TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a device management method and a device management system.

BACKGROUND ART

Recent years have seen household appliances (also referred to as devices) that connect, over a network, to an appliance control cloud (also referred to as a control cloud), which is a cloud for controlling the appliances, and operate under control by the control cloud (see Patent Literature (PTL) 1).

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

PTL 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-63520

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Technical Problem

Under control of the control cloud, a user can operate the device using an operation device, such as a smartphone. Moreover, in order to operate the device using operation device, the device to be operated by the user needs to be recognized on the control cloud. Stated differently, the control cloud must associate the user with the device by associating a user identifier that identifies the user with a device identifier that identifies the device.

However, this requires the user to configure settings for associating the user identifier and the device identifier in the control cloud. Therefore, the technical problem is that the work of associating the user with all devices possessed by the user is time consuming.

In view of this, the present disclosure provides a device management system and the like, which can efficiently associate users and devices.

Solution to Problem

A device management method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is executed in a server communicatively connected to a plurality of devices and a first operation device via a network, the first operation device associated with a first user identifier identifying a first user. The device management method includes: receiving, from the first operation device, a request to associate the first user identifier and a first device identifier identifying a first device included in the plurality of devices; and when, in correspondence information that is stored in a storage device and in which device identifiers identifying devices are associated with user identifiers identifying users, (i) the first device identifier is associated with a second user identifier different from the first user identifier and (ii) the first user identifier is associated with a second device identifier identifying a second device included in the plurality of devices and different from the first device, storing the second device identifier and the second user identifier in association with each other.

These general and specific aspects may be implemented using a system, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or any combination thereof.

Advantageous Effect of Invention

The device management method according to the present disclosure can efficiently associate user accounts and devices.

