System and Apparatus for Reordering Consumable Goods Associated with Appliances, and Method Thereof

• US 20150105880A1
• Filed: 10/14/2014
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silvair sp. z o.o.
• Original Assignee: Seed Labs Sp. Z O.O.
• Inventors: Slupik, Szymon, Gembala, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 9,864,351 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25011 Domotique, I-O bus, home automation, building automation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/00 Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• 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 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 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A consumable-goods reordering system in which a system controller has access to the signals transmitted by each smart appliance relevant to the environment being monitored, such as a home. Each appliance monitors a particular physical condition that is related to the appliance'"'"'s usage of a consumable good, senses changes in the condition being monitored, and reports states of the condition. Meanwhile, the system controller memorizes and maintains the states of various processing events, such as when an appliance reported a particular state of the monitored condition. By considering the information reported by the multiple smart appliances, as well as by accounting for the states corresponding to the various events, the system controller is able to continually update a representation of the state of the monitored environment. Having such context awareness enables the system controller to generate intelligently various reorder messages for transmission to the various suppliers of the consumables.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first computer system, a first signal from a first appliance, wherein the first signal is indicative of a use of a particular consumable good;

updating in a memory, by the first computer system, a current memorized state of at least one processing event, the current memorized state being based on i) the receiving of the first signal from the first appliance and ii) a previous memorized state, such that the current memorized state correlates with an estimate of the amount currently having been consumed of the consumable good;

generating, by the first computer system, a first indication that the consumable good is to be reordered, based on the current memorized state in relation to a first predetermined criterion; and

transmitting, by the first computer system, a reorder message to a second computer system, wherein the transmitted reorder message is based on the generated first indication, and wherein the second computer system is for processing messages representative of reorders of the consumable good.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first signal correlates with a predetermined movement having been sensed by the first appliance, and wherein the predetermined movement correlates with a single use of the consumable good by the appliance.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the current memorized state of the at least one processing event is based on a predetermined sequence of processing having occurred.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the current memorized state of the at least one processing event is based on a predetermined processing event having occurred within a predetermined time interval.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first computer system, a second signal from a second appliance; and

generating, by the first computer system, a second indication that the consumable good is to be reordered, based on the current memorized state in relation to a second predetermined criterion, wherein the current memorized state is also based on the receiving of the second signal from the second appliance;

wherein the transmitted reorder message is also based on the generated second indication, whereby the first and second indications are aggregated into the reorder message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a delivery time of the consumable good, based on the current memorized state in relation to a second predetermined criterion, wherein the reorder message comprises the delivery time determined.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the delivery time determined is based on an availability of a person.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the delivery time determined is based on the number of people associated with an environment within which the first appliance is situated.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the second computer system to which the reorder message is to be transmitted, based on the current memorized state in relation to a second predetermined criterion.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selecting of the second computer system is based on cost of the consumable good.

11. A building automation controller comprising:

a first network adapter configured to receive a first signal from a first appliance, wherein the first signal is indicative of a use of a particular consumable good;

a processor configured to;

a) update, in a memory, a current memorized state of at least one processing event, the current memorized state being based on i) the receiving of the first signal from the first appliance and ii) a previous memorized state, such that the current memorized state correlates with an estimate of the amount currently having been consumed of the consumable good, and

b) generate a first indication that the consumable good is to be reordered, based on the current memorized state in relation to a first predetermined criterion; and

a second network adapter configured to transmit a reorder message to a computer system, wherein the transmitted reorder message is based on the generated first indication, and wherein the computer system is for processing messages representative of reorders of the consumable good.

12. The controller of claim 11 wherein the first signal correlates with a predetermined movement having been sensed by the first appliance, and wherein the predetermined movement correlates with a single use of the consumable good by the appliance.

13. The controller of claim 11 wherein the first network adapter is configured to receive the first signal in accordance with a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol.

14. The controller of claim 11 wherein the second network adapter is configured to transmit the reorder message in accordance with the Internet Protocol.

15. The controller of claim 11, wherein the first network adapter is further configured to receive a second signal from a second appliance;

wherein the processor is further configured to generate a second indication that the consumable good is to be reordered, based on the current memorized state in relation to a second predetermined criterion, wherein the current memorized state is also based on the receiving of the second signal from the second appliance; and

wherein the transmitted reorder message is also based on the generated second indication, whereby the first and second indications are aggregated into the reorder message.

16. The controller of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a delivery time of the consumable good, based on the current memorized state in relation to a second predetermined criterion, wherein the reorder message comprises the delivery time determined.

17. The controller of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to select the computer system to which the reorder message is to be transmitted, based on the current memorized state in relation to a second predetermined criterion.

18. A building automation system comprising:

a first appliance comprising a first network adapter that is configured to transmit a first signal, wherein the signal is indicative of a use of a particular consumable good; and

a controller comprising;

1) a second network adapter that is configured to receive the first signal from the first appliance,

2) a processor that is configured to;

a) update, in a memory, a current memorized state of at least one processing event, the current memorized state being based on i) the receiving of the first signal from the first appliance and ii) a previous memorized state, such that the current memorized state correlates with an estimate of the amount currently having been consumed of the consumable good, and

b) generate a first indication that the consumable good is to be reordered, based on the current memorized state in relation to a first predetermined criterion, and

3) a third network adapter that is configured to transmit a reorder message to a computer system, wherein the transmitted reorder message is based on the generated first indication, and wherein the computer system is for processing messages representative of reorders of the consumable good.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the first appliance further comprises a sensor configured to sense a predetermined movement, wherein the first signal correlates with the predetermined movement having been sensed by the sensor, and wherein the predetermined movement correlates with a single use of the consumable good by the appliance.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the first network adapter and second network adapter are configured to transmit and receive, respectively, the first signal in accordance with a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the third network adapter is configured to transmit the reorder message in accordance with the Internet Protocol.

22. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a second appliance comprising a fourth network adapter that is configured to transmit a second signal;

wherein the second network adapter is further configured to receive the second signal from the second appliance;

wherein the processor is further configured to generate a second indication that the consumable good is to be reordered, based on the current memorized state in relation to a second predetermined criterion, wherein the current memorized state is also based on the receiving of the second signal from the second appliance; and

wherein the transmitted reorder message is also based on the generated second indication, whereby the first and second indications are aggregated into the reorder message.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a delivery time of the consumable good, based on the current memorized state in relation to a second predetermined criterion, wherein the reorder message comprises the delivery time determined.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to select the computer system to which the reorder message is to be transmitted, based on the current memorized state in relation to a second predetermined criterion.