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

• US 10,638,292 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Karp, Igor, Stesin, Lev, Pi-Sunyer, Carles, McBride, Mark Andrew, Dubman, Alexander, Lyons, James, Kortz, Samuel W., Hu, Gregory J., Surya, Amanda, Thelen, Aubrey, Horton, David, Soucie, Michael, Tan, Leon, Boross, Christopher Anthony, Boettcher, Jesse, Enwall, Tim, Reddy, Prashant P., Malhotra, Mark, Fisher, Evan, Hester, Todd, Matsuoka, Yoky, Urman, Andrew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bachner, Robert G
• Application Number:
  US15/380,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20170192402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 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 providing a message to an application programming interface (API). The message includes a request for data from a data model, a submission of data to the data model, or both; and a host selection between: a representational state transfer (REST) host and a subscription-based application programming interface (API) host, wherein the REST host receives REST-based messages and the subscription-based API host receives messages in accordance with a standard of the subscription-based API host; wherein the request for data, the submission of data, or both are configured to create, delete, modify, or any combination thereof data related to a smart-device environment structure, a thermostat, a hazard detector, or any combination thereof stored in a data model accessible by the API.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more smart-devices; and

an application programming interface (API) client device, comprising a lighting apparatus including a processor configured to;

detect one or more features of the lighting apparatus;

provide a message to an application programming interface (API), the message including information about the one or more features of the lighting apparatus to be processed by a device service associated with the API, the device service including a data model comprising information related to the one or more smart-devices, one or more smart-device environment structures comprising the smart-devices, or both; and

receive reception data from the API, the reception data including information about the one or more smart-devices, the one or more smart-device environment structures comprising the smart-devices, or both, a status of one or more features of the lighting apparatus being modified based upon the reception data, a smart-device status being modified based upon the information about the one or more features of the lighting apparatus, or both.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the data model comprises a single JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) document describing the smart-device environment structures, the smart-devices comprising a thermostat, a hazard detector, or any combination thereof;

the processor is configured to provide the message to a representational state transfer (REST) host, a subscription-based application programming interface (API) host, or both; and

the REST host receives REST-based messages and the subscription-based API host receives messages in accordance with a standard of the subscription-based API host.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one component of the system is configured to activate the lighting apparatus upon detection, by the system, of an occupant occupying the structure.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one component of the system is configured to deactivate the lighting apparatus when a data element of the data model indicates that an occupant of the structure is away from the structure.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the lighting apparatus is configured to turn red upon detection, by the system, that an alarm is active at the hazard detector.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the lighting apparatus comprises motion sensors configured to detect movement of an object, and the message includes information that causes a data element of the data model to be modified to indicate that an occupant is occupying the structure.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one component of the system is configured to cause the lighting apparatus to turn off or dim in proportion to an amount of energy savings based on a peak energy usage program that discourages energy usage during a time period of the program.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein a peak energy usage program includes a starting point, an intermediate period, and an ending point and the lighting apparatus is configured to illuminate a first color for the starting point, a second color for the intermediate period, and a third color for the ending point.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the hazard detector is configured to activate an alarm and the lighting apparatus is configured to flash a first color when the alarm is initially activated.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the lighting apparatus is continuously illuminated a second color after a configurable amount of time after the alarm is initially activated.

11. The system of claim 9, comprising a second API client device comprising a second lighting apparatus, wherein the second lighting apparatus is configured to illuminate a second color on an exit to the structure while the alarm is activated.

12. The system of claim 9, comprising a plurality of the API client devices disposed throughout the smart-device environment structures, and only a subset of lighting apparatuses of the plurality of the API client devices are illuminated a second color along a path to an exit of the structure from where an occupant is detected to be located.

13. The system of claim 2, wherein the lighting apparatus is configured to randomly turn on and off, dim by varying amounts for varying time periods, or turn off when a data element of the data model indicates that the structure is unoccupied.

14. The system of claim 2, wherein the message includes lighting apparatus information related to energy usage of the lighting apparatus.

15. The system of claim 2, comprising a plurality of API client devices;

wherein the message includes energy usage information of the lighting apparatus; and

lighting apparatuses of the plurality of API client devices that are more energy efficient are used more often by the system than the lighting apparatuses that are less energy efficient based on the energy usage information.

16. The system of claim 2, wherein the lighting apparatus and the thermostat coordinate to produce a scene that includes a combination of a lighting color, dimming, or both and a temperature setpoint associated with the lighting.

17. The system of claim 2, wherein the lighting apparatus is configured to create a geo-fence boundary used to switch the smart devices between an occupied mode when an occupant enters the geo-fence boundary and an unoccupied mode when the occupant leaves the geo-fence boundary.

18. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the lighting apparatus comprises one or more sensors configured to detect occupancy in rooms of the structures;

the system maintains a room profile for each room that identifies temperature tendencies of the room; and

the thermostat adjusts the temperature of the rooms in which occupancy is detected based on the respective room profile.

19. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one component of the system is configured to send a notification when the lighting apparatus does not detect occupants in the structure, wherein the notification causes a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to deactivate.

20. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one component of the system is configured to adjust light color emitted from the lighting apparatus based on a temperature setpoint of the thermostat.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the light color is tied to a particular heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) operating mode including cooling, heating, occupied, or unoccupied, and to an ambient target temperature of the thermostat.

22. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one component of the system is configured to increase light brightness emitted from the lighting apparatus when a device detects movement.

23. The system of claim 2, comprising a second API client device comprising a camera,

wherein the camera is configured to focus on an area where the lighting apparatus is located when the light apparatus is broken.

24. The system of claim 2, wherein:

a user profile is maintained that includes at least preferences of the user for the lighting apparatus, the thermostat, or both; and

the user profile is applied to adjust lighting, temperature setpoints, or both when the user is detected as occupying the structure.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein:

some user profiles include a higher priority than other user profiles; and

the higher priority user profile is applied to control the lighting apparatus, the thermostat, or both, when the user associated with the higher priority user profile is detected as occupying the structure.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the user profiles are applied to respective room in which the associated user is occupying.

27. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one component of the system is configured to track usage of the lighting apparatus to determine a home lighting schedule for a user, and, when the user leaves the structure, the home lighting schedule may be applied to the lighting apparatus to make it appear like the user is occupying the structure.

28. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one component of the system is configured to track usage of the lighting apparatus to determine a lighting schedule for a user, and, when the user is occupying the structure, the lighting schedule is applied to control the lighting of the lighting apparatus.

29. The system of claim 2, wherein actuations of the lighting apparatus cause a mode of the thermostat to update from an unoccupied mode to an occupied mode.

30. The system of claim 2, wherein the lighting apparatus comprises a pool light and at least one component of the system is configured to illuminate the pool light by flashing a certain color, illuminating a solid color, illuminating random colors, or some combination thereof, upon detection, by the system, of an alarm state of the hazard detector.

31. The system of claim 2, wherein the lighting apparatus comprises an outdoor light and at least one component of the system is configured to illuminate the outdoor light by flashing a certain color, illuminating a solid color, illuminating random colors, or some combination thereof, upon detection, by the system, of an alarm state of the hazard detector.

32. The system of claim 2, wherein the lighting apparatus is configured to illuminate colors corresponding to different states of the smart devices.

33. The system of claim 2, wherein, when occupancy is detected at an unexpected time, the lighting apparatus is configured to shine its light in the direction of the detected occupancy.

34. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one component of the system is configured to activate the lighting apparatus to provide an exit path based on sensor determinations in the smart-device environment structures.