System and method for setting up and activating agent shortcut operations

• US 8,289,361 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2011
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Systems International SARL (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Systems International SARL (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kocho, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le H
• Application Number:
  US13/118,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 506 Days
• Field of Search: 700/65, 725/133, 725/42, 725/112, 715/733, 709/203, 709/208, 705/7, 348/14.05, 348/734, 340/825.72, 340/825.76, 455/3.03
• US Class Current: 348/14.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide for methods, devices and systems for setting up an agent shortcut operation to be activated at an electronic device in a network. The agent shortcut operation can be setup at an electronic device connected to a network by receiving a selection of an agent shortcut operation from a user on an agent setup device, and sending the selected agent shortcut operation through the network to the electronic device to be available for subsequent activation. The agent shortcut operation can be activated by sending an agent shortcut operation to the electronic device, receiving an activation signal from an agent activation device for the agent shortcut operation, and in response to the received activation signal, sending a signal to the electronic device to activate the agent shortcut operation.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

configuring an agent shortcut operation at a first location; and

communicating the agent shortcut operation through a network, wherein the agent shortcut operation is relayed through an agent device and provided to an electronic device to be available for subsequent activation at a second location in which the electronic device resides, wherein the first location is a website providing an access rights portion that can be configured to authorize particular actors to activate the agent shortcut operation and to prohibit other actors from activating the agent shortcut operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent device is a mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a list of agent shortcut operations to a user on an agent setup device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is connected wirelessly to the network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a server is provisioned to provide menus to a user in order to select from a plurality of agent shortcut operations.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the menus allows the user to determine a method of activation for at least some of the plurality of agent shortcut operations.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the menus allows the user to provide an e-mail address, a phone number, or an Internet protocol (IP) address associated with a device to be used to assist in activating the agent shortcut operation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises one of a computer, a set top box, a home alarm, a thermostat, an electronic device controller, a gaming console, a television, a digital video recorder, a phone, or a lighting system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent shortcut operation may be remotely activated by a user on the agent device via e-mail or via a number associated with a wireless device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a set top box of a cable television system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent shortcut operation enables remote setting of electronic device preferences.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent shortcut operation is configured via a graphical user interface associated with a web page.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent shortcut operation enables remote searching for program content associated with television programming.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent shortcut operation propagates through the network to a particular agent activation device residing in a third location.

15. Logic encoded in one or more non-transitory media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor operable to perform operations comprising:

configuring an agent shortcut operation at a first location; and

communicating the agent shortcut operation through a network, wherein the agent shortcut operation is relayed through an agent device and provided to an electronic device to be available for subsequent activation at a second location in which the electronic device resides, wherein the first location is a website providing an access rights portion that can be configured to authorize particular actors to activate the agent shortcut operation and to prohibit other actors from activating the agent shortcut operation.

16. The logic of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

providing a list of agent shortcut operations to a user on an agent setup device.

17. The logic of claim 15, wherein a server is provisioned to provide menus to a user in order to select from a plurality of agent shortcut operations, and wherein at least one of the menus allows the user to determine a method of activation for at least some of the plurality of agent shortcut operations.

18. The logic of claim 17, wherein at least one of the menus allows the user to provide an e-mail address, a phone number, or an Internet protocol (IP) address associated with a device to be used to assist in activating the agent shortcut operation.

19. The logic of claim 15, wherein the electronic device is a set top box of a cable television system, and wherein the agent shortcut operation enables remote searching for program content associated with television programming.

20. A server, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, wherein the processor and the memory interact such that the server is operable to;

provide menus to a user for selecting a plurality of agent shortcut operations, wherein the menus are part of a website that provides an access rights portion, which can be configured to authorize particular actors to activate the agent shortcut operations and to prohibit other actors from activating the agent shortcut operations;

configure a particular agent shortcut operation; and

communicate the particular agent shortcut operation through a network, wherein the particular agent shortcut operation is relayed through an agent device and provided to an electronic device to be available for subsequent activation at a location in which the electronic device resides, and wherein at least one of the menus allows the user to determine a method of activation for at least some of the plurality of agent shortcut operations, and wherein at least one of the menus allows the user to provide an e-mail address, a phone number, or an Internet protocol (IP) address associated with a particular device to be used to assist in activating the particular agent shortcut operation.