System and method for controlling a remote environmental control unit
First Claim
1. A system for managing a remotely located environmental control unit, comprising:
- administration tool program code stored in a computer readable medium, wherein said administration tool program code is operable to generate a user interface displaying a list of selectable living environment device representations, wherein each of said selectable living environment device representations corresponds to a type of living environment device that can be controlled through said remotely located environmental control unit, and wherein said user interface further displays a representation of a current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit, and wherein said user interface enables a user to move said selectable living environment device representations into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit; and
wherein said administration tool program code is further operable, in response to detecting said user moving one of said selectable living environment device representations into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit, to send a command message over a computer network to said remotely located environmental control unit, said command message indicating that said remotely located environmental control unit should perform at least one operation to allow a user to control a living environment device of said type corresponding to said one of said living environment device representations moved into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An administration tool program generates a user interface displaying selectable living environment devices, each corresponding to a type of living environment device that can be controlled by a user through a remotely located ECU (environmental control unit). The user interface displays a representation of a current configuration of the remotely located ECU, and enables the administrator user to move the selectable living environment device representations into the current configuration representation for the remotely located ECU, for example by dragging and dropping the living environment device representations using a mouse user interface device coupled to a computer system on which the administration tool is executing. The administration tool sends command messages over a computer network to the ECU that indicate that the ECU should perform at least one operation to allow a user to control a living environment device of the type corresponding to the living environment device representation moved into said representation of the current configuration of the ECU.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A system for managing a remotely located environmental control unit, comprising:
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administration tool program code stored in a computer readable medium, wherein said administration tool program code is operable to generate a user interface displaying a list of selectable living environment device representations, wherein each of said selectable living environment device representations corresponds to a type of living environment device that can be controlled through said remotely located environmental control unit, and wherein said user interface further displays a representation of a current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit, and wherein said user interface enables a user to move said selectable living environment device representations into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit; and wherein said administration tool program code is further operable, in response to detecting said user moving one of said selectable living environment device representations into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit, to send a command message over a computer network to said remotely located environmental control unit, said command message indicating that said remotely located environmental control unit should perform at least one operation to allow a user to control a living environment device of said type corresponding to said one of said living environment device representations moved into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of managing a remotely located environmental control unit, comprising:
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generating a user interface displaying a list of selectable living environment device representations, wherein each of said selectable living environment device representations corresponds to a type of living environment device that can be controlled through said remotely located environmental control unit, and wherein said user interface further displays a representation of a current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit, and wherein said user interface enables a user to move said selectable living environment device representations into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit; and sending, in response to detecting said user moving one of said selectable living environment device representations into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit, a command message over a computer network to said remotely located environmental control unit, said command message indicating that said remotely located environmental control unit should perform at least one operation to allow a user to control a living environment device of said type corresponding to said one of said living environment device representations moved into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit.
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22. A system for managing a remotely located environmental control unit, comprising:
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means for generating a user interface displaying a list of selectable living environment device representations, wherein each of said selectable living environment device representations corresponds to a type of living environment device that can be controlled through said remotely located environmental control unit, and wherein said user interface further displays a representation of a current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit, and wherein said user interface enables a user to move said selectable living environment device representations into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit; and means for sending, in response to detecting said user moving one of said selectable living environment device representations into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit, a command message over a computer network to said remotely located environmental control unit, said command message indicating that said remotely located environmental control unit should perform at least one operation to allow a user to control a living environment device of said type corresponding to said one of said living environment device representations moved into said representation of said current configuration of said remotely located environmental control unit.
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Specification