System and method for IP-addressable devices

• US 9,824,398 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2016
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: English, Gary Charles, Popadin, George K., Zandes, Nicholas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Niquette, Robert R
• Application Number:
  US15/061,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20160307275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 705 4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed herein for identifying assets which pose a physical danger to a property through identification of such assets using IP-addressable devices located at a property. The system includes a communications base station at the property which receives program instructions for controlling an exchange of data between the base station, IP-addressable devices connected to the base station via a LAN, and a user computer. Responsive to installation of the program instructions, the system receives registration data from IP-addressable devices connected to the base station, the registration data based upon XML format messages between the base station and the IP-addressable devices. Upon detection of an asset which poses a physical danger to a property, the system and method execute a notification procedure to generate a message to a user computer.

Claims

1. A computer system for monitoring IP-addressable devices connected by a local area network (LAN) to a communications base station at a property, comprising:

one or more data storage devices storing a database configured to store asset data for assets corresponding to the IP-addressable devices connected to the LAN at the property;

one or more computer processors in communication with the one or more data storage devices;

a communications device configured to communicate with the one or more computer processors, the one or more data storage devices, and a plurality of communications base stations connected to a plurality of LANs which are connected to a plurality of IP-addressable devices; and

a memory, coupled to the one or more computer processors, storing program instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to;

responsive to a request from a user computer connected to the communications base station at the property, transmit, by the communications device to the user computer, user computer program instructions for controlling an exchange of data between the communications device, the communications base station, and one or more IP-addressable devices connected to the communications base station via the LAN, wherein each of said one or more IP-addressable devices are configured to, upon connection to the LAN, identify their existence to the LAN and other IP-addressable devices connected to the LAN, and provide to the communications base station an XML formatted message including a description of the respective IP-addressable device and a description of services provided by the IP-addressable device;

responsive to installation of the user computer program instructions, receive, by the communications device from the communications base station, registration data corresponding to the one or more IP-addressable devices connected to the communications base station via the LAN, the registration data based on the XML formatted messages provided to the communications base station by each of the one or more IP-addressable devices; and

responsive to receipt of the registration data for an IP-addressable device which poses a significant physical risk to the property, automatically execute a notice procedure to generate a message to the user computer including data indicative of the risk.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the one or more computer processors to:

responsive to receipt of the registration data corresponding to the one or more IP-addressable devices, transmit, by the communications device to the communications base station, definition data corresponding to each of the one or more IP-addressable devices, the definition data specifying types of operational data to be transmitted by the communications base station to the communications device for each of the one or more IP-addressable devices; and

periodically receive, by the communications device from the communications base station based on the definition data, the specified types of operational data for each of the one or more IP-addressable devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the one or more computer processors to:

responsive to a determination that one of the specified types of operational data for one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is outside of an acceptable operation range, actively adjust a score corresponding to the property based on the specified types of operational data, and automatically execute a notice procedure to provide notification of a risk associated with the specified types of operational data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the specified types of operational data includes inter-device communication data corresponding to inter-dependent IP-addressable devices at the property, and wherein the score is further adjusted based on the inter-device communication data.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the one or more computer processors to generate a safety-related determination based on one or both of the registration data and the operational data, the safety related determination comprising a risk of overload of a resource shared by two or more of the IP-addressable devices,

wherein the two or more of the IP-addressable devices sharing the resource communicate with one another to self-adjust consumption of the resource to prevent resource overload.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the one or more computer processors to:

responsive to receipt of the registration data for the one or more IP-addressable devices, determine whether the one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is on a recalled device listing;

responsive to a determination that one or more of the one or more IP-addressable devices is subject to recall, automatically execute a notice procedure to provide notification of the recall.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more IP-addressable devices include devices with an IP-addressable RFID tag.

8. The system of claim 1, further including an input/output controller configured to communicate, via the communications device, with a specific IP-addressable device to obtain the registration data or the operational data for the specific IP-addressable device.

9. A computerized method for monitoring IP-addressable devices connected to a communications base stations via a local area network (LAN) at a property, comprising:

responsive to a request from a user computer connected to the communications base station at the property, transmitting, by one or more computer processors via a communications device to the user computer, user computer program instructions for controlling an exchange of data between the communications device, the communications base station, and one or more IP-addressable devices connected to the communications base station via the LAN, wherein each of said one or more IP-addressable devices are configured for, upon connection to the LAN, identifying their existence to the LAN and other IP-addressable devices connected to the LAN, and providing to the communications base station an XML formatted message including a description of the respective IP-addressable device and a description of services provided by the IP-addressable device;

