Managing Local Environment Using Data Traffic Information

• US 20110040391A1
• Filed: 08/11/2009
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Torres, Javier R., Williamson, Paul S., Ruano, Julio E., Noecker, Nicholas J. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 9,766,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/19
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house

Abstract

A method, system, and computer usable program product for managing a local environment using data traffic information are provided in the illustrative embodiments. According to the invention, an data traffic on a data network associated with the local environment is monitored at a networking device. The local environment includes one or more devices. A device from the one or more devices is controllable using the data network. A condition in the local environment is inferred from the data traffic. An action to cause a change in the local environment is determined. A command corresponding to the action is sent to a subset of devices in the set of devices in the local environment to perform the action.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing a local environment using data traffic information stored in a computer memory, the computer implemented method comprising:

monitoring at a networking device, a data traffic on a data network associated with the local environment, the local environment comprising a set of devices, a device in the set of devices being controllable using the data network;

inferring a condition in the local environment from the data traffic;

determining an action to cause a change in the local environment; and

sending a command corresponding to the action to a subset of devices in the set of devices in the local environment to perform the action.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information from a set of information sources, wherein information from an information source in the set of information sources comprises one of (i) time, place, and condition information, (ii) local environment topology, and (iii) information for a configuration; and

using, in the inferring, a combination of the data traffic and the information from the set of information sources.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the local environment topology includes at least one of (i) geographical map of the local environment, (ii) geographical information describing the local environment and the set of devices, (iii) information about data network devices associated with the data network of the local environment, (iv) information about a second data network, and (v) geographical information about devices in the second data network.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting a pattern in the data traffic;

determining whether the pattern can be inferred from information from an information source in the set of information sources, forming an information inference determination;

inferring, responsive to the information inference determination being true, the condition using the information from the information source; and

inferring, responsive to the information inference determination being false, the condition using a rule to draw an inference from the pattern.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a pattern in the data traffic;

determining whether the pattern is specified in the configuration, forming configuration determination; and

selecting, responsive to the configuration determination being true, a configured action corresponding to the pattern and specified in the configuration as the action.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a pattern in the data traffic, wherein the inferring is based on the pattern, the inferring further comprising;

correlating the pattern with the condition in the local environment; and

storing the pattern and the action in a data storage.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a pattern in the data traffic, wherein the inferring is based on the pattern, the inferring further comprising;

determining whether the pattern and a stored action correlated to the pattern are stored in a data storage; and

performing, responsive to the stored action being in the data storage, the stored action as the action.

8. A computer usable program product comprising a computer usable storage medium including computer usable code for managing a local environment using data traffic information stored in a computer memory, the computer usable code comprising:

computer usable code for monitoring at a networking device, a data traffic on a data network associated with the local environment, the local environment comprising a set of devices, a device in the set of devices being controllable using the data network;

computer usable code for inferring a condition in the local environment from the data traffic;

computer usable code for determining an action to cause a change in the local environment; and

computer usable code for sending a command corresponding to the action to a subset of devices in the set of devices in the local environment to perform the action.

9. The computer usable program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer usable code for receiving information from a set of information sources, wherein information from an information source in the set of information sources comprises one of (i) time, place, and condition information, (ii) local environment topology, and (iii) information for a configuration; and

computer usable code for using, in the computer usable code for inferring, a combination of the data traffic and the information from the set of information sources.

10. The computer usable program product of claim 9, wherein the local environment topology includes at least one of (i) geographical map of the local environment, (ii) geographical information describing the local environment and the set of devices, (iii) information about data network devices associated with the data network of the local environment, (iv) information about a second data network, and (v) geographical information about devices in the second data network.

11. The computer usable program product of claim 9, further comprising:

computer usable code for detecting a pattern in the data traffic;

computer usable code for determining whether the pattern can be inferred from information from an information source in the set of information sources, forming an information inference determination;

computer usable code for inferring, responsive to the information inference determination being true, the condition using the information from the information source; and

computer usable code for inferring, responsive to the information inference determination being false, the condition using a rule to draw an inference from the pattern.

12. The computer usable program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer usable code for detecting a pattern in the data traffic;

computer usable code for determining whether the pattern is specified in the configuration, forming configuration determination; and

computer usable code for selecting, responsive to the configuration determination being true, a configured action corresponding to the pattern and specified in the configuration as the action.

13. The computer usable program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer usable code for detecting a pattern in the data traffic, wherein the inferring is based on the pattern, the computer usable code for inferring further comprising;

computer usable code for correlating the pattern with the condition in the local environment; and

computer usable code for storing the pattern and the action in a data storage.

14. The computer usable program product of claim 8, further comprising:

computer usable code for detecting a pattern in the data traffic, wherein the inferring is based on the pattern, the computer usable code for inferring further comprising;

computer usable code for determining whether the pattern and a stored action correlated to the pattern are stored in a data storage; and

computer usable code for performing, responsive to the stored action being in the data storage, the stored action as the action.

15. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer usable code is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a data processing system, and wherein the computer usable code is transferred over a network from a remote data processing system.

16. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer usable code is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a server data processing system, and wherein the computer usable code is downloaded over a network to a remote data processing system for use in a computer readable storage medium associated with the remote data processing system.

17. A data processing system for managing a local environment using data traffic information stored in a computer memory, the data processing system comprising:

a storage device including a storage medium, wherein the storage device stores computer usable program code; and

a processor, wherein the processor executes the computer usable program code, and wherein the computer usable program code comprises;

computer usable code for monitoring at a networking device, a data traffic on a data network associated with the local environment, the local environment comprising a set of devices, a device in the set of devices being controllable using the data network;

computer usable code for inferring a condition in the local environment from the data traffic;

computer usable code for determining an action to cause a change in the local environment; and

computer usable code for sending a command corresponding to the action to a subset of devices in the set of devices in the local environment to perform the action.

18. The data processing system of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable code for receiving information from a set of information sources, wherein information from an information source in the set of information sources comprises one of (i) time, place, and condition information, (ii) local environment topology, and (iii) information for a configuration; and

computer usable code for using, in the computer usable code for inferring, a combination of the data traffic and the information from the set of information sources.

19. The data processing system of claim 18, further comprising:

computer usable code for detecting a pattern in the data traffic;

computer usable code for determining whether the pattern can be inferred from information from an information source in the set of information sources, forming an information inference determination;

computer usable code for inferring, responsive to the information inference determination being true, the condition using the information from the information source; and

computer usable code for inferring, responsive to the information inference determination being false, the condition using a rule to draw an inference from the pattern.

20. The data processing system of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable code for detecting a pattern in the data traffic;

computer usable code for determining whether the pattern is specified in the configuration, forming configuration determination; and

computer usable code for selecting, responsive to the configuration determination being true, a configured action corresponding to the pattern and specified in the configuration as the action.