Resource-limited device interactivity with cloud-based systems

• US 10,284,422 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emmoco, Inc. (Shelfbucks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frankel, Robert, Walden, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Abedin, Normin
• Assistant Examiner(s): McBeth, William C
• Application Number:
  US14/897,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20160127179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,241 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/509 Offload
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/00 Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units program control for peripheral devices G06F13/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/681 using addresses for wireless personal area networks or wireless sensor networks, e.g. Zigbee addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement

Abstract

Resource limited devices may be provided with a communications module enabling the resource limited device to communicate with a more powerful user computing system using a personal area networking protocol. The communications with the user computing system may be used to configure the resource limited device and/or its communications module to communicate with a remote computing system using a local or wide area networking protocol. This technology may shift processing functions that cannot be performed by resource-limited processors of the electronic device to more powerful computing systems, including, but not limited to cloud based systems. Bridges may also coordinate communications between multiple resource limited devices and the more powerful computing systems. Shifting these processing functions to more powerful computing systems may avoid the need for device manufacturers to include more expensive processors and may reduce device manufacturing costs. Devices and methods are provided.

Claims

1. A resource limited device comprising:

a microcontroller controlling an operation of the resource limited device;

a communications module linked to the microcontroller via a link;

a memory storing an identifier of the resource limited device and one or more encryption keys;

a receiver in the communications module configured to (i) receive the one or more encryption keys and a configuration setting for a second communications protocol from a first computing system separate from the resource limited device using a first communications protocol, wherein at least one encryption key of the one or more encryption keys is generated by the first computing system for communicating with a second computing system, (ii) store the received one or more encryption keys and configuration setting in the memory, (iii) receive data from the second computing system over a communications network using the second communications protocol, and (iv) send the received data to the microcontroller through the link; and

a transmitter in the communications module configured to (i) transmit the stored identifier of the resource limited device to the first computing system using the first communications protocol before the one or more encryption keys is received at the receiver, and (ii) transmit data from the microcontroller, obtained through the link, to the second computing system over the communications network using the second communications protocol after the second communications protocol is configured at the resource limited device with the configuration setting;

wherein the first computing system;

generates and transmits the one or more encryption keys to the resource limited device that are stored in the memory, wherein the one or more encryption keys include a first public encryption key and a first private encryption key;

presents a user with a user interface for providing the configuration setting for the second communications protocol;

transmits the user provided configuration setting for the second communications protocol to the resource limited device using the first communications protocol; and

transmits the stored identifier of the resource limited device to the second computing system using a third communications protocol to register the resource limited device at the second computing system.

2. The resource limited device of claim 1, wherein:

the first computing system presents the user with a user interface for providing registration information to the second computing system and transmits the user provided registration information to the second computing system; and

the second computing system registers the resource limited device based on the user provided registration information and the stored identifier of the resource limited device and transmits a second public encryption key of the second computing system to the resource limited device.

3. The resource limited device of claim 2, wherein the second computing system transmits the second public encryption key of the second computing system to the resource limited device via the first computing system.

4. A method, comprising:

transmitting, at a transmitter of a communications module connected to a resource limited device, an identifier of the resource limited device to a first computing system using a first communications protocol;

receiving from the first computing system, using the first communications protocol at a receiver of the communications module connected to the resource limited device, one or more encryption keys and a configuration setting for communicating with a second computing system over a communications network using a second communications protocol, wherein at least one encryption key of the one or more encryption keys is generated by the first computing system for communicating with a second computing system;

storing the one or more encryption keys;

configuring communications with the second computing system with the received configuration setting;

transmitting and receiving data between the resource limited device and the second computing system over the communications network using the second communications protocol after the configuring;

receiving the one or more encryption keys from the first computing system for the resource limited device, wherein the one or more encryption keys include a first public encryption key and a first private encryption key generated by the first computing system;

encrypting communications to the second computing system using a second public encryption key of the second computing system; and

decrypting encrypted communications from the second computing system using the first private encryption key;

wherein the first computing system transmits the first encryption public key and identifier of the resource limited device to the second computing system using a third communications protocol to register the resource limited device at the second computing system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least some of the data is encrypted based on the one or more encryption keys.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

registering the resource limited device with the second computing system via the first computing system; and

receiving the second public encryption key of the second computing system from the first computing system using the first communications protocol.