Device communication, monitoring and control architecture and method

• US 10,298,452 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Interactive Media LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Interactive Media LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Dixon, Christopher, Poder, James S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Katsikis, Kostas J
• Application Number:
  US14/966,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20160204984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• 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

Abstract

A communication interface and a device control, management and monitoring system are provided to enable the networking of and communication between a multiple devices operating under different protocols. The communication interface may act as a translator or protocol converter that reformats transmissions from one protocol to another based on protocol compatibility between the recipient and transmitting devices. The device control and monitoring system may store predefined rules that are triggered when specified conditions associated with the networked devices are detected. The rules may specify an action to take such as transmitting a discount offer to a user or turning off a light. According to one or more arrangements, the communication interface may act as an intermediary between the networked devices and the device control system so that the device control system is not required to understand or be compatible with the various other protocols used by the networked devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, registration information for a first device, wherein the registration information comprises a device type of the first device;

accessing, by the computing device, configuration information corresponding to the device type of the first device, wherein the configuration information comprises an indication of a first protocol associated with the device type of the first device;

receiving, by the computing device, a status of the first device via the first protocol, a status of a multimedia presentation device, and a status of a second device; and

based on a determination that a permission allows the first device to cause modification of the status of the multimedia presentation device, sending an instruction to modify the status of the multimedia presentation device based on the status of the first device and the status of the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a mobile device, wherein the status of the first device indicates that the mobile device is receiving a voice transmission, and wherein the instruction to modify the status of the multimedia presentation device comprises an instruction to reduce a volume of the multimedia presentation device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction to modify the status of the multimedia presentation device comprises an instruction to modify a manner in which content is presented.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is one or more of:

a mobile device or a sound sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the status of the first device and the status of the multimedia presentation device are received via a same protocol.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first device and the multimedia presentation device are configured to communicate via different protocols, and wherein the receiving the status of the first device and the status of the multimedia presentation device comprises receiving the status of the first device and the status of the multimedia presentation device from a communication interface device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to operate according to extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device and the multimedia presentation device are configured to communicate via different protocols, and wherein sending the instruction to modify the status of the multimedia presentation device comprises sending the instruction to the multimedia presentation device through a communication interface device configured to perform protocol conversion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the registration information for the first device is performed after sending, by the computing device, a periodic polling message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a signal comprising a designation of the first device as one or more of;

a sending device configured to send signals to the computing device or a receiving device configured to receive signals from the computing device, wherein the designation is inputted by a user of the first device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration information for the first device corresponds to a configuration setting based on the device type of the first device, and wherein the configuration setting comprises one or more of a device name or a device driver.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a status of a mobile device via a first protocol and a status of a multimedia presentation device via a second protocol, wherein the mobile device and the multimedia presentation device are located at a premises, and wherein the status of the mobile device indicates a location of the mobile device at the premises;

sending, to a computing device located remotely from the premises, the status of the mobile device and the status of the multimedia presentation device;

receiving, from the computing device, based on the status of the mobile device and based on a permission allowing the mobile device to cause a modification of the status of the multimedia presentation device, a command signal comprising an instruction to cause content playback via the multimedia presentation device; and

sending, to the multimedia presentation device, the command signal via the second protocol.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving, based on the status of the mobile device, the command signal comprises receiving the command signal based on the status of the mobile device indicating that the location of the mobile device is within a threshold distance of the location of the multimedia presentation device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the permission is based on user input received via a graphical user interface of the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the command signal comprises an instruction to modify a manner in which content is presented by the multimedia presentation device.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

converting a message indicative of the status of the mobile device from the first protocol to a third protocol, the third protocol being different from the first protocol;

converting a message indicative of the status of the multimedia presentation device from the second protocol to the third protocol, the third protocol being different from the second protocol;

converting the command signal from the third protocol to the second protocol;

receiving, via the second protocol, an updated status message for the multimedia presentation device;

converting the updated status message to the third protocol; and

sending, via the third protocol, the updated status message to the computing device.

17. A method comprising:

accessing, by a computing device, configuration information corresponding to a device type of a multimedia presentation device, wherein the configuration information comprises an indication of a protocol compatible with the device type of the multimedia presentation device;

determining a permission, associated with the multimedia presentation device, indicating that a device other than the multimedia presentation device can cause change of a manner in which content is presented by the multimedia presentation device; and

sending, according to the protocol, an instruction, based on a location of a user at a premises, to the multimedia presentation device to cause content playback via the multimedia presentation device.

18. The method of claim 17,

wherein sending the instruction to the multimedia presentation device based on the location of the user at the premises comprises sending the instruction based on determining that the multimedia presentation device is within a threshold distance of the location of the user at the premises.

19. The method of claim 17,

wherein the location of the user at the premises is based on a location of a first device, and

wherein the permission is based on user input received via a graphical user interface of the first device.

20. The method of claim 17,

wherein the location of the user at the premises is based on a location of a first device, and

wherein the computing device, the first device, and the multimedia presentation device are configured to communicate via protocols that are different from each other.