Alert-driven dynamic sensor-data sub-contracting

• US 10,102,566 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leeo, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Icnc. Leeo
• Inventors: Joshi, Nina S., Gettings, Adam M., Chan, Eddy Y., Stevens, Andrew G., Ivers, Lucas D., Hovland, Bjorn H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US14/701,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20160071148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 705 144, 705 1449, 705 1464, 705 145
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1393 characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3452 Performance evaluation by statistical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/163 Real estate management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 : Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An interface mechanism in a system receives an alert associated with an environment. In response to the alert, a control mechanism in the system identifies an environmental monitoring device within the environment, where the environmental monitoring device provides sensor data that represents an environmental condition in the environment. Moreover, the control mechanism: provides, via the interface mechanism, a service offer to an electronic device associated with an entity associated with the environment, where the service offer includes information associated with the environmental condition. After receiving a response from the electronic device that authorizes the service, the control mechanism provides, via the interface mechanism, a data request for the sensor data to the environmental monitoring device. Furthermore, after receiving the sensor data from the environmental monitoring device, the control mechanism provides the service to the entity based on the environmental condition.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an interface circuit configured to communicate with electronic devices;

a control circuit, coupled to the interface circuit, configured to;

receive, via the interface circuit, an alert associated with an environment;

automatically identify an environmental monitoring device within the environment based at least in part on the alert and an environmental condition associated with the alert, wherein the identification involves accessing, in real-time, stored information about capabilities of one or more environmental monitoring devices to match the capabilities with at least one of sensory or computational capabilities associated with a service, wherein the environmental monitoring device provides sensor data that represents the environmental condition in the environment, and wherein the environmental monitoring device is associated with an entity that is different from a second entity associated with the system;

provide, via the interface circuit, a service offer to an electronic device associated with a third entity associated with the environment, wherein the service offer is for the service that involves environmental monitoring by the environmental monitoring device based at least in part on the environmental condition, and wherein the third entity is different from the entity and the second entity;

receive, via the interface circuit, a response to the service offer from the electronic device, wherein the response authorizes the service;

provide, via the interface circuit, a data request for the sensor data to the environmental monitoring device based at least in part on the response;

receive, via the interface circuit, the sensor data from the environmental monitoring device in response to the data request; and

provide the service to the third entity based at least in part on the environmental condition and the sensor data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the service is associated with a type of the sensor data;

and

wherein the environmental monitoring device is identified based at least in part on the type of the sensor data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to analyze the sensor data;

and

wherein the service is provided based at least in part on the analyzed sensor data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the response comprises compensation to the second entity for the service.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises a service provider;

and

wherein the data request comprises compensation to the entity for the sensor data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises a partner of the second entity;

and

wherein the sensor data is received without compensation to the entity for the sensor data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to provide an instruction to a regulator device in the environment to modify the environmental condition;

wherein the regulator device is associated with one of;

the entity; and

a fourth entity that is different from the entity, the second entity and the third entity; and

wherein the instruction comprises compensation for modifying the environmental condition.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the compensation is for one of:

modifying the environmental condition on a per-event basis; and

modifying the environmental condition during at least a time interval.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the service is provided on a one-time basis.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the service is selectively provided as a function of time based at least in part on the environmental condition.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein performing the service involves one of:

downloading software for the environmental monitoring device that, when executed by the environmental monitoring device, performs the service; and

remotely enabling a software module in the environmental monitoring device that, when executed by the environmental monitoring device, performs the service,

and wherein the downloaded software or the remotely enabled software instructions provide at least an additional capability that enables the providing of the service.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the service comprises insurance for one of:

an item in the environment;

a portion of the environment; and

the environment.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises:

a processor coupled to the interface circuit; and

memory, coupled to the processor, which stores a program module configured to be executed by the processor, the program module including instructions for at least some of the operations performed by the system.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use in conjunction with a system, the computer-readable storage medium storing a program module, wherein, when executed by the system, the program module cases the system to provide a service by performing one or more operations comprising:

receiving, via an interface circuit in the system, an alert associated with an environment;

automatically identifying an environmental monitoring device within the environment based at least in part on the alert and an environmental condition associated with the alert, wherein the identification involves accessing, in real-time, stored information about capabilities of one or more environmental monitoring devices to match the capabilities with at least one of sensory or computational capabilities associated with a service, wherein the environmental monitoring device provides sensor data that represents the environmental condition in the environment, and wherein the environmental monitoring device is associated with an entity that is different from a second entity associated with the system;

providing, via the interface circuit, a service offer to an electronic device associated with a third entity associated with the environment, wherein the service offer is for the service that involves environmental monitoring by the environmental monitoring device based at least in part on the environmental condition, and wherein the third entity is different from the entity and the second entity;

receiving, via the interface circuit, a response to the service offer from the electronic device, wherein the response authorizes the service;

providing, via the interface circuit, a data request for the sensor data to the environmental monitoring device based at least in part on the response;

receiving, via the interface circuit, the sensor data from the environmental monitoring device in response to the data request; and

providing the service to the third entity based at least in part on the environmental condition and the sensor data.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the service is associated with a type of the sensor data;

and

wherein the environmental monitoring device is identified based at least in part on the type of the sensor data.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the entity comprises one of:

a service provider, and a partner of the second entity;

wherein, when the entity is the service provider, the data request comprises compensation to the entity for the sensor data; and

wherein, when the entity is the partner, the sensor data is received without compensation to the entity for the sensor data.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more operations comprise providing an instruction to a regulator device in the environment to modify the environmental condition;

wherein the regulator device is associated with one of;

the entity; and

a fourth entity that is different from the entity, the second entity and the third entity; and

wherein the instruction comprises compensation for modifying the environmental condition.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the compensation is for one of:

modifying the environmental condition on a per-event basis; and

modifying the environmental condition during at least a time interval.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein performing the service involves one of:

downloading software for the environmental monitoring device that, when executed by the environmental monitoring device, performs the service; and

remotely enabling a software module in the environmental monitoring device that, when executed by the environmental monitoring device, performs the service,

and wherein the downloaded software or the remotely enabled software instructions provide at least an additional capability that enables the providing of the service.

20. A method for providing a service, wherein the method comprises:

by a system;

receiving, via an interface circuit in the system, an alert associated with an environment;

using a control circuit in the system, automatically identifying an environmental monitoring device within the environment based at least in part on the alert and an environmental condition associated with the alert, wherein the identification involves accessing, in real-time, stored information about capabilities of one or more environmental monitoring devices to match the capabilities with at least one of sensory or computational capabilities associated with a service, wherein the environmental monitoring device provides sensor data that represents the environmental condition in the environment, and wherein the environmental monitoring device is associated with an entity that is different from a second entity associated with the system;

providing, via the interface circuit, a service offer to an electronic device associated with a third entity associated with the environment, wherein the service offer is for the service that involves environmental monitoring by the environmental monitoring device based at least in part on the environmental condition, and wherein the third entity is different from the entity and the second entity;

receiving, via the interface circuit, a response to the service offer from the electronic device, wherein the response authorizes the service;

providing, via the interface circuit, a data request for the sensor data to the environmental monitoring device based at least in part on the response;

receiving, via the interface circuit, the sensor data from the environmental monitoring device in response to the data request; and

providing the service to the third entity based at least in part on the environmental condition and the sensor data.