Home automation data storage system and methods

• US 10,101,717 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2015
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EchoStar Technologies International Corporation (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EchoStar Technologies International Corporation (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Marten, Neil T., Tirpak, Christopher B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Pho M
• Application Number:
  US14/970,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20170168469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18

Abstract

A home automation data storage system is provided that can include a plurality of home automation components, each component including a storage device. The system can also include a controller database for storing control data for the home automation system. The system can also include an electronic device communicatively coupled to the plurality of home automation components, the controller database, and a computing device, the electronic device having programming instructions that cause the electronic device to receive data from the computing device, store at least a portion of the data in the storage device of a component from the plurality of home automation components, and store information associating the storage device of the component and the at least a portion of the data in the controller database.

Claims

1. A home automation data storage system, comprising:

a plurality of home automation components, each home automation component from the plurality of home automation components comprising a storage device;

a controller database for storing control data for a home automation system; and

an electronic device communicatively coupled to each home automation component from the plurality of home automation components and to a computing device and to the controller database, the electronic device comprising;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a data file from the computing device;

split the data file into a plurality of data segments;

store a first data segment from the plurality of data segments in the storage device of a first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components;

store a second data segment from the plurality of data segments in the storage device of a second home automation component from the plurality of home automation components;

store information associating the storage device of the first home automation component and the first data segment in the controller database; and

store information associating the storage device of the second home automation component and the second data segment in the controller database.

2. The home automation data storage system of claim 1, wherein the storage device of the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components is a removable memory card.

3. The home automation data storage system of claim 1, wherein the storage device of the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components is not removable.

4. The home automation data storage system of claim 1, wherein the computing device does not maintain a copy of the data file at the computing device.

5. The home automation data storage system of claim 1, wherein the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components is selected from the group consisting of light bulb, light switch, motion sensor, door sensor, and smoke detector.

6. The home automation data storage system of claim 1, wherein the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components is removed from the plurality of home automation components, and wherein the sequence of instructions includes further instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

determine that the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components was removed;

identify the first data segment stored on the storage device of the first home automation component; and

rebuild the first data segment on the storage device of a different home automation component from the plurality of home automation components.

7. The home automation data storage system of claim 1, wherein:

the electronic device is a home automation controller, and

the computing device maintains a copy of the data file at the computing device.

8. The home automation data storage system of claim 1, wherein the sequence of instructions includes further instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive a request for the data file from the computing device;

determine, using information stored in the controller database, that the data file includes the first data segment and the second data segment;

determine, using information stored in the controller database, that the first data segment is stored on the storage device of the first home automation component and the second data segment is stored on the storage device of the second home automation component;

retrieve the first data segment from the storage device of the first home automation component;

retrieve the second data segment from the storage device of the second home automation component;

combine the first data segment and the second data segment to regenerate the data file; and

send the data file to the computing device.

9. A method for storing data on a home automation system, comprising:

receiving a data file at a home automation controller from a computing device communicatively coupled to the home automation controller;

storing, by the home automation controller, at least a portion of the data file to a storage device of a first home automation component from a plurality of home automation components, the plurality of home automation components being communicatively coupled to the home automation controller;

storing, by the home automation controller in a controller database, information associating the at least a portion of the data file and the storage device of the first home automation component;

determining, by the home automation controller, that the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components was removed from the plurality of home automation components;

identifying, by the home automation controller, the at least a portion of the data file stored on the storage device of the first home automation component; and

rebuilding, by the home automation controller, the at least a portion of the data file on the storage device of a second home automation component from the plurality of home automation components.

10. The method for storing data on a home automation system of claim 9, wherein the storing at least a portion of the data file to the storage device of the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components operation comprises:

splitting, by the home automation controller, the data file into a plurality of data segments;

storing, by the home automation controller, a first data segment from the plurality of data segments to the storage device of the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components; and

storing, by the home automation controller, a second data segment from the plurality of data segments to the storage device of a third home automation component from the plurality of home automation components.

11. The method for storing data on a home automation system of claim 10, wherein the storing information associating the storage device of the first home automation component and the at least a portion of the data file in the controller database operation comprises:

storing, by the home automation controller, information associating the first data segment with the storage device of the first home automation component in the controller database; and

storing, by the home automation controller, information associating the second data segment with the storage device of the third home automation component in the controller database.

12. The method for storing data on a home automation system of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the home automation controller, a request for the data file from the computing device;

retrieving, by the home automation controller, the first data segment from the storage device of the second home automation component;

retrieving, by the home automation controller, the second data segment from the storage device of the third home automation component;

combining, by the home automation controller, the first data segment and the second data segment to regenerate the data file; and

sending the data file to the computing device.

13. The method for storing data on a home automation system of claim 9, wherein the storage device of the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components is a removable memory card.

14. The method for storing data on a home automation system of claim 9, wherein the storage device of the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components is not removable.

15. The method for storing data on a home automation system of claim 9, wherein the computing device does not maintain a copy of the data file at the computing device.

16. The method for storing data on a home automation system of claim 9, wherein the first home automation component from the plurality of home automation components is selected from the group consisting of light bulb, light switch, motion sensor, door sensor, and smoke detector.

17. The method for storing data on a home automation system of claim 16, wherein:

the entire data file is stored on the storage device of the first home automation component.