit 110 also uses the connection settings information obtained from the communication device 200 to perform, for example, the display processing shown in Figure 7.

[0103] Furthermore, if (condition 6) is met, there is a high probability that the guest has checked out, and deleting information related to the user profile is unlikely to cause problems. For example, when the check-out process at the front desk is completed, information indicating this is registered in the hotel server 500. The hotel server 500 is also thought to hold information that identifies the room, such as the room number, and information that identifies the electronic device 100 installed in that room. Therefore, the electronic device 100 may perform a process to query the hotel server 500 about check-out. This query includes, for example, identification information of the electronic device 100. Based on the identification information included in the query, the hotel server 500 determines whether the guest in the room corresponding to the electronic device 100 has checked out and returns the result to the electronic device 100. The control unit 110 of the electronic device 100 determines (condition 6) based on the content of the reply. In addition, when information that a given guest has checked out is registered, the hotel server 500 may push notification to the electronic device 100 in the corresponding room indicating that the guest has checked out.

[0104] In determining whether to delete user profile information, both connection status information and management information may be used, or either one may be used. For example, the control unit 110 determines whether a given condition is met based on one of the above-mentioned (condition 1)-(condition 6), or a combination of two or more. When multiple conditions are used, the control unit 110 may determine that a given condition is met if at least one is met, or it may determine that a given condition is met if two or more are met simultaneously, and various variations of the specific processing are possible.

[0105] Furthermore, the conditions for deleting user profile information are not limited to these. For example, the control unit 110 may determine that the given conditions have been met and delete the user profile information when a user who is a hotel guest performs an operation prompting the deletion of their user profile (account information) in the UI using the display unit 140 of the electronic device 100.

[0106] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the electronic device 100 in this embodiment. Steps S401-S403 in Figure 9 are the same as steps S101-S103 in Figure 5, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0107] If it is determined that the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 are not connected (No in step S403), in step S404, the control unit 110 determines whether the given conditions have been met. For example, as described above, the control unit 110 determines whether conditions 1-6 have been met.

[0108] If the given conditions are met (Yes in step S404), the control unit 110 deletes the user profile information. For example, in step S405, the control unit 110 deletes the association between the identification information and the user profile, as well as the user profile itself. In this case, there is no need to continue the logged-in state. Therefore, the control unit 110 logs off from the service in step S406 as necessary. In this case, since the user profile information is deleted, control related to login is not continued. Therefore, after step S406, the process shown in Figure 9 is completed, and the next process starts again from step S401.

[0109] Furthermore, if the given conditions are not met (No in step S404), the control unit 110 determines the login status in step S407. If the user is logged in (Yes in step S407), the control unit 110 performs an automatic logoff in step S408 and returns to step S403. If the user is logged off (No in step S407), the user returns to step S403 while maintaining the logoff status.

[0110] Furthermore, if it is determined that the terminal device 300 and the communication device 200 are connected (Yes in step S403), the control unit 110 determines the login status in step S409. If the login status is maintained (Yes in step S409), the control unit 110 returns to step S403 while maintaining the login status. If the logoff status is maintained (No in step S409), an automatic login is performed in step S410, and the system returns to step S403.

[0111] 3. Third Embodiment Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a facility in which the electronic equipment 100 and communication device 200 according to this embodiment are located, for example, a hotel. Although the electronic equipment 100 is omitted in Figure 10, the electronic equipment 100 is located in the guest rooms together with the communication device 200.

[0112] In the first and second embodiments, examples were described in which login / logoff is controlled based on whether or not the user's terminal device 300 is connected to the communication device 200. This is because if the terminal device 300 is connected to the communication device 200, there is a high probability that the user is in a guest room and will use the service.

[0113] However, in facilities like hotels, there are places other than the guest room where users may move. For example, in the example in Figure 10, the hotel has a front desk, restaurant, gym, etc. And as shown in A1-A3 of Figure 10, even when the user is doing things like checking in at the front desk, eating at the restaurant, or exercising at the gym, there is a high probability that the user will be carrying the terminal device 300. In the example of A1-A3, the user is away from the guest room, so the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 are not connected. However, in both cases A1-A3, the user is staying within the hotel, so there is a possibility that they will return to their guest room and reuse the service.

[0114] Therefore, if the user remains within the facility (hotel) as in A1-A3, control may be performed to maintain the login state even if the communication device 200 in the guest room and the terminal device 300 are not connected. For example, the hotel is equipped with communication devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-3. Whether or not the user remains within the hotel is determined based on the connection status of these communication devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-3 and the terminal device 300.

