Apparatus and methods for controlling a habitat environment

• US 10,412,938 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2015
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecotech Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ecotech Marine, LLC
• Inventors: Lawyer, Justin, Clasen, Patrick, Marks, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Darrin D
• Application Number:
  US14/887,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20160106074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/003 Aquaria; Terraria A01K63/04, A01K63/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/02 Receptacles specially adapted for transporting live fish
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/06 Arrangements for heating or lighting in, or attached to, receptacles for live fish
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25011 Domotique, I-O bus, home automation, building automation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31434 Zone supervisor, collects error signals from, and diagnoses different zone
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• 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 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/81 Aquaculture, e.g. of fish
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

A system is provided for controlling an aquatic habitat. The system for includes a server, a bridge, and a habitat component. The server includes a database containing information associated with a habitat component. The server also includes a communication interface for transmitting operating data for the habitat component. The bridge has a first communication unit configured to communicate with the server communication interface and transmit the operating data received from the server to the habitat component. The habitat component has a second communication unit for receiving operating data from the bridge.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a habitat, comprising:

a habitat environment comprising a pair of sidewalls, a pair of end walls, and a bottom wall, wherein the habitat environment is made of a transparent material;

a user interface configured to receive an indication of a habitat specification, wherein the habitat specification comprises at least one of a shape of the habitat, a content of the habitat, a type of component within the habitat, and a number of components within the habitat;

a habitat component comprising a first component and a second component;

a server comprising a database containing information associated with the habitat component and a server communication interface for transmitting operating data for the habitat component, wherein the server is configured to receive the indication of the habitat specification from the user interface and wherein the operating data is generated based upon the indication of the habitat specification and the information associated with the habitat component; and

a bridge having a first communication unit configured to communicate with the server communication interface and transmit the operating data received from the server to the habitat component;

the habitat component having a second communication unit for receiving the operating data from the bridge, wherein the habitat component is coupled to one sidewall or end wall such that the second communication unit is disposed outside the one sidewall or one end wall and is controlled based upon the operating data;

the operating data related to the first component transmitted to the first component includes instructions to operate at a first operational mode during a first time period and a second operational mode different from the first operational mode during a second time period;

the first component is controlled to operate at the first operational mode during the first time period and the second operational mode during a second time period and the second component is controlled based on the operating data related to the second component transmitted from the bridge to the second component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the habitat component comprises a microprocessor for processing the operating data received from the bridge to produce an output to control the operation of the habitat component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the habitat component comprises internal memory configured to store the operating data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the habitat component is capable of storing operating data relating to a day'"'"'s operation.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second habitat component comprising a third communication unit configured to receive the operating data from the habitat component and a microprocessor for processing the operating data received from the habitat component to produce an output to control the operation of the second habitat component.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring component comprising a fourth communication unit configured to transmit information to the bridge.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the transparent material is one of glass or acrylic.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication unit is configured to wirelessly communicate with the server and to wirelessly transmit the operating data received from the server to the habitat component.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second component is a lighting unit, and wherein the operating data related to the lighting unit includes instructions to operate the lighting unit on a day and night cycle.