Method, system, and computer program product for automatically managing components within a controlled environment

• US 7,024,256 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: OpenPeak Inc.
• Inventors: Krzyzanowski, Paul, Kelly, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Von Buhr, Maria N.
• Application Number:
  US10/782,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20040163073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709223-229, 709/250, 700/90, 700/65, 707/10, 307 38- 40, 455 303- 306, 718/1, 718/100
• US Class Current: 700/65
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23258 GUI graphical user interface, icon, function bloc editor, labview
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25389 Macro's, subroutines
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/33 Remote control using macros, scripts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64784 Data processing by the network data processing in packet switching systems H04L12/56; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90; provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A control server, or similar central processor, manages the distribution of data (including audio and video), voice, and control signals among a plurality of system components (such as, televisions, monitors, PDAs, portable stereo, lighting, ovens, alarm clocks, etc.) connected via a wired and/or wireless communications network. A portable controller allows a user to access and control the system components from any location within a controlled residential and/or non-residential environment, including its surrounding areas. One or more control macros can be established to control the operations and/or functions of the system components. A control macro includes commands for enabling the control server to control the system components. The control macro can be manually activated by a user, or automatically executed upon the occurrence of a commencement parameter. The control macro can also be automatically particularized for application in a specific context.

Claims

1. A method of managing system components within a controlled environment, comprising:

detecting an occurrence of a commencement parameter;

determining a region within the controlled environment;

identifying a plurality of system components located within the region;

accessing a sequence of component-specific commands associated with the identified system components;

sending the sequence to the identified system components; and

executing each component-specific command from the sequence to control a corresponding identified system component upon receipt of the component-specific command at the corresponding identified system component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises:

detecting a day and/or time, wherein the day and/or time is specified as the commencement parameter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises:

detecting an operating state of a system component from the plurality of system components, wherein the operating state is specified as the commencement parameter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises:

detecting a presence of a subject within a predetermined region, wherein the detected presence is specified as the commencement parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises:

detecting an altered state of a system component from the plurality of system components, wherein the altered state is specified as the commencement parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises:

detecting a request to execute a generic sequence of commands for controlling an operation and/or function of one or more types of system components, wherein the generic sequence excludes identification of a particular system component, wherein the detected request is specified as the commencement parameter.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining comprises:

positioning a subject within the controlled environment to determine the region.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining comprises:

tracking and/or monitoring movement of a system component throughout the controlled environment; and

determining the region from the current location of the moving system component.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining comprises:

determining the region from a current location of a system component from the plurality of system components.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining comprises:

determining the region from a user input, wherein the user input specifies the region.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying comprises:

polling system components within the controlled environment to identify the plurality of system components located within the region.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying comprises:

receiving a request to control a type of system component, wherein the request excludes identification of a particular system component; and

identifying the plurality of system components located within the region that matches the type of system component specified in the request.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said accessing comprises:

accessing a generic sequence of commands for controlling an operation and/or function of one or more types of system components, wherein the generic sequence excludes identification of a particular system component; and

translating the generic sequence into the sequence of component-specific commands associated with the identified system components, wherein the identified components match the one or more types of system components.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating permission to control each system component prior to implementing said sending step.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending comprises:

sending the sequence over a wireless medium.

16. A method of managing system components within a controlled environment having a plurality of regions, comprising:

detecting an occurrence of a commencement parameter;

accessing a generic sequence of commands for controlling an operation and/or a function of one or more types of system components, wherein the generic sequence excludes identification of a particular system component;

determining a current location of a subject within the controlled environment to select a region that includes the current location;

identifying a plurality of system components located within the selected region that matches one or more types of system components specified in the generic sequence;

translating the generic sequence into a sequence of component-specific commands for controlling an operation and/or a function of the identified system components;

sending the sequence of component-specific commands to the identified system components; and

executing each component-specific command from the sequence to control a corresponding identified system component upon receipt of the component-specific command at the corresponding identified system component.

