Systems and methods for networking consumer devices

• US 9,762,437 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2013
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Apte, Raj B., Paulson, Christopher, Hasenoehrl, Erik John
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH TRANG T
• Application Number:
  US13/943,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20140022939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery

Abstract

Systems and methods for enrolling nodes into an ad hoc network associated with a multi-roomed structure. Nodes within the ad hoc network comprise a communication module configured to communicate with the ad hoc network using at least one of room-limited communications and room-transparent communications.

Claims

1. A method for enrolling nodes into an ad hoc network associated with a multi-roomed structure, each node comprising a communication module configured to communicate with the ad hoc network using at least one of room-limited communications and room-transparent communications, the method comprising:

transmitting by a first node in the ad hoc network a first room-limited communication;

determining at a second node in the ad hoc network whether the first room-limited communication was received;

when the first room-limited communication was received, segmenting the first and second nodes into a single room in a room list stored in memory; and

receiving stock keeping unit (SKU) numbers from at least one of the first and second nodes in the ad hoc network.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

measuring at the second node in the ad hoc network an ambient condition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the measuring the ambient condition is initiated by a room-transparent communication received by the second node, wherein the measured ambient condition is an ambient lighting level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first room-limited communication is an acoustic signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first room-limited communication is an optical signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first room-limited communication is imperceptible to a human.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second node comprises a sensor, and wherein a signal generated by the sensor is represents an ambient lighting level at the first node.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node comprises a lighting product and wherein transmitting the first room-limited communication comprises modulating the output of the lighting product at a frequency.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether the first room-limited communication was received at the second node comprises detecting by a sensor at the first node the output of the lighting product at the frequency.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

transmitting by a third node in the ad hoc network a second room-limited communication;

determining at the first node in the ad hoc network whether the second room-limited communication was received; and

when the second room-limited communication was received at the first node, segmenting the third node into a room list in which the first node is segmented.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising:

determining at the second node in the ad hoc network whether the second room-limited communication was received; and

when the second room-limited communication was received at the second node, segmenting the third node into a room list in which the second node is segmented.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the ad hoc network comprises a bridge node in communication with the first and second nodes, wherein the bridge node is in communication with an external communications network.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising:

transmitting node data from the first node to the bridge node using room-transparent communications.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the node data comprises at least one of SKU number, a network address, a bar code, and a presumed identity.

15. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving SKU numbers from each of a plurality of nodes in the ad hoc network; and

defining at least one circuit based on the received SKU numbers.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second nodes are in communication via room-transparent communication signals.

17. A method for enrolling nodes into an ad hoc network associated with a multi-roomed structure, each node comprising a communication module configured to communicate with the ad hoc network using at least one of room-limited communications and room-transparent communications, the method comprising:

transmitting by a first node in the ad hoc network a first room-limited communication;

determining at a second node in the ad hoc network whether the first room-limited communication was received;

when the first room-limited communication was received, segmenting the first and second nodes into a single room in a room list stored in memory;

receiving stock keeping unit (SKU) numbers from at least two of the nodes in the ad hoc network; and

defining at least one circuit based on the received SKU numbers.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the SKU numbers are received via room-transparent communications.

19. A method for enrolling nodes into an ad hoc network associated with a multi-roomed structure, each node comprising a communication module, the method comprising:

instructing, through wireless communications, a first node in the ad hoc network to transmit a room-limited communication;

receiving from a second node an indication of whether the first room-limited communication was received by the second node; and

when the first room-limited communication was received by the second node, segmenting the first and second nodes into a single room in a room list stored in memory.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising:

instructing, through wireless communications, the second node in the ad hoc network to measure an ambient lighting level.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the wireless communications are room-transparent communications.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the transmitted room-limited communication is an optical communication.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the optical communication is generated by a lighting product at the first second node.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the optical communication is imperceptible to a human eye.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the wireless communications comprises room-limited communication, wherein the method comprises:

determining the state of a physical object based on the room-limited communications.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the physical object is a door positioned between the first node and the second node, and the state is one of an open state and a closed state.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the physical object is a mobile node.

28. A system, comprising:

an ad hoc network comprising a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes comprising a bridge node, a first node and a second node, wherein each of the first and second node each comprise a communication module configured to communicate using at least one of a room-limited communications and room-transparent communications, wherein the bridge node comprising a controller and memory, wherein the controller is configured to;

instruct, through wireless communications, the first node in the ad hoc network to measure an ambient lighting level;

instruct, through wireless communications, the second node in the ad hoc network to transmit a room-limited communication;

receive from the first node an indication of whether the first room-limited communication was received by the first node; and

when the first room-limited communication was received by the first node, segment the first and second nodes into a single room in a room list stored in the memory.