System and method for controlling devices in home network environment

A home network environment control system comprising:

• a plurality of controlled devices on a home network;
• and
• a control device, including a display, which displays status information regarding said plurality of controlled devices on said display, and transmits a control command to a selected controlled device among said plurality of controlled devices when said control command is input to said control device by a user, said control device being coupled to said plurality of controlled devices by said home network,
• wherein an application program configured to provide a user interface is run on said control device, said control device from time to time receives said status information from each of said plurality of controlled devices, and displays information regarding controlled devices in operation on said display through said application program, a web page indicative of operation of said selected controlled device is output to said display upon a user's selection of said selected controlled device among said plurality of controlled devices, and said control command is transmitted to said selected controlled device upon a user's input of said control command referring to said web page.

A method of controlling devices in a home network environment comprising:

• receiving status information from time to time from a plurality of controlled devices coupled to a home network;
• providing a user interface configured to output to a display coupled to a control device information regarding controlled devices in operation based on status information received from said plurality of controlled devices, to output to said display, upon a user's selection of a particular controlled device among said plurality of controlled devices, a page indicating operation information of said particular controlled device, and to receive from the user a control command directed to said particular controlled device;
• and
• transmitting to said selected controlled device a control command received through said user interface.

A computer readable medium incorporating program instructions enabled to provide a method of controlling devices in a home network environment comprising:

• receiving status information from time to time from a plurality of controlled devices coupled to a home network;
• providing a user interface configured to output to a display coupled to a control device information regarding controlled devices in operation based on status information received from said plurality of controlled devices, to output to said display, upon a user's selection of a controlled device among said plurality of controlled devices, a page indicating operation information of the selected controlled device, and to receive from the user a control command directed to said selected controlled device;
• and
• transmitting to said selected controlled device a control command received through said user interface.

A home network environment control system comprising:

• a plurality of controlled devices coupled to a home network;
• a control device coupled to said home network, system independent of said plurality of controlled devices, said control device configured to receive from time to time status information from each controlled device among said plurality of controlled devices;
• a display, coupled to said control device, connected to display a user interface;
• and
• a network application program run on said control device, configured to provide said user interface configured to display on said display status information about controlled devices in operation and to display, upon a user's selection of a controlled device among said plurality of controlled devices, a web page indicative of operational status of the selected controlled device, and said network application program further configured to transmit a control command to said selected controlled device upon the user's input of said control command referring to said web page.