Internet based home communications system
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a control unit to communicate with the plurality of home monitoring control devices that monitor features of a plurality of local systems via a local network at a home location and to monitor data of operations of the features received from the plurality of home monitoring control devices, the control unit further to periodically connect to a data center and transmit data received from the plurality of home monitoring control devices to the data center, the control unit further configured to operate in one of a plurality of modes and direct a device of the plurality of home monitoring control devices to perform at least one function based on a selected mode from the plurality of modes upon detection of an event, the plurality of modes comprising at least a first mode associated with a presence of a user at the home location and a second mode associated with an absence of the user from the home location; and
a data center configured to receive data from the control unit of the plurality of home monitoring control devices via a global computer network, the data center further configured to provide a user-customizable control page for a user to remotely monitor the data provided by the plurality of home monitoring control devices and provide commands to the control unit to be executed at the plurality of the local systems at the home location,wherein the plurality of home monitoring control devices includes at least one lighting control, at least one temperature control, at least one moisture control, at least one freeze control, at least one pet feeding device, at least one grocery bar code reader, at least one propane gauge, at least one security system, at least one smoke alarm and at least one carbon monoxide alarm.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An Internet based home communications system for allowing a homeowner to monitor and control various features of their home. The system comprises a plurality of control devices positioned within a home, a control unit in communication with the plurality of control devices wherein the control unit is connected to a global computer network, and a data center connected to the global computer network and in communication with the control unit. The homeowner is capable of monitoring and controlling the control device within the home by accessing a web page displayed by the data center through a web browser on a computer. The homeowner can view, monitor and control features of their home through the web page. In addition, the control unit may notify the appropriate supplier when propane or food becomes low within the home through the global computer network.
326 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a control unit to communicate with the plurality of home monitoring control devices that monitor features of a plurality of local systems via a local network at a home location and to monitor data of operations of the features received from the plurality of home monitoring control devices, the control unit further to periodically connect to a data center and transmit data received from the plurality of home monitoring control devices to the data center, the control unit further configured to operate in one of a plurality of modes and direct a device of the plurality of home monitoring control devices to perform at least one function based on a selected mode from the plurality of modes upon detection of an event, the plurality of modes comprising at least a first mode associated with a presence of a user at the home location and a second mode associated with an absence of the user from the home location; and a data center configured to receive data from the control unit of the plurality of home monitoring control devices via a global computer network, the data center further configured to provide a user-customizable control page for a user to remotely monitor the data provided by the plurality of home monitoring control devices and provide commands to the control unit to be executed at the plurality of the local systems at the home location, wherein the plurality of home monitoring control devices includes at least one lighting control, at least one temperature control, at least one moisture control, at least one freeze control, at least one pet feeding device, at least one grocery bar code reader, at least one propane gauge, at least one security system, at least one smoke alarm and at least one carbon monoxide alarm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method comprising:
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monitoring data received from a plurality of home monitoring control devices, the plurality of home monitoring control devices monitoring a plurality of features of a plurality of local systems via a local network at a home location; periodically communicating the monitored data of operations of the features to a data center over a global computer network and directing a device of the plurality of home monitoring control devices to perform at least one function based on a selected mode from a plurality of modes upon detection of an event, the plurality of modes comprising at least a first mode associated with a presence of a user at the home location and a second mode associated with an absence of the user from the home location; and presenting the monitored data to a user via a user-customizable control page and directing a device from the plurality of home monitoring control devices to perform commands provided by the user via the control page, wherein the plurality of home monitoring control devices includes at least one lighting control, at least one temperature control, at least one moisture control, at least one freeze control, at least one pet feeding device, at least one grocery bar code reader, at least one propane gauge, at least one security system, at least one smoke alarm and at least one carbon monoxide alarm. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A machine-readable storage medium having instructions to cause a machine to perform a computer-implemented method comprising:
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monitoring data received from a plurality of home monitoring control devices, the plurality of home monitoring control devices monitoring a plurality of features of a plurality of local systems via a local network at a home location; periodically communicating the monitored data of operations of the features to a data center over a global computer network and directing a device of the plurality of home monitoring control devices to perform at least one function based on a selected mode from a plurality of modes upon detection of an event, the plurality of modes comprising at least a first mode associated with a presence of a user at the home location and a second mode associated with an absence of the user from the home location; and presenting the monitored data to a user via a user-customizable control page and directing a device from the plurality of home monitoring control devices to perform commands provided by the user via the control page, wherein the plurality of home monitoring control devices includes at least one lighting control, at least one temperature control, at least one moisture control, at least one freeze control, at least one pet feeding device, at least one grocery bar code reader, at least one propane gauge, at least one security system, at least one smoke alarm and at least one carbon monoxide alarm.
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Specification