Apparatus, system, and method of monitoring the energizing of lamps

• US 10,154,572 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US15/448,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20170257683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method of remotely monitoring receives, from an operation terminal, identification information and location information of a location of one or more lamps, stores, in a memory, the received identification information and the received location information in association with each other for the one or more lamps, updates log information regarding a log of a lighting condition of the one or more lamps, in response to an indication that an electric circuit of the one or more lamps is energized for the one or more lamps, and sends monitoring information corresponding to the log information of the electric circuit of the one or more lamps for display.

Claims

1. A method of remotely monitoring, comprising:

receiving, from a terminal, identification information of one or more adapters that are connected respectively between each of one or more lights in a residence, and a socket configured to receive each of the one or more adapters;

storing, in a memory, the received identification information of the one or more adapters;

receiving, from the one or more adapters, an indication that an electric circuit of the one or more adapters in the residence is energized by a switch which indicates an activity of a person to be monitored within the residence;

updating state log information regarding a state log of a lighting condition of the one or more lights, in response to the indication that an electric circuit of the one or more adapters is energized for the one or more lights; and

generating monitoring information corresponding to the state log information of the electric circuit of the one or more adapters for display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the terminal, transmission destination information indicating a destination of an email to be transmitted, the transmission destination information being input at the terminal;

storing, in the memory, the transmission destination information; and

transmitting an email to the destination of the transmission destination information based on a determination indicating that the state log information of the lighting condition of at least one of the one or more lights satisfies a preset condition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the preset condition is a state where the indication that the electric circuit of the one or more adapters is energized has not been changed at least for a threshold time period, the threshold time period being input at the terminal.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the present condition is a state where the light has been turned off at least for a threshold time period, the threshold time period being input at the terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the terminal, a selection of a place of at least one of the one or more lights; and

generating monitoring information that reflects the state log information of the electric circuit of the one or more adapters on the selected place, as the monitoring information to be sent, the monitoring information being graphically displayed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring information includes a log of times each time corresponding to a time when the light is illuminated.

7. A remote monitoring apparatus comprising:

a receiver to receive, from a terminal, identification information of one or more adapters that are connected respectively between each of one or more lights and a socket configured to receive each of the one or more adapters, the receiver further configured to receive, from the one or more adapters, an indication that an electric circuit of the one or more adapters in the residence is energized by a switch which indicates a person to be monitored within the residence;

a memory to store the received identification information of the one or more adapters; and

circuitry to update state log information regarding a state log of a lighting condition of the one or more lights, in response to the indication that an electric circuit of the one or more adapters is energized for the one or more lights, and to generate monitoring information corresponding to the state log information of the electric circuit of the one or more adapters for display.

8. The remote monitoring apparatus of claim 7, wherein the receiver receives, from the terminal, transmission destination information indicating a destination of an email to be transmitted, the transmission destination information being input at the terminal;

storing, in the memory, the transmission destination information; and

transmitting an email to the destination of the transmission destination information based on a determination indicating that the state log information of the lighting condition of at least one of the one or more lights satisfies a preset condition.

9. The remote monitoring apparatus of claim 8, wherein the preset condition is a state where the indication that the electric circuit of the one or more adapters is energized has not been changed at least for a threshold time period, the threshold time period being input at the terminal.

10. The remote monitoring apparatus of claim 8, wherein the present condition is a state where the light has been turned off at least for a threshold time period, the threshold time period being input at the terminal.

11. The remote monitoring apparatus of claim 7,

wherein the receiver receives, from the terminal, a selection of a place of at least one of the one or more lights, and

wherein the circuitry generates monitoring information that reflects the log information of the electric circuit of the one or more adapters on the selected place, as the monitoring information to be sent, the monitoring information being graphically displayed.

12. The remote monitoring apparatus of claim 7, wherein the monitoring information includes a log of times each time corresponding to a time when the light is illuminated.

13. A system, comprising:

one or more adapters each configured to connect between a light, among one or more lights in a residence, and a socket configured to receive the one or more adapters; and

a server,

the server being configured to

receive, from a terminal, identification information of one or more adapters;

store, in a memory, identification information of the one or more adapters;

update state log information regarding a state log of a lighting condition of the one or more lights, in response to an indication that an electric circuit of the one or more adapters in the residence is energized by a switch which indicates an activity of a person to be monitored within the residence; and

generate monitoring information corresponding to the state log information of the electric circuit of the one or more adapters for display.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive, from the terminal, transmission destination information indicating a destination of an email to be transmitted, the transmission destination information being input at the terminal;

store, in the memory, the transmission destination information; and

transmit an email to the destination of the transmission destination information based on a determination indicating that the state log information of the lighting condition of at least one of the one or more lights satisfies a preset condition.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the preset condition is a state where the indication that the electric circuit of the one or more adapters is energized has not been changed at least for a threshold time period, the threshold time period being input at the terminal.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the present condition is a state where the light has been turned off at least for a threshold time period, the threshold time period being input at the terminal.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive, from the terminal, a selection of a place of at least one of the one or more lights;

generate monitoring information that reflects the state log information of the electric circuit of the one or more adapters on the selected place, as the monitoring information to be sent; and

graphically display the monitoring information.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the monitoring information includes a log of times each time corresponding to a time when the light is illuminated.