System and method for automating the management, routing, and control of multiple devices and inter-device connections

• US 10,367,912 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2018
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CLOUD SYSTEMS HOLDCO IP LLC (Pueblo Nuevo LLC)
• Original Assignee: Cloud Systems HoldCo LLC
• Inventors: Saint Clair, Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Abad, Jackie Zuniga
• Application Number:
  US15/888,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20180159953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/00 Systems controlled by a computer G05B13/00, G05B19/00 take precedence; automatic controllers with particular characteristics G05B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 : Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/00 : Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass networks security protocols H04L9/40; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 : Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems

Abstract

A system and method for managing, routing and controlling devices and inter-device connections located within an environment to manage and control the environment using a control client is presented. A user configures a presentation environment into one or more sub-environments, restricts access to one or more devices of a presentation sub-environment, or schedules one or more resources within a presentation sub-environment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling an environment, comprising:

a server configured to host a database that includes information describing a set of static connections and information describing a set of adaptable nodes and that is further configured to run a scheduling service;

a control client that is configured to control at least one output device within the environment and to communicate with the scheduling service;

a control client web application including one or more components configured to render a user interface on the control client, wherein one or more standard widgets of the user interface provide one or more standard control options based at least in part on the at least one output device and one or more specialized widgets provide one or more customizable control options based at least in part on the at least one output device;

a control switch that is configured to communicate with the control client; and

an output device configurator that is configured to send a request to access the output device to the scheduling service and through the control switch, to send configuration information to the output device, and to send control information to the output device, wherein the scheduling service is configured to manage availability of the output device for access.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a zone control interface that is configured to control a plurality of output devices, wherein the plurality of output devices are grouped in a zone.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a master zone control interface that is configured to control a plurality of zone control interfaces.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to store device control attributes associated with an environment state and device state attributes associated with the environment state in one or more scenes.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one or more standard control options provided by the one or more standard widgets are based at least in part on the at least one scene and the one or more customizable control options provided by the one or more specialized widgets are based at least in part on the at least one scene.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the database includes a device specific driver associated with the output device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface is adapted to a user.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface is adapted to a permission level associated with a user.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface is adapted to control client device capabilities associated with a control client device used to access the control client web application.

10. A method of controlling an environment, the method comprising:

configuring a server to host a database that includes information describing a set of static connections and information describing a set of adaptable nodes and that is further configured to run a scheduling service;

configuring a control client to control at least one output device within the environment and to communicate with the scheduling service;

configuring a control client web application including one or more components to render a user interface on the control client, wherein one or more standard widgets of the user interface provide one or more standard control options based at least in part on the at least one output device and one or more specialized widgets provide one or more customizable control options based at least in part on the at least one output device;

configuring a control switch to communicate with the control client;

configuring an output device configurator that is to send a request to access the output device to the scheduling service and through the control switch, to send configuration information to the output device, and to send control information to the output device; and

configuring the scheduling service to manage availability of the output device for access.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

configuring a zone control interface to control a plurality of output devices, wherein the plurality of output devices are grouped in a zone.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

configuring a master zone control interface to control a plurality of zone control interfaces.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

configuring the server to store device control attributes associated with an environment state and device state attributes associated with the environment state in one or more scenes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more standard control options provided by the one or more standard widgets are based at least in part on the at least one scene and the one or more customizable control options provided by the one or more specialized widgets are based at least in part on the at least one scene.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the database includes a device specific driver associated with the output device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the user interface is adapted to a user.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the user interface is adapted to a permission level associated with a user.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the user interface is adapted to control client device capabilities associated with a control client device used to access the control client web application.

19. A computer program product for controlling an environment, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; and

instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to;

configure a server to host a database that includes information describing a set of static connections and information describing a set of adaptable nodes and that is further configured to run a scheduling service;

configure a control client to control at least one output device within the environment and to communicate with the scheduling service;

configure a control client web application including one or more components to render a user interface on the control client, wherein one or more standard widgets of the user interface provide one or more standard control options based at least in part on the at least one output device and one or more specialized widgets provide one or more customizable control options based at least in part on the at least one output device;

configure a control switch to communicate with the control client;

configure an output device configurator that is to send a request to access the output device to the scheduling service and through the control switch, to send configuration information to the output device, and to send control information to the output device; and

configure the scheduling service to manage availability of the output device for access.