Access permission granting method, access permission granting device, access permission granting system, and program

Abstract

The present invention involves acquiring information about all Matter devices that belong to a fabric that corresponds to a first user (S100), generating a device selection screen for receiving selection of a Matter device for which access permission is to be granted from the first user on the basis of the acquired information and displaying the device selection screen at a display (S101), and, when selection of a Matter device by the first user is complete, granting access permission to the Matter device selected by the first user to a second user (S103, S104).

Description

Access authority granting method, access authority granting device, access authority granting system and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an access authority granting method, an access authority granting device, an access authority granting system, and a program.

[0002] In recent years, interest in Matter, a standard for smart homes, has been growing. Matter defines a network unit capable of communication via Matter as a Fabric, and a Fabric has one Administrator (e.g., a smart speaker) who can operate all Matter devices within the Fabric.

[0003] A typical use case when a family shares a Matter device within a fabric is when a smartphone app logged in with an account linked to an administrator operates the Matter device via an operating terminal on which the smartphone app is installed.

[0004] However, under the current Matter specifications, users of accounts linked to an administrator can access all Matter devices within the fabric, which poses safety and security risks, as it means that, for example, children can easily operate devices that require careful use, such as induction cookers and electronic locks.

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various proposals have been made regarding techniques for permitting third-party information terminals to access electronic devices on a home network (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-348206

[0007] However, the reality is that no significant technology has yet been proposed for granting access rights to Matter devices.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and aims to provide an access right granting method, an access right granting device, an access right granting system, and a program that enable access rights for selected Matter devices within a fabric to be granted to other users.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the access right granting method of the present disclosure is a method for granting access rights to a Matter device, which is a device corresponding to Matter, from a first user to a second user, wherein an equipment selection receiving means acquires information regarding all Matter devices belonging to a fabric corresponding to the first user, generates an equipment selection screen for receiving from the first user, based on the acquired information, a selection of Matter devices to be granted the access rights, and displays the generated equipment selection screen on a display; and an access right granting means grants the second user access rights to the Matter devices selected by the first user.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to grant access privileges to other users for selected Matter devices within a fabric.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state before access authority is granted in a device operation system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a cloud server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a first user terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a first user terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a first user terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state after access authority is granted in a device operation system according to the first embodiment.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a device operation system 1 (before access authority is granted) in embodiment 1. The device operation system 1 is a system compatible with Matter, a standard for smart homes, and includes a cloud server 2, a CSA server 3, a first smart speaker 4a, a second smart speaker 4b, and devices 5a to 5c installed in a home, and a first user terminal 6a and a second user terminal 6b used by the residents of the home.

[0014] 1 shows a first fabric constructed with the first user terminal 6a as the commissioner and the first smart speaker 4a as the administrator, in which devices 5a to 5c that are Matter-compatible devices (hereinafter referred to as "Matter devices") belong, and a second fabric constructed with the second user terminal 6b as the commissioner and the second smart speaker 4b as the administrator, in which no Matter devices other than the second smart speaker 4b have been added. The system configured with the CSA server 3, the first smart speaker 4a, the second smart speaker 4b, the devices 5a to 5c, the first user terminal 6a, and the second user terminal 6b is an example of an access authority granting system according to the present disclosure.

[0015] <Cloud Server 2> The cloud server 2 is a computer operated by the manufacturer, vendor, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "Company X") of the first smart speaker 4a and the second smart speaker 4b, and is connected to a network N, which is a wide area network such as the Internet. As shown in FIG. 2 , the cloud server 2 has, as its hardware configuration, a communication interface 20, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random-Access Memory) 23, and an auxiliary storage device 24. These components are connected to each other via a bus 25. The communication interface 20 is hardware for communicating with other devices via the network N. The CPU 21 is a processor that provides overall control of the cloud server 2.

[0016] The ROM 22 is a storage device that stores non-rewritable programs such as a basic input / output system (BIOS). The RAM 23 is a storage device used as a work area for the CPU 21. The auxiliary storage device 24 is a storage device that includes a readable / writable non-volatile semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc. Examples of the readable / writable non-volatile semiconductor memory include erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory.

[0017] The auxiliary storage device 24 stores a server program, which is a program for updating programs installed in a smart speaker manufactured by Company X and for managing information about a fabric constructed with the smart speaker as the administrator, as well as data used when the server program is executed.

[0018] The cloud server 2 can acquire server programs or update programs for updating the server programs via communication from other servers, terminals, etc. (not shown) and install them on itself. These programs can also be stored and distributed on computer-readable recording media such as CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), magneto-optical disks, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, HDDs, SSDs (Solid-State Drives), and memory cards. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the cloud server 2, the cloud server 2 can read the server programs or update programs from the recording media and install them on itself.

[0019] <CSA Server 3> The CSA server 3 is a computer operated by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) and is connected to the network N. When a user operates a commissioner to add a Matter device to a fabric, that is, at the time of commissioning, the CSA server 3 authenticates whether the Matter device is a legitimate Matter device in accordance with a request from the commissioner.

[0020] <First smart speaker 4a and second smart speaker 4b> The first smart speaker 4a and the second smart speaker 4b are so-called AI (artificial intelligence) speakers that provide various services based on voice input by the user. The first smart speaker 4a and the second smart speaker 4b are manufactured or sold by Company X. The first smart speaker 4a and the second smart speaker 4b have the same hardware configuration and functional configuration.

[0021] <Devices 5a to 5c> Devices 5a to 5c are all Matter devices, such as an air conditioner, a television, a lighting device, electric blinds, an induction heating (IH) cooker, an electronic lock, etc. Devices 5a to 5c may be the same model, but to facilitate understanding of the features of the present disclosure, in this embodiment, devices 5a to 5c are different models, with device 5a being an IH cooker, device 5b being an air conditioner in the living room, and device 5c being a lighting device in the living room.

[0022] <First User Terminal 6a and Second User Terminal 6b> The first user terminal 6a and the second user terminal 6b are both smart devices such as smartphones and tablet terminals owned and used by users who are residents of the house. In this embodiment, the first user terminal 6a is mainly used by the first user, and the second user terminal 6b is mainly used by the second user. In this embodiment, the first user is the head of the house (e.g., the father), and the second user is the first user's child. The first user terminal 6a is an example of an access authority granting device according to the present disclosure.

