SMART DEVICE-ASSISTED DIAGNOSIS OF OPERATING STATUSES OF CONSUMER DEVICES

• US 20170324840A1
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Published: 11/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mathison, James, Li, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,900,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/14 using software, i.e. software packages network security related monitoring H04L63/1408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera

Abstract

The operational status of devices (such as routers, gateways, etc.) may be determined automatically, without the need for a user to look up status lights or sounds in a manual. A particular device may be automatically identified (e.g., by image recognition techniques), and the operational status may also be automatically identified. For example, a user device may capture an image, video, and/or audio of the device, and may automatically identify an operational status of the device based on the captured image, video, and/or audio. A message and/or suggested set of actions may also be presented to the user, which may indicate the operational status and instructions for one actions that the user may perform to improve the operational status of the device.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

a camera configured to capture images or videos;

a memory device storing processor-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, where executing the processor-executable instructions causes the processor to;

identify a second device in a particular image or video captured by the camera, the second device including one or more status lights, and the particular image or video including the one or more status lights of the second device;

compare the captured status lights, of the second device, to information that associates different combinations of colors or blink patterns of status lights, of the second device, to different operational statuses;

identify, based on the comparing, an operational status of the second device;

identify a message associated with the identified operational status of the second device; and

present the message to a user of the first device.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the identification of the second device includes performing image recognition on the captured image or video.

3. The first device of claim 2, wherein the performance of the image recognition includes comparing the captured image or video to a set of stored images that are associated with a plurality of devices.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the identification of the operational status is further based on one or more audible indicators associated with the second device.

5. The first device of claim 4, wherein the first device includes a microphone, wherein the first device is further configured to:

capture, using the microphone, the one or more audible indicators presented by the second device, and

wherein the identification of the operational status includes comparing the captured audible indicators to information that associates different audible indicators to different operational statuses.

6. The first device of claim 1, wherein the identification the second device is further based on user input that specifies a make or model of the second device.

7. The first device of claim 6, wherein the first device is further configured to:

determine a set of candidate devices; and

present information identifying the determined set of candidate devices,

wherein the user input is a selection of a particular device, in the set of candidate devices.

8. A method, performed by a first device, the method comprising:

capturing, by a camera of the first device, an image or a video;

identifying a second device in the image or video captured by the camera, the second device including one or more status lights, and the image or video including the one or more status lights of the second device;

comparing the captured status lights, of the second device, to information that associates different combinations of colors or blink patterns of status lights, of the second device, to different operational statuses;

identifying, based on the comparing, an operational status of the second device;

identifying a message associated with the identified operational status of the second device; and

presenting the message to a user of the first device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the second device includes performing image recognition on the captured image or video.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the performance of the image recognition includes comparing the captured image or video to a set of stored images that are associated with one or more devices, the one or more devices including the second device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the identification of the operational status is further based on one or more audible indicators associated with the second device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first device includes a microphone, the method further comprising:

capturing, using the microphone, the one or more audible indicators presented by the second device, and

wherein the identification of the operational status includes comparing the captured audible indicators to information that associates different audible indicators to different operational statuses.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving user input that specifies a make or model of the second device, the identification of the second device being further based on the received user input.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a set of candidate devices; and

presenting information identifying the determined set of candidate devices,

wherein the user input is a selection of a particular device, in the set of candidate devices.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing a set of processor-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor of a first device, cause the processor to:

identify a second device in a particular image or video captured by the camera, the second device including one or more status lights, and the particular image or video including the one or more status lights of the second device;

compare the captured status lights, of the second device, to information that associates different combinations of colors or blink patterns of status lights, of the second device, to different operational statuses;

identify, based on the comparing, an operational status of the second device;

identify a message associated with the identified operational status of the second device; and

present the message to a user of the first device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:

perform image recognition on image or video, that is captured via a camera of the first device, in order to identify the second device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the performance of the image recognition includes a comparison of the captured image or video to a set of stored images that are associated with one or more devices.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the identification of the operational status is further based on one or more audible indicators associated with the second device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:

capture, using a microphone of the first device, the one or more audible indicators presented by the second device; and

compare the captured audible indicators to information that associates different audible indicators to different operational statuses,

the identification of the operational status, of the second device, being based on the comparison.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the identification the second device is further based on user input that specifies a make or model of the second device.