Internet Based Spa Networking System Having Wireless Spa Nodes

• US 20140379146A1
• Filed: 09/05/2014
• Published: 12/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation (Masco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation (Masco Corporation)
• Inventors: Macey, Stephen S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,058,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/282
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5012 using the internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5097 wireless
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/005 Electrical circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/00 Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof G01R5/00 takes precedence; for measuring bioelectric currents or voltages A61B5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/00 Testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof monitoring of programme-control systems G05B19/048, G05B19/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1081 for peripheral access to main memory, e.g. direct memory access [DMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/122 where hardware performs an I/O function other than control of data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/26 with priority control
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• 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 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 : Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 : Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A spa node comprising a spa controller, a power sense adapter configured to compute power being drawn by selected spa components; a spa network adapter, and a home network adapter, each of the three adapters including a wireless transceiver wherein the spa network adapter is configured to receive power data transmitted over a wireless link by the power sense adapter and to further receive status/performance data from the spa controller. The home network adapter is configured to receive power and status data transmitted by the spa network adapter over a wireless link and to convert that data to a form suitable for transmission to an Internet access point. The home network adapter is further linkable over the Internet to a central server, a dealer computer and a spa owner or user computer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

configuring a spa controller at a user site to control operation of a plurality of spa components and to generate status data regarding the status of one or more of said components;

configuring a spa network adapter at the user site to communicate with said spa controller to receive data from said spa controller and to transmit data and commands to said spa controller, the spa network adapter having a first wireless transceiver;

configuring a home network adapter at the user site to have a second wireless transceiver and to receive data transmitted from said spa network adapter over a wireless link between said first and second wireless transceivers;

sensing the current drawn by one or more selected spa components;

determining the power being drawn by said one or more spa components to generate power data;

transmitting both the power data and the status data from the spa network adapter to the home network adapter over the wireless link between the first and second wireless transceivers; and

employing the home network adapter to convert the power data and status data to a form suitable for transmission to an Internet access point.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said home network adapter is configured to be linkable over the Internet to a central server, a dealer computer and/or a spa owner or user computer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected spa component is one of a spa heater or a spa jet pump.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

further configuring the home network adapter to have a unique address, and to transmit a received command to the spa network adapter;

further configuring a spa owner or spa dealer computer to transmit a command to the home network adapter utilizing said unique address;

further configuring the spa network adapter to transmit a command received from the home network adapter to the spa controller for execution.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the spa owner computer comprises part of a handheld device.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the spa dealer computer comprises part of a handheld device.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein said command is a first command to turn on a spa jet pump.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said spa controller is configured to turn on a spa jet pump in response to said first command.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising employing the spa controller to transmit data to the spa network adapter confirming that the spa jet pump has been turned on.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising sending power data relating to the operation of the spa jet pump to the home network adapter after the spa jet pump has been turned on.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising updating a server web page with the latest status and power data regarding said spa jet pump.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein said unique address is a MAC (media access control) address.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising employing a secure socket direct data tunnel in the course of causing a command to be transmitted to the spa controller.

14. A system comprising:

a plurality of spas, each located at a different user site;

a central server;

a spa dealer computer;

apparatus associated with each spa of said plurality and comprising;

a spa user computer;

a spa controller configured to control operation of a plurality of spa components and to generate status data regarding the status of one or more of said components;

a spa network adapter configured to communicate with said spa controller to receive data from said spa controller and to transmit data and commands to said spa controller and having a first wireless transceiver;

a home network adapter having a second wireless transceiver and configured to receive data transmitted from said spa network adapter over a wireless link between said second and third wireless transceivers and to convert said data to a form suitable for transmission to an Internet access point;

wherein the spa network adapter is further configured to transmit both power or current data and said status data over a wireless link between said first and second wireless transceivers to said home network adapter;

wherein each home network adapter has a unique address; and

wherein said system is configured such that the dealer computer or the user computer accesses the central server to view status information and power data or current information and wherein a respective user computer and the dealer computer are further each configured to route a spa component control command directly to the unique address of a respective home network adapter.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the power or current data comprises the amount of current drawn by a selected spa component.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the spa owner computer comprises part of a handheld device.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the spa dealer computer comprises part of a handheld device.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein said spa component control command is a first command to turn on a spa jet pump.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said spa controller is configured to turn on a spa jet pump in response to said first command.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the spa controller is configured to transmit data to the spa network adapter confirming that the spa jet pump has been turned on.

21. The system of claim 20 further configured to send power data relating to the operation of said spa jet pump to the home network adapter after the spa jet pump has been turned on.

22. The system of claim 21 further configured to update a server web page with the latest status and power data regarding said spa jet pump.

23. The system of claim 14 wherein each unique address is a MAC (media access control) address.

24. The system of claim 23 further configured to employ a secure socket direct data tunnel in the course of causing a spa component control command to be communicated to the spa controller.