Network addressable appliance interface device

• US 9,000,896 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kim, Ryan Yong, Pathuri, Venkata Subba Rao, Kelly, Francis Michael, Glawson, David Allen, Whitney, Jason Lynn, Hansen, Sumner Marius
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alizada, Omeed
• Application Number:
  US14/292,240
• Time in Patent Office: 312 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/10.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/41 by acting on aggregated flows or links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an interface device to control an appliance through a network. The interface device can be device-agnostic and can be incorporated into any suitable appliance. Upon initialization, the interface device can determine the capabilities of the attached appliance and send out update information that can be received by a controller. The controller can send commands designated to control the appliance, which are received by the interface device and translated into appropriate commands that are transmitted to the appliance. The interface device can turn the appliance into a network device, such as a home automation network device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, using an appliance interface of an interface device on a network, a type category and a usage category, wherein the type category and the usage category are associated with an identification number that corresponds to an activity performable by an appliance device that is coupled to the network using the interface device, wherein the type category is indicative of a format of how a current value is obtained by the interface device, and wherein the usage category is indicative of how the interface device can interact with the current value;

storing the type category and the usage category as value attributes in a database;

obtaining the current value associated with the identification number, wherein obtaining the current value includes transmitting a get value command specifying the identification number and receiving the current value; and

using the current value to transmit a status corresponding to the activity performable by the appliance device, wherein the status is transmitted over the network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an appliance software protocol version; and

updating the interface device to communicate with the appliance using the appliance software protocol version.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the type category and the usage category further comprises:

transmitting a first get attributes command indicating the identification number; and

receiving a response to the first get attributes command containing the type category and the usage category related to the identification number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the type category and the usage category further comprises:

transmitting a global attributes request command;

receiving a response to the global attributes request command containing the type category and the usage category related to the identification number and an indication of the identification number; and

storing the type category and the usage category in the database.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a list of names associated with the identification number when the type category is a mode enumerated type.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting a controllable value associated with a second identification number by transmitting a set value command including the second identification number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the type category and the usage category further comprises:

receiving an attribute response associated with the identification number, wherein attributed responses include a polling rate or a name.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the status is usable to update a display when received by an access device.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more data processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including;

obtaining, using an appliance interface of an interface device on a network, a type category and a usage category, wherein the type category and the usage category are associated with an identification number that corresponds to an activity performable by an appliance device that is coupled to the network using the interface device, wherein the type category is indicative of a format of how a current value is obtained by the interface device, and wherein the usage category is indicative of how the interface device can interact with the current value;

storing the type category and the usage category as value attributes in a database;

obtaining the current value associated with the identification number, wherein obtaining the current value includes transmitting a get value command specifying the identification number and receiving the current value; and

using the current value to transmit a status corresponding to the activity performable by the appliance device, wherein the status is transmitted over the network.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including:

receiving an appliance software protocol version; and

updating the interface device to communicate with the appliance using the appliance software protocol version.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein obtaining the type category and the usage category further comprises:

transmitting a first get attributes command indicating the identification number; and

receiving a response to the first get attributes command containing the type category and the usage category related to the identification number.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein obtaining the type category and the usage category further comprises:

transmitting a global attributes request command;

receiving a response to the global attributes request command containing the type category and the usage category related the identification number and an indication of the identification number; and

storing the type category and the usage category in the database.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including:

obtaining a list of names associated with the identification number when the type category is a mode enumerated type.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including:

setting a controllable value associated with a second identification number by transmitting a set value command including the second identification number.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein obtaining the type category and the usage category further comprises:

receiving an attribute response associated with the identification number, wherein attributed responses include a polling rate or a name.

23. The system of claim 8, wherein the status is usable to update a display when received by an access device.

15. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

obtain, using an appliance interface of an interface device on a network, a type category and a usage category, wherein the type category and the usage category are associated with an identification number that corresponds to an activity performable by an appliance device that is coupled to the network using the interface device, wherein the type category is indicative of a format of how a current value is obtained by the interface device, and wherein the usage category is indicative of how the interface device can interact with the current value;

store the type category and the usage category as value attributes in a database;

obtain the current value associated with the identification number, wherein obtaining the current value includes transmitting a get value command specifying the identification number and receiving the current value; and

use the current value to transmit a status corresponding to the activity performable by the appliance device, wherein the status is transmitted over the network.

16. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive an appliance software protocol version; and

update the interface device to communicate with the appliance using the appliance software protocol version.

17. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to obtain the type category and the usage category are further configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

transmit a first get attributes command indicating the identification number; and

receive a response to the first get attributes command containing the type category and the usage category related to the identification number.

18. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to obtain the type category and the usage category are further configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

transmit a global attributes request command;

receive a response to the global attributes request command containing the type category and the usage category related the identification number and an indication of the identification number; and

store the type category and the usage category in the database.

19. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

obtain a list of names associated with the identification number when the type category is a mode enumerated type.

20. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

set a controllable value associated with a second identification number by transmitting a set value command including the second identification number.

21. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to obtain the type category and the usage category are further configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive an attribute response associated with the identification number, wherein attributed responses include a polling rate or a name.

24. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the status is usable to update a display when received by an access device.