Internet of things device for registering user selections

• US 9,641,400 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2014
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afero, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Afero, Inc.
• Inventors: Britt, Joe, Matsumura, Shin, Forood, Houman, Zimmerman, Scott, Myles, Philip, Zawicki, Sean, Kutami, Daisuke, Black, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Haupt, Kristy A
• Application Number:
  US14/550,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20160149767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/283 Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A platform, apparatus and method for Internet of Things Implementations. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a memory for storing program code and a microcontroller for executing the program code; a communication interface for coupling the microcontroller to a network; a plurality of input elements communicatively coupled to the microcontroller to detect user input; a slot for receiving a selection card, the selection card comprising a plurality of user-selectable items displayed thereon, wherein each of the input elements are associated with at least one of the user-selectable items displayed on the card when the selection card is inserted in the slot; and wherein upon selection of a particular input element corresponding to a particular item, the microcontroller transmits an identification code for the item to a service over the network, the service identifying the item using the identification code and performing one or more operations responsive to selection of the item by the user.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing program code and a microcontroller for executing the program code;

a communication interface for coupling the microcontroller to a network;

a plurality of input elements communicatively coupled to the microcontroller to detect user input;

a slot for receiving a selection card, the selection card comprising a plurality of user-selectable items displayed thereon, wherein each of the input elements are associated with at least one of the user-selectable items displayed on the card when the selection card is inserted in the slot; and

wherein upon selection of a particular input element corresponding to a particular item, the microcontroller transmits an identification code for the item to a service over the network, the service identifying the item using the identification code and performing one or more operations responsive to selection of the item by the user.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the item is a grocery item and wherein the service is a grocery service.

3. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein each card comprises a listing of grocery items selectable by the user via the input elements associated with each of the grocery items when each card is inserted into the slot.

4. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the communication interface comprises a local communication interface coupling the apparatus to a local hub device which is coupled to the service over a wide area network (WAN).

5. The apparatus as in claim 4 wherein the communication interface comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) interface.

6. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the plurality of input elements comprise user-selectable buttons.

7. The apparatus as in claim 6 wherein each user-selectable button has a light emitting diode (LED) associated therewith, wherein when the user has selected an item, the microcontroller causes the LED associated with the button for that item to be illuminated.

8. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising:

an audio decoder within the microcontroller or communicatively coupled to the microcontroller, the audio decoder to decode audio content associated with the items as the user selects the items via the input elements; and

a speaker integrated within the apparatus and producing sound contained in the audio content.

9. The apparatus as in claim 8 further comprising:

a speech synthesis module to convert text associated with the items to audio content, the audio content then being decoded by the audio decoder and output on the speaker.

10. A system comprising:

an IoT hub comprising a WAN interface to couple the IoT hub to an IoT service over the WAN, and a local communication interface to communicatively couple the IoT hub to a plurality of different types of IoT devices; and

an IoT device comprising;

a memory for storing program code and a microcontroller for executing the program code;

a communication interface for coupling the microcontroller to the IoT hub over a network;

a plurality of input elements communicatively coupled to the microcontroller to detect user input;

a slot for receiving a selection card, the selection card comprising a plurality of user-selectable items displayed thereon, wherein each of the input elements are associated with at least one of the user-selectable items displayed on the card when the selection card is inserted in the slot; and

wherein upon selection of a particular input element corresponding to a particular item, the microcontroller transmits an identification code for the item to a service over the network, the service identifying the item using the identification code and performing one or more operations responsive to selection of the item by the user.

11. The system as in claim 10 wherein the item is a grocery item and wherein the service is a grocery service.

12. The system as in claim 11 wherein each card comprises a listing of grocery items selectable by the user via the input elements associated with each of the grocery items when each card is inserted into the slot.

13. The system as in claim 10 wherein the communication interface comprises a local communication interface coupling the IoT device to the IoT hub.

14. The system as in claim 13 wherein the communication interface comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) interface.

15. The system as in claim 10 wherein the plurality of input elements comprise user-selectable buttons.

16. The system as in claim 15 wherein each user-selectable button has a light emitting diode (LED) associated therewith, wherein when the user has selected an item, the microcontroller causes the LED associated with the button for that item to be illuminated.

17. The system as in claim 10 further comprising:

an audio decoder within the microcontroller or communicatively coupled to the microcontroller, the audio decoder to decode audio content associated with the items as the user selects the items via the input elements; and

a speaker integrated within the IoT device and producing sound contained in the audio content.

18. The system as in claim 17 further comprising:

a speech synthesis module to convert text associated with the items to audio content, the audio content then being decoded by the audio decoder and output on the speaker.

19. A method comprising:

providing an IoT hub comprising a WAN interface to couple the IoT hub to an IoT service over the WAN, and a local communication interface to communicatively couple the IoT hub to a plurality of different types of IoT devices; and

providing an IoT device comprising;

a memory for storing program code and a microcontroller for executing the program code;

a communication interface for coupling the microcontroller to a network;

a plurality of input elements communicatively coupled to the microcontroller to detect user input;

a slot for receiving a selection card, the selection card comprising a plurality of user-selectable items displayed thereon, wherein each of the input elements are associated with at least one of the user-selectable items displayed on the card when the selection card is inserted in the slot; and

wherein upon selection of a particular input element corresponding to a particular item, the microcontroller transmits an identification code for the item to a service over the network, the service identifying the item using the identification code and performing one or more operations responsive to selection of the item by the user.