[0115] As shown in A0 of Figure 10, if the user moves outside the hotel, the terminal device 300 is not connected to any communication device within the hotel. Therefore, the control unit 110 performs automatic log-off control or control to maintain the log-off state, similar to the first embodiment.

[0116] Figure 11 shows an example of the system configuration including the electronic device 100 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 11, the system includes the electronic device 100, a second communication device 210, a terminal device 300, a service server 400, and a hotel server 500. Here, as in Figure 2, an example is shown where the electronic device 100 includes the communication device 200, but the communication device 200 may be provided separately from the electronic device 100. As shown in Figure 11, the electronic device 100, the communication device 200, the second communication device 210, and the hotel server 500 are located within the same facility. The terminal device 300 is carried by the user and therefore its location changes, but when connected to the communication device 200 or the second communication device 210, it is considered to be located within the same facility as the electronic device 100, etc.

[0117] The second communication device 210 is a communication device different from the communication device 200 installed in the vicinity of the electronic device 100, and is a communication device installed in the same facility as the electronic device 100. The term "same facility" here is not limited to a single building, but may include multiple buildings or outdoor structures such as gardens or swimming pools. In other words, the second communication device 210 may be a communication device centrally managed by a common management device shared with the communication device 200. The management device could be, for example, a hotel server 500 for managing the hotel. Furthermore, the second communication device 210 is not limited to a single device, and may include, for example, communication devices 210-1, 210-2, and 210-3 in Figure 10.

[0118] Electronic device 100 is connected to service server 400 via a network such as the Internet. Communication device 200 and second communication device 210 are connected to hotel server 500. Communication device 200 and second communication device 210 are connected to a network such as the Internet via, for example, a network within the hotel that includes hotel server 500. Electronic device 100 is connected to hotel server 500 directly or via communication device 200. Terminal device 300 is carried by the user as shown in Figure 10, and depending on its location, it may be connected to communication device 200, to second communication device 210, or not connected to either.

[0119] Communication devices 200 and 210 transmit their respective connection statuses to the hotel server 500. For example, communication device 200 transmits the identification information of terminal device 300, acquired in step S204 of Figure 6, to the hotel server 500. The hotel server 500 stores the identification information of terminal device 300. For example, the hotel server 500 stores information that identifies the equipment placed in each guest room. Therefore, for example, when the hotel server 500 acquires identification information from a given communication device 200, it stores the acquired identification information in association with the communication device 200 that transmitted the identification information and the electronic device 100 placed in the same guest room as the communication device 200. The hotel server 500 may also store information such as the guest room number in association with the identification information.

[0120] The second communication device 210 also transmits identification information of one or more devices connected to it to the hotel server 500. For example, as shown in A1 of Figure 10, if the user is located near the front desk, the communication device 210-1 transmits the identification information of the terminal device 300 to the hotel server 500. If the communication device 210 and the terminal device 300 are connected, the hotel server 500 can determine that the guest corresponding to the terminal device 300 is staying in the hotel. As described above, the hotel server 500 associates the identification information of the terminal device 300 with the equipment placed in the guest room, and associates the identification information of the terminal device 300 with the room number. Therefore, the hotel server 500 can identify which guest is staying in the hotel and identify the electronic equipment 100 placed in that guest's room.

[0121] Similarly, if the user is located near a restaurant, as shown in A2, for example, it is determined that the communication device 210-2 and the terminal device 300 are connected. If the user is located near a gym, as shown in A3, it is determined that the communication device 210-3 and the terminal device 300 are connected.

[0122] Even if the control unit 110 of the electronic device 100 determines that the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 are not connected, if it determines that the terminal device 300 is connected to a second communication device 210 installed in the same facility as the communication device 200, it performs control to maintain the login state.

[0123] For example, in step S103 of Figure 5, or step S403 of Figure 9, the control unit 110 determines whether the terminal device 300 is connected to at least one of the communication device 200 and the second communication device 210. For example, as described above, the hotel server 500 may determine whether the second communication device 210 and the terminal device 300 are connected, and the electronic device 100 may obtain the determination result from the hotel server 500. Alternatively, the hotel server 500 may obtain identification information of the connected devices from each communication device and transmit a list of such identification information to the electronic device 100. Based on the identification information stored in step S208 of Figure 6 and the list of identification information obtained from the hotel server 500, the electronic device 100 determines whether the terminal device 300 is connected to the communication device 200, or to the second communication device 210, or to neither.

