Abstract: A device classification method that includes: receiving a first action performed on a first device in the device group, for classifying the first device as belonging to the coordinated operation group; setting, when the first action is received, each of one or more devices in the device group other than the first device to a classifiable state in which the device is classifiable as belonging to the coordinated operation group; receiving a second action performed on a second device in the device group that is set to the classifiable state, for classifying the second device as belonging to the coordinated operation group; and classifying, when the second action is received, the first device and the second device as belonging to the coordinated operation group.

Abstract: A terminal includes a storage in which control method information is stored, the control method information indicating a relationship between each of a plurality of heating methods of an ingredient and each of a plurality of corresponding control methods for reducing heating power of a cooking appliance; and a controller that, in a case where the absence of a user of the cooking appliance from a kitchen is detected for a predetermined period of time during execution of one of the plurality of heating methods, determines a first control method corresponding to the one of the plurality of heating methods based on the control method information stored in the storage and then causes the cooking appliance to execute the first control method. The first control method is a method for reducing the heating power used in the one of the plurality of heating methods.

Abstract: A information processor of a terminal apparatus reads from a memory identification information of a food handling apparatus and a table, identifies a function associated with the identification information of the food handling apparatus received by a information receiver in accordance with the table, and starts up the function.

Abstract: A state updating unit updates first information stored in a storage unit whenever the state of a control unit transitions from an idle state to an active state or from the active state to the idle state. A second power supply unit induces electric power from radio waves received by the antenna unit. An information acquiring unit operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit, acquires second information indicating whether electric power is supplied from the first power supply unit, acquires the first information from the storage unit, and transmits the acquired first and second information to the control device. A diagnosing unit diagnoses faults in the terminal device based on the first and second information transmitted from the information acquiring unit of the terminal device.

Abstract: A user-friendly cooperative process execution method for causing household electric devices that are registered to a server to execute cooperative processes. The server stores correspondence information associating a particular operation to be executed by a particular household electric device with one or more groups each composed of one or more household electric devices, and indicating, for each of the household electric devices in each of the groups, a control signal to be transmitted to the household electric device. The method includes: detecting whether or not the particular operation is executed; selecting one of the groups that is composed of one or more household electric devices that are registered to the server by referring to the correspondence information when the execution of the particular operation is detected; and transmitting the control signal to each of the household electric devices in the selected group.

Abstract: An operation mode selection image represents a first selection range of values of power consumption setting that are selectable in a first mode at the time of purchase of an air conditioner, a second selection range values of power consumption setting that are selectable in the first mode at a current time, a third selection range values of power consumption setting that are selectable in a second mode at the time of purchase of the air conditioner, and a fourth selection range values of power consumption setting that are selectable in the second mode at the current time. The relationship between the sizes of the first and second selection ranges and the relationship between the sizes of the third and fourth selection ranges represent a degree of decrease in the performance of the air conditioner over the period from the time of purchase to the current time.

Abstract: A function update method improving household appliance functions by enabling new and existing household appliances to perform cooperative processing. In the method, a server stores registration information listing identification information for each household appliance owned by a user, combination information listing combinations each including household appliances performing cooperative processing, and update information for each household appliance in each combination, for updating a function for performing the cooperative processing.

Abstract: To aim provide a software update apparatus including an install module group composed of a plurality of install modules. Each of the install modules has a function of receiving, from an external server, a replacement protection control module to be used for updating a protection control module having a function of verifying whether a predetermined application has been tampered with. Each of the install modules simultaneously running is verified by at least another one of the install modules simultaneously running, as to whether the install module has a possibility of performing malicious operations. If any of the install modules is verified as having the possibility of performing the malicious operations, any another one of the install modules that is verified as not having the possibility revokes the any install module verified as having the possibility.

Abstract: A method includes: causing a processor to determine a first step from among a plurality of steps that should be executed in order in cooking; and causing the processor to display, on a display, a guide image including a first indicative contents of the determined first step and a second indicative contents of a second step that is a step that should be executed next to the first step.

Abstract: A method includes causing a processor to execute determining a first operation from among a plurality of operations to be performed in sequence in cooking, and displaying a guide image on a display, the guide image including operation information that indicates a content of the first operation and ingredient information that indicates a name of an ingredient prepared for the cooking, where in the displaying of the guide image, when an ingredient on which a process has been performed in a second operation different from the first operation is used in the first operation, the name of the ingredient included in the ingredient information is replaced with ingredient process information indicating that the process has been performed on the ingredient.

