Wireless electronic device configuration system

• US 9,439,050 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Logical Concepts, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Logical Concepts, Inc.
• Inventors: Ward, Thomas Owen, Brown, David Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Barry
• Application Number:
  US14/065,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20140120901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/466
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A programmable electronic device includes a processor, a cellular transceiver module and a command interpreter module. The cellular transceiver module can be executable by the processor. The command interpreter module is in communication with the cellular transceiver module and is executable by the processor. The command interpreter module is configured to transmit and receive text messages via the cellular transceiver module. The command interpreter module is further configured to program and configure operation of the programmable electronic device from commands and content identified by the command interpreter module in the text messages. The text messages may be unstructured.

Claims

1. A programmable electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a cellular transceiver module executable by the processor and configured to receive a first incoming text message of unstructured content and a second incoming text message of unstructured content, the first incoming text message being a configuration command comprising a command representative of a predetermined character string, an index, and a recipient phone number of a user, the index being an identifier of a memory location in which to store the recipient phone number based on execution of the command , and the second incoming text message comprising a parameter setpoint message to command a notification event to occur based on reaching a parameter setpoint included in the second incoming text message, the second incoming text message also comprising actual text content of an event alert message; and

a command interpreter module executable by the processor and in communication with the cellular transceiver module, the command interpreter module configured to transmit and receive text messages via the cellular transceiver module, and

the command interpreter module further configured to program and configure operation of the programmable electronic device from commands and content identified by the command interpreter module in the unstructured content of the first and second text messages, the command interpreter module configured to receive the first incoming text message of unstructured content and identify and store the recipient phone number at the memory location identified with the index, to adjust a permanently stored setpoint to the parameter setpoint included in the second incoming text message of unstructured content, and to store the actual text content of the event alert message,

the processor further configured to enqueue in a notification message queue a message type enumeration in response to operational conditions reaching the parameter setpoint, the message type enumeration being a predetermined list mapped to the actual text content of the event alert message,

the processor further configured retrieve the message type enumeration from the notification queue and build a text string of the actual text content from the message type enumeration, and

the processor further configured to set the index to the recipient phone number, and transmit the actual text content as a text message to the recipient phone number of the user via the cellular transceiver module,

wherein the cellular transceiver module comprises one of a first cellular transceiver module for communication over a first wireless network, or a second cellular transceiver module for communication over a second wireless network, the first wireless network being different from the second wireless network, and the processor is configured to dynamically determine that the first or the second cellular transceiver module is present and automatically execute corresponding different communication related instructions that are compatible with the respective cellular transceiver module determined as present.

2. The programmable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a memory, wherein the text messages comprise a series of characters in an unstructured format from which the command interpreter module is configured to identify a character string included in the command as substantially matching the predetermined character string stored in the memory.

3. The programmable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the command interpreter module is further configured to parse the unstructured format of the remainder of the text messages other than the character string to identify content corresponding to the identified command, the content comprising character locations containing the index, the recipient phone number, extra spaces, and wrong characters.

4. The programmable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the command interpreter module is further configured to sequentially parse the remainder of the unstructured format of the text messages and identify a first character location as the index, followed by selective identification of a group of numeric characters as the recipient phone number, the command interpreter module further configured to ignore characters in the unstructured format that are other than numeric characters as the remainder of the unstructured format of the text message is sequentially parsed.

5. The programmable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first and second incoming text messages are configuration text messages, and the processor is configured to only enable configuration of the programmable electronic device with the configuration text messages in response to the programmable electronic device being in a programming mode that is different from an operational mode.

6. The programmable electronic device of claim 5, further comprising a user interface having a multi-function input configured to initiate a test of the programmable electronic device in response to receipt of a momentary signal on the multi-function input, and configured to initiate the programming mode in response to receipt of a continuous signal longer than a predetermined duration on the multi-function input.

7. The programmable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the command interpreter module is further configured to extract a parameter from the programmable electronic device in response to receipt of a text message requesting the parameter, and initiate transmission of the parameter in a response text message.

8. The programmable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a memory wherein the text messages are configuration text messages, and the processor is configured to enable configuration of the programmable electronic device with the configuration text messages in response to the configuration text messages originating from a trusted source having a trusted identifier stored in the memory.

9. The programmable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a memory, wherein the first and second incoming text messages comprise an unstructured format from which the command interpreter module is configured to identify groups of characters that have similar characteristics to a predetermined character string stored in memory and ignore groups of characters that have dissimilar characteristics to the predetermined character string stored in memory, wherein the command interpreter module is further configured to combine the groups of characters that have similar characteristics to form a command comprising a character string that substantially matches a predetermined character string stored in the memory.

10. The programmable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the programmable electronic device is a controller for a sump pump, and the command interpreter module is configured to receive a third incoming text message comprising a command and a number value indicative of a number of displaced gallons of liquid at a conclusion of a runtime event of the sump pump, and the processor is configured to calculate a gallons per minute capability of the sump pump based on the command received in the third incoming text message.