[0023] The first user terminal 6a and the second user terminal 6b have a common hardware configuration, and as shown in FIG. 3 , each of them includes a display 60, an operation reception unit 61, a communication interface 62, a camera 63, a CPU 64, a ROM 65, a RAM 66, and an auxiliary storage device 67. These components are connected to each other via a bus 68. The display 60 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display. Under the control of the CPU 64, the display 60 displays various screens and the like in response to user operations. The operation reception unit 61 includes one or more input devices such as a push button, a touch panel, or a touch pad, receives operation input from the user, and outputs a signal related to the received operation to the CPU 64.

[0024] The communication interface 62 is hardware for communicating with other devices. The first user terminal 6a and the second user terminal 6b communicate with other devices via, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE), Thread, Ethernet (registered trademark), etc. The camera 63 is composed of an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), captures an image of a subject, and outputs the image data obtained by the capture to the CPU 64. The CPU 64 is a processor that performs overall control of the user terminal (the first user terminal 6a or the second user terminal 6b). The ROM 65 is a storage device that stores programs that do not need to be rewritten, such as the BIOS. The RAM 66 is a storage device used as a working area for the CPU 64.

[0025] The auxiliary storage device 67 is composed of a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory. Examples of the readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include an EPROM, an EEPROM, and a flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 67 stores a device operation app, which is an application program for operating the Matter device, and data used when the device operation app is executed. The auxiliary storage device 67 of the first user terminal 6a also stores an access permission granting app, which is an application program used by the first user of the first user terminal 6a to grant other users access permission to the Matter device in the fabric that the first user has built, and data used when the access permission granting app is executed.

[0026] The first user terminal 6a can acquire the access authority granting app or an update program for updating the access authority granting app via communication from the cloud server 2, another server or terminal (not shown), or the like, and install it on itself. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, optical magnetic disk, USB memory, HDD, SSD, or memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the first user terminal 6a, the first user terminal 6a can read the access authority granting app or the update program from the recording medium and install it on itself.

[0027] 4, the first user terminal 6a includes, as characteristic functions according to the present disclosure, a device selection receiving unit 600, a commissioning information generating unit 601, and a commissioning information display unit 602. These functional units are realized by the CPU 64 of the first user terminal 6a executing the access authority granting application stored in the auxiliary storage device 67. Note that the first user terminal 6a also includes general functions for operating Matter devices, but a description of these general functions will be omitted.

[0028] The device selection receiving unit 600 is an example of a device selection receiving means according to the present disclosure. The device selection receiving unit 600 receives a selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted from a user to another user. In detail, the device selection receiving unit 600 first acquires information about the Matter devices (devices 5a to 5c in this example) belonging to a fabric (the first fabric in this example) from an administrator (the first smart speaker 4a in this example) of the fabric corresponding to the user (i.e., the first user) who has logged in to the access authority granting app.

[0029] The device selection receiving unit 600 generates a device selection screen for receiving, from the first user, a selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted, based on information acquired from the administrator, and displays the generated device selection screen on the display 60. FIG. 5( a) shows an example of the device selection screen. The device selection screen shown in FIG. 5( a) displays information identifying the devices 5a to 5c that are Matter devices in the first fabric (e.g., information including the name of the location of use and the name of the model), and also provides check boxes as a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for selecting the Matter device.

[0030] When a first user selects a Matter device to which access rights are to be granted to another user (i.e., a second user) and presses the "OK" button, the device selection receiving unit 600 stores the first user's selection result in the RAM 66 or the auxiliary storage device 67. The commissioning information generating unit 601 generates commissioning information based on the first user's selection result. The commissioning information is an example of initial start-up communication information according to the present disclosure. The commissioning information is information required when a second user uses the second user terminal 6b to allow the Matter device selected by the first user to join the second fabric, which is a fabric corresponding to the second user. In other words, the commissioning information is information required when the second user terminal 6b executes initial start-up communication compliant with Matter with the Matter device.

[0031] The commissioning information display unit 602 displays the commissioning information corresponding to each Matter device generated by the commissioning information generation unit 601 on the display 60 in a predetermined format. FIG. 5( b) shows an example of a commissioning information presentation screen displayed by the commissioning information display unit 602. As shown in FIG. 5( b), the commissioning information corresponding to each Matter device is displayed in the form of a two-dimensional code on the commissioning information presentation screen. For example, on the commissioning information presentation screen of FIG. 5( b), the commissioning information corresponding to device 5b, which is an air conditioner in the living room, is displayed as a two-dimensional code. When the second user presses the "Next" button, the commissioning information corresponding to device 5c, which is a lighting device in the living room, is displayed as a two-dimensional code.

[0032] The configuration consisting of the commissioning information generation unit 601 and the commissioning information display unit 602 is an example of an access authority granting means according to the present disclosure.

[0033] A second user who logs in to a device operation app (hereinafter referred to as the "second user terminal app") installed on the second user terminal 6b operates the second user terminal app to have the second user terminal 6b read commissioning information from the two-dimensional code displayed on the first user terminal 6a. Then, the second user terminal 6b uses the second user terminal app to perform initial startup communication with a corresponding Matter device (e.g., device 5b) based on the read commissioning information. In other words, the second user terminal 6b executes a process of adding the Matter device to the second fabric (i.e., commissioning).

[0034] During the commissioning, the second user terminal 6b uses the second user terminal app to inquire of the CSA server 3 whether the Matter device is a legitimate Matter device. If the CSA server 3 does not respond that the Matter device is a legitimate Matter device, the second user terminal 6b cancels the commissioning. In this case, the Matter device is not added to the second fabric.

[0035] The second user terminal app causes the second user terminal 6b to repeatedly execute the above commissioning process for the number of Matter devices selected by the first user. As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, two Matter devices (devices 5b and 5c) belonging to the first fabric are added to the second fabric corresponding to the second user. This allows the second user to operate the Matter devices 5b and 5c via the second user terminal 6b or the second smart speaker 4b.

[0036] 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the access authority granting process executed by the first user terminal 6 a. The access authority granting process is started when an operation related to granting access authority is performed by a user who has logged in to the access authority granting app (i.e., the first user).

[0037] (Step S100) The first user terminal 6a acquires information about Matter devices belonging to the fabric (i.e., the first fabric) corresponding to the smart speaker (i.e., the first user) from the smart speaker corresponding to the first user (i.e., the first smart speaker 4a). After that, the processing of the first user terminal 6a proceeds to step S101.