[0124] In this way, even if it is determined that the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 are not connected, the login status can be properly maintained if there is a high probability that the service will be used, thereby improving convenience.

[0125] 4. Fourth Embodiment The above describes an example in which the communication device 200 is a device that performs communication according to a communication method such as Wi-Fi, and the connection between the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 is made using that communication method. For example, a user connects the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 in order to connect their terminal device 300, such as their smartphone, to a network such as the Internet. However, the configuration of the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 is not limited to this.

[0126] Figure 12 shows an example of the system configuration including the electronic device 100 of this embodiment. The system according to this embodiment includes the electronic device 100, a communication device 200, a terminal device 300, and a service server 400.

[0127] For example, the communication device 200 may be a reader that uses short-range wireless communication. For example, the communication device 200 is an NFC (Near Field Communication) reader. However, the short-range wireless communication method here is not limited to NFC, and other methods such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used.

[0128] In this case, the terminal device 300 may be a contactless IC card. For example, the terminal device 300 may be a room key for a guest room. The user opens and closes the room door by bringing the terminal device 300 close to the room door. The terminal device 300 may also serve as a device for turning on the room lights in the guest room. For example, in hotels, it is a well-known method that the room lights are turned on when the room key is placed on a reader in the guest room (for example, a holder installed on the wall near the entrance). Therefore, as shown in Figure 12, placing the terminal device 300 near the communication device 200, which is a reader using short-range wireless communication, is an easy operation for the user to understand and does not impose a significant burden.

[0129] In this embodiment, the connection status information may also be information indicating whether the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 are within the communication range of short-range wireless communication. For example, as shown in Figure 12, if the terminal device 300 is placed on top of the communication device 200, it is determined that the communication device 200 and the terminal device 300 are connected. If the terminal device 300 functions as a room key or the like, it is assumed that the terminal device 300 is placed on top of the communication device 200 when the user is staying in the room, and that the terminal device 300 is moved away from the communication device 200 when the user goes out or checks out. Therefore, in the method of this embodiment as well, it is possible to appropriately estimate whether or not the service will be used based on the connection status information and to control login / logoff according to the estimation result.

[0130] Furthermore, as shown in the example above, the terminal device 300 in this embodiment is equipment for a hotel or other facility, and therefore can be managed by the facility. For example, the terminal device 300 may be a device whose identification information can be rewritten. For example, a terminal device 300 that is an RF terminal such as a card key has identification information such as a unique ID written on it, and this unique ID may be rewritten at the front desk when the guest checks out. In this way, for example, it becomes possible to assign the same terminal device 300 to a given room, while changing the identification information of the terminal device 300 for each guest.

[0131] For example, the control unit 110 acquires the identification information of the terminal device 300 read by the communication device 200. If the identification information of the terminal device 300 changes, the control unit 110 can determine that the guest has changed to a different user, specifically that the previous guest has checked out and a new guest has checked into the same room. In this case, the control unit 110 logs off the service the guest was logged into and deletes the user profile information. In other words, according to the method of this embodiment, it becomes possible to accurately determine whether or not a user has checked out based on the identification information of the terminal device 300.

[0132] Although this embodiment has been described in detail above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications are possible without substantially departing from the novel aspects and effects of this embodiment. Therefore, all such modifications are included within the scope of this disclosure. For example, any term that appears at least once in the specification or drawings together with a broader or synonymous term may be replaced with that different term anywhere in the specification or drawings. Furthermore, all combinations of this embodiment and its modifications are also included within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, the configuration and operation of electronic devices, communication devices, terminal devices, etc., are not limited to those described in this embodiment, and various modifications are possible. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0133] 10…Display device, 20…Recorder, 100…Electronic device, 110…Control unit, 120…Communication unit, 130…Storage unit, 140…Display unit, 200…Communication device, 210…Second communication device, 210-1, 210-2, 210-3…Communication device, 300…Terminal device, 400…Service server, 500…Hotel server, NW…Network

Claims

1. The communications unit communicates with the service provider that provides the service, A control unit that controls login to the aforementioned service, Includes, The control unit, The system acquires connection status information representing the connection status between the communication device and the terminal device, and if the login status indicates that login to the service has been completed, it controls whether to maintain the login status or log off from the service based on the connection status information. The control unit, If, in the aforementioned login state, it is determined based on the connection status information that the communication device and the terminal device are not connected, the user will be logged off from the service. The control unit, Even if it is determined that the communication device and the terminal device are not connected, if it is determined that the terminal device is connected to a second communication device installed in the same facility as the communication device, an electronic device that performs control to maintain the login state.

