SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AGGREGATING AND ANALYZING THE STATUS OF A SYSTEM

• US 20160234036A1
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Published: 08/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Hatambeiki, Arsham, Arling, Paul D.
• Granted Patent: US 11,575,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A state of a system having a plurality of appliances is controlled by using a device discovery process to establish a listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system. The listing of each of the plurality of appliances is then used, with reference to a command and/or protoctol database, to configure a software agent to exchange communications, via a one or more communication channels, with each of the plurality of appliances. An action triggering state of at least one of the plurality of appliances is associated with an action. The action is performed when it is determined that a current state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances corresponds to the action triggering state.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a state of a system comprised of a plurality of appliances, the method comprising:

using a device discovery process to establish a listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system;

using the listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system, with reference to a command and/or protoctol database, to configure a software agent to exchange communications, via a one or more communication channels, with each of the plurality of appliances;

associating an action triggering state of at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system with an action to be performed by the software agent;

receiving by the software agent, via the one or more communication channels, a message from the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system, the message having data indicative of a current state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances; and

causing the software agent to perform the action when it is determined by the software agent that the current state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances corresponds to the action triggering state;

wherein the action comprises the software agent transmitting one or more commands, via the one or more communication channels, to a target one or more of the plurality of appliances in the system to thereby cause a change in state of the target one or more of the plurality of appliances.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the software agent uses the listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system to automatically associate the action triggering state of at least one the plurality of appliances in the system with the action to be performed by the software agent.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the software agent causes a display of a user interface having input elements for allowing a user to manually associate the action triggering state of at least one the plurality of appliances in the system with the action to be performed by the software agent.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the device discovery process comprises the software agent receiving from a controlling device configured to command functional operations of each of the plurality of appliances in the system appliance identity data for use in establishing the listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the device discovery process comprises the software agent issuing one or more polling requests to retrieve from one or more of the plurality of appliances in the system appliance identity data for use in establishing the listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the software agent periodically issues a request, via the one or more communication channels, to the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system for the message having data indicative of the current state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least of the plurality of appliance in the system is caused to issue the message having data indicative of the current state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system for receipt by the software agent in response to the at least one of the plurality of appliance in the system changing state.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the action triggering state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system comprises a location state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system comprises a smart phone.

10. A non-transitory, computer readable media having instructions stored thereon for controlling a state of a system comprised of a plurality of appliances, the instructions, when executed by a device, performing steps comprising:

using a device discovery process to establish a listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system;

using the listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system, with reference to a command and/or protoctol database, to configure the device to exchange communications, via a one or more communication channels, with each of the plurality of appliances;

associating an action triggering state of at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system with an action;

receiving by the device, via the one or more communication channels, a message from the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system, the message having data indicative of a current state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances; and

causing performance of the action when it is determined that the current state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances corresponds to the action triggering state;

wherein the action comprises the device transmitting one or more commands, via the one or more communication channels, to a target one or more of the plurality of appliances in the system to thereby cause a change in state of the target one or more of the plurality of appliances.

11. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions use the listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system to automatically associate the action triggering state of at least one the plurality of appliances in the system with the action.

12. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions cause a display of a user interface having input elements for allowing a user to manually associate the action triggering state of at least one the plurality of appliances in the system with the action.

13. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions use appliance identity data received from a controlling device configured to command functional operations of each of the plurality of appliances in the system in establishing the listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system.

14. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the device to issue one or more polling requests to retrieve from one or more of the plurality of appliances in the system appliance identity data for use in establishing the listing of each of the plurality of appliances in the system.

15. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the device to periodically issue a request, via the one or more communication channels, to the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system for the message having data indicative of the current state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system.

16. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions receive from the at least one of the plurality of appliance in the system the message having data indicative of the current state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system when the at least one of the plurality of appliance in the system changes state.

17. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the action triggering state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system comprises a location state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system.

18. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein the at least one of the plurality of appliances in the system comprises a smart phone.

19. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions reference the command and/or protoctol database stored in the memory of the device.

20. The non-transitory, computer readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions reference the command and/or protoctol database stored in a database remotely located from the device.