Notifying users of device events in a networked environment

• US 7,333,014 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Thorson, Derral C., Bodin, William Kress, Rybczynski, Gregory Waldemar, Agrawal, Kavita Kumari
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAI T
• Application Number:
  US10/981,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20060092015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.12, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/572.8, 379/211, 379/357, 379/67, 455/73
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1083 Pager locating systems

Abstract

Notifying a user of a device event, including receiving a device event, associating the device event with a user, receiving an RFID signal from a user'"'"'s RFID tag, determining the user'"'"'s location in dependence upon the RFID signal, selecting a user notification appliance in dependence upon the user'"'"'s location, and notifying the user of the device event with the selected user notification appliance. In typical embodiments, associating the device event with a user also includes reading a user ID from a device record for the device. In typical embodiments, associating the device event with a user also includes identifying the location of the device, identifying a previous location of the user, and associating the device event with a user in dependence upon the location of the device and the previous location of the user.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a user of a device event, the method comprising:

receiving a device event;

associating the device event with a user, including identifying the location of the device, identifying a previous location of the user, and associating the device event with a user in dependence upon the location of the device and the previous location of the user;

receiving an RFID signal from a user'"'"'s RFID tag;

determining the user'"'"'s location in dependence upon the RFID signal;

selecting a user notification appliance in dependence upon the user'"'"'s location; and

notifying the user of the device event with the selected user notification appliance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the device event with a user further comprises reading a user ID from a device record for the device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the device event with a user further comprises identifying a previous location of the user, and associating the device event with a user in dependence upon the location of the device and the previous location of the user further comprises associating the device event with the user in dependence upon the event type of the device event, the location of the device, and the user'"'"'s previous location.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the location of the user in dependence upon the RFID signal further comprises:

receiving a plurality of RFID signals from the RFID tag at a plurality of RFID reader locations; and

determining the location of the user in dependence upon the RFID reader locations and a rule.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the location of the user in dependence upon the RFID signal further comprises:

receiving a plurality of RFID signals at a plurality of RFID reader locations from the RFID tag;

determining for each RFID reader an area of possible locations of the RFID tag; and

determining the intersection of the areas of possible locations.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein notifying the user of the device event with the selected user notification appliance further comprises calling member methods in a device class for the notification appliance.