2. In claim 1, Electronic equipment including the aforementioned communication device.

3. The communications unit communicates with the service provider that provides the service, A control unit that controls login to the aforementioned service, Includes, The control unit, The system acquires connection status information representing the connection status between the communication device and the terminal device, and if the login status indicates that login to the service has been completed, it controls whether to maintain the login status or log off from the service based on the connection status information. The control unit, When the communication device and the terminal device are connected, identification information for identifying the terminal device is obtained via the communication device. The control unit, An electronic device that associates the aforementioned identification information with a user profile, which is information for using the aforementioned service.

4. In claim 3, The control unit, An electronic device that, when logged off and not logged into the service, determines based on the connection status information that the communication device and the terminal device are connected, controls the user profile to log into the service.

5. In claim 3 or 4, The control unit, An electronic device that performs control to delete information related to the user profile when it is determined that a given condition is met, based on at least one of the connection status information and management information relating to the facility where the electronic device is installed.

6. The communications unit communicates with the service provider that provides the service, A control unit that controls login to the aforementioned service, Includes, The control unit, The system acquires connection status information representing the connection status between the communication device and the terminal device, and if the login status indicates that login to the service has been completed, it controls whether to maintain the login status or log off from the service based on the connection status information. The aforementioned communication device is a reading device that uses short-range wireless communication, The connection status information is information indicating whether the communication device and the terminal device are located within the communication range of the short-range wireless communication. The terminal device is a device capable of rewriting identification information that identifies the terminal device, The control unit is an electronic device that acquires the identification information of the terminal device read by the communication device.

7. In any one of claims 1 to 6, Further including a display unit, The control unit, An electronic device that controls the display unit to show connection setting information used for connection with the aforementioned communication device.

8. The communications unit communicates with the service provider that provides the service, A control unit that controls login to the aforementioned service, Includes, The control unit, The system acquires connection status information representing the connection status between the communication device and the terminal device, and if the login status indicates that login to the service has been completed, it controls whether to maintain the login status or log off from the service based on the connection status information. When the communication device and the terminal device are connected, identification information for identifying the terminal device is obtained via the communication device. An electronic device that acquires, as the identification information of the terminal device, information other than the identification information of equipment installed in a facility where the electronic device is located, from among the one or more pieces of identification information transmitted from the communication device.

9. An information processing method for using a given service in an electronic device, Obtain connection status information that represents the connection status between the communication device and the terminal device. When the user is logged in to the aforementioned service, the system controls whether to maintain the logged-in state or log off from the service based on the connection status information. If, in the aforementioned login state, it is determined based on the connection status information that the communication device and the terminal device are not connected, the user will be logged off from the service. Even if it is determined that the communication device and the terminal device are not connected, if it is determined that the terminal device is connected to a second communication device installed in the same facility as the communication device, control is performed to maintain the login state. Information processing methods.

10. An information processing method for using a given service in an electronic device, Obtain connection status information that represents the connection status between the communication device and the terminal device. When the user is logged in to the aforementioned service, the system controls whether to maintain the logged-in state or log off from the service based on the connection status information. When the communication device and the terminal device are connected, identification information for identifying the terminal device is obtained via the communication device. The aforementioned identification information is associated with a user profile, which is information for using the aforementioned service. Information processing methods.

11. An information processing method for using a given service in an electronic device, Obtain connection status information that represents the connection status between the communication device and the terminal device. When the user is logged in to the aforementioned service, the system controls whether to maintain the logged-in state or log off from the service based on the connection status information. The aforementioned communication device is a reading device that uses short-range wireless communication, The connection status information is information indicating whether the communication device and the terminal device are located within the communication range of the short-range wireless communication. The terminal device is a device capable of rewriting identification information that identifies the terminal device, The communication device acquires the identification information of the terminal device that it has read. Information processing methods.

12. An information processing method for using a given service in an electronic device, Obtain connection status information that represents the connection status between the communication device and the terminal device. When the user is logged in to the aforementioned service, the system controls whether to maintain the logged-in state or log off from the service based on the connection status information. When the communication device and the terminal device are connected, identification information for identifying the terminal device is obtained via the communication device. Of the one or more pieces of identification information transmitted from the communication device, information other than the identification information of equipment installed in the facility where the electronic device is located, which is stored in advance, is acquired as the identification information of the terminal device. Information processing methods.

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