INFORMATION BRIDGE BETWEEN MANUFACTURER SERVER AND MONITORING DEVICE ON A CUSTOMER NETWORK

• US 20110161951A1
• Filed: 12/31/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: VAN GORP, JOHN C., ANDERSON, DAVID
• Granted Patent: US 10,263,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• 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 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

According to one aspect, a monitoring device is in communication with a computer over a first network. The computer is further in communication with a server over a second network. The computer includes a memory. A method for providing device information from the monitoring device to the server includes accessing a device web page stored on the monitoring device using a browser application operating on the computer. The monitoring device measures a utility characteristic and stores data indicative of the utility characteristic on a memory of the monitoring device. The method further includes receiving a file from the monitoring device. The file includes the device information. The device information includes at least device model information that identifies a model or type of the monitoring device. The method still further includes storing the file in the memory of the computer, accessing a server web page stored on the server using the browser application operating on the computer, and transmitting the file to the server.

Claims

1. A method for providing device information from a monitoring device to a server, the monitoring device being in communication with a computer over a first network, the computer further being in communication with the server over a second network, the computer including a memory, the method comprising:

accessing a device web page stored on the monitoring device using a browser application operating on the computer, the monitoring device measuring a utility characteristic and storing data indicative of the utility characteristic on a memory of the monitoring device;

receiving a file from the monitoring device, the file including the device information, the device information including at least device model information identifying a model or type of the monitoring device;

storing the file in the memory of the computer;

accessing a server web page stored on the server using the browser application operating on the computer; and

transmitting the file to the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device information further includes at least a portion of the data indicative of the utility characteristic measured by the monitoring device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device information is indicative of a version of software or firmware stored on the monitoring device.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving, at the computer from the server, a software or firmware update for the monitoring device based on a comparison of the version of software or firmware provided in the device information; and

transmitting the software or firmware update from the computer to the monitoring device.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising modifying the file stored in the memory of the computer to indicate the software or firmware update transmitted from the computer to the monitoring device.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, at the computer from the server, a notification or advertisement for the monitoring device based on a comparison of the device model information provided in the device information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network is a private network and the second network is an external network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the file is a cookie file.

9. A method for providing device information from a monitoring device to a server, the monitoring device being in communication with a computer over a first network, the computer further being in communication with the server over second network, the method comprising:

accessing a device web page stored on the monitoring device using a browser application operating on the computer, the monitoring device measuring a utility characteristic and storing data indicative of the utility characteristic on a memory of the monitoring device;

receiving a uniform resource locator (URL) from the monitoring device, the URL being associated with a server, the URL including a query string corresponding to the device information, the device information including at least device model information identifying the model or type of the monitoring device; and

accessing the server using the URL.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

displaying the device web page in a first frame of the browser application, the web browser comprising a graphical interface; and

simultaneously displaying a response from the server in a second frame of the browser application.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

forming the query string based on the device information; and

incorporating the query string into the URL.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the device information includes at least a portion of the data indicative of the utility characteristic measured by the monitoring device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the device information is indicative of a version of software or firmware stored on the monitoring device.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising

receiving, at the computer from the server, a software or firmware update for the monitoring device based on a comparison of the version of software or firmware provided in the device information;

and

transmitting the software or firmware update from the computer to the monitoring device.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the first network is a private network and the second network is an external network.

16. A method for receiving device information from a monitoring device in a server, the monitoring device being in communication with a computer over a first network, the computer further being in communication with the server over a second network, the computer including a memory, the method comprising:

forming the device information into a cookie file, the device information including at least device model information indentifying a model or type of the monitoring device, the monitoring device measuring a characteristic of a utility and storing data indicative of the characteristic in the memory of the monitoring device; and

transmitting the cookie file from the computer to the server.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting data indicative of the device information from the monitoring device to the computer, the computer forming the cookie file based on the data received from the monitoring device.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting the cookie file from the monitoring device to the computer.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the device information is indicative of a version of software or firmware stored on the monitoring device, and the method further comprising:

receiving, at the computer from the server, a software or firmware update for the monitoring device based on a comparison of the version of software or firmware provided in the device information; and

transmitting the software or firmware update from the computer to the monitoring device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first network is a private network and the second network is an external network.