ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014
(Main)Information technology — User interfaces — Universal remote console — Part 1: General framework
Information technology — User interfaces — Universal remote console — Part 1: General framework
ISO/IEC 24752 is a multi-part International Standard that facilitates operation of information and electronic products through remote and alternative interfaces and intelligent agents. ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014 defines a framework of components that combine to enable remote user interfaces and remote control of network-accessible electronic devices and services through a universal remote console (URC). It provides an overview of the URC framework and its components.
Technologies de l'information — Interfaces utilisateur — Console à distance universelle — Partie 1: Cadre général
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INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 24752-1
Second edition
2014-12-15
Information technology — User
interfaces — Universal remote
console —
Part 1:
General framework
Technologies de l’information — Interfaces utilisateur — Console à
distance universelle —
Partie 1: Cadre général
Reference number
ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2014
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ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
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ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Conformance . 1
2.1 URC . 1
2.2 Target . 2
3 Terms and definitions . 3
4 Universal remote console (URC) requirements . 9
4.1 General . 9
4.2 Discovery management .10
4.3 Session management .11
4.4 Socket management.13
4.5 Target-URC network link on the URC .18
4.6 Resource-URC network link (RUNL) on the URC .18
4.7 User interface generation .19
4.8 Security and privacy requirements .20
5 Target components and requirements .20
5.1 Discovery management .20
5.2 User interface socket .21
5.3 User interface socket description .22
5.4 Target resources .22
5.5 Session management .25
5.6 Socket management.29
5.7 Target-URC network link (TUNL) on the target .35
5.8 Security and privacy requirements .36
6 Supplemental resources .36
6.1 General .36
6.2 Third party supplemental resources .36
6.3 Supplemental resources are optional .36
6.4 Format of supplemental resources .36
6.5 Forms of resource services .36
6.6 Supplemental atomic resources .37
6.7 Supplemental resource sheets .37
6.8 Supplemental grouping resources .37
6.9 Supplemental grouping sheets .37
6.10 Supplemental user interface implementation descriptions (UIIDs) .38
7 Networks .38
7.1 General .38
7.2 Target-URC network (TUN).38
7.3 Resource-URC network (RUN) .40
8 Security and privacy considerations .40
8.1 General .40
8.2 URC considerations .41
8.3 Target considerations .41
8.4 Network considerations .41
Annex A (informative) Security and privacy — Example scenarios .42
Annex B (informative) XML code examples .43
Bibliography .44
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ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction
and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, SC 35, User interfaces.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 24752-1:2008), which has been
technically revised.
ISO/IEC 24752 consists of the following parts, under the general title Information technology — User
interfaces — Universal remote console:
— Part 1: Framework
— Part 2: User interface socket description
— Part 4: Target description
— Part 5: Resource description
— Part 6: Web service integration
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ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
Introduction
This is the second edition of this part of ISO/IEC 24752. The main purpose of the revision is an alignment
with recent developments in the web service area, in particular with the new ISO/IEC 24752-6, along
with an overall simplification of the specified technologies.
This part of ISO/IEC 24752 is one of a set of International Standards to facilitate operation of information
and electronic products through remote and alternative interfaces and intelligent agents. The purpose
of ISO/IEC 24752-1 is to facilitate the development and deployment of a wide variety of devices (from
different manufacturers) that can act as universal remote consoles (URCs) for an equally varied range of
target devices and services (targets), also from different manufacturers. It allows users to control any
number of information and electronic products in their environment.
The targets include both devices and services. They can range from things as simple as light switches
and thermostats to more complex items such as audio-visual equipment, home appliances, in-car
electronics, web services, and any other devices or services that can be controlled electronically (or via
information technology).
Targets can be in the same location as the individual who desires to control the target through the URC,
or at any distance from the URC/user as long as there is some type of network connection between the
URC and the target. This is possible since a URC provides the user with all of the necessary controls as
well as the prompts and other information displayed by the target.
The URCs could be software running on common mainstream devices such as personal computing and
information technology devices (e.g. computers, laptops, tablet computers, smartphones, cell phones, or
other telecommunications devices). They could also be functions implemented in assistive technology
devices, or they could be devices which were specially built to function as URCs. They could be devices
which were built to function primarily as a remote console for a particular family of products (e.g. a
remote console designed to be part of a home audio-visual system), but could also serve to control any
other devices compatible with this part of ISO/IEC 24752. They are similar to the behaviour of universal
remote controls today, except for the following:
a) they have much greater function and scope,
b) they synchronize with the target in both directions (i.e. they can display the current status of the target),
c) they do not need to be programmed by the user (since they will automatically discover devices that
are controllable in a user’s vicinity, discover the abstracted user interface of the targets, and present
it in the way preferred by the user and their URC), and
d) they can be used out of sight of the product they are controlling.
