System and method of interacting with home automation systems via a set-top box device

• US 8,413,204 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Scott, Cansler, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US12/059,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20090249428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• Field of Search: 725/74, 725 78- 84, 725/100, 725/108, 725/131, 725/133, 725/139, 725/141, 725/151, 725/153, 340/500, 340/539.14, 340/539.26
• US Class Current: 725/133
• 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 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A method of interacting with home automation systems via a set-top box device is disclosed and includes receiving data at a set-top box device from one of a plurality of home automation systems communicating with the set-top box device. The data indicating that a triggering event has been detected at the home automation system. The method also includes sending an alert to a display device coupled to the set-top box device indicating that the triggering event has occurred.

Claims

1. A method of interacting with a home automation system by a set-top box device coupled to an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network, the method comprising:

sending, by the set-top box device, a plurality of graphical user interfaces received from the set-top box device to a display device coupled to the set-top box device;

receiving, by the set-top box device via the plurality of graphical user interfaces displayed on the display device, user settings for each device of a plurality of devices in the home automation system, wherein the user settings include setting data specifying at least one triggering event and responses to each of the at least one triggering event;

transmitting, by the set-top box device, via a residential gateway coupled to the set-top box device, the user settings to each device in the home automation system to store the user settings in each device;

receiving by the set-top box device, data from at least one device of the plurality of devices in the home automation system via the residential gateway, wherein the home automation system monitors a plurality of environmental events, wherein the data received by the set-top box device indicates that the at least one triggering event has been detected at one of the plurality of devices in the home automation system based on the user settings, wherein the plurality of devices in the home automation system comprise an environmental hazard detector, a thermometer, a heating ventilation, an air-conditioning system, a baby monitoring system including a web camera, or a security system, and wherein the plurality of environmental events comprise a hazard being detected, a desired indoor temperature, a noise characteristic or any combination thereof;

sending, by the set-top box device to the display device, an alert indicating that the at least one triggering event has been detected at one of the plurality of devices based on the user settings, wherein the alert generates a graphical user interface including selectable indicators of options to respond to the alert, and receiving user input via the selectable indicators of options in the graphical user interface to control additional processing of the at least one triggering event;

in response to the at least one triggering event, identifying by the set-top box device, based on the user settings, at least one device associated with the environmental hazard detector, the thermometer, the heating ventilation, the air conditioning system, the baby monitoring system, or the security system, for responding to the at least one triggering event, wherein the at least one device is different from the display device; and

sending, by the set-top box device based on the user settings and without user input, output data to the home automation system, the output data including an instruction to alter an operation of the at least one device identified by the set-top box device.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving, by the set-top box device, the user settings for controlling the alert sent to the display device.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising accessing, by the set-top box device, the user settings before sending the alert to the display device.

4. A method of interacting with a home automation system a set-top box device coupled to an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network, the method comprising:

sending, by the set-top box device, a plurality of graphical user interfaces received from the set-top box device to a display device coupled to the set-top box device;

receiving, by the set-top box device via the plurality of graphical user interfaces displayed on the display device, user settings for each device of a plurality of devices in the home automation system, wherein the user settings include setting data specifying at least one triggering event and responses to each of the at least one triggering event;

transmitting, by the set-top box device, via a residential gateway coupled to the set-top box device, the user settings to each device in the home automation system to store the user settings in each device;

receiving by the set-top box device, data from at least one device of the plurality of devices in the home automation system via the residential gateway, wherein the home automation system monitors a plurality of environmental events, wherein the set-top box device communicates with the home automation system via the residential gateway including at least an environmental system, wherein the data indicates that the at least one triggering event has been detected at one of the plurality of devices in the home automation system based on the user settings, and wherein the plurality of devices in the home automation system comprises an environmental hazard detector, a thermometer, a heating ventilation and air-conditioning system, or any combination thereof;

receiving, by the set-top box device, video content from a camera associated with the home automation system;

sending, by the set-top box device to the display device, an alert indicating that the at least one triggering event has been detected at one of the plurality of devices based on the user settings, wherein the alert includes the video content and generates a graphical user interface including selectable indicators of options that enables the specification and settings of multiple triggering events and responses to each of the multiple triggering events, and receiving user input via the selectable indicators of options in the graphical user interface to control additional processing of the at least one triggering event;

in response to the at least one triggering event, identifying, by the set-top box device, based on the user settings, at least one device associated with the at least one triggering event and associated with one of the environmental hazard detector, the thermometer, the heating ventilation and air-conditioning system, or any combination thereof for responding to the at least one triggering event, wherein the at least one device is different from the display device; and

sending, by the set-top box device based on the user settings and without user input, output data to the home automation system, the output data including an instruction to alter an operation of the at least one device identified by the set-top box device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving user input via the selectable indicators of options in the graphical user interface to control additional processing of the at least one triggering event comprising receiving an input to perform one of silencing the environmental hazard detector, deactivating the environmental hazard detector, activating the heating ventilation and air-conditioning system, deactivating the heating ventilation and air-conditioning system, or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the video content is displayed in a picture-in-picture portion of the display device.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the output data instructs the home automation system to send the video content to the set-top box device.

8. A set-top box device coupled to an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network, the set-top box device comprising:

a residential gateway interface to receive data from a home automation system via a residential gateway;

a memory to store computer instructions;

processing logic coupled to the memory, wherein the processing logic, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising;

sending a plurality of graphical user interfaces received from the set-top box device to a display device coupled to the set-top box;

receiving via the plurality of graphical user interfaces displayed on the display device, user settings for each device of a plurality of devices in the home automation system, wherein the user settings include setting data specifying at least one triggering event and responses to each of the at least one triggering event;

transmitting via the residential gateway coupled to the set-top box device, the user settings to each device in the home automation system to store the user settings in each device;

receiving by the set-top box device, data from at least one device of the plurality of devices in the home automation system via the residential gateway, wherein the home automation system monitors a plurality of environmental events, wherein the set-top box device communicates with the home automation system via the residential gateway including at least an environmental system, wherein the data indicates that the at least one triggering event has been detected at one of the plurality of devices in the home automation system based on the user settings, and wherein the plurality of devices in the home automation system comprise an environmental hazard detector, a thermometer, a heating ventilation and air-conditioning system, or any combination thereof;

sending to the display device an alert indicating that the at least one triggering event has been detected at one of the plurality of devices based on the user settings, wherein the alert generates a graphical user interface including selectable indicators of options to respond to the alert that enables the specification and settings of multiple triggering events and responses to each of the multiple triggering events;

receiving an input via the selectable indicators of options in the graphical user interface to control additional processing of each of the at least one triggering event;

in response to the at least one triggering event, identifying based on the user settings, at least one environmental device associated with the at least one triggering event for responding to the at least one triggering event, wherein the at least one environmental device is different from the display device; and

sending based on the user settings and without user input, output data to the home automation system, the output data including an instruction to alter an operation of the at least one environmental device identified by the set-top box device.

9. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the alert comprises at least one of video, audio, text, graphics, or any combination thereof.

10. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the processing logic, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising receiving the user settings related to the at least one triggering event via at least one application programming interface.

11. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the processing logic, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising receiving video content from a camera associated with the home automation system that supplied the data and wherein the alert includes the video content.

12. The set-top box device of claim 11, wherein the home automation system supplying the data further comprises a child monitoring system;

wherein the at least one triggering event is a detection of at least one noise characteristic by the child monitoring system; and

wherein the camera is a web camera.