APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE VIRTUAL DEMONSTRATION OF A SMART PHONE CONTROLLED SMART HOME USING A WEBSITE

• US 20140324410A1
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Revolv Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Mathews, Jeffrey P., Zimmer, Andrew J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,922,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 25/00 Models for purposes not provided for in G09B23/00, e.g. full-sized devices for demonstration purposes model vehicles, tracks therefor, models in the nature of toys A63H
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/283 Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless

Abstract

An apparatus providing for virtual use of one or more virtualized smart home devices. The apparatus includes a simulation app download element and a web host. The simulation app download element is disposed in a cloud-based file server, and is configured to download a simulation app to a smart phone that is collocated with a computer, upon which the one or more virtualized smart home devices are simulated. The web host is disposed in the cloud-based file server, and is configured to provide content to the computer to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices and, responsive to control commands transmitted via the simulation app, is configured to transmit corresponding control commands to the computer that change simulated states of the one or more virtualized smart home devices such that a user experiences control of the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

Claims

1. An apparatus that provides for virtual use of one or more virtualized smart home devices, the apparatus comprising:

a simulation app download element, disposed in a cloud-based file server, configured to download a simulation app to a smart phone that is collocated with a computer, upon which the one or more virtualized smart home devices are simulated; and

a web host, disposed in said cloud-based file server, configured to provide content to said computer to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices and, responsive to control commands transmitted via said simulation app, configured to transmit corresponding control commands to said computer that change simulated states of the one or more virtualized smart home devices such that a user experiences control of the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said web host downloads a virtual home simulator and a smart hub simulator to said computer, and wherein said computer executes said virtual home simulator and said smart hub simulator to present and experience control of the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said smart hub simulator is configured to receive said corresponding control commands and to issue smart device control commands to said virtual home simulator to control the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein said virtual home simulator presents and changes said simulated states within a web browser that is executing on said computer.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein, rather than transmitting smart device control commands over one or more wireless links to control one or more smart home devices, said smart hub simulator transmits said smart device control commands to said virtual home simulator in order to control said one or more virtualized smart home devices, and wherein said one or more virtualized smart home devices correspond in operation to said one or more smart home devices.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said simulation app comprises a jar file.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said control commands are transmitted to said cloud-based file server over a cellular network, and wherein said web host transmits said corresponding control commands to said computer over the Internet.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said web host is further configured to provide content to said smart to simulate the one or more state changes corresponding to said one or more virtualized smart home devices, wherein said state changes are responsive to state change commands transmitted from said computer that represent simulated state changes in the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

9. An apparatus that provides for virtual use of one or more virtualized smart home devices, the apparatus comprising:

a cloud-based file server, coupled to a wide area network and to a cellular network, said cloud-based file server comprising;

a simulation app download element, configured to download a simulation app to a smart phone that is collocated with a computer, upon which the one or more virtualized smart home devices are simulated; and

a web host, configured to provide content to said computer over said Internet to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices and, responsive to control commands transmitted via said simulation app over said cellular network, configured to transmit corresponding control commands to said computer via the Internet that change simulated states of the one or more virtualized smart home devices such that a user experiences control of the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said web host downloads a virtual home simulator and a smart hub simulator to said computer via the Internet, and wherein said computer executes said virtual home simulator and said smart hub simulator to present and experience control of the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said smart hub simulator is configured to receive said corresponding control commands and to issue smart device control commands to said virtual home simulator to control the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said virtual home simulator presents and changes said simulated states within a web browser that is executing on said computer.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein, rather than transmitting smart device control commands over one or more wireless links to control one or more smart home devices, said smart hub simulator transmits said smart device control commands to said virtual home simulator in order to control said one or more virtualized smart home devices, and wherein said one or more virtualized smart home devices correspond in operation to said one or more smart home devices.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said simulation app comprises a jar file.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said web host is further configured to provide content to said smart to simulate the one or more state changes corresponding to said one or more virtualized smart home devices, wherein said state changes are responsive to state change commands transmitted from said computer that represent simulated state changes in the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

16. A method that provides for virtual use of one or more virtualized smart home devices, comprising:

employing a cloud-based file server to download a simulation app to a smart phone that is collocated with a computer, upon which the one or more virtualized smart home devices are simulated; and

executing a web host disposed within the cloud-based file server to provide content to the computer to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices and, responsive to control commands transmitted via the simulation app, to transmit corresponding control commands to the computer that change simulated states of the one or more virtualized smart home devices such that a user experiences control of the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein said executing comprises downloading a virtual home simulator and a smart hub simulator to the computer, and wherein the computer executes the virtual home simulator and the smart hub simulator to present and experience control of the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the smart hub simulator receives the corresponding control commands and issues smart device control commands to the virtual home simulator to control the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the virtual home simulator presents and changes the simulated states within a web browser that is executing on the computer.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein, rather than transmitting smart device control commands over one or more wireless links to control one or more smart home devices, the smart hub simulator transmits the smart device control commands to the virtual home simulator in order to control the one or more virtualized smart home devices, and wherein the one or more virtualized smart home devices correspond in operation to the one or more smart home devices.

21. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the simulation app comprises a jar file.

22. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the control commands are transmitted to the cloud-based file server over a cellular network, and wherein the web host transmits the corresponding control commands to the computer over the Internet.

23. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein said web host is further configured to provide content to said smart to simulate the one or more state changes corresponding to said one or more virtualized smart home devices, wherein said state changes are responsive to state change commands transmitted from said computer that represent simulated state changes in the one or more virtualized smart home devices.