Home resource controller system
First Claim
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, comprisingfor 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 home resource is the home'"'"'s lighting system and the controller for the home lighting system determines how to turn lights in the household on and off 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.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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 services such as heating and cooling or home security depending on the identity of persons who are home.
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Citations
10 Claims
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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 home resource is the home'"'"'s lighting system and the controller for the home lighting system determines how to turn lights in the household on and off 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. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A home resource controller system for managing the operation of a home resource for a plurality of household members sharing the home resource further adapted for simultaneously managing telephone service on a common telephone line shared by the household members based on determining whether a household member sharing the home resource and telephone line is at the location served by the home resource and telephone line, 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 telephone connection from the base station to a local telephone nework controller; a network database maintained by said local telephone network controller, said network database containing a plurality of network database records, each of said network database records corresponding to a telephone number in a local telephone network and one of the network database records corresponding to the common telephone line; the base station processor updating the network database to record whether each of said household members sharing the common telephone line is or is not at the location served by the common telephone line; 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 and telephone line; and wherein the telephone network controller further determines how to provide services to the household members sharing the common telephone line in accordance with the updated network database records corresponding to the presence or absence of household members at the location served by the home resource and telephone line. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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7. A method 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
providing, for each household member, a transmitter adapted to accompany the household member and periodically emitting a unique signal; -
providing a base station at the location served by the home resource and containing a receiver capable of receiving the unique signal, a processor, and a database; storing in a base station database, 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; updating entries in the base station database records corresponding to the presence or absence of household members at the location served by the home resource; providing a controller for the home resource connected to the base station and being responsive to updated entries in the base station database; 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 home resource controller determines how to provide services to the household members 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. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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Specification