Methods and apparatus for using smart environment devices via application program interfaces

• US 9,838,830 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2015
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lyons, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Razu A
• Application Number:
  US14/722,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/48 prior to normal operation, e.g. pre-heating or pre-cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/61 using timers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/04 involving the use of models or simulators
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1904 variable in time
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/10 Actuation by presence of smoke or gases , e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 : Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 : from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 : based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 : Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 : involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 : Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 : Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 : Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 : for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 : Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 : for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 : Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 : in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 : via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 : Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Systems and Methods disclosed herein relate to an application programming interface (API) server that receives, from an API client device connected to the system, one or more requests to perform an activity. The activity includes reading, editing by making additions, deletions, modifications or any combination thereof, or both reading and editing, to at least one portion of a data model comprising information related to one or more smart-devices, one or more smart-device environment structures comprising the smart-devices, or both; perform the activity based upon the one or more requests; log the activity, by storing a responsible party for the activity, based upon a vendor, user, or other party or entity associated with the API client device; and present at least a portion of the log.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an application programming interface (API) server comprising a hardware-based processor coupled to memory, the hardware-based processor configured to;

host an API;

receive, from a client device, via the API, one or more requests to perform an activity, comprising;

reading at least one portion of a data model,

editing at least one portion of the data model, the editing comprising making additions, deletions, modifications, or any combination thereof to the data model, or both reading and editing at least one portion of the data model, the data model comprising a multi-level structure that includes;

a smart-device environment structure level storing information related to one or more smart-device environment structures; and

a smart-devices level storing information related to the one or more smart-devices, the smart-devices level being a sub-level of the smart-device environment structure level;

perform the activity based upon the one or more requests;

log the activity, by storing a responsible party for the activity in a log, the responsible party being a vendor, a user, or another party or entity associated with the client device; and

present at least a portion of the log.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the API server is configured to log the activity at the smart-devices level of the data model.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the API server is configured to log the activity at the smart-device environment structure level of the data model.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the API server is configured to log the activity at a level above the smart-device environment structure level of the data model.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the API server is configured to log a client responsible for the activity.

6. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable by a processor to implement an application programming interface (API) server that is configured to:

host an API;

receive, from a client device, via the API, one or more requests to perform an activity, comprising;

reading at least one portion of a data model,

editing at least one portion of the data model, the editing comprising making additions, deletions, modifications, or any combination thereof to the data model, or

both reading and editing at least one portion of the data model, the data model comprising a multi-level structure that includes;

a smart-device environment structure level storing information related to one or more smart-device environment structures; and

a smart-devices level storing information related to the one or more smart-devices, the smart-devices level being a sub-level of the smart-device environment structure level;

perform the activity based upon the one or more requests;

log the activity, by storing a responsible party for the activity, based upon a vendor, a user, or another party or entity associated with the client device; and

present at least a portion of the log.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

receive, from a requesting computer, a request for a subset of logged activity;

compile the subset of logged activity; and

provide the subset of logged activity to the requesting computer.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

determine the subset of logged activity by limiting the subset of logged activity to the logged activity that has occurred within a predetermined time period.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

log the activity, by storing the responsible party in a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) document.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the JSON document comprises an events attribute that indicates whether the logged activity is a put action to write data or a subscribe action to read data.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the JSON document comprises a value attribute that indicates a value written to the data model by the put action.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the JSON document comprises a type attribute that indicates a type of the events attribute.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the events attribute comprises the put action, and the type attribute indicates that the put action is either a merge or an overwrite.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the JSON document comprises an old value attribute that indicates a previous value that existed prior to the put action overwriting the data of a value attribute that corresponds to the old value attribute.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the JSON document comprises:

a location identifier that indicates where in the data model the activity occurred.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the JSON document comprises a structure name or a structure identifier associated with the smart-device environment structure.

17. A computer-implemented method to log an activity that accesses a data model, via a hardware-based, application programming interface (API) server, the method comprising:

hosting an API on the API server;

receiving, from a client device, by the API server, one or more requests to perform an activity, comprising;

reading at least one portion of the data model,

editing at least one portion of the data model, the editing comprising making additions, deletions, modifications, or any combination thereof to the data model, or

both reading and editing at least one portion of the data model, the data model comprising a multi-level structure that includes;

a smart-device environment structure level storing information related to one or more smart-device environment structures; and

a smart-devices level storing information related to the one or more smart-devices, the smart-devices level being a sub-level of the smart-device environment structure level;

performing the activity based upon the one or more requests;

logging the activity, the logging comprising storing a responsible party for the activity, based upon a vendor, a user, or another party or entity associated with the client device; and

presenting at least a portion of the log.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, comprising:

logging a vendor responsible for the activity.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the logging the activity comprises logging a set of attributes including:

an events attribute that indicates whether the logged activity is a put action to write data or a subscribe action to read data;

a value attribute that indicates a value written to the data model by the put action;

a type attribute that indicates a type of the events attribute, wherein the events attribute comprises the put action, and the type attribute indicates that the put action is either a merge or an overwrite;

an old value attribute that indicates a previous value that existed prior to the put action overwriting the data of a value attribute that corresponds to the old value attribute;

a location identifier that indicates where in the data model the activity occurred; and

a structure name or a structure identifier, associated with the smart-device environment structure.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising one of:

logging the activity at the smart-devices level of the data model;

logging the activity at the smart-device environment structure level of the data model;

or

logging the activity at a level above the smart-device environment structure level of the data model.