Modular power control system to manage power consumption

• US 8,224,496 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Terrace Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Musti, Subrahmanyam S., Ramanathan, Sri, Terry, Matthew A., Trevathan, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Masinick, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US12/389,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20100218010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 700/22, 700/295, 700/297, 340/10.33
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections

Abstract

A method implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code having programming instructions tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium. The programming instructions are operable to receive an indication of a geoboundary event and determine an occurrence of at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) event and a local area network (LAN) event. Additionally, the programming instructions are operable to adjust one or more power consumption settings of an environment based on at least one of the receiving of the indication of the geoboundary event and the determination of the occurrence of the at least one of the RFID event and the LAN event.

Claims

1. A method comprising computer implemented steps of:

providing specific action sequences in a modular power control unit (MPCU) associated with each consumer and an indication of a geoboundary event;

providing specific action sequences in the MPCU associated with each consumer and a radio frequency identification (RFID) event, the specific action sequences for the indication of the geoboundary event being different from the specific action sequences for the occurrence of the RFID event;

receiving the indication of the geoboundary event;

determining the occurrence of the RFID event; and

adjusting one or more power consumption settings by controlling a power grid or an environment internet protocol (IP) network of an environment to effect the specific action sequences associated with each consumer and the indication of the geoboundary event based on the receiving of the indication of the geoboundary event and to effect the specific action sequences associated with each consumer and indication of the geoboundary event based on the determination of the occurrence of the RFID event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the indication of the geoboundary event occurs in response to a determination that a device in a wireless carrier network has traversed an established geoboundary.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the geoboundary event is received via session initiation protocol (SIP).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer implemented steps are performed in a computer infrastructure, and further comprising registering the computer infrastructure as a session initiation protocol (SIP) client of a wireless carrier network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the occurrence of the RFID event comprises at least one of:

detecting an arrival of an RFID tag within at least one of a room and a zone of the environment;

detecting a departure of the RFID tag from the at least one of the room and the zone of the environment;

detecting a presence of two or more RFID tags within a predetermined range of one another; and

detecting an absence of the two or more RFID tags within the predetermined range of one another.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an occurrence of a local area network (LAN) event, wherein the determining the occurrence of the LAN event comprises detecting at least one of:

an arrival of a LAN-enabled device within a range of a LAN; and

a departure of the LAN-enabled device from the range of the LAN.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the one or more power consumption settings comprises controlling power distribution in the environment by at least one of:

accessing the power grid to adjust power supply in the environment;

accessing the power grid to effect power line wiring signaling and/or control; and

accessing the environment IP network to effect Power-over-Ethernet signaling and/or control.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment comprises one or more zones and wherein the one or more zones each comprise one or more rooms.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment is one of an office environment, a home environment, a warehouse environment and a retail environment.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising provisioning at least one of:

one or more geoboundaries;

one or more RFID zones; and

one or more RFID rooms in each of the one or more RFID zones.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more geoboundaries comprises an environment geoboundary which is defined by a perimeter of the environment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more geoboundaries comprise at least one of concentric geoboundaries and progressively larger geoboundaries surrounding the environment.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an RFID tag for at least one power consuming device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising establishing one or more power consumption rules for the at least one power consuming device, wherein the adjusting the one or more power consumption settings is performed in accordance with the one or more power consumption rules for the at least one power consuming device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising provisioning a wireless device as a SIP client of a wireless carrier network.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports the computer infrastructure.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps are provided by a service provider on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis.

