SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCALLY MANAGING NETWORK APPLIANCES IN A CLOSED AREA NETWORK VIA A GATEWAY DEVICE

• US 20140289387A1
• Filed: 02/21/2014
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infosys Limited
• Original Assignee: Infosys Limited
• Inventors: Ghosh, Animikh, Patil, Ketan, Vuppala, Sunil Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 9,444,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management

Abstract

A system, medium and method of managing, via a gateway device, to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of network appliances in a closed local area network is disclosed. A data message is received from a first network appliance configured to communicate data in association with a first application profile. The first application profile is retrieved from a locally stored application profile database upon being identified. A database is accessed at the gateway device containing policy information of the first network appliance and evaluated for one or more policy parameters. A first instruction command is generated at the gateway device based on the accessed policy information, wherein the instruction command conforms with the first application profile to instruct the first network appliance to perform a specified action. The instruction command is wirelessly transmitted from the gateway device to the first network appliance to cause it to perform a specified action.

Claims

1. A method of managing, via a gateway device configured to wireless communicate with a plurality of network appliances in a closed local area network, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, at a gateway device in communication with a plurality of network appliances in a close local area network, a data message from a first network appliance configured to communicate data in association with a first application profile;

retrieving, at the gateway device, the first application profile from a locally stored application profile database upon identifying the first network appliance from the received data message;

accessing one or more databases at the gateway device containing policy information with regard to at least the first network appliance;

evaluating the policy information in the one or more databases in association with one or more policy parameters at the gateway device;

generating a first instruction command at the gateway device based on at least the accessed policy information, the first instruction command generated in conformance with the first application profile and configured to instruct the first network appliance to perform a specified action;

wirelessly transmitting the first instruction command from the gateway device to at least the first network appliance, wherein the first network appliance performs the specified action in conjunction with the first instruction command.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, at the gateway device, a second instruction command for a second network appliance in the closed area network, the second instruction command generated based on at least the accessed policy information, the second instruction command generated in conformance with an application profile corresponding to the second network appliance;

wirelessly transmitting the second instruction command from the gateway device to at least the second network appliance, wherein the second network appliance performs the specified action in conjunction with the second instruction command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data message from the first network appliance is associated with data taken from one or more sensors of the first network appliance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first instruction command is configured to cause one or more actuators of the first network appliances to operate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data message from the first network appliance includes sensor data, and wherein the policy information includes one or more triggering operating parameters with respect to sensor data received from the first network device, the method further comprising:

communicating data with one or more server devices associated with at least one network appliance of the plurality, wherein the communication data is processed by the one or more server devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a plurality of proposed operation schedules, each proposed operation schedule designating selected operation times for a set of a plurality of selected network appliances over a designated time duration;

analyzing the plurality of generated proposed schedules in association with one or more set operating constraints;

identifying an optimized schedule from the proposed operation schedules, the optimized schedule having a lowest utility cost for operating the network appliances and satisfying the one or more set operating constraints.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

accounting for preselected probability indexes for each network appliance for each time increment in the time duration, the probability indexes representative of priority of operation of the network appliances;

applying the probability indexes in generating each proposed operating schedule.

8. A processor readable medium having stored thereon instructions for managing a gateway device configured to wireless communicate with a plurality of network appliances in a closed local area network, the medium comprising processor executable code which, when executed by at least one processor of the gateway device, causes the processor to:

communicate with a plurality of network appliances in a close local area network, wherein a data message is received from a first network appliance at the gateway device, the data message configured to communicate data in association with a first application profile of the first network appliance;

retrieve the first application profile from a locally stored application profile database upon identifying the first network appliance from the received data message;

access one or more databases containing policy information with regard to at least the first network appliance;

evaluate the policy information in the one or more databases in association with one or more policy parameters;

generate a first instruction command by the gateway device based on at least the accessed policy information, the first instruction command generated in conformance with the first application profile and configured to instruct the first network appliance to perform a specified action;

wirelessly transmit the first instruction command at least the first network appliance, wherein the first network appliance performs the specified action in conjunction with the first instruction command.