[0038] (Step S101) Based on the information acquired from the smart speaker, the first user terminal 6a generates a device selection screen for receiving selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted from the first user, and displays the device selection screen on the display 60 (see FIG. 5(a)). After that, the processing of the first user terminal 6a proceeds to step S102.

[0039] (Step S102) The first user terminal 6a determines whether the first user has completed the selection of a Matter device via the device selection screen. If the first user has completed the selection of a Matter device (Step S102; YES), the processing of the first user terminal 6a proceeds to Step S103. If the first user has not completed the selection of a Matter device (Step S102; NO), the first user terminal 6a continues the processing of Step S102.

[0040] (Step S103) The first user terminal 6a generates commissioning information corresponding to the Matter device selected by the user. After that, the process of the first user terminal 6a proceeds to step S104.

[0041] (Step S104) The first user terminal 6a displays a commissioning information presentation screen in which the generated commissioning information is represented by a two-dimensional code on the display 60. Thereafter, the first user terminal 6a ends the access authority granting process.

[0042] As described above, the access permission granting app allows the first user terminal 6a to display a list of all Matter devices in the fabric corresponding to the first user, accept a selection of Matter devices for which the second user is to be granted access permission, and convert the commissioning information corresponding to the accepted Matter device into a two-dimensional code and display it on the display 60. This enables the first user to grant access permission to selected Matter devices in his or her own fabric to the second user, for example, by preventing the second user (child) from granting access permission to Matter devices that pose a high safety and / or security risk.

[0043] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, the device selection receiving unit 600 of the first user terminal 6a presented information indicating all Matter devices belonging to the first fabric, which is the fabric corresponding to the first user, on the device selection screen (see FIG. 5(a)), and accepted the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user. However, the device selection receiving unit 600 may automatically consider a specific Matter device to have been selected as a device to be granted access rights without presenting information indicating the Matter device (i.e., without requiring the first user to perform a selection operation via the device selection screen).

[0044] For example, Matter devices that pose a low risk in terms of safety and security, such as lighting devices, televisions, and sensor devices, may be automatically selected as devices to which access authority is to be granted. Furthermore, the first user may be able to set in advance the Matter devices to be automatically selected using an access authority granting app.

[0045] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, the first user selects the target to which access authority is to be granted on a device-by-device basis. However, the first user may select the target to which access authority is to be granted on a function-by-function basis for each Matter device. In this case, the device selection accepting unit 600 of the first user terminal 6a presents information about each function of each Matter device on the device selection screen (see FIG. 5(a)) and accepts the first user's selection of the function to which access authority is to be granted. In this way, the first user can decide whether to grant access authority to an induction cooker by taking into account its function. For example, the first user may grant access authority to the "power off" function, which poses a low safety risk, but not grant access authority to the "power on" function, which poses a high safety risk.

[0046] (Variation 3) The commissioning information display unit 602 of the first user terminal 6 a may display a manual pairing code indicating the commissioning information on the commissioning information presentation screen (see FIG. 5( b)) instead of or together with the two-dimensional code indicating the commissioning information.

[0047] (Modification 4) The commissioning information display unit 602 of the first user terminal 6a may collectively display the commissioning information of a plurality of Matter devices in the form of a two-dimensional code on the commissioning information presentation screen (see FIG. 5B).

[0048] (Variation 5) The manufacturer, vendor, etc. of the second smart speaker 4b may be different from that of the first smart speaker 4a. In this case, the second smart speaker 4b is communicably connected via the network N to a cloud server (not shown) operated by the manufacturer, vendor, etc. of the second smart speaker 4b.

[0049] (Variation 6) Even for a Matter device for which access authority has been granted from a first user to a second user, when the second user operates the Matter device designated in advance by the first user as a notification target, the first user may be notified of the operation by a user operation notification unit (not shown) provided in the first user terminal 6a. The user operation notification unit is an example of a user operation notification means according to the present disclosure. Note that in this variation, when the designated Matter device is operated by the second user, it notifies the first user terminal 6a that it has been operated by the second user. For example, the user operation notification unit displays a notification screen (see FIG. 8( a) ) on the display 60 by push notification, indicating that the Matter device designated as a notification target has been operated by the second user. This makes it possible to notify the first user, for example, that an operation of a Matter device that poses a high safety or security risk has been performed.

[0050] Furthermore, when the first user taps the notification screen, the user operation notification unit may display on the display 60 a screen, as shown in FIG. 8( b), inquiring the first user about whether to allow the second user's operation. In this case, if the first user presses the "Allow" button on the screen, the second user's operation is enabled, and if the "Reject" button is pressed, the second user's operation is disabled. Note that when operated by the second user, the Matter device does not immediately perform an operation based on the operation but temporarily suspends the operation. If the first user presses the "Allow" button, the first user terminal 6a transmits a command to the Matter device to enable the operation, and if the first user presses the "Reject" button, it transmits a command to the Matter device to disable the operation. This allows the first user to prevent the second user from operating a Matter device that poses a high safety or security risk.

[0051] Alternatively, instead of or in addition to the above notification from the first user terminal 6a, the first smart speaker 4a may notify the first user by voice that the Matter device to be notified has been operated by the second user. In this case, the first user may operate the first user terminal 6a to enable or disable the operation of the second user, or may enable or disable the operation of the second user by inputting voice indicating permission or denial into the first smart speaker 4a. In the latter case, the first smart speaker 4a transmits a command corresponding to the voice input by the first user to the Matter device.

[0052] (Variation 7) All or part of the functional units (see FIG. 4) of the first user terminal 6a may be realized by dedicated hardware, such as a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

[0053] The technical ideas according to the above-described modifications may be realized independently or in appropriate combination.

[0054] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the following description, components and the like common to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0055] 9 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a device operation system 1A (before access authority is granted) in embodiment 2. The device operation system 1A is a system compatible with Matter, a standard for smart homes, and includes a cloud server 2, a first smart speaker 4a, a second smart speaker 4b, and devices 5a to 5c installed in a home, and a first user terminal 7a and a second user terminal 7b used by the residents of the home.