The URCs could be all visual, all tactile, or all verbal in nature, or any combination thereof, because this
International Standard specifies the content of a target user interface independently from the form in
which it is presented. Thus, URCs could be designed that an individual could talk to and, through the
URC, the user could have speech access to any compatible target listed above without any of these targets
having any voice recognition or voice control functionality themselves. A person might, therefore, be
able to say to their URC, “Record channel 12 and show me ‘Law and Order’”. Or they could lie in bed
and say, “Set the alarm to 6:30 AM, start brewing the coffee at 6:00 AM, and now set the home security
system to ‘active’”. Or, if one’s spouse is already asleep, a person could pick up their smartphone or
any other compatible URC device and accomplish these same tasks silently either by calling up control
panels or by issuing the instructions in writing.
NOTE The URC framework does not provide the natural language control, but would provide all of the
information and control necessary for control by a natural language processing URC.
Note that, although a URC implementation can involve hardware, requirements on this hardware such
as safety and design requirements are not within the scope of this International Standard.
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ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
A more detailed overview of the URC framework is provided on the OpenURC Alliance’s website, at
[6]
http://openurc.org/urc-overview.
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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
Information technology — User interfaces — Universal
remote console —
Part 1:
General framework
1 Scope
ISO/IEC 24752 is a multi-part International Standard that facilitates operation of information and
electronic products through remote and alternative interfaces and intelligent agents.
This part of ISO/IEC 24752 defines a framework of components that combine to enable remote user
interfaces and remote control of network-accessible electronic devices and services through a universal
remote console (URC). It provides an overview of the URC framework and its components.
2 Conformance
2.1 URC
A conforming URC shall conform to the URC requirements as specified in Clauses 4 and 8.
Table 1 summarizes the requirements on URCs.
Table 1 — Summary of URC requirements
Requirement (“A URC shall …”) See
subclause
Retrieve documents from a target, including recognition of MIME types 4.2.3
Interpret a target description so that it can identify a target and open a control session with 4.2.4
one of its sockets
Support the invocation of a target’s locator function 4.2.5
Support an open session request to a target 4.3.2
Support a URC close session event to a target 4.3.5
Support an abort session event from a target 4.3.6
Track connection status information from the underlying network (TUN) 4.3.7
Synchronize values of socket variables 4.4.2
Request invocation of a socket command, including support for local parameters and command 4.4.3
state updates
Receive and acknowledge notifications, including support for stacking notifications and their 4.4.4
states
Synchronize actual indices of socket sets and elements 4.4.5
Support the ‘timeout’ attribute on notifications 4.4.7
Provide at least one target-URC network link (see 7.2 for TUN requirements) 4.5.1
Support reception and updating of dynamic atomic resources at runtime 4.5.2
Provide a concrete user interface for a control session with a target’s socket 4.7
Implement the security and privacy functions available from the implemented TUNs 8.2
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ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
2.2 Target
A conforming target shall meet all requirements specified in Clauses 5 and 8.
Table 2 summarizes the requirements on targets.
Table 2 — Summary of target requirements
Requirement (“A target shall …”) See
subclause
Have an instance identifier 5.1.2
Provide a fetch mechanism for its documents to be retrieved by URI, including support for 5.1.3
MIME types (see NOTE below)
Provide exactly one target description with references to all socket descriptions, required 5.1.4
resource sheets, and grouping sheet (see NOTE below)
Support locator functions 5.1.5
Provide one or more user interface sockets that collectively provide access to all of the func- 5.2.2
tionality provided by the built-in user interface of the target
Inside a target’s socket are the following: 5.2.3
— the variables shall include all of the dynamic data on the target socket’s state a user can
perceive and/or manipulate,
— the commands shall include all of the target functions that can be called explicitly or implic-
itly by users, and
— the notifications shall cover all exceptions that the target needs to inform the user about
Provide a user interface socket description for each of the target’s sockets (see NOTE below) 5.3
Provide the required target resources in at least one natural language for the following: 5.4.6
— one grouping resource for every socket of the target,
— label resources (textual)
Support an open session request from a URC 5.5.1
Support a suspend session request from a URC 5.5.2
Support a resume session request from a URC 5.5.3
Support a close session event from a URC 5.5.4
Send an abort session event in case of user session abortion 5.5.5
Track connection status information from the underlying TUN network 5.5.6
Send a session forward event to the URC in case of session forwarding 5.5.7
Create and maintain a session between a socket and the URC after a successful open session 5.6.1
request
Indicate to the URC the availability of socket elements at runtime 5.6.3
Synchronize the socket variables between the socket and the URCs that participate in a joint 5.6.5
session with the socket
Support command invocation requests from a URC (including handling of local parameters) 5.6.6
and synchronization of command states
Support propagation of notification states and, for custom-type notifications, embedded varia- 5.6.7
bles and commands, to the connected URCs, and acceptance of pertinent acknowledgments
Synchronize actual indices of socket sets and elements 5.6.8
Not rely on the URC doing the interpretation of socket element dependencies 5.6.9
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ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
Table 2 (continued)
Requirement (“A target shall …”) See
subclause
Provide the following mechanisms with regard to user response timeouts: 5.6.10
— after a timeout extension return to the state of the task the user had reached prior to the
timeout,
— use the ‘timeout’ attribute on notifications to represent timeout durations,
— note time out notifications in less than 10 seconds
Provide at least one target-URC network link (see 7.2 for TUN requirements) 5.7
NOTE As an alternative to having the target provide these documents (target description, socket descriptions,
required atomic resources and grouping), they may be provided separately as supplemental resources, if the
target is a legacy product that already provides the necessary communication and control functionality through
a networking platform (target-URC network).
