Natural language user interface

• US 10,044,848 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlage Lock Company LLC (Allegion PLC)
• Original Assignee: Schlage Lock Company LLC (Allegion PLC)
• Inventors: Rettig, Raymond F., Vickrey, Michelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Chuck
• Application Number:
  US14/728,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20150350405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041, 455410, 455411, 4554142, 4555692
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00801 by acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/25 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile device is configured to wirelessly authenticate with a reader device. The mobile device may receive an acoustic signal from a user, and a command may be determined based on the acoustic signal. The mobile device may transmit the command to the reader device if the mobile device and the reader device are authenticated. The reader device may receive the command, and may analyze the command to determine an action to be performed. The reader device may then perform the action if the mobile device is authorized to request the command to be performed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

wirelessly authenticating a mobile device with an electronic lock of a door;

receiving, with the mobile device, an acoustic signal from a user while the mobile device is in a low-power state;

analyzing the acoustic signal while the mobile device is in the low-power state to (i) determine whether the acoustic signal corresponds with an authorized command based on a set of authorized commands, (ii) determine whether a voiceprint generated from the acoustic signal corresponds with an authorized user based on a set of authorized voiceprints, and (iii) determine whether a physical distance between the mobile device and the electronic lock is less than a maximum authorized distance;

transmitting the authorized command wirelessly from the mobile device to the electronic lock in response to (i) a determination that the acoustic signal corresponds with an authorized command of an authorized user, (ii) a determination that the voiceprint generated from the acoustic signal corresponds with an authorized voiceprint of an authorized user, and (iii) a determination that the physical distance between the mobile device and the electronic lock is less than the maximum authorized distance;

receiving the authorized command at the electronic lock;

processing, with the electronic lock, the command to determine an action to be performed by the electronic lock; and

performing the action by the electronic lock if the mobile device is authorized to request the command to be performed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic lock and the mobile device communicate via Bluetooth communication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is “

Unlock”

; and

wherein the action includes the electronic lock unlocking a latch mechanism.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device directly transmits the command to the electronic lock.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device transmits the command to a remote server;

and

wherein the remote server transmits the command to the electronic lock.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein if the command is “

Help”

, the mobile device transmits a signal to notify authorities of an emergency.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step further includes transmitting the acoustic signal from the mobile device to a remote server to determine the command.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting the command from the remote server to a network bridge at a residence; and

wirelessly transmitting the command from the network bridge to the electronic lock.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting a second command from the network device to another wireless device at the residence in response to the acoustic signal being received at the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the physical distance comprises determining the physical distance based on a Bluetooth signal strength of a signal received by the mobile device from the electronic lock.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically waking the mobile device from a low-power state using a background service in response to detecting a transceiver of the electronic lock.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the maximum authorized distance is less than a maximum detection distance of the transceiver of the electronic lock.

13. A mobile phone for a user to request a reader device to execute a command based on a spoken command provided by the user, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

wirelessly authenticate the mobile phone with a reader device,

analyze the acoustic signal to determine a command that the user requests to be executed by the reader device based on a spoken command from the user, wherein the command is an action that the user requests the reader to perform,

determine whether the spoken command corresponds to an authorized phrase included in a set of authorized phrases to authenticate the spoken command, wherein the spoken command is authenticated when the spoken command matches the authorized phrase included in the set of authorized phrases; and

a transceiver configured to;

receive an acoustic signal from the user, wherein the acoustic signal transports a spoken command from the user to the mobile phone, and

transmit the command wirelessly from the mobile phone to the reader device for the reader device to execute the command for the spoken command provided by the user when the spoken command is authenticated and the mobile phone is authorized to request the command to be performed by the reader device.

14. The mobile phone of claim 13, wherein the reader device and the mobile phone communicate via Bluetooth communication.

15. The mobile phone of claim 13, wherein the reader device is an electronic door lock.

16. The mobile phone of claim 13, wherein the mobile phone is a smartphone.

17. The mobile phone of claim 13, wherein the mobile phone is configured to transmit the command to the remote server;

and

wherein the remote server is configured to transmit the command to the reader device.

18. A method, comprising:

wirelessly authenticating a smartphone with a reader device electrically coupled to an electronic lock of a door of a residence;

receiving, with the smartphone, an acoustic signal from a user, wherein the acoustic signal transports a spoken command from the user to the smartphone;

determining, with the smartphone, a physical distance between the smartphone and the reader device based on a Bluetooth signal strength of a signal received by the smartphone from the reader device;

determining, with the smartphone, whether the physical distance between the smartphone and the reader device is less than a maximum authorized distance, wherein the maximum authorized distance is a predetermined authorized radius of a position of the smartphone from the reader device where the spoken commands generated outside of the predetermined authorized radius are determined to be unauthorized;

analyzing, with the smartphone, the acoustic signal to determine whether the acoustic signal corresponds with a command based on the spoken command from the user and whether the spoken commands are authorized based on whether the smartphone is positioned within the maximum authorized distance between the smartphone and the reader device;

transmitting the command wirelessly from the smartphone to the reader device for the reader device to execute the command for the spoken command over a Bluetooth communication link in response to a determination that the acoustic signal corresponds with a command based on the spoken command and a determination that the physical distance is less than the maximum authorized distance;

receiving the command at the reader device;

processing, with the reader device, the command to determine an action to be performed by the electronic lock; and

performing the action by the electronic lock if the smartphone device is authorized to request the command to be performed.