Means and apparatus for control of remote electrical devices

• US 6,681,110 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2000
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Musco Corporation
• Original Assignee: Musco Corporation
• Inventors: Crookham, Joe P., Foster, Michael B., Marsh, Ryan A., Rivera, Antonio, Tippett, Walter R., Cooley, Patrick K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, David Q
• Application Number:
  US09/609,000
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556, 455/420, 455/456, 455/454, 455/344, 455/419, 702/188, 340/825.22, 340/525, 340/5.22, 340/5.64
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

An apparatus to control remote devices or equipment via existing cellular telephone networks. The apparatus receives information from a customer concerning a specific function, which the customer wants to perform at the remote equipment. A Central Control receives this information from the customer and correlates the function to a specific cellular telephone MIN number, which has been pre-programmed in a computer at the Central Control. The MIN number is then sent to a cellular provider. The cellular provider then transmits the MIN number to an antenna, which transmits the MIN number to a remote equipment controller at the remotely located equipment. The remote equipment controller then takes the a part of the MIN and gives these numbers to a PLC at the remote equipment controller. The PLC then memory maps the part of the MIN to a specific function to be carried out by the remote equipment controller. Then the remote equipment controller carriers out specified functions at the remote equipment.

Claims

1. A method for control of remote devices comprising:

storing in a first location information related to one or more events related to a resistive or inductive electrical load;

communicating data related to an event from said first location to a second location related to said resistive or inductive electrical load over a wide-area communications link, at least partly wireless cellular communication, within a part of a mobile identification number on a control channel of the cellular communication, the data comprising an instruction related to operation of the resistive or inductive electrical load, the instruction selected from a data base including an instruction set, the instruction set including individual instructions each communicatable over a unique mobile identification number to the second location;

carrying out an action related to the resistive or inductive electrical load at the second location in response to said data.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of resistive or inductive electrical loads positioned at second and other locations.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said second location is remote from said first location.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said stored information comprises a schedule of events related to the second location.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a cellular receiver is positioned at the second location to receive the data in the form of a mobile identification number, said cellular receiver configured to respond to one or more mobile identification numbers.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the resistive or inductive electrical load is a lighting device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the lighting device is a sports lighting device or security lighting device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the sports lighting device comprises a plurality of sports lighting lights, each comprising a resistive or inductive electrical load.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the plurality of sports lights can be located at a second location or multiple locations.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising revising the stored information from time to time.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating data from the second location to the first location.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the data from the second location to the first location comprise information regarding status of the resistive or inductive electrical load, or a condition related to the resistive or inductive electrical load or second location.