Networked touchscreen with integrated interfaces

• US 8,073,931 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2008
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Icon Acquisitions LLC
• Original Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Dawes, Paul J., Fulker, Jim, Wales, Carolyn
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US12/197,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20090070436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/219, 715/716
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/08 Construction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 : Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

An integrated security system integrates broadband and mobile access and control with conventional security systems and premise devices to provide a tri-mode security network that with remote connectivity and access. The integrated security system includes a touchscreen providing security keypad functionality as well as content management and presentation, and is used as a security system interface and an interface for interacting with a network. The integrated security system delivers remote premise monitoring and control functionality to conventional monitored premise protection and complements existing premise protection equipment. The integrated security system integrates into the premise network and couples wirelessly with the conventional security panel, enabling broadband access to premise security systems. Automation devices can be added, enabling users to remotely see live video or pictures and control home devices via a personal web portal, mobile phone, or other client device. Users can receive notifications of detected events via electronic message.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a touchscreen at a first location, wherein the touchscreen includes a processor coupled to a local area network (LAN) and a security system at the first location; and

a plurality of interfaces presented by at least one application executing on the processor of the touchscreen and presented to a user via the touchscreen, wherein the plurality of interfaces include a security interface and a network interface, wherein the security interface provides the user with control of functions of the security system and access to data collected by the security system, wherein the network interface allows the user to transfer content to and from a wide area network (WAN) coupled to the LAN; and

a remote server at a second location, wherein the remote server is coupled to the touchscreen, the remote server managing at least one of the touchscreen and the security system, wherein objects are maintained on the remote server that correspond to at least one of at least one security system component of the security system and at least one network device of the LAN.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the remote server allows a user to configure content of the touchscreen.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the remote server provides user portals that enable content and information displayed on the touchscreen to be displayed on other devices.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the other devices include at least one of HTML browsers, WEB/WAP phones, and desktop widgets.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the security system is managed via applications entirely within the touchscreen.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen includes a wireless transceiver for communicating with security system components of the security system.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen plays live video from a camera, wherein the camera is an Internet Protocol (IP) camera.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the camera is at the first location.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the camera is managed by the remote server.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the live video is accessed through internet content widgets.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the live video is IP video.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the live video is MPEG-4 video.

13. The device of claim 7, wherein the live video is Motion JPEG (MJPEG) video.

14. The device of claim 1, where devices are added to the security system through the touchscreen.

15. The device of claim 14, where devices are added to a user account on the remote server through the touchscreen.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein device information and device data are transmitted to from the devices to the remote server.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the device information includes at least one of device name and device type, wherein the device data includes at least one of device state and battery state.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein device information and device data are associated with a user account by the remote server.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the devices are automatically detected by the touchscreen and added to a user account on the remote server through the touchscreen.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the coupling with the LAN is over 802.11.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen integrates the content with the access and control of the security system.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the content includes interactive content in the form of internet widgets.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the network interface allows the user to transfer at least one of content and internet widgets to and from the LAN.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the network interface allows the user to control functions of peripheral devices of the first location coupled to the LAN.

25. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interfaces are configurable.

26. The device of claim 1, wherein the network interface provides the user with communication and control of a plurality of network devices coupled to the LAN.

27. The device of claim 1, wherein the network interface provides the user with communication and control of a plurality of security system components, wherein the security system comprises the plurality of security system components.

28. The device of claim 1, wherein the WAN is the internet and the network interface is a web browser.

29. The device of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen integrates at least one of a security system control panel and an internet browser.

30. The device of claim 1, comprising an application engine coupled to the processor, wherein the application engine controls a plurality of applications executing under the processor.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein the plurality of applications includes a security application and a content application, wherein the security application provides the security interface and the content application provides the network interface.

32. The device of claim 30, wherein the plurality of applications provides interactivity with a plurality of devices via the plurality of interfaces.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the plurality of devices are coupled to the processor.

34. The device of claim 32, wherein the plurality of devices are coupled to the processor via a wireless coupling.

35. The device of claim 32, wherein the plurality of devices include a plurality of devices of the security system.

36. The device of claim 32, wherein the plurality of devices include a plurality of devices of the LAN.

37. The device of claim 32, wherein the plurality of devices include a plurality of devices of the WAN.

38. The device of claim 32, wherein the plurality of applications are accessed and loaded directly via the WAN.

39. The device of claim 30, wherein the touchscreen includes the plurality of applications.

40. The device of claim 30, wherein the plurality of applications includes a resident application that manages interactions between the plurality of applications.

41. The device of claim 40, wherein the resident application manages interactions between the plurality of devices.

42. The device of claim 40, wherein the resident application determines a priority of each application of the plurality of applications and manages the plurality of applications according to the priority.

43. The device of claim 42, wherein the resident application allows a first application having a first priority to override a second application having a second priority when the first priority is higher than the second priority.

44. The device of claim 1, comprising a first application engine coupled to the processor, wherein the first application engine executes a security application that provides the security interface.

45. The device of claim 44, comprising a second application engine coupled to the processor, wherein the second application engine executes a content application that provides the network interface.

46. The device of claim 1, comprising a core engine coupled to the processor, the core engine controlling dynamic provisioning of the plurality of applications and the content.

47. The device of claim 46, wherein the core engine manages images received from a plurality devices of at least one of the security system and the LAN.

48. The device of claim 47, wherein the images include video.

49. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is coupled to the WAN via a broadband coupling.

50. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is coupled to the WAN via a cellular data coupling.

51. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interfaces provides interactivity with a plurality of devices via the plurality of interfaces.

52. The device of claim 51, wherein a device of the plurality of devices is an Internet Protocol device.

53. The device of claim 51, wherein a device of the plurality of devices is a camera.

54. The device of claim 51, wherein a device of the plurality of devices is another touchscreen.

55. The device of claim 51, wherein a device of the plurality of devices is a device controller that controls an attached device.

56. The device of claim 55, wherein the device controller is a thermostat.

57. The device of claim 55, wherein the device controller is an energy meter.

58. The device of claim 51, wherein a device of the plurality of devices is a sensor.

59. The device of claim 1, wherein the network interface allows a user to control functions of peripheral devices coupled to other touchscreens located at remote locations.

60. A device comprising:

a touchscreen at a first location, wherein the touchscreen includes a processor coupled to a local area network (LAN) and a security system at the first location; and

a plurality of applications executing on the processor of the touchscreen and displaying a plurality of interfaces to a user via the touchscreen, the plurality of interfaces including a security interface and a network interface, wherein the security interface provides the user with control of functions of the security system and access to data collected by the security system, wherein the network interface allows the user to transfer content to and from a remote network coupled to the LAN; and

a remote server at a second location, wherein the remote server is coupled to the touchscreen, the remote server managing at least one of the touchscreen and the security system, wherein objects are maintained on the remote server that correspond to at least one of at least one security system component of the security system and at least one network device of the LAN.

61. A device comprising:

an input/output (I/O) device at a first location, the I/O device comprising a processor coupled to a local area network (LAN) and a security system at the first location, wherein the security system includes a plurality of security system components that are proprietary to the security system;

a security application executing on the processor and providing a security interface for control of functions of the security system, the security interface presented to a user via the I/O device;

a content application executing on the processor and providing a network interface for access to networked content of a remote wide area network (WAN), the network interface presented to a user via the I/O device, wherein the I/O device is coupled to the WAN via the LAN; and

a remote server at a second location, wherein the remote server is coupled to the I/O device, the remote server managing at least one of the I/O device and the security system, wherein objects are maintained on the remote server that correspond to at least one of the plurality of security system components and at least one network device of the LAN.