MESSAGE CONTROLLED APPLIANCES

• US 20150180976A1
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Xiao, Hong, Nasir, Azim, Wang, Dongchen, Turner, Andre R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,225,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; 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 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method, performed by a computer device, may include receiving an event notification of an event type associated with a source device in an appliance network. The method may further include detecting an activity initiated by a user in connection with the event type associated with the source device; generating an activity rule that associates the event type with the detected activity; receiving another event notification for the event type associated with the source device; and executing another activity in response to the received other event notification, based on the generated activity rule.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a computer device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the computer device, an event notification of an event type associated with a source device in an appliance network;

detecting, by the computer device, an activity initiated by a user in connection with the event type associated with the source device;

generating, by the computer device, an activity rule that associates the event type with the detected activity;

receiving, by the computer device, another event notification for the event type associated with the source device; and

executing, by the computer device, another activity in response to the received other event notification, based on the generated activity rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the activity rule that associates the event type with the detected activity is based on detecting the activity initiated by the user in connection with the event associated with the source device a particular number of times within a particular period of time, wherein the particular number is more than one.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the activity rule that associates the event type with the detected activity is based on receiving an instruction from the user to generate the activity rule.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer device and the source device are both located in a same customer premises location, and wherein the event notification is received via at least one of a wiFi, Bluetooth, or Near Field Communication connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer device and the source device are both located in a same customer premises location, and wherein the event notification is received via a Long Term Evolution wireless connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the source device is located in a customer premises location, and wherein executing the other activity in response to the received other event notification, based on the generated activity rule, includes:

sending an instruction to a destination device located in the customer premises location to perform the other activity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity rule includes:

information identifying a first event type associated with the source device;

information identifying a second event type associated with another source device; and

an instruction to execute the activity in response to determining that the first event type and the second event type occurred together within a particular period of time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity rule includes:

an instruction to send an activity notification to a destination device, wherein the activity notification informs the destination device that the other activity has been executed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer device and the source device correspond to a same device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to join the appliance network from a new device;

requesting an appliance network key from the new device;

receiving the appliance network key from the new device;

assigning an appliance network device identifier to the new device; and

providing a list of devices belonging to the appliance network to the new device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a local event;

determining that the local event corresponds to a new event type; and

sending a local event notification to all devices in the appliance network, in response to determining that the local event corresponds to a new event type.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a local event;

accessing a notification database to determine one or more devices in the appliance network which are to receive a local event notification for an event type associated with the local event; and

sending a local event notification to the determined one or more devices.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving an activity notification from the one or more devices, wherein the activity notification indicates that a particular one of the one or more device is no longer to receive notifications for the event type; and

updating the notification database based on the received activity notification.

14. A computer device comprising:

logic configured to;

receiving an event notification of an event type associated with a source device in an appliance network;

detecting an activity initiated by a user in connection with the event type associated with the source device;

generating an activity rule that associates the event type with the detected activity;

receiving another event notification for the event type associated with the source device; and

executing another activity in response to the received other event notification, based on the generated activity rule.

15. The computer device of claim 14, wherein the activity rule includes:

information identifying a first event type associated with the source device;

information identifying a second event type associated with another source device; and

an instruction to execute the activity in response to determining that the first event type and the second event type occurred together within a particular period of time.

16. The computer device of claim 14, wherein the logic is further configured to:

receive a request to join the appliance network from a new device;

request an appliance network key from the new device;

receive the appliance network key from the new device;

assign an appliance network device identifier to the new device; and

provide a list of devices belonging to the appliance network to the new device.

17. The computer device of claim 14, wherein the logic is further configured to:

detect a local event;

access a notification database to identify one or more devices in the appliance network which are to receive a local event notification for an event type associated with the local event;

send a local event notification to the identified one or more devices;

receive an activity notification from the one or more devices, wherein the activity notification indicates that a particular one of the one or more device is no longer to receive notifications for the event type; and

update the notification database based on the received activity notification.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable on one or more processors, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

one or more instructions to receive an event notification of an event type associated with a source device in an appliance network;

one or more instructions to detect an activity initiated by a user in connection with the event type associated with the source device;

one or more instructions to generate an activity rule that associates the event type with the detected activity;

one or more instructions to receive another event notification for the event type associated with the source device; and

one or more instructions to execute another activity in response to the received other event notification, based on the generated activity rule.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more instructions to receive a request to join the appliance network from a new device;

one or more instructions to request an appliance network key from the new device;

one or more instructions to receive the appliance network key from the new device;

one or more instructions to assign an appliance network device identifier to the new device; and

one or more instructions to provide a list of devices belonging to the appliance network to the new device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more instructions to detect a local event;

one or more instructions to access a notification database to identify one or more devices in the appliance network which are to receive a local event notification for an event type associated with the local event;

one or more instructions to send a local event notification to the identified one or more devices;

one or more instructions to receive an activity notification from the one or more devices, wherein the activity notification indicates that a particular one of the one or more device is no longer to receive notifications for the event type; and

one or more instructions to update the notification database based on the received activity notification.