System and method for implementing open-protocol remote device control

• US 20020068984A1
• Filed: 12/06/2001
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olivistar LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Vigilos, Inc.
• Inventors: Alexander, Bruce, Bahneman, Liem
• Granted Patent: US 7,370,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/17
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A system and method for implementing open-protocol remote device control are provided. A user accesses a common user interface for controlling one or more networked devices. Utilizing the interface, the user selects one or more actions. The selection is encoded in a standard protocol and transmitted to a premises server. The premises server obtains the selection, accesses a device interface database and translates the selection into a device-specific protocol. The translated instruction is transmitted to the selected device for implementation. The user interface then obtains any device return data for display on the user interface.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a display and at least one user interface selection device, a method for controlling devices, the method comprising:

obtaining a user selection of one or more networked devices to be manipulated from the user interface;

obtaining a user interface application corresponding to the selected one or more networked devices;

displaying the user interface corresponding to the selected one or more networked devices;

obtaining a user selection of an operation corresponding to at least one selected networked device;

encoding the selected operation according to a standard communication protocol instruction;

transmitting the selected standard protocol instruction to a server corresponding to the selected networked device;

obtaining an output corresponding to the selected operation of the selected device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising authenticating user privilege levels prior to displaying the user interface.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected networked device is a monitoring device.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the monitoring device is an image capture monitoring device.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the user interface includes a display area operable to display outputs corresponding to the image capture device monitoring device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected networked device is an output device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the output includes a confirmation corresponding to the selected operation of the selected device

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the output includes data indicative of a networked device status.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user interface application includes one or more Java applets that are operable to generate a graphical user interface.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising deleting the user interface after obtaining the output corresponding to the device status.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the standard communication protocol is device independent.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user interface is a Web-based graphical user interface.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the user interface is dynamically generated.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the obtaining a user selection of an operation corresponding to at least one selected networked device includes obtaining a user manipulation of a graphical icon.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer system is a security monitoring network and wherein the networked devices correspond to the security monitoring computer system.

16. A computer-readable medium having a computer-executable program therein for performing the method recited in any one of claims 1-15.

17. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating system, wherein the computer system is operable to perform the method cited in any one of claims 1-15.

19. The method as recited in claim 18 further comprising:

obtaining device-specific results from the networked device;

translating the device-specific results into standard protocol encoded results; and

transmitting the standard protocol encoded results to the browser computing device computer.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the selected networked device is a monitoring device.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the monitoring device is an image capture monitoring device.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein the user interface includes a display area operable to display outputs corresponding to the image capture device monitoring device.

23. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the selected networked device is an output device.

24. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the output includes a confirmation corresponding to the selected operation of the selected device

25. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the output includes data indicative of a networked device status.

27. The computer system as recited in claim 26, wherein the central server is further operable to dynamically generate the control application based on a client computer request.

28. The computer system as recited in claim 26, wherein the central server is further operable to dynamically generate a viewer application based on a client computer request and the viewer application displays on the client computer.

29. The computer system as recited in claim 26, wherein the controllable device is a monitoring device.

30. The computer system as recited in claim 20, wherein the monitoring device is an image capture device.

31. The computer system as recited in claim 26, wherein the control application is a browser-based control application.

32. The computer system as recited in claim 26, further comprising a web server operable to obtain results from the monitoring devise and transmit the results to the client computer.

18. In a system having a server in communication with at least one networked device and a remote browser computing device in communication with the server, a method for providing a common device interface for manipulating networked devices, the method comprising:

obtaining a request to manipulate a networked device from the remote browser computing device, wherein the request includes one or more monitoring device control instructions encoded in a standard communication protocol;

translating the standard communication protocol control instructions into device-specific control protocols of the monitoring device; and

transmitting the translated device-specific control instruction to a networked device corresponding to the request.

26. A computer system providing a common device interface for manipulating controllable devices comprising:

a client computer including a wed-browser operable to generate standard protocol encoded instructions for one or more controllable devices;

a central server in communication with the client computer, wherein the central server is operable to transmit a control application corresponding to a designated controllable device;

a premises server in communication with at least one controllable device, wherein the premises server is operable to obtain standard protocol encoded instructions generated by the client computer, generate device-specific instructions for the designated controllable device and transmit the device-specific instructions to the designated controllable device.