Abstract: In a case where an identification information item determination section (411) determines that a first identification information item indicates a non-replacement part, a first backup section (412) backs up the first identification information item in a backup memory (420). In a case where a confirmation section (413) determines that the first identification information item is not backed up in the backup memory (420), a second backup section (414) backs up the first identification information item in the backup memory (420). In a case where the confirmation section (413) determines that the first identification information item is backed up in the backup memory (420), a storage process section (415) updates the first identification information item stored in a communication section-side memory (430) with a second identification information item stored in the backup memory (420).

Abstract: A data processing device for playing back a digital work reduces the processing load involved in verification by using only a predetermined number of encrypted units selected randomly from multiple encrypted units constituting encrypted contents recorded on a DVD. In addition, the data processing device improves the accuracy of detecting unauthorized contents by randomly selecting a predetermined number of encrypted units every time the verification is performed.

Abstract: A determination device in a storage apparatus includes a door determiner that determines whether any of a door of a first storage unit and a door of a second storage unit has been opened, the first and the second storage units being included in the storage apparatus, the first storage unit horizontally storing a first article, and the second storage unit vertically storing a second article, and a storage/retrieval determiner that detects a first change in a horizontal position of first the article if the door of the first storage unit has been opened, detects a second change in a vertical position of the second article if t the door of the second storage unit has been opened, and determines whether the first article has been stored based on the detected first change and whether the second article has been stored based on the detected second change.

Abstract: A terminal includes a storage in which control method information is stored, the control method information indicating a relationship between each of a plurality of heating methods of an ingredient and each of a plurality of corresponding control methods for reducing heating power of a cooking appliance; and a controller that, in a case where the absence of a user of the cooking appliance from a kitchen is detected for a predetermined period of time during execution of one of the plurality of heating methods, determines a first control method corresponding to the one of the plurality of heating methods based on the control method information stored in the storage and then causes the cooking appliance to execute the first control method. The first control method is a method for reducing the heating power used in the one of the plurality of heating methods.

Abstract: A cooking apparatus includes a communicator that communicates with a terminal, a link-state manager that manages link-state information indicating whether or not a link to the terminal is active, a heater that performs a heating operation on a cooking tool, a receiver that receives a user operation, and a controller that controls the communicator or the heater which is a control target, on the basis of the user operation. In the case where the link is active, when the user operation is performed on the receiver, the controller causes the communicator to transmit instruction information to the terminal. The instruction information indicates an instruction to switch an image being displayed on the information display apparatus from a first image to a second image.

Abstract: A distributing device for generating private information correctly even if shared information is destroyed or tampered with. A shared information distributing device for use in a system for managing private information by a secret sharing method, including: segmenting unit that segments private information into a first through an nth pieces of shared information; first distribution unit that distributes the n pieces of shared information to n holding devices on a one-to-one basis; and second distribution unit that distributes the n pieces of shared information to the n holding devices so that each holding device holds an ith piece of shared information distributed by the first distribution unit, as well as a pieces of shared information being different from the ith piece of shared information in ordinal position among n pieces of shared information, “i” being an integer in a range from 1 to n.

Abstract: A biological information measuring device includes a finger insertion part; a first light source which emits, to the finger insertion part, first light; a second light source which emits, to the finger insertion part, second light; and a first light-receiving unit which receives first reception light which is the first light transmitted through the finger or reflected from the finger. A second light-receiving unit receives second reception light which is the second light transmitted through the finger or reflected from the finger; a calculating unit measures a vein pattern of the user based on the first reception light, and measures biological data of the user based on the second reception light; and a transmitting and receiving unit transmits, to an external server, a measurement result of the vein pattern and a measurement result of the biological data.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an information processing system including a recognition database generated from information on an article, wherein the article is associated with a home electric device, and the information processing system performs a matching process against the recognition database on the basis of article-use detection information provided by the home electric device with which the article is associated, and identifies an article used in the home electric device. With the configuration described above, on the basis of a recognition database generated from information on a purchased article and on the basis of article-use detection information of a home electric device associated with a purchaser of the purchased article, an article used in the home electric device can be identified.

Abstract: A function update method improving household appliance functions by enabling new and existing household appliances to perform cooperative processing. In the method, a server stores registration information listing identification information for each household appliance owned by a user, combination information listing combinations each including household appliances performing cooperative processing, and update information for each household appliance in each combination, for updating a function for performing the cooperative processing.

Abstract: A cooking apparatus includes: a storage that stores first cooking information indicating a cooking method for a first foodstuff and second cooking information indicating a cooking method for a second foodstuff; a placement unit on which the first foodstuff and the second foodstuff are placed; and a cooking controller that controls cooking of the first foodstuff, based on the first cooking information, and that controls cooking of the second foodstuff, based on the second cooking information, when the first foodstuff and the second foodstuff are placed on the placement unit. The storage includes a memory, and the cooking controller includes a processor.