9. The processor readable medium of claim 8, wherein the medium further comprises causing the processor of the gateway device, when executing the medium, to:

generate a second instruction command for a second network appliance in the closed area network, the second instruction command generated based on at least the accessed policy information, the second instruction command generated in conformance with an application profile corresponding to the second network appliance; and

wirelessly transmit the second instruction command to at least the second network appliance, wherein the second network appliance performs the specified action in conjunction with the second instruction command.

10. The processor readable medium of claim 8, wherein the data message from the first network appliance is associated with data taken from one or more sensors of the first network appliance.

11. The processor readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first instruction command is configured to cause one or more actuators of the first network appliances to operate.

12. The processor readable medium of claim 8, wherein the data message from the first network appliance includes sensor data, and wherein the policy information includes one or more triggering operating parameters with respect to sensor data received from the first network device, the medium further causing the processor of the gateway device, when executing the medium, to:

communicate data with one or more server devices associated with at least one network appliance, wherein the communicated data is processed by the server device.

13. The processor readable medium of claim 8, wherein the medium further comprises causing the processor of the gateway device, when executing the medium, to:

generate a plurality of proposed operation schedules, each proposed operation schedule designating selected operation times for a set of a plurality of selected network appliances over a designated time duration;

analyze the plurality of generated proposed schedules in association with one or more set operating constraints;

identify an optimized schedule from the proposed operation schedules, the optimized schedule having a lowest utility cost for operating the network appliances and satisfying the one or more set operating constraints.

14. The processor readable medium of claim 13, wherein the medium further comprises causing the processor of the gateway device, when executing the medium, to:

account for preselected probability indexes for each network appliance for each time increment in the time duration, the probability indexes representative of priority of operation of the network appliances; and

apply the probability indexes in generating each proposed operating schedule.

15. A computing device comprising:

a network interface capable of communicating with one or more network appliances in a closed area network;

a memory having stored thereon code embodying machine executable programmable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the stored programming instructions in the memory, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

communicate with the one or more network appliances in the close local area network, wherein a data message is received from a first network appliance at the gateway device, the data message configured to communicate data in association with a first application profile of the first network appliance;

retrieve the first application profile from a locally stored application profile database upon identifying the first network appliance from the received data message;

access one or more databases containing policy information with regard to at least the first network appliance;

evaluate the policy information in the one or more databases in association with one or more policy parameters;

generate a first instruction command by the gateway device based on at least the accessed policy information, the first instruction command generated in conformance with the first application profile and configured to instruct the first network appliance to perform a specified action;

wirelessly transmit the first instruction command at least the first network appliance, wherein the first network appliance performs the specified action in conjunction with the first instruction command.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

generate a second instruction command for a second network appliance in the closed area network, the second instruction command generated based on at least the accessed policy information, the second instruction command generated in conformance with an application profile corresponding to the second network appliance; and

wirelessly transmit the second instruction command to at least the second network appliance, wherein the second network appliance performs the specified action in conjunction with the second instruction command.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the data message from the first network appliance is associated with data taken from one or more sensors of the first network appliance.

18. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the first instruction command is configured to cause one or more actuators of the first network appliances to operate.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the data message from the first network appliance includes sensor data, and wherein the policy information includes one or more triggering operating parameters with respect to sensor data received from the first network device, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

communicate data with one or more server devices associated with at least one network appliance, wherein the communicated data is processed by the server device.

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

generate a plurality of proposed operation schedules, each proposed operation schedule designating selected operation times for a set of a plurality of selected network appliances over a designated time duration;

analyze the plurality of generated proposed schedules in association with one or more set operating constraints;

identify an optimized schedule from the proposed operation schedules, the optimized schedule having a lowest utility cost for operating the network appliances and satisfying the one or more set operating constraints.