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
access key resource
atomic resource that specifies a single character that can be used in combination with a URC-specific
mechanism to move the focus to an element of an interface
Note 1 to entry: Note1 to entry: When an access key is bound to a command, entering the access key will
activate the command.
3.2
atomic resource
resource that is used as an atomic entity in the construction of a concrete user interface
EXAMPLE Atomic resources include label resources, help resources, access key resources, keyword resources,
and location descriptions.
Note 1 to entry: An atomic resource may be of any form, including text, images, sounds, animations, and video
clips. See ISO/IEC 24752-5.
3.3
atomic resource description
resource description of atomic resources
Note 1 to entry: ISO/IEC 24752-5 specifies a format for atomic resource descriptions.
3.4
command
socket command
socket element representing a core function that a user can request a target to perform that cannot be
achieved through the manipulation of the value of a single variable
EXAMPLE A ‘reset’ or ‘submit’ operation.
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-2.
3.5
command parameter
socket command parameter
variable whose value is used for the execution of a command
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-2.
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ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
3.6
connection
association established between functional units for data transmission
[SOURCE: American National Standard Dictionary of Information Technology (ANSDIT)]
3.7
context of use
use context
users, tasks, equipment (hardware, software, and materials), and the physical and social environments
in which a product is used
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:1998, 3.5]
3.8
control phase
time period during which a URC and a target initiate maintain and terminate a control session between
the URC and a specific target socket
3.9
dependency
expression that defines a relationship between a property of a socket variable, command, or notify
element and the values of other socket elements
3.10
device
physical device with a built-in user interface that can also be controlled electronically
EXAMPLE light switches, thermostats, home appliances, audio-visual equipment, vending machines, and
point-of-sale devices.
3.11
dimensional socket element
dimensional element
homogenous set of values pertaining to a socket element
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-2.
3.12
dimensional socket set
repeating socket set
homogenous collection of sets with different indices
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-2.
3.13
discovery
process by which a URC locates and connects to targets in its environment
3.14
discovery phase
time period during which a URC scans the environment for available targets and identifies their sockets
3.15
dynamic atomic resource
atomic resource that is provided by the target at runtime
3.16
element
fundamental logical unit of an XML document
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ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
3.17
global parameter
global command parameter
reference from a command to a variable that serves as an input or output parameter for the command
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-2.
3.18
grouping resource
grouping
hierarchical structure of user interface socket elements or user interface implementation description
elements in a top-down fashion that is provided externally to a socket description
Note 1 to entry: Syntax and semantics of grouping resources are defined in ISO/IEC 24752-5.
3.19
grouping sheet
file that contains grouping resources
Note 1 to entry: Syntax and semantics of grouping sheets are defined in ISO/IEC 24752-5.
3.20
help resource
atomic resource intended to be used to provide help to a user of a target
3.21
input parameter
variable whose value is read by the target before execution of a command, to affect the execution and
its result(s)
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-2.
3.22
input-output parameter
variable used as input and output parameter for the same command
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-2.
3.23
interface generator
software that generates a user interface for a target that is appropriate for a known context of use
Note 1 to entry: In the context of ISO/IEC 24752, interface generation is typically based on a socket description,
resource sheets, and grouping sheets.
3.24
keyword resource
atomic resource that specifies a keyword pertaining to a referenced element
3.25
label resource
atomic resource used to label, identify, or present an element in a user interface
EXAMPLE The label “John F Kennedy International Airport” could be used to present the value “JFK”, or the
label “Destination” could be used to identify an input field where the user must enter a travel destination.
3.26
local parameter
input or output parameter that is attached to a command
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-2.
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ISO/IEC 24752-1:2014(E)
3.27
locator function
locator
function of a target that can be invoked by the user and that helps the user to locate the target
EXAMPLE Audio functions such as a beep or bell, visual functions such as a flash, and direction based
functions such as an “infrared ping” function.
3.28
notification
special state of a target in which normal operation is suspended
EXAMPLE An exception state.
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-2.
3.29
notify element
socket notify element
socket element that represents a notification
3.30
output parameter
command result
variable whose value is updated by the target after execution of a command, to reflect a result of the execution
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-2.
3.31
resource
object that is used as an entity or to support decision making in the construction of a concrete user interface
EXAMPLE Resources include user interface implementation description, resource sheet, and any kind of
atomic resource such as label resources, help resources, access key resources, and keyword resources.
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-5.
3.32
resource description
description of a resource in terms of its properties
Note 1 to entry: The format of a resource description is specified in ISO/IEC 24752-5.
3.33
resource service
service that provides resources from target manufacturers and any third parties such as URC
manufacturers, beyond the target resources
Note 1 to entry: See ISO/IEC 24752-5.
3.34
resource service description
description of any refe
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