Internet access to a facility management system

• US 6,157,943 A
• Filed: 11/12/1998
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Meyer, Sheri L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US09/190,696
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/203, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224, 709/229, 359/111, 713/324, 707/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Information about a facilities management system for a building can be obtained by a remote computer accessing a Web server at the facilities management system via the Internet. The Web server employs a generic Web page layout and an active server pages program to create a Web page that displays information from the facilities management system. This mechanism does not require that the Web pages be custom developed for each particular building and its unique system configuration. Instead, the present invention provides dynamic Web page construction based on the number of items of data supplied by the facilities management system to the Web server. A authoring tool for custom Web page layout also is provided.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a facilities management system comprising steps of:

connecting a first computer to the facilities management system and to a communication network;

executing a Web server program on the first computer to exchange messages over the communication network utilizing a Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP);

connecting a second computer to the communication network;

executing a Web browser program on the second computer to exchange messages over the communication network utilizing the TCP/IP;

sending a request for information about the facilities management system from the second computer to the first computer;

the first computer responding to receipt of the request by obtaining operational information from the facilities management system;

the first computer executing an active server pages program to select predefined items of the operational information and create a Web page that contains the predefined items;

transmitting the Webpage to the second computer; and

displaying the Webpage at the second computer.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising storing in the first computer a Web page layout having a predefined format of classes of information;

and wherein the Web page layout is utilized by the active server pages program to create the Web page.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the step of executing an active server pages program to select predefined items utilizing the classes of information of the predefined format specify which items of information obtained from the facilities management system are to be used to create the Web page.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the step of obtaining operational information utilizes an Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control program to obtain information from the facilities management system.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a location on the Webpage display on the second computer;

the second computer sending a designation of the location selected to the first computer;

the first computer responding to the designation by forming a Webpage with additional information about the facilities management system.

6. A method for accessing a facilities management system which includes a plurality of devices, the method comprising steps of:

connecting a first computer to the facilities management system and to the Internet;

storing, in the first computer, a Web page layout having a predefined line format comprising areas for different predefined classes of information;

executing a Web server program on the first computer to exchange messages over the Internet;

connecting a second computer to the Internet;

executing a Web browser program on the second computer to exchange messages over the Internet;

sending a request for information about the facilities management system from the second computer to the first computer;

the first computer responding to receipt of the request by obtaining operational information regarding the plurality of devices from the facilities management system;

the first computer executing an active server pages program which utilizes the Web page layout to create a Web page that contains a display line for each of the plurality of devices, wherein each display line is formed by selecting the different predefined classes of information about one of the plurality of devices;

transmitting the Webpage to the second computer; and

displaying the Webpage at the second computer.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

selecting a location on the Webpage display on the second computer;

the second computer sending a designation of the location selected to the first computer;

the first computer responding to the designation by forming a Webpage with additional information about the facilities management system.