18. A system, comprising:

a modular power control unit (MPCU) operable to;

receive an indication of a geoboundary event;

determine an occurrence of a radio frequency identification (RFID) event; and

adjust one or more power consumption settings by controlling a power grid or an environment internet protocol (IP) network of an environment based on the receiving of the indication of the geoboundary event and the determination of the occurrence of the RFID event,

wherein the MPCU comprises;

a power control subsystem operable to interface with the power grid of the environment;

a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) stack operable to interface with the environment IP network;

one or more RFID drivers operable to interface with an RFID scanner subsystem;

a session initiation protocol (SIP) client watcher operable to interface with a wireless network;

a service control repository operable to store service configuration data; and

a service logic unit.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the service configuration data comprises:

designations of one or more zones of the environment;

designations of one or more rooms for each of the one or more zones;

a listing of consumers associated with each of the one or more rooms;

one or more RFID tag identifications indicating an association to a consumer or a person; and

power control rules associated with each consumer or person for adjusting the one or more power consumption settings of the environment.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the RFID scanner subsystem comprises at least one RFID scanner operable to determine the occurrence of the RFID event.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the MPCU is registered as a session initiation protocol (SIP) client user agent.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the indication of the geoboundary event is received via session initiation protocol (SIP).

23. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage memory having readable program code embodied in the storage memory, the computer program product includes at least one component operable to:

receive an indication of a geoboundary event;

determine an occurrence of a radio frequency identification (RFID) event;

determine the geoboundary event is a trigger for a first event or series of actions associated with a consumer, the first event or series of actions including control of a power grid or an environment interne protocol (IP) network of an environment;

determine the RFID event is an RFID trigger for second event or series of actions associated with the consumer or another consumer, the second event or series of actions including control of the power grid or the environment IP network of the environment, the first event or series of actions being different from the second event or series of actions; and

adjust one or more power consumption settings by controlling the power grid or the environment IP network of the environment to effect the first event or series of actions based on the determining the geoboundary event is a geoboundary trigger and to effect the second event or series of actions based on the determining the RFID event is an RFID trigger,

wherein the computer program product is registered as a session initiation protocol (SIP) client user agent, and

wherein the indication of the geoboundary event is received via SIP.

24. A method comprising computer implemented steps of:

receiving an indication of a geoboundary event via session initiation protocol (SIP), which occurs in response to a determination that a wireless device in a wireless carrier network has traversed an established geoboundary;

detecting an occurrence of a radio frequency identification (RFID) event;

detecting an occurrence of a local area network (LAN) event;

determining whether the geoboundary event is a geoboundary trigger for a first event or series of actions including control of a power grid or an environment internet protocol (IP) network of an environment;

determining whether the RFID event is an RFID trigger for a second event or series of actions including the control of the power grid or the environment IP network of the environment;

determining whether the LAN event is a LAN trigger for a third event or series of actions including the control of the power grid or the environment IP network of the environment;

receiving one or more power consumption rules for at least one power consuming device in the environment, wherein the one or more power consumption rules instruct the first event or series of actions, the second event or series of actions, and the third event or series of actions to be taken when the geoboundary trigger, the RFID trigger, or the LAN trigger are respectively determined; and

adjusting one or more power consumption settings of an environment based on whether the geoboundary event is the geoboundary trigger, the RFID event is the RFID trigger, or the LAN event is the LAN trigger, which is performed in accordance with the one or more power consumption rules for the at least one power consuming device and comprises using a processor to control power distribution to the at least one power consuming device in the environment by at least one of;

accessing an environment power grid to adjust power supply in the environment;

accessing the environment power grid to effect power line wiring signaling and/or control; and

accessing an environment internet protocol (IP) network to effect Power-over-Ethernet signaling and/or control.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

providing the at least one power consuming device with an RFID tag;

providing a personal item of a user or a mobile device of the user with an RFID tag; and

providing the environment with an RFID scanner configured to scan for the at least one power consuming device with the RFID tag and the personal item of the user or the mobile device of the user with the RFID tag,

wherein the detecting the occurrence of the RFID event comprises at least one of;

detecting an arrival of the personal item of the user or the mobile device of the user with the RFID tag within at least one of a room or a zone of the environment; and

detecting a departure of the personal item of the user or the mobile device of the user with the RFID tag from the at least one of the room or the zone of the environment.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein:

detecting a presence of the at least one power consuming device with the RFID tag within a predetermined range of the personal item of the user or the mobile device of the user with the RFID tag; and

detecting an absence of the at least one power consuming device with the RFID tag within the predetermined range of the personal item of the user or the mobile device of the user with the RFID tag.