Residential gateway system for automated control of residential devices

• US 8,706,913 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Doherty, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIDHALM, ANGELA M
• Application Number:
  US10/029,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,495 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/203, 700276-284, 370/242
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/167 Control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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

Abstract

A residential gateway connects an Internet connection to an in-home network that has at least one residential device connected to the residential gateway. The residential gateway has software that receives control parameters from a control server via the Internet connection. The control server determines the control parameters from operational information of the residential device and relevant control information accessed from an information server on the Internet. The software causes the residential gateway to communicate with the residential device to provide control of the residential device based on the received control parameters. In a particular implementation, the residential device is a home irrigation system connected to the residential gateway via a wireless interface and the information server is a weather station server storing climatic information from a plurality of weather stations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a command set at a residential gateway, the command set usable to control a home irrigation system;

receiving state information of the home irrigation system at the residential gateway from the home irrigation system;

sending the state information to a control server;

receiving tracked operational information of the home irrigation system at the residential gateway from the control server;

sending, from the residential gateway, the state information and the tracked operational information to a computer, wherein the home irrigation system includes an irrigation controller connected to the residential gateway and a sprinkler connected to the irrigation controller to water a lawn, wherein the sprinkler includes an electrically controlled valve functioning according to a watering cycle;

receiving, at the residential gateway, an economic setpoint of operation associated with the home irrigation system from the computer, the economic setpoint of operation including a cost of operating the home irrigation system;

sending the economic setpoint of operation from the residential gateway to the control server;

receiving, at the residential gateway, control parameters from the control server, wherein the control parameters are based on the economic setpoint of operation, the state information, the tracked operational information, or any combination thereof;

selecting, at the residential gateway, one or more commands of the stored command set to issue to the home irrigation system based on an application program interface of the home irrigation system and based on the control parameters;

sending the selected commands from the residential gateway to the home irrigation system via the application program interface;

receiving, at the residential gateway, an instruction from the computer to override the state information and the tracked operational information; and

sending a command from the residential gateway to the home irrigation system based on the instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the economic setpoint of operation is set to control an amount of electricity used by the home irrigation system, an amount of water used by the home irrigation system, or any combination thereof during a particular time period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the irrigation controller is connected to the residential gateway via a wireless interface.

4. The method claim 1, wherein the residential gateway communicates with the control server via the Internet.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a request for the state information from the residential gateway to the home irrigation system, wherein the state information is received in response to the request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request for the state information is sent using the application program interface of the home irrigation system.

7. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

storing, a command set at a residential gateway, the command set usable to control a home irrigation system;

receiving state information of the home irrigation system from the home irrigation system;

sending the state information to a control server;

receiving an economic setpoint of operation associated with the home irrigation system from a computer, the economic setpoint of operation including a cost of operating the home irrigation system;

sending the economic setpoint of operation to the control server;

receiving control parameters from the control server, wherein the control parameters are based on the economic setpoint of operation, the state information, or any combination thereof;

selecting, at a residential gateway, one or more commands of the stored command set to issue to the home irrigation system based on an application program interface of the home irrigation system and based on the control parameters; and

sending the selected commands to the home irrigation system via the application program interface.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the economic setpoint of operation is set to control an amount of electricity used by the home irrigation system, an amount of water used by the home irrigation system, or any combination thereof during a particular time period.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the irrigation controller is connected to the residential gateway via a wireless interface.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the residential gateway communicates with the control server via the Internet.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise sending a request for the state information from the residential gateway to the home irrigation system, wherein the state information is received in response to the request.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the request for the state information is sent using the application program interface of the home irrigation system.

13. A computer readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

storing, at a residential gateway, a command set, the command set usable to control a home irrigation system;

receiving state information of the home irrigation system from the home irrigation system;

sending the state information to a control server;

receiving an economic setpoint of operation associated with the home irrigation system from a computer, the economic setpoint of operation including a cost of operating the home irrigation system;

sending the economic setpoint of operation to the control server;

receiving control parameters from the control server, wherein the control parameters are based on the economic setpoint of operation, the state information, or any combination thereof;

selecting, at a residential gateway, one or more commands of the stored command set to issue to the home irrigation system based on an application program interface of the home irrigation system and based on the control parameters; and

sending the selected commands to the home irrigation system via the application program interface.