Communication system, electric appliance, and portable terminal device

A portable terminal device that includes a memory and a processor, and is capable of communicating with an electric appliance, where the electric appliance is one of a group of different type electric appliances that store object data at addresses that differ from each other among the group of electric appliances, the portable terminal device comprising:

• a portable communication unit configured to perform near-field wireless communication with an apparatus communication unit of the electric appliance,
• wherein the memory includes a specific address storage unit configured to store a specific address of a non-volatile memory shared by a plurality of electric appliances, and
• the processor includes:
• a fixed data acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the apparatus communication unit, the fixed data stored at the specific address in a storage unit of the electric appliance by causing the portable communication unit to transmit a read request to the apparatus communication unit for reading the fixed data by specifying the specific address in response to a touch of the portable terminal device to the electric appliance;
• and
• an object data acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the apparatus communication unit, the object data stored at an address corresponding to setting address information included in the fixed data acquired by the fixed data acquisition unit in the storage unit of the electric appliance by transmitting a read request for reading the object data utilized to provide a service related to the electric appliance by specifying the address corresponding to the setting address information,
• the fixed data includes a control instruction write address;
• and
• the portable communication unit transmits a write request with respect to a control instruction, thereby causing the electric appliance to store the control instruction at the control instruction write address and set an operation of the electric appliance in accordance with the control instruction.

A communication method of acquiring data from an electric appliance through near-field wireless communication between the electric appliance and a portable terminal device, where the electric appliance is one of a group of different type electric appliances that store object data at addresses that differ from each other among the group of electric appliances, the communication method comprising:

• transmitting a read request to the electric appliance for reading fixed data stored at the specific address in a storage unit of the electric appliance by specifying a specific address of a non-volatile memory shared by a plurality of electric appliances in response to a touch of the portable terminal device to the electric appliance;
• receiving, from the electric appliance, the fixed data read by the electric appliance in response to the read request;
• transmitting a read request for reading the object data stored at an address corresponding to setting address information included in the fixed data in the storage unit of the electric appliance utilized to provide a service related to the electric appliance by specifying the address corresponding to the setting address information;
• receiving, from the electric appliance, the object data read by the electric appliance in response to the read request,
• the fixed data including a control instruction write address;
• and
• transmitting a write request with respect to a control instruction from the portable terminal device, thereby causing the electric appliance to store the control instruction at the control instruction write address and set an operation of the electric appliance in accordance with the control instruction.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium in which is recorded a computer program to be executed by a portable terminal device that performs near field wireless communication with an electric appliance, where the electric appliance is one of a group of different type electric appliances that store object data at addresses that differ from each other among the group of electric appliances, the recording medium causing the portable terminal device to function as the steps of:

• transmitting a read request to the electric appliance for reading fixed data stored at a specific address in a storage unit of the electric appliance by specifying a specific address of a non-volatile memory shared by a plurality of electric appliances in response to a touch of the portable terminal device to the electric appliance;
• receiving, from the electric appliance, the fixed data read by the electric appliance in response to the read request;
• transmitting a read request for reading the object data stored at an address corresponding to setting address information included in the fixed data in the storage unit of the electric appliance and utilized to provide a service related to the electric appliance by specifying the address corresponding to the setting address information;
• and
• receiving, from the electric appliance, the object data read by the electric appliance in response to the read request,
• the fixed data including a control instruction write address;
• and
• transmitting a write request with respect to a control instruction from the portable terminal device, thereby causing the electric appliance to store the control instruction at the control instruction write address and set an operation of the electric appliance in accordance with the control instruction.

A communication system comprising:

• an electric appliance where the electric appliance is one of a group of different type electric appliances;
• and
• a portable terminal device that includes a memory and a processor, and is configured to communicate with the electric appliance,
• wherein the electric appliance includes:
• a variable data storage unit that includes a setting storage area for storing object data utilized to provide a service related to the electric appliance, the object data being stored at addresses that differ from each other among the group of electric appliances;
• a fixed data storage unit configured to store fixed data at least including setting address information that indicates an address of the setting storage area at a specific address of a non-volatile memory where the fixed data is shared with other electric appliances, the specific address being stored in a memory of the portable terminal device in advance;
• an apparatus communication unit configured to perform near field wireless communication with the portable terminal device;
• and
• an access control unit configured to:
• read the fixed data stored at the specified address from the fixed data storage unit, and to cause the apparatus communication unit to transmit the fixed data to the portable terminal device, when receiving, from the potable terminal device, a read request for reading the fixed data to specify the specific address in response to a touch of the portable terminal device to the electric appliance;
• and
• read the object data stored at the address indicated by the setting address information from the variable data storage unit, and cause the apparatus communication unit to transmit the object data to the portable terminal device, when receiving, from the portable terminal device, a read request for reading the object data to specify the setting address information included in the fixed data, and
• an apparatus control unit, wherein the fixed data includes a control instruction write address,
• the access control unit issues a request to the apparatus control unit to write a control instruction at the control instruction write address when a write request with respect to the control instruction is transmitted from the portable terminal device, and
• the apparatus control unit stores the control instruction at the control instruction write address, and sets an operation of the electric appliance in accordance with the control instruction stored at the instruction write address, and
• the portable terminal device includes:
• a portable communication unit configured to perform near-field wireless communication with the apparatus communication unit,
• wherein the memory of the portable terminal device includes a specific address storage unit configured to store the specific address, and
• the processor of the portable terminal device includes:
• a fixed data acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the apparatus communication unit, the fixed data stored at the specific address in the fixed data storage unit, by causing the portable communication unit to transmit, to the apparatus communication unit, a read request for reading the fixed data by specifying the specific address in response to a touch of the portable terminal device to the electric appliance;
• and
• an object data acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the apparatus communication unit, the object data stored at an address corresponding to the setting address information included in the fixed data acquired by the fixed data acquisition unit and in the variable data storage unit by transmitting a read request for reading the object data by specifying the address corresponding to the setting address information, and
• the portable communication unit transmits a write request with respect to a control instruction, thereby causing the electric appliance to store the control instruction at the control instruction write address and set an operation of the electric appliance in accordance with the control instruction.