CONTROLLING SETTINGS AND ATTRIBUTES RELATED TO OPERATION OF DEVICES IN A NETWORK

• US 20150319006A1
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Published: 11/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Plummer, Jon, Kim, Ryan Yong, Pathuri, Venkata Subba Rao, Mitchell, Sarah Gallivan, Glidden, Matt, McLaughlin, Douglas Edward
• Granted Patent: US 10,444,715 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• 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 12/2827 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 2012/2841 Wireless

Abstract

Techniques are described for controlling attributes and/or settings related to operation of devices via a wireless network. An access device can determine a status of a configurable attribute/setting related to operation of a device (e.g., a home automation network device that can control a home appliance) connected to the network. The computing device can execute an application that can generate and display a graphical interface including an interactive area or an interactive element to control the device. The interactive element or the graphical interface can indicate a current value for the setting/attribute. The interactive area or element can be adjustable to adjust the setting/attribute. An adjusted value of the setting/attribute can be communicated to the network which can cause operation of the device to be controlled based on the adjusted value. The computing device can modify the graphical interface to indicate the adjusted value of the setting/attribute.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining, by a computing device, that a device is connected to a network;

determining, by the computing device, a current value of a setting related to operation of the device, wherein the setting is adjustable between a plurality of values;

generating a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface includes an interactive area corresponding to the device, wherein the graphical interface indicates the current value of the setting, and wherein interaction with the interactive area causes an adjustment to the current value of the setting;

displaying the graphical interface;

receiving input corresponding to an interaction with the interactive area, wherein the input corresponds to an adjustment that indicates an amount to change the setting from the current value to an adjusted value;

transmitting the adjustment, wherein the operation of the device is controlled based on the transmitted adjustment; and

modifying the graphical interface based on the adjustment, wherein the modified graphical interface indicates the adjusted value of the setting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein devices are coupled to network devices capable of controlling device operations.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a communication including a unique identifier for the device; and

determining an interface module based on the unique identifier, wherein the graphical interface is generated in response to executing the interface module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical interface indicates a status of the device, wherein the modified graphical interface indicates a modified status of the device, and wherein the modified status is determined using the adjustment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the input corresponds to a continuous movement in the interactive area, and wherein the adjustment corresponds to the distance of the movement in the interactive area.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input corresponding to a selection of an interactive element, wherein the interactive element is displayed in the graphical interface, wherein the selection indicates a time period, and wherein the setting is changed over the time period based on the amount indicated by the transmitted adjustment.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response indicating that the setting has been changed at the device based on the transmitted adjustment;

updating the modified graphical interface to indicate that the device has been adjusted according to the transmitted adjustment.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the response is received via a transmission from the device.

9. A system, comprising:

one or more data processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including;

determining that a device is connected to a network;

determining a current value of a setting related to operation of the device, wherein the setting is adjustable between a plurality of values;

generating a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface includes an interactive area corresponding to the device, wherein the graphical interface indicates the current value of the setting, and wherein interaction with the interactive areas causes an adjustment to the current value of the setting;

displaying the graphical interface;

receiving input corresponding to an interaction with the interactive area, wherein the input corresponds to an adjustment that indicates an amount to change the setting from the current value to an adjusted value;

transmitting the adjustment, wherein the operation of the device is controlled based on the transmitted adjustment; and

modifying the graphical interface based on the adjustment, wherein the modified graphical interface indicates the adjusted value of the setting.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system includes an access device.

11. The system of claim 9, further containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

determining a current value of an additional setting related to operation of the device, wherein the additional setting is adjustable between a plurality of values, and wherein the current value is indicated by the graphical interface;

receiving an additional input via an additional interactive area in the graphical interface, wherein the additional input corresponds to an additional adjustment that indicates an amount to change the additional setting from the current value to an adjusted value, wherein the input corresponds to a continuous movement in a first direction in the interactive area, and wherein the additional input corresponds to a continuous movement in a second direction in the additional interactive area;

transmitting the additional adjustment, wherein the operation of the device is controlled based on the transmitted additional adjustment; and

wherein the modified graphical interface provides an indication of the adjusted value of the additional setting.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein determining the current value of the setting includes receiving a communication from the device, the communication including a current status of the device, and wherein the current status of the device indicates the current setting.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the adjustment is transmitted to a server of a cloud network, and wherein the adjustment is received by the device from the server of the cloud network via the network.

14. The system of claim 9, further containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

receiving a response indicating that the setting has been changed at the device based on the transmitted adjustment;

updating the modified graphical interface to indicate that the device has been adjusted according to the transmitted adjustment.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein devices are coupled to network devices capable of controlling device operations.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the graphical interface indicates a status of the device, wherein the modified graphical interface indicates a modified status of the device, and wherein the modified status is determined using the adjustment.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the input corresponds to a continuous movement in the interactive area, and wherein the adjustment corresponds to the distance of the movement in the interactive area.

18. The system of claim 9, further containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

receiving input corresponding to a selection of an interactive element, wherein the interactive element is displayed in the graphical interface, wherein the selection indicates a time period, and wherein the setting is changed based on the amount gradually during the time period.

19. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

determining, by a computing device, that a device is connected to a network;

determining, by the computing device, a current value of a setting related to operation of the device, wherein the setting is adjustable between a plurality of values;

generating a graphical interface, wherein the graphical interface includes an interactive area corresponding to the device, wherein the graphical interface indicates the current value of the setting, and wherein interaction with the interactive area causes an adjustment to the current value of the setting;

displaying the graphical interface;

receiving input corresponding to an interaction with the interactive area, wherein the input corresponds to an adjustment that indicates an amount to change the setting from the current value to an adjusted value;

transmitting the adjustment, wherein the operation of the device is controlled based on the transmitted adjustment; and

modifying the graphical interface based on the adjustment, wherein the modified graphical interface indicates the adjusted value of the setting.

20. The computer-program product of claim 19, wherein the graphical interface indicates a status of the device, wherein the modified graphical interface indicates a modified status of the device, and wherein the modified status is determined using the adjustment.