[0056] 9 shows a first fabric constructed with the first user terminal 7a as the commissioner and the first smart speaker 4a as the administrator, in which the Matter devices 5a to 5c belong, and a second fabric constructed with the second user terminal 7b as the commissioner and the second smart speaker 4b as the administrator, in which no Matter devices other than the second smart speaker 4b have been added. The system configured with the first smart speaker 4a, the second smart speaker 4b, the devices 5a to 5c, the first user terminal 7a, and the second user terminal 7b is an example of an access authority granting system according to the present disclosure.

[0057] <First User Terminal 7a and Second User Terminal 7b> The first user terminal 7a and the second user terminal 7b are both smart devices such as smartphones and tablet terminals owned and used by users who are residents of the house. In this embodiment, the first user terminal 7a is primarily used by the first user, and the second user terminal 7b is primarily used by the second user. In this embodiment, the first user is the head of the household (e.g., the father) of the house, and the second user is the first user's child. The first user terminal 7a is an example of an access authority granting device according to the present disclosure, and the second user terminal 7b is an example of an operation terminal according to the present disclosure. The hardware configurations of the first user terminal 7a and the second user terminal 7b are similar to the hardware configurations of the first user terminal 6a and the second user terminal 6b in embodiment 1 (see FIG. 3).

[0058] The auxiliary storage device 67 of the first user terminal 7a and the second user terminal 7b stores a device operation app similar to that of embodiment 1, and data used when the device operation app is executed. The auxiliary storage device 67 of the first user terminal 7a also stores an access authority granting app, which is an application program that allows the first user of the first user terminal 7a to grant other users access authority to Matter devices in a fabric that the first user has built, and data used when the access authority granting app is executed.

[0059] The first user terminal 7a can acquire the access authority granting app or an update program for updating the access authority granting app via communication from the cloud server 2, another server or terminal (not shown), or the like, and install it on itself. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, optical magnetic disk, USB memory, HDD, SSD, or memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the first user terminal 7a, the first user terminal 7a can read the access authority granting app or the update program from the recording medium and install it on itself.

[0060] 10 , the first user terminal 7a includes, as characteristic functions according to the present disclosure, a device selection accepting unit 700, an authentication information acquiring unit 701, and an authentication information setting unit 702. These functional units are realized by the CPU 64 of the first user terminal 7a executing the access authority granting application stored in the auxiliary storage device 67. Note that the first user terminal 7a also includes general functions for operating Matter devices, but a description of these general functions will be omitted.

[0061] The device selection receiving unit 700 is an example of a device selection receiving means according to the present disclosure. The device selection receiving unit 700 receives, from a user, a selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted to another user. In detail, the device selection receiving unit 700 first acquires information about the Matter devices (devices 5a to 5c in this example) belonging to a fabric (the first fabric in this example) from an administrator (the first smart speaker 4a in this example) of the fabric corresponding to the user (i.e., the first user) who has logged in to the access authority granting app.

[0062] Similar to the device selection receiving unit 600 in the first embodiment, the device selection receiving unit 700 generates a device selection screen for receiving, from the first user, a selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted, based on information acquired from the administrator, and displays the generated device selection screen on the display 60 (see FIG. 5(a)). When the first user selects a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted for another user (i.e., a second user) and presses the "OK" button, the device selection receiving unit 700 saves the first user's selection result in the RAM 66 or auxiliary storage device 67 of the first user terminal 7a.

[0063] When the first user terminal 7a and the second user terminal 7b, which is the user terminal of the second user, are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other, the authentication information acquisition unit 701 acquires fabric authentication information from the second user terminal 7b through communication. The fabric authentication information is information corresponding to the fabric of the user (here, the second user) and is authentication information required to communicate with a Matter device in the fabric. The authentication information acquisition unit 701 stores the fabric authentication information acquired from the second user terminal 7b in the RAM 66 or the auxiliary storage device 67 of the first user terminal 7a.

[0064] The authentication information setting unit 702 communicates with a Matter device selected by the first user to which access rights for the second user are to be granted, and sets the fabric authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition unit 701 for the Matter device. For example, when the first user selects Matter devices as shown in FIG. 5( a), the authentication information setting unit 702 sets fabric authentication information corresponding to the second user for each of device 5b and device 5c. As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, two Matter devices (device 5b and device 5c) belonging to the first fabric are added to the second fabric corresponding to the second user. This allows the second user to operate the Matter devices, device 5b and device 5c, via the second user terminal 7b or the second smart speaker 4b.

[0065] The configuration including the authentication information acquisition unit 701 and the authentication information setting unit 702 is an example of an access authority granting unit according to the present disclosure.

[0066] 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the access authority granting process executed by the first user terminal 7 a. The access authority granting process is started when an operation related to granting access authority is performed by a user who has logged in to the access authority granting app (i.e., the first user).

[0067] (Step S200) The first user terminal 7a acquires information about Matter devices belonging to the fabric (i.e., the first fabric) corresponding to the smart speaker (i.e., the first user) from the smart speaker corresponding to the first user (i.e., the first smart speaker 4a). After that, the processing of the first user terminal 7a proceeds to step S201.

[0068] (Step S201) Based on the information acquired from the smart speaker, the first user terminal 7a generates a device selection screen for receiving selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted from the first user, and displays the device selection screen on the display 60 (see FIG. 5(a)). After that, the processing of the first user terminal 7a proceeds to step S202.

[0069] (Step S202) The first user terminal 7a determines whether the first user has completed the selection of a Matter device via the device selection screen. If the first user has completed the selection of a Matter device (step S202; YES), the processing of the first user terminal 7a proceeds to step S203. If the first user has not completed the selection of a Matter device (step S202; NO), the first user terminal 7a continues the processing of step S202.

[0070] (Step S203) The first user terminal 7a determines whether it has established a communication connection with a user terminal (i.e., the second user terminal 7b) to which it is to grant access authority. For example, the first user terminal 7a accepts a selection of a connection destination device from the first user using a device sharing function that the first user terminal 7a has as a standard function. When the first user selects the second user terminal 7b as the connection destination device, the first user terminal 7a requests a connection from the second user terminal 7b. When the second user accepts the connection request from the first user terminal 7a using the same device sharing function that the second user terminal 7b has, the first user terminal 7a and the second user terminal 7b are connected so that they can communicate with each other.

[0071] If the first user terminal 7a has established a communication connection with the second user terminal 7b (step S203; YES), the process of the first user terminal 7a proceeds to step S204. If the first user terminal 7a has not established a communication connection with the second user terminal 7b (step S203; NO), the first user terminal 7a continues the process of step S203.

[0072] (Step S204) The first user terminal 7a acquires fabric authentication information from the second user terminal 7b. After that, the process of the first user terminal 7a proceeds to step S205.

[0073] (Step S205) The first user terminal 7a communicates with each of the Matter devices previously selected by the first user and sets the fabric authentication information acquired from the second user terminal 7b for each of the Matter devices. After that, the first user terminal 7a ends the access authority granting process.

[0074] As described above, the first user terminal 7a uses the access permission granting app to display a list of all Matter devices in the Fabric corresponding to the first user, accepts the first user's selection of Matter devices for which access permission is to be granted to the second user, and acquires Fabric authentication information from the second user terminal 7b. The first user terminal 7a then sets the acquired Fabric authentication information to the Matter devices selected by the first user. This allows the first user to grant the second user access permission to selected Matter devices in his or her Fabric, for example, by preventing the second user (a child) from granting access permission to Matter devices that pose a high safety and / or security risk.

[0075] Furthermore, since there is no need to perform commissioning for each Matter device to which access rights are to be granted, the procedure for adding the Matter device to which access rights are to be granted to the second fabric, which is the fabric of the second user, is simplified.

[0076] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, the device selection receiving unit 700 of the first user terminal 7a presented information indicating all Matter devices belonging to the first fabric, which is the fabric corresponding to the first user, on the device selection screen (see FIG. 5(a)), and accepted the selection of a Matter device to be granted access authority from the first user. However, the device selection receiving unit 700 may automatically consider a specific Matter device to have been selected as a device to be granted access authority without presenting information indicating the Matter device (i.e., without requiring the first user to perform a selection operation via the device selection screen).

[0077] For example, Matter devices that pose a low risk in terms of safety and security, such as lighting devices, televisions, and sensor devices, may be automatically selected as devices to which access authority is to be granted. Furthermore, the first user may be able to set in advance the Matter devices to be automatically selected using an access authority granting app.

[0078] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, the first user selects the target to which access authority is to be granted on a device-by-device basis. However, the first user may select the target to which access authority is to be granted on a function-by-function basis for each Matter device. In this case, the device selection accepting unit 700 of the first user terminal 7a presents information about each function of each Matter device on the device selection screen (see FIG. 5(a)) and accepts the first user's selection of the function to which access authority is to be granted. In this way, the first user can decide whether to grant access authority to an induction cooker by taking into account its function. For example, the first user may grant access authority to the "power off" function, which poses a low safety risk, but not grant access authority to the "power on" function, which poses a high safety risk.

[0079] (Variant 3) In the above embodiment, in the access authority granting process (see FIG. 12 ), the first user terminal 7a receives from the first user the selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted, and then acquires fabric authentication information from the second user terminal 7b. However, it may also be configured to receive from the first user the selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted after acquiring the fabric authentication information.

[0080] (Variation 4) The second user terminal 7b may convert the fabric authentication information into a two-dimensional code and display it on the display 60, and the first user terminal 7a may obtain the fabric authentication information from the second user terminal 7b by reading the fabric authentication information from the displayed two-dimensional code.

[0081] (Variation 5) The manufacturer, vendor, etc. of the second smart speaker 4b may be different from that of the first smart speaker 4a. In this case, the second smart speaker 4b is communicably connected via the network N to a cloud server (not shown) operated by the manufacturer, vendor, etc. of the second smart speaker 4b.

[0082] (Variation 6) For a Matter device for which a first user has granted access authority to a second user, when the second user operates the Matter device and the Matter device has been designated in advance by the first user as a notification target, the first user may be notified of the operation by a user operation notification unit (not shown) provided in the first user terminal 7a. The user operation notification unit is an example of a user operation notification means according to the present disclosure. In this variation, when the designated Matter device is operated by the second user, the first user terminal 7a is notified of the operation by the second user. For example, the user operation notification unit may use a push notification to display on the display 60 a notification screen (see FIG. 8(a) ) indicating that the Matter device to be notified has been operated by the second user. This may, for example, notify the first user that an operation of a Matter device that poses a high safety or security risk has been performed.

[0083] Furthermore, when the first user taps the notification screen, the user operation notification unit may display on the display 60 a screen, as shown in FIG. 8( b), inquiring the first user about whether to allow the second user's operation. In this case, if the first user presses the "Allow" button on the screen, the second user's operation is enabled, and if the "Reject" button is pressed, the second user's operation is disabled. Note that when operated by the second user, the Matter device does not immediately perform an operation based on the operation but temporarily suspends the operation. If the first user presses the "Allow" button, the first user terminal 7a transmits a command to the Matter device to enable the operation, and if the first user presses the "Reject" button, it transmits a command to the Matter device to disable the operation. This allows the first user to prevent the second user from operating a Matter device that poses a high safety or security risk.

[0084] Alternatively, instead of or in addition to the above notification from the first user terminal 7a, the first smart speaker 4a may notify the first user by voice that the Matter device to be notified has been operated by the second user. In this case, the first user may operate the first user terminal 7a to enable or disable the operation of the second user, or may enable or disable the operation of the second user by inputting voice indicating permission or denial into the first smart speaker 4a. In the latter case, the first smart speaker 4a transmits a command corresponding to the voice input by the first user to the Matter device.

[0085] (Variation 7) All or part of the functional units of the first user terminal 7a (see FIG. 10) may be implemented by dedicated hardware, such as a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0086] The technical ideas according to the above-described modifications may be realized independently or in appropriate combination.

[0087] Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the following description, components and the like common to the first and second embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0088] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a device operation system 1B according to the third embodiment. The device operation system 1B is a system compatible with Matter, a standard for smart homes, and includes a cloud server 8, a first smart speaker 4a and devices 5a-5c installed in a home, and a first user terminal 9a and a second user terminal 9b used by residents of the home. FIG. 13 shows that the devices 5a-5c, which are Matter devices, belong to a first fabric, which is a fabric constructed with the first user terminal 9a as the commissioner and the first smart speaker 4a as the administrator. The system comprising the cloud server 8, the first smart speaker 4a, the devices 5a-5c, the first user terminal 9a, and the second user terminal 9b is an example of an access authority granting system according to the present disclosure.

