Method for providing a user interface for controlling an appliance in a network of distributed stations, as well as a network appliance for carrying out the method

摘要

The invention relates to the field of domestic network technology. The control of an appliance in the network via a central appliance (10) for the network and having a display unit is normally simplified with the aid of user interfaces. When an audio-video datastream has to be transmitted between two network appliances, then this takes place via data links that are set up. There is then a close relationship between the connected appliances, and this requires frequent switching between the user interfaces of the two appliances. For example, when the user interface for a CD player (13) is displayed, this user interface must first of all be closed and a user interface for an amplifier (14) in the network must be started, usually by selection from the list of all the appliances in the network, in order then to set the volume for the amplifier (14).

The aim of the invention is to simplify the control of such appliances (13, 14) which are coupled to one another via a data link that has been set up. This is achieved by providing a field in the user interface for an appliance to be controlled, in which field a list of those appliances which maintain a connection that has been set up is displayed, and the user interface of that appliance (13) is displayed with it. This results in a preselection from the list of all of the appliances in the network, allowing the desired user interface to be selected more quickly.