Smart environment
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A smart environment for providing selective access to appliances comprising:
- a plurality of appliances, wherein each appliance is assigned a unique identifier (UID);
a plurality of terminals adapted to wirelessly communicate with and control the appliances, wherein each terminal is assigned a UID; and
a database adapted to store authorization information;
wherein each appliance, prior to allowing control by one of the terminals, queries the authorization information to verify that the one terminal is authorized to control that appliance.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for providing selective access to appliances by terminals in a smart environment is provided. Each terminal and appliance is assigned a unique identification code (UID). Appliances and terminals wireless transmit their UID and receive UIDs transmitted by other appliances and terminals. Upon receiving a terminal'"'"'s UID, an appliance queries a database to determine whether the terminal is authorized to control that appliance based on authorization information stored in the database. An owner may be notified id a terminal without authorization attempts to control an appliance or enters the environment.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A smart environment for providing selective access to appliances comprising:
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a plurality of appliances, wherein each appliance is assigned a unique identifier (UID);
a plurality of terminals adapted to wirelessly communicate with and control the appliances, wherein each terminal is assigned a UID; and
a database adapted to store authorization information;
wherein each appliance, prior to allowing control by one of the terminals, queries the authorization information to verify that the one terminal is authorized to control that appliance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for providing selective access to one or more appliances by one or more terminals in a smart environment, where each terminal and each appliance have a unique identifier (UID), comprising the steps of:
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(i) wirelessly transmitting a UID from one of the terminals to one of the appliances;
(ii) querying a database of authorization information for the received UID;
(iii) granting control of the one appliance to the terminal when the database contains predetermined authorization information corresponding to the terminal; and
(iv) using the one terminal to control the one appliance. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A wireless terminal, comprising:
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a wireless transceiver that communicates with at least one appliance, wherein the wireless transceiver repetitively transmits a unique identifier (UID), and listens for an appliance UID transmitted by an appliance, and a memory for storing data comprising;
a terminal unique identification (UTn), an appliance database comprising information corresponding to controlling at least one appliance; and
computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the terminal to perform the step of querying the appliance database for information corresponding to a received appliance UID. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. A computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed in an appliance cause it to perform the steps of:
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(i) transmitting an appliance unique identifier (UID);
(ii) receiving a terminal UID;
(iii) querying an authorization database for authorization information corresponding to the terminal UID; and
(iv) selectively granting access to the appliance by a terminal corresponding to the received terminal UID based on the authorization information returned in step (iii). - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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30. An appliance, comprising:
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a wireless transceiver that communicates with at least one terminal, wherein the wireless transceiver repetitively transmits a unique identifier (UID) associated with the appliance, and listens for a terminal UID transmitted by a terminal, and a memory for storing data comprising;
the unique identifier (UID) associated with the appliance, computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the appliance to perform the steps of;
(i) querying an authorization database for information corresponding to a received terminal UID; and
(ii) allowing the terminal associated with the received terminal UID to control the appliance when the query results from step (i) meet predetermined criteria. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification