SYSTEMS, DEVICES AND METHODS FOR PROVISIONING, PAIRING AND ACTIVATING A NEWLY MANUFACTURED DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC JOINING OF CUSTOMER'S NETWORK

• US 20130185400A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Logic PD, Inc. (discoverIE Group Plc)
• Original Assignee: Logic PD, Inc. (discoverIE Group Plc)
• Inventors: Larson, Kurt T., Feraru, Eugen, Tilstra, Michael, Benson, Mark, Tilstra, Matthew, Hilden, Matthew, Klein, Nick, Nelson, Scott A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,313,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

The invention provides systems and methods for providing a unified single-scan user interface for accessing and managing a remotely located device throughout its life cycle, including cellular network provisioning, cloud data provider registration, initialization and activation, as well as providing end users with easy access to the device and its data. The end user simply powers the device on and the device automatically connects with the communication network and the cloud data provider. The device comes to the end user already provisioned and paired and activated with the cloud data provider and the communication network provider. Further, the user account, or accounts, for the use of the device is both active and recorded for billing by the various service providers supporting the device use, i.e., the communication network provider(s).

Claims

1. A method for providing a remote device that automatically joins an end user'"'"'s communication network when powered up, comprising:

manufacturing a device with at least one network radio modem;

providing provisioning and activation of the device with a communication network provider during the manufacturing and distribution process;

providing provisioning and activating of the device with a cloud data services provider during the device manufacturing and distribution process;

providing pairing of a user'"'"'s account relating to the end user with the cloud data services provider during the manufacturing and distribution process;

automatically joining the device with the cloud data services provider and the provisioned and activated communication network upon power up by the end user; and

automatically joining the device with associated devices or sensors on additional device networks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises one of the group consisting of wide area network, local area network, personal area network and ethernet network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wide area communication network comprises a wireless cellular network and/or a wifi network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the local area network comprises a satellite uplink network.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the personal area communication network comprises a Bluetooth network, a ZigBee network, a 802.15.4 network, and/or a Near Field Communication network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising remotely monitoring the device after power up.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising remotely controlling the device after power up

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising remotely actuating or de-actuating the device after power up.

9. A system for providing a networked remote device, comprising:

providing a device with a network radio modem and having an optically scannable identification label with at least one unique identification data obtained during manufacture of the device encoded on the identification label;

providing a device engine, comprising a device website, device database and identification code website;

providing a communication network supplier, wherein the communication network supplier further provides a network from one of the group consisting of;

a wide area network, a local area network, a personal area network, and an ethernet network;

providing a cloud data services provider, wherein the device engine is in operative communication with the communication network supplier and the cloud data services provider, and wherein the communication network supplier is in operative communication with the cloud data services provider;

provisioning the device at a manufacturing stage relative to the communication network supplier and the cloud data services provider;

activating the device at a distribution kitting stage relative to the communication network supplier and the cloud data services provider;

shipping the activated device to the user;

powering on the activated device; and

automatically joining the device with a device network, wherein the device and device network are in operative communication with the device engine, the communication network supplier and the cloud data services provider.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the wide area communication network comprises a wireless cellular network and/or a wifi network.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the local area network comprises a satellite uplink network.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the personal area communication network comprises a Bluetooth network, a ZigBee network, a 802.15.4 network and/or a Near Field Communication network.

13. A method for obtaining, from a remotely located device, data regarding the device, comprising:

manufacturing a device with a network radio modem;

providing provisioning and activation of the device with a communication network provider during the device manufacturing and distribution process wherein the communication network supplier supplies a network from one of the group consisting of;

a wide area network, a local area network, a personal area network and an ethernet network.

providing provisioning of the device with a cloud data services provider during the device manufacturing and distribution process;

remotely locating the device from a user within a device network, the device and device network in operative communication with the communication network supplier and the cloud data services provider;

automatically joining the device with the cloud data services provider and the communication network supplier upon power up by the end user; and

scanning the identification label to view data regarding the remotely located device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wide area communication network comprises a wireless cellular network and/or a satellite uplink network.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the local area network comprises a wifi network.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the personal area communication network comprises a Bluetooth network, a ZigBee network, a 802.15.4 network, and/or a Near Field Communication network.

17. A method for actuating and/or controlling a remotely located device, comprising:

manufacturing a device with a network radio modem;

providing provisioning and activation of the device with a communication network provider during the device manufacturing and distribution process wherein the communication network supplier supplies a network from one of the group consisting of;

a wide area network, a local area network, a personal area network, and an ethernet network;

providing provisioning of the device with a cloud data services provider during the device manufacturing and distribution process;

remotely locating the device from a user within a device network, the device and device network in operative communication with the communication network supplier and the cloud data services provider;

automatically joining the device with the cloud data services provider and the communication network supplier upon power up by the end user;

scanning the identification label to view data regarding the remotely located device; and

communicating with the device to activate and/or control the device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the wide area communication network comprises a wireless cellular network and/or a satellite uplink network.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the local area network comprises a wifi network.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the personal area communication network comprises a Bluetooth network, a ZigBee network, a 802.15.4 network and/or a Near Field Communication network.

21. A method for provisioning a device with a communication network supplier and a cloud data provider during manufacture, comprising:

at the manufacturing facility, generating an optically readable label comprising at least one unique data element encoded thereon for identifying the device;

labeling the device with the optically readable label at the manufacturing facility;

embedding the encoded at least one data element within the device at the manufacturing facility;

provisioning the device relative to a communication network supplier wherein the communication network supplier is selected from the group consisting of a wide area network supplier, a personal area network supplier, a local area network supplier and an ethernet network supplier, by firstly moving the status of the device relating to a wireless network provider from unassigned to network activated, then secondly moving the status of the device relating to the communication network supplier from network activated to network suspended; and

provisioning the device with a cloud data provider at the manufacturing facility, thereby moving the device status relating to the cloud data provider from unassigned to assigned as serial number.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising moving the status of the device relating to the cloud data provider at the distribution facility in response to a customer order from assigned as serial number to assigning as device to assigned as device to activated device;

and

shipping the activated device to the customer in satisfaction of the customer order.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising moving the status of the device relating to the communication network supplier at the distribution facility in response to a customer order from network suspended to network activated;

and

shipping the network activated device to the customer in satisfaction of the customer order.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising moving the status of the device relating to the communication network supplier at the distribution facility in response to a customer order from network suspended to network activated;

and

shipping the activated and network activated device to the customer in satisfaction of the customer order.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising pairing the device with a customer'"'"'s account in response to a customer order for the device, wherein the pairing occurs at the distribution facility;

and

shipping the paired device to the customer in satisfaction of the customer order.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising pairing the device with a customer'"'"'s account in response to a customer order for the device, wherein the pairing occurs at the distribution facility;

and

shipping the paired device to the customer in satisfaction of the customer order.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the wide area communication network comprises a wireless cellular network and/or a satellite uplink network.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the local area network comprises a wifi network.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the personal area communication network comprises a Bluetooth network, a ZigBee network, a 802.15.4 network and/or a Near Field Communication network.

30. A newly manufactured device capable of generating or sensing data when joined in a network, comprising:

a radio modem, in operative communication with a device engine and a user via QR code scanning, wherein the newly manufactured device comes to a customer having a customer'"'"'s user account; and

a data sensor, in operative communication with the radio modem,

the device having been;

activated relative to a communication network supplier wherein the communication network supplier is selected from the group consisting of a wide area network supplier, a local area network supplier, a personal area network supplier, and an ethernet network supplier;

provisioned and activated relative to a cloud data service provider, and

paired with the customer'"'"'s user account, wherein the device automatically joins the network supplied by the communication network supplier when first powered up and thereby becoming a networked device capable of generating or sensing data.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the wide area communication network comprises a wireless cellular network and/or a satellite uplink network.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the local area network comprises a wifi network.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the personal area communication network comprises a Bluetooth network, a ZigBee network, a 802.15.4 network and/or a Near Field Communication network.

34. The device of claim 30, further comprising the customer remotely viewing data relating to the device by scanning the QR code relating to the networked device.

35. The device of claim 30, wherein the device is a gateway device comprising both cellular network and local area wireless network communication capabilities.

36. The device of claim 30, wherein the device is a gateway device comprising cellular network, wifi network, Ethernet network, and satellite uplink network communication capabilities.

37. The device of claim 30, wherein the device comprises sensor nodes with local area wireless network capability.

38. The device of claim 30, wherein the device'"'"'s data sensor comprises a sensor for monitoring one of the group consisting of:

tank level, temperature, humidity, liquid leakage, movement and vibration.

39. The device of claim 30, wherein the device'"'"'s data sensor comprises a sensor for monitoring one of the group consisting of:

distance, sound level, pressure, voltage, current, weight, and wavelength.

40. The device of claim 30, wherein the device'"'"'s data sensor comprises a sensor for monitoring velocity, acceleration, and position.

41. The device of claim 30, wherein the device'"'"'s data sensor comprises a sensor for monitoring one of the group consisting of velocity, acceleration and position.

42. The device of claim 30, wherein the device'"'"'s data sensor comprises a sensor for monitoring frequency, period and duty cycle.

43. The device of claim 30, wherein the device'"'"'s data sensor comprises a sensor for monitoring one of the group consisting of:

frequency, period and duty cycle.