11. A programmable electronic device comprising:

a processor configured to control a command interpreter module, and at least one of a network adapter module or a cellular transceiver module;

a field input/output module in communication with the processor, the field input/output module configured to process a plurality of inputs and outputs of the programmable electronic device; and

the command interpreter module controlled by the processor to accept and execute text messages received wirelessly by the cellular transceiver module, the text messages having an unstructured format comprising an unstructured command and an unstructured content, the command interpreter module further controlled by the processor to use the text messages to configure operation of the programmable electronic device or to configure operation of an external device via the field input/output module,

wherein the command interpreter module is controlled by the processor to parse a first incoming text message of unstructured content and a second incoming text message of unstructured content received via the network adapter module or the cellular transceiver module, the first incoming text message being a configuration command of unstructured format comprising a command representative of a predetermined character string, an index, and a recipient identifier of a user, the index being an identifier of a memory location in which to store the recipient identifier based on execution of the command, and the second incoming text message comprising a parameter setpoint message of unstructured format to command a notification event to occur based on reaching a parameter setpoint included in the second incoming text message, the second incoming text message also comprising actual text content of an event alert message,

the command interpreter module configured to adjust a permanently stored setpoint to the parameter setpoint included in the second incoming text message and store the actual text content of the event alert message,

the processor further configured to enqueue in a notification message queue a message type enumeration in response to operational conditions reaching the parameter setpoint, the message type enumeration being a predetermined list mapped to the actual text content of the event alert message, the processor further configured retrieve the message type enumeration from the notification queue and build a text string of the actual text content from the message type enumeration, and

the processor further configured to set the index to the recipient identifier, and transmit the actual text content as a text message to the recipient identifier of the user via the network adapter module or the cellular transceiver module.

12. The programmable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the command interpreter module is further configured to convert a third text message to a predetermined protocol compatible with the external device and communicate the converted third text message to the external device via the field input/output module.

13. The programmable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the predetermined protocol of the converted third text message comprises instructions to program the external device.

14. The programmable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the command interpreter module is further configured to parse the unstructured command included in the first incoming text message to identify the first incoming text message as a phone number configuration text message, and is further configured to parse the unstructured content to identify a phone number included in the message as the recipient identifier.

15. The programmable electronic device of claim 14, wherein the command interpreter module is further configured to sequentially parse the unstructured content to identify and create a plurality of groups of numeric values included in the unstructured content, the numeric values located in any of a plurality of different character locations.

16. The programmable electronic device of claim 11, further comprising a deviation report module controlled by the processor and in communication with the field input/output module to monitor any of the inputs and outputs of the programmable electronic device, the deviation report module further configured to detect at least one alarm condition according to at least one programmable trigger that corresponds to any of the inputs and outputs of the programmable electronic device, the command interpreter module further configured to program or configure the at least one programmable trigger based on a received text message.

17. A method of configuring operation of a programmable electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving with a cellular transceiver module a text message;

parsing the text message using a processor to identify a command included in a group of character locations at a beginning of the text message;

confirming, using the processor, that the command is valid;

identifying, using the processor, a next character location in the text message at an end of the identified command;

sequentially parsing, using the processor, an unstructured content of the text message in the next character location and a plurality of character locations included in the text message after the next character location;

identifying using the processor, a group of characters within the plurality of character locations with similar characteristics that correspond to the identified command and identifying and ignoring other characters within the plurality of character locations that do not have similar characteristics to the group of characters; and

adjusting an operational configuration of the programmable electronic device, using the processor, based on execution of the identified command using the identified characters with similar characteristics.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein parsing the text message using the processor to identify the command further comprises the step of identifying groups of characters that have similar characteristics to a predetermined character string stored in a memory and ignoring groups of characters that have dissimilar characteristics to the predetermined character string stored in the memory, and substantially matching the groups of characters with similar characteristics with the predetermined character string stored in the memory.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying using the processor, a group of characters within the plurality of character locations comprises the step of grouping a predetermined number of characters identified as having the similar characteristics by sequentially parsing the plurality of character locations, storing only the group of characters, and not the other characters, in a temporary buffer, and verifying the stored group of characters as being valid command parameters for the identified command.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein parsing the text message using a processor to identify a command further comprises the step of determining from the command an identifier of a storage location in memory;

and identifying characters in the plurality of character locations comprises the step of combining a plurality of respective groups to form a phone number, and storing the phone number at the storage location indicated by the determined identifier.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising converting the text message to a format compatible with an external device based on the identified command using the identified characters, and transmitting the converted text message for receipt by the external device, the external device being separated away from the programmable electronic device.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein parsing the text message using the processor to identify the command further comprises the step of the processor ignoring characters in the plurality of character locations with dissimilar characteristics that correspond to the identified command.

23. The method of claim 17 further comprising parsing, an incoming text message received via the cellular transceiver module, the incoming text message comprising a parameter setpoint message to command a notification event to occur based on reaching a parameter setpoint included in the second incoming text message, the second incoming text message also comprising actual text content of an event alert message;

adjusting a permanently stored setpoint to the parameter setpoint included in the second incoming text message and storing the actual text content of the event alert message;

enqueuing in a notification message queue a message type enumeration in response to operational conditions reaching the parameter setpoint, the message type enumeration being a predetermined list mapped to the actual text content of the event alert message;

retrieving the message type enumeration from the notification queue and building a text string of the actual text content from the message type enumeration, and

setting the index to the recipient identifier, and transmitting the actual text content as a text message to the recipient identifier of the user via the cellular transceiver module.