NETWORK-BASED ACCESS AND CONTROL OF HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

• US 20090066534A1
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: SIVAKKOLUNDHU, Premanand X.
• Granted Patent: US 8,310,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.520
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• 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 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A device may include a memory to store a home automation graphical application and a processor to operate based on the home automation graphical application to establish via a network a communication link with a home automation system, and provide a graphical user interface to permit a user to view state information of home devices or modify home automation configuration data to control home devices.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a home automation graphical application;

a processor to operate in cooperation with the home automation graphical application to;

establish, via a network, a communication link with a node having home automation configuration data, where the home automation configuration data represents home devices connected to a home automation system,

receive, via a network, home automation configuration data of the home automation system,

provide a graphical user interface to permit a user to perform at least one of view state information of the home devices or modify the home automation configuration data to control the home devices, and

transmit and store on the node, via the network, the home automation configuration data when the home automation configuration data is modified to control the home devices based on the modified home automation configuration data.

2. The device of claim 1, where the node is the home automation system.

3. The device of claim 1, where the node is a service provider server.

4. The device of claim 1, where the graphical user interface permits the user to modify comprises a graphical user interface to permit the user to control operations of the home devices based on a user selection of at least one of a home device, a room, a floor, a home, a day, a time, or a category of a home device.

5. The device of claim 1, where the graphical user interface permits the user to view state information comprises a graphical user interface to permit the user to view state information based on a user selection of at least one of a home device, a room, a floor, a home, or a category of a home device.

6. The device of claim 1, where the processor to operate in cooperation with the home automation graphical application to display further comprises to:

convert home automation configuration data to graphical home automation configuration data.

7. The device of claim 1, where the processor to operate in cooperation with the home automation graphical application to provide further comprises to:

provide a graphical user interface to permit the user to assign corresponding icons to represent home devices.

8. The device of claim 1, where the graphical user interface permits the user to modify comprises a graphical user interface to permit the user to control a turning on and a turning off of a home device.

9. The device of claim 1, where the graphical user interface permits the user to modify comprises a graphical user interface to permit the user to control a central control unit of the home automation system.

10. A system, comprising:

a service provider server to;

receive a request from a user device for home automation configuration data;

provide access to the home automation configuration data; and

store home automation configuration data on a home automation system, when the user device modifies home automation configuration data, to control home devices connected to the home automation system based on the home automation configuration data stored.

11. The system of claim 10, where the service provider server retrieves the home automation configuration data from the home automation system when the user device requests the home automation configuration data.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving, via a network, by a user device, home automation configuration data of a home automation system;

displaying, by the user device, home automation configuration data;

providing, by the user device, a graphical user interface to at least one of view state information associated with home devices connected to the home automation system, or modify home automation configuration data associated with the home devices;

storing on the home automation system, via the network, by the user device when the home automation configuration data is modified to control home devices based on the modified home automation configuration data stored.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

viewing state information of home devices based on a selection of at least one of a home device, a room of a home, a floor of a home, a home, or a category of a home device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

modifying home automation configuration data based on a selection of at least one of a home device, a room of a home, a floor of a home, a home, a time, a day, or a category of a home device.

15. The method of claim 12, where the displaying further comprises:

displaying at least one of each room in a home that includes a home device connected to the home automation system, or each floor in the home that includes a home device connected to the home automation system.

16. The method of claim 12, where the displaying further comprises:

converting the home automation configuration data to a graphical format; and

assigning icons corresponding to the home devices.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

modifying home automation configuration data based on a selection of a control settings associated with home devices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the selection of the control settings is at least one of a room based control setting, a floor based control setting, or a global based control setting.

19. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive home automation configuration data from a home automation system that is connected to a network;

provide a graphical user interface to permit a user to view state information of a home device connected to the home automation system and permit the user to modify the home automation configuration data; and

store modified home automation configuration data to the home automation system to control home devices connected thereto based on the modified home automation configuration data.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, where the graphical user interface permits a user to arrange icons representing home devices within a graphical representation of a room in a home, and customize an appearance of the room using icons that represent at least one of furniture, a rug, a window, or a room template.