Multi-Account Appliance Control via Server Mediation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing remote control and monitoring systems for household appliances require users to share a single user account or use multiple devices and applications to access and manage appliances across different locations, leading to inconvenience and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow a household appliance to be registered in multiple user accounts on an Internet server, enabling multi-user access and remote control/monitoring from different accounts, with a primary user managing registrations and authorizations, and using a communication device to switch between local network and Internet connections for control signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single user account is used to access a household appliance, then the system structure remains simple, but multiple users cannot access the appliance independently
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments user access rights by creating separate user accounts with individual authorization levels. Each user account can be independently configured to access specific appliances, allowing multiple users to have personalized access without sharing a single account. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling multi-user access while maintaining structured account management.
Solution Approach 2:
The user account system is designed to be universal, allowing a single account structure to serve multiple functions: individual user authentication, appliance-specific access control, and hierarchical authorization management. This multi-functionality enables the system to handle both simple single-user scenarios and complex multi-user situations without requiring fundamentally different account structures.
2Ease of operation
If multiple devices are used to access appliances at different locations, then access flexibility is improved, but the number of required applications and devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single communication device is designed to be universal, capable of accessing multiple appliances located at different positions through the network. The device runs a single application that can connect to various appliances via the home network and Internet, eliminating the need for separate devices or applications for each appliance location.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces network infrastructure (home network and Internet) as an intermediary between the communication device and appliances. This intermediary enables the communication device to reach appliances at different locations without requiring direct local connection, thus maintaining access flexibility while reducing the number of devices needed.
3Reliability
If user authentication is required for each access, then security is improved, but access speed and convenience are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
User authentication is performed preliminarily when users first access the system or when their authorization status changes. Once authenticated, the system caches authorization information, allowing subsequent accesses to proceed without repeated full authentication sequences. This preliminary action maintains security while reducing time loss for routine accesses.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the server communicates authorization status back to the communication device. This feedback allows the device to understand whether authentication is needed, enabling the system to optimize the authentication process based on current authorization states and reduce unnecessary authentication time.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for remote control and/or remote monitoring of the operation of a household appliance (9, 13) using a communication device (4, 6) of a user (U1, U2), wherein the household appliance (9, 13) is connected to a local home network (11, 15) and the communication device (4, 6) communicates with an internet server (2) on which a user account of the user (U1, U2) is maintained, on which data relating to the household appliance (9, 13) is stored, and wherein the remote control and/or remote monitoring of the household appliance (9, 13) by the communication device (4, 6) is carried out by accessing the data of the user account and mediating the local home network (11, 15), wherein a further user account of another user (U1, U2) is maintained on the internet server (2), separate from the first user account, and wherein both the first and the second user account contain data relating to one and the same household appliance (9, 13).13) so that remote control and/or remote monitoring of this household appliance (9, 13) can be carried out using either one or the other user account.