Apparatus and method for the virtual demonstration of a smart phone controlled smart home using a website

• US 9,922,580 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Mathews, Jeffrey P., Zimmer, Andrew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chad, Aniss
• Application Number:
  US14/265,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20140324410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 25/00 Models for purposes not provided for in G09B23/00, e.g. full-sized devices for demonstration purposes model vehicles, tracks therefor, models in the nature of toys A63H
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131
• 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 12/283 Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless

Abstract

An apparatus providing for virtual use of one or more virtualized smart home devices. The apparatus includes a simulation app download element and a web host. The simulation app download element is disposed in a cloud-based file server, and is configured to download a simulation app to a smart phone that is collocated with a computer, upon which the one or more virtualized smart home devices are simulated. The web host is disposed in the cloud-based file server, and is configured to provide content to the computer to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices and, responsive to control commands transmitted via the simulation app, is configured to transmit corresponding control commands to the computer that change simulated states of the one or more virtualized smart home devices such that a user experiences control of the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

Claims

1. A simulation environment for one or more virtualized smart home devices, comprising:

a remote device;

a computer; and

a server system connected to the remote device and the computer;

the server system comprising a processor and memory for storing one or more programs for execution by the processor, the one or more programs including instructions for;

providing a simulation application to the remote device for controlling and monitoring states of the one or more virtualized smart home devices;

providing a virtual home simulator to the computer;

providing content related to the virtual home simulator to the computer to create the simulation environment, wherein the computer is configured to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices using the virtual home simulator;

receiving a control command issued by the remote device from the simulation application, the control command defining a changed state of at least one of the one or more virtualized smart home devices; and

in response to receiving the control command from the remote device, transmitting the control command to the computer, the control command causing the computer to change a simulated state of at least one of the one or more virtualized smart home devices in accordance with the changed state defined by the control command.

2. The simulation environment of claim 1, wherein the content is provided to the computer by a web host of the server system, and the web host downloads the virtual home simulator and a smart hub simulator to the computer, and wherein the computer executes the virtual home simulator and the smart hub simulator to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

3. The simulation environment of claim 2, wherein the smart hub simulator is configured to receive the corresponding control command and to issue smart device control commands to the virtual home simulator to control the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

4. The simulation environment of claim 3, wherein the smart hub simulator transmits the smart device control commands to the virtual home simulator in order to control the one or more virtualized smart home devices, and the one or more virtualized smart home devices correspond in operation to the one or more smart home devices.

5. The simulation environment of claim 1, wherein the virtual home simulator presents and changes the simulated state within a web browser that is executing on the computer.

6. The simulation environment of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

receiving from the virtual home simulator a state change message including the simulated state of the one or more virtualized smart home devices; and

transmitting the state change message to the remote device.

7. The simulation environment of claim 1, wherein the control command is transmitted to the server system over a cellular network, and the server system transmits the control command to the computer over the Internet.

8. The simulation environment of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further include instructions for:

providing the content to the computer to simulate the one or more state changes corresponding to the one or more virtualized smart home devices, wherein the control command includes a state change command, and the state changes are responsive to the state change command transmitted from the computer and represent simulated state changes in the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage storing one or more programs configured for execution by a server system connected to a remote device and a computer for demonstrating a simulation environment for one or more virtualized smart home devices, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

providing a simulation application to the remote device for controlling and monitoring states of the one or more virtualized smart home devices;

providing a virtual home simulator to the computer;

providing content related to the virtual home simulator to the computer to create the simulation environment, wherein the computer is configured to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices using the virtual home simulator;

receiving a control command issued by the remote device from the simulation application, the control command defining a changed state of at least one of the one or more virtualized smart home devices; and

in response to receiving the control command from the remote device, transmitting the control command to the computer, the control command causing the computer to change a simulated state of at least one of the one or more virtualized smart home devices in accordance with the changed state defined by the control command.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the content is provided to the computer by a web host of the server system, and the web host downloads the virtual home simulator and a smart hub simulator to the computer, and wherein the computer executes the virtual home simulator and the smart hub simulator to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the smart hub simulator is configured to receive the corresponding control command and to issue smart device control command to the virtual home simulator to control the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the virtual home simulator presents and changes the simulated state within a web browser that is executing on the computer.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the smart hub simulator transmits the smart device control commands to the virtual home simulator in order to control the one or more virtualized smart home devices, and the one or more virtualized smart home devices correspond in operation to the one or more smart home devices.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the simulation application comprises a jar file.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more programs further include instructions for:

providing the content to the computer to simulate the one or more state changes corresponding to the one or more virtualized smart home devices, wherein the control command includes a state change command, and the state changes are responsive to the state change command transmitted from the computer and represent simulated state changes in the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

16. A method that provides a simulation environment for virtual use of one or more virtualized smart home devices, comprising:

a remote device;

a computer; and

a server system connected to the remote device and the computer;

at the server system;

providing a simulation application to the remote device for controlling and monitoring states of the one or more smart home devices;

providing a virtual home simulator to the computer;

providing content related to the virtual home simulator to the computer to create the simulation environment, wherein the computer is configured to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices using the virtual home simulator;

receiving a control command issued by the remote device from the simulation application, the control command defining a changed state of at least one of the one or more virtualized smart home devices; and

in response to receiving the control command from the remote device;

transmitting the control command to the computer, the control command causing the computer to change a simulated state at least one of the one or more virtualized smart home devices in accordance with the changed state defined by the control command.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing a smart hub simulator to the computer, wherein the computer executes the virtual home simulator and the smart hub simulator to simulate the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the smart hub simulator receives the corresponding control command and issues smart device control commands to the virtual home simulator to control the one or more virtualized smart home devices.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the virtual home simulator presents and changes the simulated state within a web browser that is executing on the computer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the smart hub simulator transmits the smart device control commands to the virtual home simulator in order to control the one or more virtualized smart home devices, and the one or more virtualized smart home devices correspond in operation to the one or more smart home devices.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving from the virtual home simulator a state change message including the simulated state of the one or more virtualized smart home devices; and

transmitting the state change message to the remote device.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the control command is transmitted to the server system over a cellular network, and wherein the server system transmits the control command to the computer over the Internet.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing the content to the computer to simulate the one or more state changes corresponding to the one or more virtualized smart home devices, wherein the control command includes a state change command, and the state changes are responsive to the state change command transmitted from the computer and represent simulated state changes in the one or more virtualized smart home devices.