Information control system

• US 9,323,255 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kit Meng Chan, Lena Hun Man Chan, Mark Kit Jiun Chan
• Original Assignee: Kit Meng Chan, Lena Hun Man Chan, Mark Kit Jiun Chan
• Inventors: Chan, Mark Kit Jiun
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, KENNY S
• Application Number:
  US13/896,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20150323943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1951 with control of the working time of a temperature controlling device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method is used to characterize a user with properties, such as location in relation to established geo-fences, speed of traverse, projected traveling time required for a particular distance, etc. Those properties contribute to yielding a quantitative result in the calculated lead time period prior to the user arriving at a monitored space, including but not limited to a rented room in a hotel, and a house. The method uses the user'"'"'s arrival time to estimate the setback temperature, which is the indoor temperature of a monitored space maintained during unattended time periods. The method also uses the user'"'"'s arrival time to estimate the heated water volume to be provided, as well as, to house watch other property management interests.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an environmental attribute of a monitored space with an application server having an established drift and drive relationship where drifting the environmental attribute and driving the environmental attribute represent not operating and operating, respectively, an environmental attribute means, including, if the monitored space is unoccupied, a time of arrival of a user of a mobile device at a geographic location in relation to the monitored space, the method comprising:

defining a geo-fence area wherein the monitored space is located;

sending a present geographic location or proximity log of the mobile device to the application server;

projecting the time of arrival of the user at the monitored space on the basis of the present geographic location or proximity log of the mobile device; and

determining a setback recovery time period in accordance with the established drift and drive relationship, wherein the time of arrival at the monitored space of the user of the mobile device corresponds with the setback recovery time period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprises:

monitoring the level of the environmental attribute of the monitored space;

sending a detected level of the environmental attribute to the application server;

determining a setback attribute, which is to be driven to a setpoint within the setback recovery time period, in accordance with the established drift and drive relationship;

sending the setback attribute to a control unit or environmental attribute means;

allowing the environmental attribute in the monitored space to drift to the setback attribute level when the monitored space is unoccupied; and

,

driving the environmental attribute at the setback attribute level so the environmental attribute proceeds toward the setpoint within a time period related to a time of arrival of the user at the monitored space.

3. The method of claim 1 further including determining a setback level of an environmental attribute, or setback attribute,

executing a program having instructions stored in a memory means of the application server communicatively connected to an environmental attribute means;

receiving from the environmental attribute means in accordance with sent operating parameters the environmental attribute pertaining to the monitored space, and further processing data, including a predetermined setpoint, a predetermined maximum range relative to the setpoint, a first drift relationship, and a first drive relationship;

establishing a first drift relationship by drifting with respect to time the attribute from the setpoint, to the maximum range relative to the setpoint; and

drifting with respect to time at least one intermediate attribute between the setpoint, and the maximum range relative to the setpoint, to the maximum range relative to the setpoint;

establishing a first drive relationship by driving with respect to time the attribute from the maximum range relative to the setpoint, to the setpoint; and

driving with respect to time the at least one intermediate attribute between the setpoint, and the maximum range relative to the setpoint, to the setpoint;

storing in the memory means at least one drive relationship and at least one drift relationship; and

determining whether the at least one monitored space is occupied.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the monitored space representing an independently located space that includes at least one of independently segregated and monitored minimal space which is selected from a group including a hotel, a house, and a commercial building;

the setpoint is a predetermined level of the environmental attribute;

the maximum range is mathematically determined;

or,

the maximum range is empirically determined—

the maximum range is obtained when the monitored space is unoccupied, by a sensor that monitors the environmental attribute and provides data to the application server, wherein the environmental attribute in the monitored space is allowed to drift towards an ambient level of said environmental attribute in a region adjacent to the monitored space.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the environmental attribute of the monitored space is indoor temperature; and

the environmental attribute means includes a temperature sensor, and at least one of a heating unit, an air conditioning unit and a ventilating unit.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the environmental attribute of the monitored space is humidity; and

the environmental attribute means includes a humidity sensor, and at least one of a humidifier and a dehumidifier.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising drifting an environmental attribute, representing reducing the environmental attribute by consumption, driving an environmental attribute representing increasing the environmental attribute, including the additional steps of:

determining the proximity logs pertaining to tracked mobile devices carried by the total number of users, concurrently comprising non-traversing users located in the monitored space pertaining to null proximities, as well as, traversing users projected to arrive in the monitored space in accordance with the corresponding proximity logs;

determining with respect to time the projected number of non-traversing users located in the monitored space, including determining in accordance with the proximity logs the corresponding number of traversing users arriving in the monitored space;

calculating with respect to time the setback attribute by multiplying the projected number of non-traversing users with a predefined unitary attribute quantity;

determining in accordance with at least one established drift relationship, the ratio with respect to time between the drifted attribute and the number of non-traversing users; and

sending the setback attribute with respect to time, and the ratio with respect to time, to a control unit of the environmental attribute means.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the monitored space representing an independently located space encompassing at least one independently segregated and monitored minimal space, which is selected from a group including a hotel, a house, and a commercial building;

the setpoint, representing the predefined unitary attribute quantity multiplied by the total number of users; and

the maximum range is empirically determined—

the maximum range is measured if the attribute is allowed to drift towards a level, within a given time span, comprising the largest difference with the setpoint.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the environmental attribute of the monitored space is the heated water reserve quantity at a predetermined temperature;

the predefined unitary attribute quantity is the heated water reserve quantity at the predetermined temperature readily supplied for one user of the total number of users; and

the environmental attribute means includes at least one of a sensor for measuring the volume of the attribute in a storage tank, and a water heating unit.

10. The method claim 3 wherein the environmental attribute of the monitored space is a temperature of heated water in a water heating unit, and the method includes sensing the temperature of the water in the water heating unit with a temperature sensor.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating the time of arrival based on a velocity of the mobile device in change of geographic location.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering the geo-fence area in accordance with preconditioning factors pertaining to selected traffic conditions, time, and characteristics of the users and the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising preconfiguring the time of arrival as one preconfigured value when the present geographic location of the mobile device is within the geo-fence area, and as another preconfigured value when the present geographic location of the mobile device is outside of the geo-fence area.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the mobile device to send a manually entered arrival time to the application server.

15. The method of claim 1, in which the monitored space is a guest room in a hotel, a house, or an office unit in a commercial building.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording the time in which the setback attribute is established, geographical location of the user, and estimating a lead time period for the user at the determined geographical location to arrive at the monitored space.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the geographical position of the user, estimating a time period required by the user at the determined geographical position to arrive at the monitored space.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising having the time of arrival correspond with the lapse of the setback recovery time period.

19. A system for controlling an environmental attribute of a monitored space, the system comprising:

an application server having an established drift and drive relationship where drifting the environmental attribute and driving the environmental attribute represent not operating and operating, respectively;

an environmental attribute means in operative communication with the application server, and including an indication of whether the monitored space is unoccupied; and

a mobile device in communication with the application server to provide a geographic location in relation to the monitored space and send a present geographic location or proximity log of the mobile device to the application server whereby the application server unit projects the time of arrival of a user at the monitored space on the basis of the present geographic location or proximity log of the mobile device, and further determines a setback recovery time period in accordance with the established drift and drive relationship so that the time of arrival at the monitored space of the user of the mobile device corresponds to the setback recovery time period.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising a sensor that monitors the environmental attribute and provides data to the application server regarding same.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor to monitor a temperature of the monitored space.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the application server is operatively connected to a control unit to establish a setback temperature for the monitored space.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the application server includes data stored therein.