[0089] <Cloud Server 8> The cloud server 8 is an example of a cloud server according to the present disclosure. The cloud server 8 is a computer operated by Company X, such as the manufacturer or vendor of the first smart speaker 4a, and is connected to a network N, which is a wide area network such as the Internet. The hardware configuration of the cloud server 8 is similar to that of the cloud server 2 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 2). The auxiliary storage device 24 of the cloud server 8 stores a server program similar to that of the cloud server 2 according to the first embodiment, as well as a remote control service program that provides a user with a remote control service for devices in a fabric established with a smart speaker manufactured by Company X as an administrator, and data used when the remote control service program is executed.

[0090] The cloud server 8 can acquire the remote control service program or an update program for updating the remote control service program via communication from another server, terminal, etc. (not shown) and install it on itself. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, optical magnetic disk, USB memory, HDD, SSD, or memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the cloud server 8, the cloud server 8 can read the remote control service program or update program from the recording medium and install it on itself.

[0091] <First User Terminal 9a and Second User Terminal 9b> The first user terminal 9a and the second user terminal 9b are both smart devices such as smartphones and tablet terminals owned and used by users who are residents of the home. In this embodiment, the first user terminal 9a is primarily used by the first user, and the second user terminal 9b is primarily used by the second user. In this embodiment, the first user is the head of the home (e.g., the father), and the second user is the first user's child. The first user terminal 9a is an example of an access authority granting device according to the present disclosure, and the second user terminal 9b is an example of an operation terminal according to the present disclosure. The hardware configurations of the first user terminal 9a and the second user terminal 9b are similar to the hardware configurations of the first user terminal 6a and the second user terminal 6b in embodiment 1 (see FIG. 3).

[0092] The auxiliary storage device 67 of the first user terminal 9a stores a device operation app similar to that of embodiment 1 and data used when the device operation app is executed. The auxiliary storage device 67 of the first user terminal 9a also stores an access authority granting app, which is an application program that allows the first user of the first user terminal 9a to grant other users access authority to Matter devices in a fabric that the first user has built, and data used when the access authority granting app is executed.

[0093] The first user terminal 9a can acquire the access authority granting app or an update program for updating the access authority granting app via communication from the cloud server 8, another server or terminal (not shown), or the like, and install the program on itself. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, optical magnetic disk, USB memory, HDD, SSD, or memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the first user terminal 9a, the first user terminal 9a can read the access authority granting app or the update program from the recording medium and install it on itself.

[0094] In addition, the auxiliary storage device 67 of the second user terminal 9b stores an application program (hereinafter referred to as a "remote control app") for using the remote control service provided by the cloud server 8.

[0095] 14, the first user terminal 9a includes, as characteristic functions according to the present disclosure, a device selection accepting unit 900 and an access authority information notifying unit 901. These functional units are realized by the CPU 64 of the first user terminal 9a executing the access authority granting application stored in the auxiliary storage device 67. Note that the first user terminal 9a also includes general functions for operating Matter devices, but a description of these general functions will be omitted.

[0096] The device selection receiving unit 900 is an example of a device selection receiving means according to the present disclosure. The device selection receiving unit 900 receives, from a user, a selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted to another user. In detail, the device selection receiving unit 900 first acquires information about the Matter devices (devices 5a to 5c in this example) belonging to a fabric (the first fabric in this example) from an administrator (the first smart speaker 4a in this example) of the fabric corresponding to the user (i.e., the first user) who has logged in to the access authority granting app.

[0097] Similar to the device selection receiving unit 600 in the first embodiment, the device selection receiving unit 900 generates a device selection screen for receiving, from the first user, a selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted, based on information acquired from the administrator, and displays the generated device selection screen on the display 60 (see FIG. 5(a)). When the first user selects a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted for another user (i.e., a second user) and presses the "OK" button, the device selection receiving unit 900 saves the first user's selection result in the RAM 66 or auxiliary storage device 67 of the first user terminal 9a.

[0098] The access authority information notification unit 901 is an example of an access authority granting means according to the present disclosure. The access authority information notification unit 901 transmits access authority information including information about the Matter device selected by the first user as described above to a user terminal designated by the first user. In detail, the access authority information notification unit 901 displays a user account designation screen (see FIG. 15( a)) on the display 60 of the first user terminal 9 a for receiving from the first user the designation of the user account to which access authority is to be granted. The user account here is an account for the remote operation service provided by the cloud server 8, such as an email address.

[0099] When the first user inputs the user account of the party to whom access authority is to be granted via the user account designation screen and presses the "OK" button, the access authority information notification unit 901 transmits the access authority information to the device corresponding to the input user account (in this example, the second user terminal 9b). The second user terminal 9b, which has received the access authority information from the first user terminal 9a, displays a notification screen (see FIG. 15(b)) indicating that the access authority information has been received on the display 60 of the second user terminal 9b, for example, by push notification. When the second user taps the notification screen, the second user terminal 9b displays a remote control top screen such as that shown in FIG. 16(a) on the display 60 using the remote control app.

[0100] The remote operation top screen shown in Fig. 16(a) displays information identifying the Matter device to which the first user has granted access authority (e.g., information including the name of the location of use and the model name), and also provides check boxes as a GUI for selecting the Matter device. When the second user selects the Matter device that he or she desires to remotely operate on the remote operation top screen and presses the "OK" button, the second user terminal 9b displays a remote operation details screen as shown in Fig. 16(b) on the display 60 using the remote operation app. The remote operation details screen provides a GUI corresponding to one or more operations depending on the model of the selected Matter device, and the second user can set desired operation content for the desired Matter device to which he or she has access authority via the remote operation details screen.

[0101] When the second user sets the desired operation content on the remote operation details screen, remote operation information including information indicating the specified Matter device and information indicating the operation content is transmitted from the cloud server 8 to the first smart speaker 4a. The first smart speaker 4a, which receives the remote operation information from the cloud server 8, generates an operation command based on the received remote operation information and transmits the generated operation command to the Matter device (e.g., device 5b, an air conditioner in the living room). The Matter device, which receives the operation command from the first smart speaker 4a, performs an operation in accordance with the received operation command. In this way, the second user can remotely control Matter devices in the fabric corresponding to the first user, to which the first user has granted access authority, via the cloud server 8 using a remote operation app.