responsive to installation of the user computer program instructions, receiving, by the communications device from the communications base station, registration data corresponding to the one or more IP-addressable devices connected to the communications base station via the LAN, the registration data based on the XML formatted messages provided to the communications base station by each of the one or more IP-addressable devices;

storing, by one or more data storage devices, asset data for assets corresponding to the IP-addressable devices connected to the LAN at the property; and

responsive to receipt of the registration data for an IP-addressable device which poses a significant physical risk to the property, automatically executing, by the one or more computer processors, a notice procedure to generate a message to the user computer including data indicative of the risk.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

responsive to receipt of the registration data corresponding to the one or more IP-addressable devices, transmitting, by the one or more computer processors via the communications device to the communications base station, definition data corresponding to each of the one or more IP-addressable devices, the definition data specifying types of operational data to be transmitted by the communications base station to the communications device for each of the one or more IP-addressable devices; and

periodically receiving, by the communications device from the communications base station based on the definition data, the specified types of operational data for each of the one or more IP-addressable devices.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that one of the specified types of operational data for one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is outside of an acceptable operation range, actively adjusting, by the one or more computer processors, a score corresponding to the property based on the specified operational data, and automatically executing a notice procedure to provide notification of a risk associated with the specified types of operational data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the specified types of operational data includes inter-device communication data corresponding to inter-dependent IP-addressable devices at the property, and wherein the score is further adjusted based on the inter-device communication data.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating, by the one or more computer processors, a safety-related determination based on one or both of the registration data and the operational data, the safety related determination comprising a risk of overload of a resource shared by two or more of the IP-addressable devices,

wherein the two or more of the IP-addressable devices sharing the resource communicate with one another to self-adjust consumption of the resource to prevent resource overload.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

responsive to receipt of the registration data for the one or more IP-addressable devices, determining, by the one or more computer processors, whether any of the one or more IP-addressable devices is on a recalled device listing;

responsive to an affirmative determination that any of the one or more IP-addressable devices is subject to recall, automatically execute a notice procedure to provide notification of the recall.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining whether any of the one or more IP-addressable devices is on the recalled device listing comprising communicating, by the one or more computer processors via the communications device with a manufacturers computer system for a manufacturer of the one or more IP-addressable devices to determine whether one or more of the one or more IP-addressable devices is subject to recall.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising communicating, by an input/output controller via the communications device, with a specific IP-addressable device to obtain the registration data or the operational data for the specific IP-addressable device.

17. A computer system for monitoring IP-addressable devices connected to a communications base stations via a local area network (LAN) at a property, comprising:

one or more data storage devices storing a database configured to store asset data for assets corresponding to the IP-addressable devices connected to the LAN at the property;

one or more computer processors in communication with the one or more data storage devices;

a communications device configured to communicate with the one or more computer processors, the one or more data storage devices, and a plurality of communications base stations connected to a plurality of LANs which are connected to a plurality of IP-addressable devices; and

a memory, coupled to the one or more computer processors, storing program instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to;

responsive to a request from a user computer connected to the communications base station at the property, transmit, by the communications device to the user computer, user computer program instructions for controlling an exchange of data between the communications device and the communications base station corresponding to the one or more IP-addressable devices connected to the communications base station via the LAN, wherein each of said one or more IP-addressable devices are configured to, upon connection to the LAN, identify their existence to the LAN and other IP-addressable devices connected to the LAN, and provide to the communications base station an XML formatted message including a description of the respective IP-addressable device and a description of services provided by the IP-addressable device;

responsive to installation of the user computer program instructions, receive, by the communications device from the communications base station, registration data corresponding to one or more IP-addressable devices connected to the communications base station via the LAN, the registration data based on the XML formatted messages provided to the communications base station by each of the one or more IP-addressable devices;

responsive to receipt of the registration data corresponding to the one or more IP-addressable devices, transmit, by the communications device to the communications base station, definition data corresponding to each of the one or more IP-addressable devices, the definition data specifying types of operational data to be transmitted by the communications base station to the communications device for each of the one or more IP-addressable devices; and

periodically receive, by the communications device from the communications base station based on the definition data, the specified types of operational data for each of the one or more IP-addressable devices; and

responsive to a determination that one of the specified types of operational data for one of the one or more IP-addressable devices is outside of an acceptable operation range, actively adjust a score corresponding to the property based on the specified operational data, and automatically execute a notice procedure to generate a message to the user computer including data indicative of the risk.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the registration data comprises one or more of time data, date data, manufacturer identification data, model identification data, serial number identification data, and device type identification data.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the operational data comprises one or more of operational status data, condition data, use data, operating temperature data, and fault code data corresponding to one of the assets located at the property.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the operational data is compliant with an UPnP Device Architecture protocol and converted to and exported in one or more XML format messages.