Method, system, and computer program product for automatically managing components within a controlled environment
First Claim
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.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of managing system components within a controlled environment, comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of managing system components within a controlled environment having a plurality of regions, comprising:
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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.
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17. A method of managing system components within a controlled environment, comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A portable controller for interacting with a plurality of system components within a controlled environment, comprising;
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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.
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24. A system for managing a plurality of system components within a controlled environment, comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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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:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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Specification