[0102] 17 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the access authority granting process executed by the first user terminal 9 a. The access authority granting process is started when an operation related to granting access authority is performed by a user who has logged in to the access authority granting app (i.e., the first user).

[0103] (Step S300) The first user terminal 9a acquires information about Matter devices belonging to the fabric (i.e., the first fabric) corresponding to the smart speaker (i.e., the first user) from the smart speaker corresponding to the first user (i.e., the first smart speaker 4a). After that, the processing of the first user terminal 9a proceeds to step S301.

[0104] (Step S301) Based on the information acquired from the smart speaker, the first user terminal 9a generates a device selection screen for receiving, from the first user, the selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted, and displays the device selection screen on the display 60 (see FIG. 5(a)). After that, the processing of the first user terminal 9a proceeds to step S302.

[0105] (Step S302) The first user terminal 9a determines whether the first user has completed the selection of a Matter device via the device selection screen. If the first user has completed the selection of a Matter device (step S302; YES), the processing of the first user terminal 9a proceeds to step S303. If the first user has not completed the selection of a Matter device (step S302; NO), the first user terminal 9a continues the processing of step S302.

[0106] (Step S303) The first user terminal 9a displays a user account designation screen (see FIG. 15(a)) for receiving, from the first user, designation of a user account for the remote operation service of the party to whom access authority is to be granted, on the display 60. Thereafter, the processing of the first user terminal 9a proceeds to step S304.

[0107] (Step S304) The first user terminal 9a determines whether the first user has completed specifying the user account of the person to whom access authority is to be granted. If the user account specification has been completed (Step S304; YES), the processing of the first user terminal 9a proceeds to Step S305. If the user account specification has not been completed (Step S304; NO), the first user terminal 9a continues the processing of Step S304.

[0108] (Step S305) The first user terminal 9a transmits access authority information including information about the Matter device selected by the first user to the user terminal corresponding to the user account specified by the first user (i.e., the second user terminal 9b). Thereafter, the first user terminal 9a terminates the access authority granting process.

[0109] As described above, the access permission granting app allows the first user terminal 9a to display a list of all Matter devices in the Fabric corresponding to the first user and accept selection of Matter devices for which the first user will grant access permission to the second user. The first user terminal 9a then transmits access permission information including information about the selected Matter devices to a user terminal corresponding to the account for the remote operation service provided by the cloud server 8 of the second user. This allows the first user to grant access permission to selected Matter devices in his or her Fabric to the second user, for example, by preventing the second user (a child) from granting access permission to Matter devices that pose a high safety and / or security risk.

[0110] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, the device selection receiving unit 900 of the first user terminal 9a presented information indicating all Matter devices belonging to the first fabric, which is the fabric corresponding to the first user, on the device selection screen (see FIG. 5(a)), and accepted the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user. However, the device selection receiving unit 900 may automatically consider a specific Matter device to have been selected as a device to be granted access rights without presenting information indicating the Matter device (i.e., without requiring the first user to perform a selection operation via the device selection screen).

[0111] For example, Matter devices that pose a low risk in terms of safety and security, such as lighting devices, televisions, and sensor devices, may be automatically selected as devices to which access authority is to be granted. Furthermore, the first user may be able to set in advance the Matter devices to be automatically selected using an access authority granting app.

[0112] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, the first user selects the target to which access authority is to be granted on a device-by-device basis. However, the first user may select the target to which access authority is to be granted on a function-by-function basis for each Matter device. In this case, the device selection accepting unit 900 of the first user terminal 9a presents information about each function of each Matter device on the device selection screen (see FIG. 5(a)) and accepts the first user's selection of the function to which access authority is to be granted. In this way, the first user can decide whether to grant access authority to an induction cooker by taking into account its function. For example, the first user may grant access authority to the "power off" function, which poses a low safety risk, but not grant access authority to the "power on" function, which poses a high safety risk.

[0113] (Variant 3) In the above embodiment, in the access authority granting process (see FIG. 17 ), the first user terminal 9a receives from the first user a selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted, and then receives from the first user a designation of a user account to which access authority is to be granted. However, it may also be configured to receive from the first user a selection of a Matter device to which access authority is to be granted, after receiving a designation of a user account from the first user.

[0114] (Variation 4) Even if a Matter device is granted access authority by a first user to a second user, when the second user operates the Matter device designated in advance by the first user as a notification target, the first user may be notified of the operation by a user operation notification unit (not shown) provided in the first user terminal 9a. The user operation notification unit is an example of a user operation notification means according to the present disclosure. In this variation, when the second user operates the designated Matter device, the cloud server 8 notifies the first user terminal 9a that the Matter device has been operated by the second user. For example, the user operation notification unit may use a push notification to display on the display 60 a notification screen (see FIG. 8A ) indicating that the Matter device designated as the notification target has been operated by the second user. This may, for example, notify the first user that a Matter device posing a high safety or security risk has been operated.

[0115] Furthermore, when the first user taps the notification screen, the user operation notification unit may display on the display 60 a screen, as shown in FIG. 8( b), inquiring the first user about whether to allow the second user to operate the Matter device. In this case, if the first user presses the “Allow” button on the screen, the second user's operation is validated, and if the “Reject” button is pressed, the second user's operation is invalidated. Note that when the second user operates the Matter device, the cloud server 8 does not immediately perform an action based on the operation but temporarily suspends the operation. When the first user presses the “Allow” button, the first user terminal 9 a sends a command to the cloud server 8 to validate the operation, and when the first user presses the “Reject” button, the first user terminal 9 a sends a command to the cloud server 8 to invalidate the operation. This allows the first user to prevent the second user from operating a Matter device that poses a high safety or security risk.

[0116] Note that instead of or in addition to the above notification to the first user terminal 9a, the cloud server 8 may notify the first smart speaker 4a that the Matter device has been operated by the second user. In this case, the first smart speaker 4a notifies the first user by voice that the Matter device to be notified has been operated by the second user. At this time, the first user may enable or disable the second user's operation by operating the first user terminal 9a, or may enable or disable the second user's operation by inputting voice indicating permission or denial into the first smart speaker 4a. In the latter case, the first smart speaker 4a transmits a command corresponding to the voice input by the first user to the cloud server 8.

[0117] (Variation 5) All or part of the functional units of the first user terminal 9a (see FIG. 14) may be implemented by dedicated hardware, such as a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0118] The technical ideas according to the above-described modifications may be realized independently or in appropriate combination.

