Intelligent Device Control System & Method
First Claim
1. A method of discerning and/or responding to occupancy conditions comprising the steps of:
- providing receivability for a first occupancy event signal associated with a first occupiable area and effecting one or more signal reactive protocols;
capacitating one or more opportunities for interaction with potential occupants of the first occupiable area so that a realized interaction opportunity can engender one or more second occupancy event signals, wherein one or more of the signal reactive protocols are responsive to active signals, inactive signals, or both; and
responding to at least one of the second occupancy event signals by effecting one or more of the signal reactive protocols.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention provide capabilities of ascertaining, distinguishing, responding to, and interacting with usage and/or users of an area. A controller is realizable in a variety of manners, including purpose-built state machines; software realizable controllers engenderable as physically individual or virtual machines; protocols and/or procedures, habitually computer executable, that are integratable or performable by other programs. Among the primary facets of many embodiments of the present invention is the use of an operative motion detector'"'"'s ongoing lack of a motion detection as actually a positive detection of a lack of motion that provides useful and actionable information. Additional manners of sensing and/or interacting with potential usage are also employed to provide further capacities for intelligent occupancy analysis and response. Many embodiments of the present invention are effectible as at least partially hard-wired and/or at least partially software based alternates, and can include virtual executions.
11 Citations
90 Claims
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1. A method of discerning and/or responding to occupancy conditions comprising the steps of:
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providing receivability for a first occupancy event signal associated with a first occupiable area and effecting one or more signal reactive protocols; capacitating one or more opportunities for interaction with potential occupants of the first occupiable area so that a realized interaction opportunity can engender one or more second occupancy event signals, wherein one or more of the signal reactive protocols are responsive to active signals, inactive signals, or both; and responding to at least one of the second occupancy event signals by effecting one or more of the signal reactive protocols. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. The method of discerning and/or responding to occupancy conditions according to 1 further comprising the step of collecting, arranging, relaying, analyzing, and/or processing information related to one or more of the interaction opportunities, occupancy event signals'"'"' active and/or inactive occurrences, occupancy events, occupiable areas associated with occupancy event signals, signal reactive protocols, and responses to the signals.
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22. A system for discerning and/or responding to occupancy conditions comprising:
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a controller capable of both receiving a first occupancy event signal associated with a first occupiable area and effecting one or more signal reactive protocols that are responsive to active signals, inactive signals, or both; wherein the controller can further (a) capacitate one or more opportunities for interaction with potential occupants of the first occupiable area so that a realized interaction opportunity can engender one or more second occupancy event signals, and (b) respond to at least one of the second occupancy event signals by effecting one or more of the signal reactive protocols. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. Computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon to perform a method of assessing events associated with usage of a monitored space, said method comprising:
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instituting one or more assessment procedures responsive to precursor evidence of usage of one or more monitored spaces by being receptive to successor evidence of usage of at least one of the monitored spaces, said successor evidence comprising data capable of indicating either usage detected or usage undetected, said receptivity optionally occurring after a specifiable period; receiving the data comprising the successor evidence; and responding with one or more of the assessment procedures by assessing, from the data indicating either usage detected or undetected, events potentially associated with usage of monitored space. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A grouping of one or more computer executables that assess events associated with usage of a monitored space comprising at least one each of:
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an executable procedure responder to precursor evidence of usage of one or more monitored spaces by becoming receptive to successor evidence of usage of at least one of the monitored spaces, said successor evidence comprising data indicating usage either detected or undetected, said receptivity optionally occurring after a specifiable period; and an executable procedure assessor that receives the successor evidence and assesses, from the precursor and successor evidence, the potential of events associated with usage of the monitored space. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. A method of assessing events associated with an observed area comprising the steps of:
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observing a first area sufficiently that occurrences of access to and/or from the first area are observed; perceiving a first action event occurring in the first area and then effecting a first determination that a first action event source is in the first area when the first action event occurred; and
, optionally,maintaining the first determination that the first action event source is in the first area until a first observation of the first area access occurrence. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
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68. A method of assessing events associated with an observed area comprising the steps of:
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observing a first area sufficiently that occurrences of access to and/or from the first area are observed, and realizing a first observation that an initial first area access has occurred; capacitating one or more opportunities for interaction, once the first observation is realized, wherein realizing an interaction entails engendering a first action event in the first area; effecting a first determination that one or more occupants are in the first area when the first action event occurred; and
, optionally,maintaining the first determination that occupants are in the first area until a second observation of first area access. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70, 71, 78)
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72. A controller suitable for attaining occupancy awareness utilizable for device control comprising:
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processor-executable programming able to effect a multitude of controller states in response to received signals of events related to occupancy of a monitored space, including a first state corresponding to a subject being potentially within the monitored space, a second state corresponding to effecting opportunities for the subject to confirm presence in the monitored space, a third state corresponding to confirmation of the subject'"'"'s presence in the monitored space; and
, optionally, an initial state in which the controller is not aware of occupancy of the monitored space;wherein changing the subject'"'"'s presence in the monitored space engenders particular occupancy related event signals that are receivable by the controller which, when in the third state, maintains awareness of the subject'"'"'s confirmed presence in the monitored space without further presence awareness attaining actions until receipt of the particular occupancy related event signals. - View Dependent Claims (73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 79)
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80. A system for distinguishing sound events'"'"' occupancy implications comprising:
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a signal comparator, a first sound sensor respondable to a first sound event detectable in a first monitored region and a second sound sensor separated from the first sound sensor; wherein differences in the responses of the first and second sound sensors to the first sound event are determinable by the signal comparator to exceed a first threshold only when the first sound event'"'"'s source occurs within the first region.
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81. A system for assessing sound events'"'"' occupancy implications comprising:
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a signal assessor receptive to a first and a potential second sound sensor signal that are respectively producible by spatially separated first and second sound sensors in response to a first sound event occurring in a first monitored area, said first and second sound sensor signals'"'"' difference exceeding a first threshold only when the first sound event'"'"'s source is within the first monitored area; wherein the assessor can discern, upon receiving the first sound sensor signal, whether the potential second signal that differs from the first by more than the first threshold is received. - View Dependent Claims (82, 83, 84)
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85. A method of assessing sound events'"'"' occupancy implications comprising the steps of:
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capacitating receptivity to a first and a potential second sound sensor signal that are respectively producible by spatially separated first and second sound sensors in response to a first sound event occurring in a first monitored area, said first and second sound sensor signals'"'"' difference exceeding a first threshold only when the first sound event'"'"'s source is within the first monitored area; and discerning, upon receiving the first sound sensor signal, whether the potential second signal that differs from the first by more than the first threshold is received. - View Dependent Claims (86, 87, 88)
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89. A system for assessing events associated with an observed area comprising:
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a first area observer that observes any access to and/or from the first area and realizes a first observation when a first area access occurs; an interactor, optionally capacitated by realization of the first observation, that can realize an interaction when a first action event occurs in the first area; and an assessor that can; (a) effect a first determination of use of the first area when the first action event occurs, and optionally, (b) maintain the first determination until a subsequent first observation. - View Dependent Claims (90)
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Specification