METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGEMENT OF APPLICATIONS FOR AN SMA CONTROLLER

• US 20100281135A1
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: uControl, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Cohn, Alan Wade, Faulkner, Gary Robert, Quain, Corey Wayne, Proft, David Leon, Kitchen, James Edward
• Granted Patent: US 10,813,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0736 in functional embedded systems, i.e. in a data processing system designed as a combination of hardware and software dedicated to performing a certain function testing or monitoring of automated control systems G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/005 combined burglary and fire alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/004 Alarm propagated along alternative communication path or using alternative communication medium according to a hierarchy of available ways to communicate, e.g. if Wi-Fi not available use GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/08 Signalling of tampering with the line circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/16 Security signalling or alarm systems, e.g. redundant systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 : Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 : Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2832 : Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 : Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 : for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 : Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 : for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 : Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 : for emergency connections

Abstract

A server-based environment for management of widget programs distributable to remote execution and display devices is provided. Embodiments of the present invention provide a set of tools for operator development of widget programs, operator provisioning of the widget programs and user selection of programs or parameters for the widget programs. Embodiments of the present invention further provide for operator-determined widget program or widget program functionality distribution.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

importing a widget program package into a widget management system, wherein

the widget program package comprises a widget program executable by a remote network node;

restricting access to the widget program to a subset of customers of the widget management system; and

providing the widget program to a customer of the widget management system for installation on the remote network node, wherein

the customer of the widget management system is a member of the subset of customers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing comprises:

selecting the customer of the widget management system from all customers of the widget management system; and

automatically transmitting the widget program to the remote network node associated with the customer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said restricting access comprises:

assigning the widget program to a service tier, wherein

the subset of customers are members of the service tier.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said providing comprises:

identifying a customer service tier associated with the customer of the widget management system;

displaying, to the customer, information associated with the widget management program, if the customer service tier matches the service tier assigned to the widget program; and

transmitting the widget program to the remote network node associated with the customer, if the customer selects the widget program.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

defining the service tier to correspond to a customer purchased level of service.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

assigning a range of functionality of the widget program to the service tier.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the widget program package further comprises:

a widget manifest file describing the widget program, wherein the widget manifest file comprises one or more of a minimum firmware version of the remote network node, a version number of the widget program, a property definition of the widget program, a run mode of the widget program, an identifier for a widget engine, and an editor key.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the property definition comprises one or more of an admin property definition editable by an management portal account having authority to modify widget admin properties, a premise default property definition specifying an initial default setting editable by an end-user account, and a user property definition.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the run mode of the widget program comprises one of:

a static run mode providing that an icon associated with the widget program does not change;

a persistent run mode providing that the icon associated with the widget program changes with new data as the data arrives; and

a persistent with persistent window run mode providing that the icon associated with the widget program changes with new data as the data arrives and a window associated with the widget program is instantiated off screen when not displayed on a display device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said restricting access comprises:

associating the widget program with a customer service, wherein

the subset of customers subscribe to the customer service.

11. A widget management system comprising:

a database server configured to store a widget program package, wherein

the widget program package comprises a widget program executable by a remote network node;

a management portal server configured to

restrict access to the widget program to a subset of users of the widget management system; and

a third server configured to provide the widget program to a customer of the widget management system for installation on a remote network node, wherein

the customer of the widget management system is a member of the subset of customers.

12. The widget management system of claim 11 wherein the third server is configured to perform said providing by being further configured to:

select the customer of the widget management system from all customers of the widget management system; and

automatically transmit the widget program to the remote network node associated with the customer.

13. The widget management system of claim 11 wherein the management portal server is configured to restrict access to the widget program by further being configured to:

assign the widget program to a service tier, wherein

the subset of customers are members of the service tier.

14. The widget management system of claim 13 wherein the third server is configured to perform said providing by being further configured to:

identify a customer service tier associated with the customer of the widget management system;

display, to the customer, information associated with the widget management program, if the customer service tier matches the service tier assigned to the widget program; and

transmit the widget program to the remote network node associated with the customer, if the customer selects the widget program.

15. The widget management system of claim 13 wherein the management portal server is further configured to:

define the service tier to correspond to a customer purchased level of service.

16. The widget management system of claim 13 wherein the management portal server is further configured to:

assign a range of functionality of the widget program to the service tier.

17. The widget management system of claim 11 wherein the widget program package further comprises:

a widget manifest file describing the widget program, wherein the widget manifest file comprises one or more of a minimum firmware version of the remote network node, a version number of the widget program, a property definition of the widget program, a run mode of the widget program, an identifier for a widget engine, and an editor key.

18. The widget management system of claim 17 wherein the property definition comprises one or more of an admin property definition editable by an management portal account having authority to modify widget admin properties, a premise default property definition specifying an initial default setting editable by an end-user account, and a user property definition.

19. The widget management system of claim 17 wherein the run mode of the widget program comprises one of:

a static run mode providing that an icon associated with the widget program does not change when displayed on the remote network node;

a persistent run mode providing that the icon associated with the widget program changes with new data as the data arrives when displayed on the remote network node; and

a persistent with persistent window run mode providing that the icon associated with the widget program changes with new data as the data arrives and a window associated with the widget program is instantiated off screen when not displayed on the remote network node.

20. The widget management system of claim 11 wherein the management portal server is configured to restrict access to the widget program by further being configured to:

associate the widget program with a customer service, wherein the subset of customers subscribe to the customer service.

21. A widget management system comprising:

means for importing a widget program package into the widget management system, wherein

the widget program package comprises a widget program executable by a remote network node;

means for restricting access to the widget program to a subset of customers of the widget management system; and

means for providing the widget program to a customer of the widget management system for installation on the remote network node, wherein

the customer of the widget management system is a member of the subset of customers.

22. The widget management system of claim 21 wherein said means for providing comprises:

means for selecting the customer of the widget management system from all customers of the widget management system; and

means for automatically transmitting the widget program to the remote network node associated with the customer.

23. The widget management system of claim 21 wherein said means for providing comprises:

means for assigning the widget program to a service tier, wherein the subset of customers are members of the service tier;

means for identifying a customer service tier associated with the customer of the widget management system;

means for displaying, to the customer, information associated with the widget management program, if the customer service tier matches the service tier assigned to the widget program; and

means for transmitting the widget program to the remote network node associated with the customer, if the customer selects the widget program.

24. The widget management system of claim 21 further comprising:

means for defining the service tier to correspond to a customer purchased level of service.