Semantic appliance control system
First Claim
1. A semantic appliance control system, the system comprisinga computer or cellphone interface that can be connected to a server using a communication network and that allows a user to compose command sentences remotely;
- one or more control boxes that each can send and/receive control signals to/from one or more specific appliances and that is connected to a server using a communication network;
a control software on a server that receives and compiles a command sentence from a user into one or more control commands;
it further schedules the control commands from one or more users and sends each control command to one or more control boxes at one or more scheduled times.
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Abstract
This invention provides a semantic appliance control system consisting of a computer or cellphone interface that allows a user to compose command sentences remotely; one or more control boxes that each can send and/receive control signals to/from one or more specific appliances; and a control software on a server that receives and compiles a command sentence from a user into one or more control commands. The control software further schedules the control commands from one or more users and sends each control command to one or more control boxes at one or more scheduled times. The control box may as well include one or more sensors to collect and report the status of the appliance and the environment. Users may assert a set of rules in the control software such that whenever the status of an appliance or the environment satisfies certain condition(s), the control software may take one or more user-specified actions or that it can enforce certain conditions be satisfied all the time. The invention basically extends any existing appliance with user programmability. With the control software and a control box, a user may “program” or control the operations of an appliance remotely from a cellphone or a computer for personalized comfort, better performance and/or energy saving.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A semantic appliance control system, the system comprising
a computer or cellphone interface that can be connected to a server using a communication network and that allows a user to compose command sentences remotely; -
one or more control boxes that each can send and/receive control signals to/from one or more specific appliances and that is connected to a server using a communication network; a control software on a server that receives and compiles a command sentence from a user into one or more control commands;
it further schedules the control commands from one or more users and sends each control command to one or more control boxes at one or more scheduled times. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of controlling an appliance remotely, the method comprising
a user composes a command sentence or a rule sentence from a cellphone or a computer and sends it to a control software on a remote server via a communication network; -
the control software receives and compiles the command sentence or rule sentence into one or more control commands;
it further schedules the control commands and sends each control command to one or more control boxes at one or more scheduled times via a communication network;a control box receives and translates a control command into one or more (wired or wireless) control signals and sends the signals to one or more appliances. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of controlling an appliance remotely, the method comprising
a message containing the value of an environment variable or the state of an appliance is sent from a control box to the control software directly or indirectly via a master control box; the control software triggers zero, one or more applicable rules based on the value received.
Specification