Mobile computing device control of shading object, intelligent umbrella and intelligent shading charging system

• US 10,078,856 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ShadeCraft, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ShadeCraft, Inc.
• Inventors: Gharabegian, Armen Sevada
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US15/273,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20170323356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 17/00 Tiltable umbrellas
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 2017/005 with additional rotation about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 2023/0012 Ground supported umbrellas or sunshades on a single post, e.g. resting in or on a surface there below
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 2025/003 Accessories not covered by groups A45B25/24 - A45B25/30
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 2200/1018 with illuminating devices, e.g. electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 2200/1027 with means for generating solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 23/00 Other umbrellas
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 25/10 Umbrella crowns A45B25/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 25/143 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 25/18 Covers detachable A45B15/00; Means for fastening same
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 3/02 with illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 3/04 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 : Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 : responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 : Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 : Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 : by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 : by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 : via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 : Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A mobile computing device may comprise a user interface component configured to output stimuli and receive inputs, a wireless transceiver configured to communicate commands and/or messages to one or more wireless transceivers of the one or more electronic devices, and one or more processors coupled to the user interface component and the wireless transceiver. A computer-readable storage medium may contain computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive input corresponding to a selected azimuth movement/position of the intelligent umbrella and a selected tilting movement position, communicate messages and/or commands, based on the selected azimuth movement and the selected tilting movement to the intelligent umbrella to cause a support assembly to rotate with respect to a base about an azimuth axis and to cause an upper support assembly to tilt with respect to a lower assembly about an elevation axis.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device to control one or more umbrellas, comprising:

a user interface component configured to output stimuli and receive inputs;

a wireless transceiver configured to communicate commands and/or messages to one or more wireless transceivers of the one or more umbrellas;

one or more processors coupled to the user interface component and the wireless transceiver; and

a computer-readable storage medium containing computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions including;

receive input corresponding to a selected azimuth movement of an umbrella and a selected tilting movement of the umbrella;

communicate messages and/or commands, based on the selected azimuth movement and the selected tilting movement to the umbrella to cause a support assembly to rotate with respect to a base about an azimuth axis and to cause an upper support assembly to tilt with respect to a lower assembly about an elevation axis; and

generate and communicate messages and/or commands to the user interface component to present stimuli indicating a representation of the selected azimuth movement and the selected tilting movement of the umbrella.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a display, wherein the stimuli is a visual representation communicated to the display of the selected azimuth movement and the selected tilting movement of the umbrella.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising an audio receiver and speaker, wherein the stimuli is an audible representation communicated to an audio receiver and a speaker of the selected azimuth movement and the selected tilted movement of the umbrella.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to further perform actions including:

receive input corresponding to a deployment movement of the umbrella;

communicate messages and/or commands, based on the selected deployment movement, to the umbrella to cause one or more arm support assemblies to deploy to an open position or to retract to a closed position; and

generate and communicate messages to the user interface component to present stimuli indicating a representation of the selected deployment movement.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprise a display to present visual output stimuli and wherein the input is tactile input from a touchscreen.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a display, and further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to further perform actions including:

generate visual output stimuli representative of the umbrella via the user interface component and communicate the visual output stimuli representative of the umbrella to the display.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 6, wherein the display further comprises a touch screen and the touch screen receives tactile input at locations corresponding to assemblies of the umbrella, communicates the tactile input to the user interface component, and

further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to further perform actions including:

translate, at the user interface component, the tactile input to generate instructions and/or messages corresponding to the received tactile input; and

communicate the generated instructions and/or messages to the umbrella to cause the umbrella to move according to the assemblies of the umbrella identified by the tactile input.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 7, further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to further perform actions including:

generate visual output stimuli representative of movement of the intelligent umbrella via the user interface component and communicate the visual output stimuli representative of the umbrella movement to the display.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop, a personal digital assistant, a wearable computing device;

a wireless phone, or an iPad.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive input indicative of activation or deactivation of one or more lighting assemblies, generate messages and/or instructions identifying activation or deactivation of the one or more lighting assemblies of the umbrella and communicate the generated messages and/or instructions to the umbrella to cause the umbrella to activate or deactivate the one or more lighting assemblies.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is a personal area network (PAN) transceiver (e.g., Bluetooth) and the instructions and/or messages are communicated directly to a PAN transceiver of the umbrella.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a display, and further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive input indicative of activation of one or more cameras, generate messages and/or instructions identifying activation of the one or more cameras of the umbrella, communicate the generated messages and/or instructions to the umbrella to cause the umbrella to activate the one or more cameras and capture video or images of an umbrella environment, receive captured video or images from the umbrella, and present captured video on the display of the mobile computing device via the user interface component.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a display, and further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive input indicative of activation of initiation of a social media application, generate instructions initiating the social media application, receive commands and messages generated by the social media application corresponding to assemblies and/or components of the umbrella to be activated and/or utilized, and communicate the generate commands and messages transferred from the social media application to the umbrella to cause activation of the identified assemblies and/or components.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a display and further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive input indicative of activation of initiation of a facial recognition process, generate instructions initiating the facial recognition process, generate instructions initiating capture of an image of a user, receive one or more captured images, determine if the one or more captured images matches an image stored in the memory, and if a match is determined, retrieve umbrella settings associated with the matched image, and communicate the retrieved umbrella settings to the intelligent umbrella to cause the intelligent umbrella to instruct identified assemblies to conform to the retrieved umbrella settings.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a display, and further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive input indicative of activation of initiation of an artificial intelligence (AI) process, generate instructions initiating the AI process, initiate a speech recognition process, receive voice commands or instructions, convert the received voice commands or instructions to commands and/or messages, execute the AI process based, at least in part, on the converted commands and/or messages, receive commands and/or messages from the AI process, generate audible stimuli from the received AI commands and/or messages, and play the audible stimuli via a speaker of the mobile computing device.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive input indicative of one or more alert thresholds and an alert notification method, store the alert thresholds and the alert notification method in a memory, communicate the alert thresholds to the umbrella;

receive alert notifications from the umbrella when umbrella assemblies experience out-of-tolerance conditions; and

communicate alert notifications via the alert notification method.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a display, and further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive input indicative of activation of initiation of a digital music software application, generate instructions initiating the digital music software application, receive input indicative of a digital music song selection, retrieve at least one digital music file from a memory, communicate the at least one retrieved digital music file, via the wireless transceiver, to the umbrella to cause a speaker of the intelligent umbrella to audibly reproduce the at least one digital music file.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a display, further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive input indicative of activation of a motion detector, a proximity detector, or an infrared sensor;

generate messages and/or instructions to activate one or more of the motion detector, the proximity detector, or the infrared sensor; and

communicate generated messages and/or instructions to the umbrella to cause activation of the motion detector, the proximity detector or the infrared sensor, receive alerts that the motion detector, the proximity detector, or the infrared sensor has been activated, receive alerts and/or captured video or images from the umbrella, and present alerts and/or captured video on a display of the mobile computing device via the user interface component.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive input indicative of activation of initiation of an e-commerce application, generate instructions initiating the e-commerce application, receive input indicative of an e-commerce transaction, generate e-commerce transaction messages based at least in part of the received e-commerce transaction input, communicate the generated e-commerce transaction messages to an e-commerce application server and receive e-commerce transaction messages from the e-commerce application server.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising computer-readable instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive input indicative of an autonomous mode selection for the umbrella, communicate automatic operation commands and/or messages to the umbrella;

and generate visual stimuli indicative of the umbrella being in the autonomous mode, and present the visual stimuli via a display of the mobile computing device.