Controlling settings and attributes related to operation of devices in a network

• US 10,444,715 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Plummer, Jon Robertsen, Kim, Ryan Yong, Pathuri, Venkata Subba Rao, Mitchell, Sarah Gallivan, Glidden, Matt, McLaughlin, Douglas Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Belousov, Andrey
• Application Number:
  US14/267,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20150319006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: 715734, 715736, 715781
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• 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 2012/2841 Wireless

Abstract

Techniques are described for controlling attributes and/or settings related to operation of devices via a wireless network. An access device can determine a status of a configurable attribute/setting related to operation of a device (e.g., a home automation network device that can control a home appliance) connected to the network. The computing device can execute an application that can generate and display a graphical interface including an interactive area or an interactive element to control the device. The interactive element or the graphical interface can indicate a current value for the setting/attribute. The interactive area or element can be adjustable to adjust the setting/attribute. An adjusted value of the setting/attribute can be communicated to the network which can cause operation of the device to be controlled based on the adjusted value. The computing device can modify the graphical interface to indicate the adjusted value of the setting/attribute.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating, by a computing device, a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface includes an interactive area corresponding to a network device, wherein the network device is associated with current values of multiple operation settings, wherein each operation setting of the multiple operations settings is associated with a different attribute of the network device, and wherein the interactive area includes a modifiable feature of an image;

displaying the graphical interface including the modifiable feature of the image;

receiving a first input at the interactive area corresponding to the network device, wherein when the first input is received, the graphical interface changes to a new state, wherein when the graphical interface in the new state receives an additional input, the additional input controls an operation setting of the network device;

receiving a second input corresponding to an interaction at the graphical interface, wherein the second input includes a movement in a first direction with respect to the graphical interface, and wherein the second input indicates an adjustment of a first operation setting of the network device from a current value to an adjusted value, and wherein the second input indicating the adjustment of the first operation of the network device was enabled by the first input;

transmitting the adjusted first operation setting of the network device, wherein when the adjusted first operation setting is received at the network device, the first operation setting of the network device is adjusted based on the adjusted value, and wherein adjusting the first operation setting causes the network device to generate a confirmation signal;

receiving a third input corresponding to an interaction at the graphical interface, wherein the third input includes a movement in a second direction different than the first direction with respect to the interactive area, and wherein the third input indicates an adjustment of a second operation setting of the network device from a current value to a second adjusted value, and wherein the third input indicating the adjustment of the second operation of the network device was enabled by the first input;

transmitting the adjusted second operation setting of the network device, wherein when the adjusted second operation setting is received at the network device, the second operation setting of the network device is adjusted based on the second adjusted value;

determining whether the confirmation signal has been received, wherein when the confirmation signal is received at the computing device, the confirmation signal causes the computing device to dynamically modify the modifiable feature of the image to represent the adjusted first operation setting of the network device, and wherein modifying the modifiable feature indicates that the confirmation signal has been received and that the first operation setting of the network device has been adjusted; and

displaying the modified modifiable feature of the image on the graphical interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein computing devices are coupled to network devices and are capable of controlling network device operations.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a communication including a unique identifier for the network device; and

determining an interface module based on the unique identifier, wherein the graphical interface is generated in response to executing the interface module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical interface indicates a status of the network device, wherein the modified modifiable feature indicates a modified status of the network device, and wherein the modified status is determined using the adjustment of the first operation setting.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input corresponds to a continuous movement in the interactive area, and wherein the adjustment of the first operation setting corresponds to a distance of the movement in the interactive area.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input corresponding to a selection of an interactive element, wherein the interactive element is displayed in the graphical interface, wherein the selection indicates a time period, and wherein the first operation setting is changed over the time period based on an amount indicated by the adjustment of the first operation setting.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response indicating that the first operation setting has been changed at the network device based on the adjustment of the first operation setting; and

updating the modified modifiable feature displayed on the graphical interface to indicate that the network device has been adjusted according to the adjustment of the first operation setting.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the response is received via a transmission from the network device.

9. A system, comprising:

one or more data processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including;

generating, by a computing device, a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface includes an interactive area corresponding to a network device, wherein the network device is associated with current values of multiple operation settings, wherein each operation setting of the multiple operations settings is associated with a different attribute of the network device, and wherein the interactive area includes a modifiable feature of an image;

displaying the graphical interface including the modifiable feature of the image;

receiving a first input at the interactive area corresponding to the network device, wherein when the first input is received, the graphical interface changes to a new state, wherein when the graphical interface in the new state receives an additional input, the additional input controls an operation setting of the network device;

receiving a second input corresponding to an interaction at the graphical interface, wherein the second input includes a movement in a first direction with respect to the graphical interface, and wherein the second input indicates an adjustment of a first operation setting of the network device from a current value to an adjusted value, and wherein the second input indicating the adjustment of the first operation of the network device was enabled by the first input;

transmitting the adjusted first operation setting of the network device, wherein when the adjusted first operation setting is received at the network device, the first operation setting of the network device is adjusted based on the adjusted value, and wherein adjusting the first operation setting causes the network device to generate a confirmation signal;

