Aggregating automated-environment information across a neighborhood

• US 10,571,873 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2015
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Marti, Lukas M., Huang, Ronald Keryuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Laughlin, Nathan L
• Application Number:
  US14/856,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20160091879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• 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

Abstract

Behavior information can be aggregated across multiple automated environments (e.g., across homes in a neighborhood). The automated environments can provide information about detected environment-level behavior patterns to a server. The server can aggregate the patterns across environments in a defined neighborhood and can provide neighborhood-level information back to the participating automated environments. The neighborhood-level information can be used to drive decisions and behavioral changes in individual automated environments.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a registration request from a first automated environment of a plurality of automated environments, the registration request including a neighborhood key generated at the first automated environment based on location information available to the first automated environment;

registering the first automated environment, wherein registering includes assigning, by the server, an environment identification key to the first automated environment, the environment identification key being unique among the plurality of automated environments in a neighborhood;

collecting, at the server, a plurality of environment data bundles, each of the plurality of environment data bundles originating from a different one of the plurality of automated environments in the neighborhood, each environment data bundle including environment level information descriptive of a behavior occurring in the plurality of automated environments,

wherein each automated environment of the plurality of automated environments is in a home in the neighborhood, and wherein each of the plurality of automated environments comprises a plurality of different types of accessory devices controlled by a mobile device of a user,

wherein the neighborhood key and the environment identification key together constitute a unique identifier of an electronic device for identifying the environment data bundles;

analyzing, by the server, the environment level information in the environment data bundles to determine a neighborhood behavior pattern; and

providing, by the server, neighborhood level information about the neighborhood behavior pattern to at least one of the plurality of automated environments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the environment data bundles is generated automatically by the electronic device located in the plurality of automated environments.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment level information includes information about consumption of a resource by the plurality of automated environments.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the resource includes one or more of a group consisting of electricity, natural gas, and water.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the environment level information includes one or more of a group consisting of:

a total amount of the resource consumed by the first automated environment over a specified time period; and

profile data indicating average resource consumption during a particular segment of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the neighborhood behavior pattern is a pattern of resource consumption, the method further comprising:

identifying the first automated environment of the plurality of automated environments as an outlier relative to the neighborhood behavior pattern; and

informing the user of the first automated environment that the first automated environment is the outlier.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

suggesting to the user of the first automated environment a behavioral modification that conforms more closely than a current behavior to the neighborhood behavior pattern.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein an environment data bundle received from the first automated environment is received subsequently to registering the first automated environment and wherein the environment data bundle received from the first automated environment includes the environment identification key.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the plurality of environment data bundles includes:

replacing an older environment data bundle received from a first one of the automated environments with a newer environment data bundle received from the first one of the automated environments.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the automated environments are automated home environments.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first automated environment comprises a coordinator device and a plurality of accessory devices controlled by the coordinator device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the coordinator device collects data from the plurality of accessory devices in the first automated environment to create the environment data bundle for the first automated environment.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein an environment data bundle received from the first automated environment is received subsequent to registering the first automated environment, and wherein the environment data bundle received from the first automated environment includes the neighborhood key.

14. A method comprising:

generating, at an electronic device in a first automated environment, a first environment data bundle including environment level information descriptive of a behavior occurring in the first automated environment;

registering, by the electronic device, with a server, wherein the registering includes;

determining, by the electronic device, location information for the first automated environment;

determining, by the electronic device, a neighborhood key based on the location information;

sending, by the electronic device, a registration request to the server, the registration request including the neighborhood key; and

receiving, by the electronic device, a registration response from the server, the registration response including an environment identification key generated by the server;

sending, by the electronic device, the first environment data bundle to the server;

receiving, by the electronic device, a neighborhood data bundle from the server, the neighborhood data bundle including information descriptive of a neighborhood behavior pattern, the information being derived from a plurality of environment data bundles received by the server from a plurality of automated environments located in a neighborhood with the first automated environment, the plurality of environment data bundles including the first environment data bundle, wherein each automated environment of the plurality of automated environments is in a home in the neighborhood, and wherein each of the plurality of automated environments comprises a plurality of different types of accessory devices controlled by a mobile device of a user,

wherein the neighborhood key and the environment identification key together constitute a unique identifier of the electronic device for identifying the environment data bundles; and

providing, by the electronic device, information to the user based on the neighborhood data bundle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the information to the user based on the neighborhood data bundle includes:

sending, by the electronic device, a message to a controller device of the user, the message including a suggested modification to an operational behavior of one or more accessories in the first automated environment;

receiving, by the electronic device from the controller device, an affirmative response; and

modifying the operational behavior of the one or more accessories.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein sending the first environment data bundle to the server includes sending the neighborhood key and the environment identification key to the server.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the environment level information includes information about consumption of a resource by the first automated environment.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the environment level information includes one or more of a group consisting of:

a total amount of the resource consumed by the first automated environment over a specified time period; and

profile data indicating average resource consumption during a particular segment of time.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein providing the information to the user includes providing a recommendation to reduce consumption of the resource by the first automated environment.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the automated environments are automated home environments.

21. A server comprising:

a communication interface to communicate with a plurality of automated environments;

a storage medium to store a plurality of environment data bundles; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and the storage medium, the processor configured to;

receive a registration request from a first automated environment of the plurality of automated environments, the registration request including a neighborhood key generated at the first automated environment based on location information available to the first automated environment;

register the first automated environment, wherein registering includes assigning, by the server, an environment identification key to the first automated environment, the environment identification key being unique among the plurality of automated environments in a neighborhood;

collect the plurality of environment data bundles, each of the plurality of environment data bundles originating from a different one of the plurality of automated environments in the neighborhood, each environment data bundle including environment level information descriptive of a behavior occurring in an automated environment of the plurality of automated environments,

wherein the neighborhood key and the environment identification key together constitute a unique identifier of an electronic device for identifying the environment data bundles,

wherein each automated environment of the plurality of automated environments is in a home in the neighborhood, and wherein each of the plurality of automated environments comprises a plurality of different types of accessory devices controlled by a mobile device of a user;

analyze the environment level information in the environment data bundles to determine a neighborhood behavior pattern; and

provide neighborhood level information about the neighborhood behavior pattern to at least one of the plurality of automated environments.

22. An electronic device comprising:

a network communication interface to communicate with a server;

an accessory communication interface to communicate with a plurality of accessories in an automated environment; and

a processor coupled to the network communication interface and the accessory communication interface, the processor configured to;

generate a first environment data bundle including environment level information descriptive of a behavior occurring in the automated environment;

register with the server, wherein the registering includes;

determining location information for the automated environment;

determining a neighborhood key based on the location information;

sending a registration request to the server, the registration request including the neighborhood key; and

receiving, by the electronic device, a registration response from the server, the registration response including an environment identification key generated by the server;

send the first environment data bundle to the server;

receive a neighborhood data bundle from the server, the neighborhood data bundle including information descriptive of a neighborhood behavior pattern, the information being derived from a plurality of environment data bundles received by the server from a plurality of automated environments located in a neighborhood with the automated environment, the plurality of environment data bundles including the first environment data bundle,

wherein each automated environment of the plurality of automated environments is in a home in the neighborhood, and wherein each of the plurality of automated environments comprises a plurality of different types of accessory devices controlled by a mobile device of a user,

wherein the neighborhood key and the environment identification key together constitute a unique identifier of the electronic device for identifying the environment data bundles; and

provide information to the user based on the neighborhood data bundle.