Home resource controller system

• US 6,924,739 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2001
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Infosino, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US09/801,391
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/539.1, 340/539.16, 340/539.21
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A system utilizing a transmitter emitting a unique signal and a base station receiver having a database of household members is used to ascertain the identity of household members who are home at any particular time. Such information is used by the local telephone network to provide specialized telephone services to the household based on the identity of the household members who are home. A manual and emergency services override is provided to permit the completion of telephone calls from emergency services personnel and other persons irrespective of the presence or absence of any household member. The information regarding the presence or absence of household members also may be used to intelligently provide other household service such as heating and cooling or home security depending on the identity of persons who are home.

Claims

1. A home resource controller system for managing the operation of a home resource for a plurality of household members sharing the home resource based on determining whether a household member sharing the home resource is at the location served by the home resource, comprising

for each household member, a transmitter adapted to accompany the household member and periodically emitting a unique signal;

a base station at the location served by the home resource and containing a receiver;

said base station containing a processor;

a base station database containing, for each household member, at least one unique record, said unique record corresponding to said household member and correlating said unique signal emitted by said transmitter to said unique record in the base station database;

a controller for the home resource connected to the base station and being responsive to updated entries in the base station database records corresponding to the presence or absence of household members at the location served by the home resource;

wherein said unique signal emitted by said transmitter is of sufficient strength to be received by said receiver only when said transmitter is in close proximity to said receiver; and

wherein when said base station receives said unique signal from said transmitter, the base station processor makes and stores an updated entry in the base station database record that corresponds to said transmitter, recording a receipt of said unique signal that corresponds to the presence of the household member; and

wherein when said base station fails to receive said unique signal from said transmitter for a predetermined period of time, the base station processor makes and stores an updated entry in the base station database record that corresponds to said transmitter, recording a failure to receive said signal, thereby recording the absence of the household member from the location served by the home resource; and

wherein the controller for the home resource determines how to provide services to the household members sharing the home resource in accordance with the stored updated database records corresponding to the presence or absence of household members at the location served by the home resource.

2. The home resource systems controller according to claim 1, wherein the home resource is a home'"'"'s heating and cooling system, wherein the base station database stores a predetermined temperature level in association with at least one household member and wherein the controller for the heating and cooling system adjusts a temperature in said home automatically to the predetermined level according to stored updated database records reflecting the presence of the associated household member.

3. The home resource systems controller according to claim 1, wherein the home resource is a security system in a home, and wherein the controller for said security system automatically activates the security system in response to updated database records reflecting that the base station has failed to receive a transmitted signal from all household member transmitters for a predetermined length of time, and automatically deactivates the security system in response to updated database records reflecting that the base station has received a signal from at least one household member'"'"'s transmitter.

4. The home resource systems controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller for the home resource is further responsive to means for manual operation of the home resource.

5. The home resource systems controller according to claim 1, wherein the home resource is a home'"'"'s heating and cooling system, and wherein the controller for said heating and cooling system automatically adjusts the temperature to one predetermined level in response to updated database records reflecting that the base station has failed to receive a transmitted signal from all household member transmitters for a predetermined length of time, and automatically adjusts the temperature to a second predetermined level in response to updated database records reflecting that the base station has received a signal from at least one household member'"'"'s transmitter.

6. A method for automatically setting a temperature level in a home, based on determining whether a household member is at home, comprising the steps of:

periodically transmitting a unique signal when the household member is at home;

receiving said unique signal in a base station located at the home;

processing said unique signal within the base station;

correlating said unique signal to a record in a base station database;

further correlating said record to a household member;

recording a receipt of said unique signal in said database record, corresponding to the presence of the household member at home;

recording a failure to receive said unique signal in said database record, corresponding to the absence of the household member at home; and

adjusting a temperature in a home according to a predetermined setting based on said database records reflecting a presence or absence of a household member.

7. A method for automatically activating or deactivating a home'"'"'s security system based on determining whether a household member is at home, comprising the steps of:

periodically transmitting a unique signal when the household member is at home;

receiving said unique signal in a base station located at the home;

processing said unique signal within the base station;

correlating said unique signal to a record in a base station database;

further correlating said record to a household member;

recording a receipt of said unique signal in said database record, correspond to the presence of the household member at home;

recording a failure to receive said unique signal in said database record corresponding to the absence of the household member at home;

activating the home'"'"'s security system when the database records correspond to no household member being at home; and

deactivating the home'"'"'s security system when the database records correspond to the presence of least one household member at home.