[0119] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the meaning of the disclosure equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0120] The present disclosure can be suitably adopted in a system compatible with Matter.

[0121] 1, 1A, 1B Device operation system, 2, 8 Cloud server, 3 CSA server, 4a First smart speaker, 4b Second smart speaker, 5a to 5c Device, 6a, 7a, 9a First user terminal, 6b, 7b, 9b Second user terminal, 20, 62 Communication interface, 21, 64 CPU, 22, 65 ROM, 23, 66 RAM, 24, 67 Auxiliary storage device, 25, 68 Bus, 60 Display, 61 Operation reception unit, 63 Camera, 600, 700, 900 Device selection reception unit, 601 Commissioning information generation unit, 602 Commissioning information display unit, 701 Authentication information acquisition unit, 702 Authentication information setting unit, 901 Access authority information notification unit

Claims

1. A method for granting access rights to a Matter device, which is a Matter-compatible device, from a first user to a second user, The device selection receiving means acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on the display. The access authorization means obtains authentication information necessary for communication between the operating terminal used by the second user and the Matter device in the fabric corresponding to the second user by communicating with the operating terminal or by reading a two-dimensional code displayed by the operating terminal, and sets the obtained authentication information on the Matter device selected by the first user. How to grant access permissions.

2. A method for granting access rights to a Matter device, which is a Matter-compatible device, from a first user to a second user, The device selection receiving means acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on the display. The access permission granting means notifies an operating terminal corresponding to an account of the second user designated by the first user, which is an account for using a remote control service provided by a cloud server that manages information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, of access permission information indicating access rights to the Matter device selected by the first user. How to grant access permissions.

3. A method for granting access rights to a Matter device, which is a Matter-compatible device, from a first user to a second user, The device selection receiving means acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on the display. The access rights granting means grants the second user access rights to the Matter device selected by the first user. The user operation notification means notifies the first user if the second user performs an operation on a Matter device that has been previously designated by the first user among the Matter devices to which the second user has been granted access rights. How to grant access permissions.

4. The user operation notification means receives from the first user whether or not to permit the operation by the second user. The operation becomes effective only if the operation is permitted by the first user. The method for granting access rights according to claim 3.

5. The device selection receiving means receives a selection from the first user for the functions of the Matter device to which access rights will be granted. The access rights granting means grants the second user access rights to the functions of the Matter device selected by the first user. The method for granting access rights according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. An access rights granting device that grants access rights to a Matter device, which is a Matter-compatible device, from a first user to a second user, A device selection receiving means that acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on a display, The system includes an access permission granting means that obtains authentication information necessary for communicating with a Matter device in the fabric corresponding to the second user from an operating terminal used by the second user by communicating with the operating terminal or by reading a two-dimensional code displayed by the operating terminal, and sets the obtained authentication information on a Matter device selected by the first user. Access rights granting device.

7. An access authority granting device that grants access rights to a Matter device, which is a Matter-compatible device, from a first user to a second user, A device selection receiving means that acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on a display, The system includes access permission granting means that notifies an operating terminal corresponding to an account of the second user designated by the first user, which is an account for using a remote control service provided by a cloud server that manages information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, of access permission information indicating access rights to the Matter device selected by the first user, Access rights granting device.

8. An access authority granting device that grants access rights to a Matter device, which is a Matter-compatible device, from a first user to a second user, A device selection receiving means that acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on a display, Access rights granting means for granting access rights to the Matter device selected by the first user to the second user, The system includes a user operation notification means that notifies the first user when the second user performs an operation on a Matter device designated in advance by the first user among the Matter devices to which the second user has been granted access rights, Access rights granting device.

9. An access rights granting system that grants access rights to Matter devices, which are Matter-compatible devices, from a first user to a second user, A device selection receiving means that acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on a display, The system includes an access permission granting means that obtains authentication information necessary for communicating with a Matter device in the fabric corresponding to the second user from an operating terminal used by the second user by communicating with the operating terminal or by reading a two-dimensional code displayed by the operating terminal, and sets the obtained authentication information on a Matter device selected by the first user. Access permission granting system.

10. An access rights granting system that grants access rights to a Matter device, which is a Matter-compatible device, from a first user to a second user, A device selection receiving means that acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on a display, The system includes access permission granting means that notifies an operating terminal corresponding to an account of the second user designated by the first user, which is an account for using a remote control service provided by a cloud server that manages information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, of access permission information indicating access rights to the Matter device selected by the first user, Access permission granting system.

11. An access rights granting system that grants access rights to a Matter device, which is a Matter-compatible device, from a first user to a second user, A device selection receiving means that acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on a display, Access rights granting means for granting access rights to the Matter device selected by the first user to the second user, The system includes a user operation notification means that notifies the first user when the second user performs an operation on a Matter device designated in advance by the first user among the Matter devices to which the second user has been granted access rights, Access permission granting system.

12. An access rights granting device that grants access rights to Matter devices, which are Matter-compatible devices, from the first user to the second user, A device selection receiving means that acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on a display. This means functions as an access permission granting means that obtains authentication information necessary for communication between an operating terminal used by the second user and a Matter device in the fabric corresponding to the second user by communicating with the operating terminal or by reading a two-dimensional code displayed by the operating terminal, and sets the obtained authentication information on the Matter device selected by the first user. program.

13. An access authority granting device that grants access rights to a Matter device, which is a Matter-compatible device, from a first user to a second user, A device selection receiving means that acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on a display. The access permission granting means functions to notify an operating terminal corresponding to an account of the second user designated by the first user, which is an account for using a remote control service provided by a cloud server that manages information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, of access permission information indicating access rights to the Matter device selected by the first user. program.

14. An access authority granting device that grants access rights to a Matter device, which is a Matter-compatible device, from a first user to a second user, A device selection receiving means that acquires information about all Matter devices belonging to the fabric corresponding to the first user, generates a device selection screen to accept the selection of Matter devices to be granted access rights from the first user based on the acquired information, and displays the generated device selection screen on a display. Access rights granting means for granting access rights to the Matter device selected by the first user to the second user, When the second user performs an operation on a Matter device designated in advance by the first user among the Matter devices to which the second user has been granted access rights, the second user is notified of this fact as a user operation notification means. program.