System and method for controlling access to local services without losing failover capibilty

• US 7,886,338 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap One LLC (Snap One Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Control4 Corporation (Snap One Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Smith, W. Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Song; Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US11/869,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 7, 726/11, 713/189, 713193-194, 709217-225, 709228-229
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators

Abstract

A system and method are provided for controlling access to local electronic devices in an automation network while maintaining failover capability. The method can include the operation of setting a state of a networked device to an online state. Another operation is sending a communication from the networked device to a controller requesting permission to change state of the networked device. The networked device may wait a predetermined amount of time to receive permission to change state. The state of the network device can change without permission from the controller after the predetermined amount of time has passed.

Claims

1. A method of controlling access to electronic devices in an automation network while maintaining failover capability, comprising:

setting a state of a networked device to an online state;

configuring the networked device to request permission from a controller to change state;

sending a communication from the networked device to the controller requesting permission to change state of the networked device;

waiting a predetermined amount of time to receive permission to change state; and

changing the state of the networked device without permission from the controller after the predetermined amount of time has passed.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the step of changing the state of the networked device further comprises the step of changing the state of the networked device to an offline state.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of time is a timeout.

4. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of tracking the state of the networked device by tracking requests that were allowed by the controller.

5. A system for controlling access to local electronic devices in an automation network while maintaining failover capability, comprising:

a networked device that is set to an online state;

a controller configured to receive communications from the networked device requesting permission to change state of the networked device;

a communication network that is configured to transport communications between the networked device and the controller; and

a processing device in the networked device configured to wait a predetermined amount of time to receive permission to change state, wherein the processing device includes a clock to time a waiting period for receiving permission from the controller and the networked device will change state without permission from the controller after the predetermined amount of time has passed.

6. The system as in claim 5, wherein the communication network is a wireless communication network.

7. The system as in claim 5, wherein the communication network is a wired communication network.

8. The system as in claim 5, wherein the controller can track the state of the networked device by tracking requests that were allowed by the controller.

9. A method of controlling access to a networked device in an automation network while maintaining failover capability, comprising:

setting a state of a networked device to an online state;

configuring the networked device to request permission from a controller to change state;

sending a communication from the networked device to the controller requesting permission to change state of the networked device;

waiting a predetermined amount of time to receive permission to change state;

changing the state of the networked device without permission from the controller after the predetermined amount of time has passed and no response has been received from the controller; and

setting the state of the networked device to an offline state.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount of time is a timeout period.

11. The method as in claim 9, further comprising the step of tracking the state of the networked device by tracking requests that were allowed by the controller.

12. A system for controlling access to electronic devices in an automation network while maintaining failover capability, comprising:

an automation device that is set to an online state;

a controller configured to receive communications from a networked device requesting permission to change state of the networked device;

a communication network that is configured to transport communications between the networked device and the controller; and

a timing module in the networked device configured to wait a predetermined amount of time to receive permission to change state, wherein the timing module includes a clock to time a waiting period for receiving permission from the controller and the networked device will change state without permission from the controller after the predetermined amount of time has passed.

13. The system as in claim 12, wherein the controller can track the state of the networked device by tracking requests that were allowed by the controller.