17. A method of managing system components within a controlled environment, comprising:

enabling creation of a generic sequence of commands for controlling an operation and/or a function of one or more types of system components, wherein the generic sequence excludes identification of a particular system component;

associating the sequence with an occurrence of a commencement parameter;

detecting the occurrence of the commencement parameter;

determining a region within the controlled environment;

identifying the system components located within the region that matches one or more types of system components specified in the generic sequence;

translating the generic sequence into a sequence of component-specific commands that, when executed, control an operation and/or a function of the identified system components;

sending the sequence of component-specific commands to the identified system components; and

executing each component-specific command to control a corresponding identified system component upon receipt of the component-specific command at the corresponding identified system component.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said enabling compnses:

receiving first user input that specifies one or more types of system components;

receiving second user input that specifies an operation or a function that the one or more types of system components are configured to perform; and

processing the first user input and the second user input to create the generic sequence of commands.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said enabling comprises:

receiving third user input that specifies a commencement parameter for initiating activation of the generic sequence of commands.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said enabling comprises:

detecting a presence of a system component within the controlled environment;

recalling at least one predefined sequence of commands for controlling an operation and/or function of a type of system component matching the detected system component; and

creating the generic sequence of commands, wherein the detected system component is associated with the generic sequence as a candidate for being the identified system component during a subsequent execution of the identifying step.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said detecting comprises:

detecting a day and/or time, wherein the day and/or time is specified as the commencement parameter.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said detecting comprises:

detecting an operating state of a system component from the plurality of system components, wherein the operating state is specified as the commencement parameter.

23. A portable controller for interacting with a plurality of system components within a controlled environment, comprising;

a user interface configured to create or store a generic sequence of commands for controlling an operation and/or a function of one or more types of system components, wherein the generic sequence excludes identification of a particular system component, and wherein the generic sequence is associated with a commencement parameter;

first processing means for determining a region within the controlled environment and identifying one or more system components within the region that matches one or more types of system components specified in the generic sequence;

second processing means for translating the generic sequence into a sequence of component-specific commands that, when executed, control an operation and/or a function of the identified one or more system components; and

transmitting means for sending to the identified one or more system components a component-specific command to control the operations and/or functions of a receiving system component in response to the occurrence of the commencement parameter.

24. A system for managing a plurality of system components within a controlled environment, comprising:

a control center for controlling operations and/or functions of the plurality of system components, and

a portable controller for interacting with the control center,

wherein the portable controller is operable to configure a generic sequence of commands for controlling an operation and/or a function of one or more types of system components, wherein the generic sequence excludes identification of a particular system component, and wherein the generic sequence is associated with a commencement parameter,

wherein the control center is operable to translate the generic sequence into a sequence of component-specific commands that, when executed, control one or more of the plurality of system components located within a vicinity of the portable controller as determined by input received from the portable controller, and

wherein the control center is operable to store the generic sequence of commands, and send the sequence of component-specific commands to one or more of the plurality of system components in response to an occurrence of the commencement parameter.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

positioning means for tracking and/or monitoring a location or movement of the portable controller,

wherein the portable controller is operable to interact with the positioning means, and

wherein the control center is operable to send the sequence of component-specific commands to one or more of the plurality of system components located within a vicinity of the portable controller as determined by the positioning means.

26. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code functions embedded in the medium for causing a computer to manage a system of components within a controlled environment, comprising:

a first computer readable program code function that causes the computer to detect an occurrence of a commencement parameter;

a second computer readable program code function that causes the computer to access a generic sequence of commands for controlling an operation and/or a function of one or more types of system components, wherein the generic sequence excludes identification of a particular system component, and wherein the generic sequence is associated with the commencement parameter;

a third computer readable program code function that causes the computer to determine a region within the controlled environment;

a fourth computer readable program code function that causes the computer to identify one or more system components within the region that matches one or more types of system components specified in the generic sequence; and

a fifth computer readable program code function that causes the computer to translate the generic sequence into a sequence of component-specific commands that, when executed, control an operation and/or a function of the identified one or more system components.

27. The computer program product according to claim 26, wherein the first computer readable program code function comprises:

computer readable program code that causes the computer to detect a day and/or time, wherein the day and/or time is specified as the commencement parameter.

28. The computer program product according to claim 26, wherein the first computer readable program code function comprises:

computer readable program code that causes the computer to detect an operating state of a system component from the plurality of system components, wherein the operating state is specified as the commencement parameter.