receiving a third input corresponding to an interaction at the graphical interface, wherein the third input includes a movement in a second direction different than the first direction with respect to the interactive area, and wherein the third input indicates an adjustment of a second operation setting of the network device from a current value to a second adjusted value, and wherein the third input indicating the adjustment of the second operation of the network device was enabled by the first input;

transmitting the adjusted second operation setting of the network device, wherein when the adjusted second operation setting is received at the network device, the second operation setting of the network device is adjusted based on the second adjusted value;

determining whether the confirmation signal has been received, wherein when the confirmation signal is received at the computing device, the confirmation signal causes the computing device to dynamically modify the modifiable feature of the image to represent the adjusted first operation setting of the network device, and wherein modifying the modifiable feature indicates that the confirmation signal has been received and that the first operation setting of the network device has been adjusted; and

displaying the modified modifiable feature of the image on the graphical interface.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system includes an access device.

11. The system of claim 9, further containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including:

determining a current value of an additional setting related to operation of the network device, wherein the additional setting is adjustable between a plurality of values, and wherein the current value is indicated by the graphical interface;

receiving an additional input via an additional interactive area in the graphical interface, wherein the additional input corresponds to an additional adjustment that indicates an amount to change the additional setting from the current value to an adjusted value, wherein the first input corresponds to a continuous movement in a first direction in the interactive area, and wherein the additional input corresponds to a continuous movement in a second direction in the additional interactive area;

transmitting the additional adjustment, wherein the operation of the network device is controlled based on the additional adjustment; and

wherein the modified modifiable feature provides an indication of the adjusted value of the additional setting.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein determining the current value of the first operation setting includes receiving a communication from the network device, the communication including a current status of the network device, and wherein the current status of the network device indicates a current setting.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the adjustment of the first operation setting is transmitted to a server of a cloud network, and wherein the adjustment of the first operation setting is received by the network device from the server of the cloud network via the network.

14. The system of claim 9, further containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including:

receiving a response indicating that the first operation setting has been changed at the network device based on the adjustment of the first operation setting; and

updating the modified modifiable feature to indicate that the network device has been adjusted according to the adjustment of the first operation setting.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein devices are coupled to network devices capable of controlling device operations.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the graphical interface indicates a status of the network device, wherein the modified modifiable feature indicates a modified status of the network device, and wherein the modified status is determined using the adjustment of the first operation setting.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the first input corresponds to a continuous movement in the interactive area, and wherein the adjustment corresponds to a distance of the movement in the interactive area.

18. The system of claim 9, further containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including:

receiving input corresponding to a selection of an interactive element, wherein the interactive element is displayed in the graphical interface, wherein the selection indicates a time period, and wherein the first operation setting is changed based on an amount gradually during the time period.

19. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations including:

generating, by a computing device, a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface includes an interactive area corresponding to a network device, wherein the network device is associated with current values of multiple operation settings, wherein each operation setting of the multiple operations settings is associated with a different attribute of the network device, and wherein the interactive area includes a modifiable feature of an image;

displaying the graphical interface including the modifiable feature of the image;

receiving a first input at the interactive area corresponding to the network device, wherein when the first input is received, the graphical interface changes to a new state, wherein when the graphical interface in the new state receives an additional input, the additional input controls an operation setting of the network device;

receiving a second input corresponding to an interaction at the graphical interface, wherein the second input includes a movement in a first direction with respect to the graphical interface, and wherein the second input indicates an adjustment of a first operation setting of the network device from a current value to an adjusted value, and wherein the second input indicating the adjustment of the first operation of the network device was enabled by the first input;

transmitting the adjusted first operation setting of the network device, wherein when the adjusted first operation setting is received at the network device, the first operation setting of the network device is adjusted based on the adjusted value, and wherein adjusting the first operation setting causes the network device to generate a confirmation signal;

receiving a third input corresponding to an interaction at the graphical interface, wherein the third input includes a movement in a second direction different than the first direction with respect to the interactive area, and wherein the third input indicates an adjustment of a second operation setting of the network device from a current value to a second adjusted value, and wherein the third input indicating the adjustment of the second operation of the network device was enabled by the first input;

transmitting the adjusted second operation setting of the network device, wherein when the adjusted second operation setting is received at the network device, the second operation setting of the network device is adjusted based on the second adjusted value;

determining whether the confirmation signal has been received, wherein when the confirmation signal is received at the computing device, the confirmation signal causes the computing device to dynamically modify the modifiable feature of the image to represent the adjusted first operation setting of the network device, and wherein modifying the modifiable feature indicates that the confirmation signal has been received and that the first operation setting of the network device has been adjusted; and

displaying the modified modifiable feature of the image on the graphical interface.

20. The computer-program product of claim 19, wherein the graphical interface indicates a status of the network device, wherein the modified modifiable feature indicates a modified status of the network device, and wherein the modified status is determined using the adjustment of the first operation setting.