System and methods for home appliance identification and control in a networked environment

• US 20060259184A1
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Hayes, Patrick H., Black, Jeremy
• Granted Patent: US 7,379,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/221
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/21 Programming remote control devices via third means
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/33 Remote control using macros, scripts
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/281 indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• 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 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping

Abstract

A home control and automation system and method. The system generally includes one or more wireless remote controls, a plurality of appliances (including network enabled appliances and traditional legacy appliances in the exemplary system), associated control centric devices, and associated content centric devices. Various methods for control and operation of appliances in the networked home control and automation environment are disclosed. Specifically, methods are disclosed which enable advanced home control features such as location based control setup and operation, network enabled legacy appliances and system integration, save and recall capabilities for appliance and media states, generic command based appliance controls, dynamic/complex macro command generation, and Internet based control capabilities from remote locations are disclosed in conjunction with the system of the current invention.

Claims

1. A method for providing location data for a portable device within an environment to a controlling device, the method comprising:

providing a database accessible to the controlling device containing location data associated with unique location information for a plurality of location signal receiving devices within the environment;

receiving a location signal from a location signal generating device associated with the portable device by at least one location signal receiving device, the received location signal functioning to indicate the proximity of the portable device to the location signal receiving device; and

matching the location signal received by the location signal receiving device to unique location information within the database in order to provide location data associated with the matched unique location information for the portable device to the controlling device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the location signal generating device comprises an RFID tag and the location signal receiving devices comprise RFID tag reader devices.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the data is read from the RFID tag only when the portable device comes within an operative proximity to a particular RFID reader device within the environment.

4. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the operative proximity is a user adjustable setting of the RFID reader device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable device is a portable controlling device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the location data is used to configure a setting of the controlling device.

7. A method for providing location data for a portable device within an environment to a controlling device, the method comprising:

providing a database accessible to the controlling device containing unique location information for a plurality of RFID reader devices within the environment;

reading data from an RFID tag associated with the portable device by at least one RFID reader device, the RFID data functioning to indicate the proximity of the portable device to the RFID reader device; and

matching the data read by the RFID reader device to the database containing unique location information in order to provide location data for the portable device to the controlling device.

8. The method recited in claim 7, wherein the data is read from the RFID tag only when the portable device comes within an operative proximity to a particular RFID reader device within the environment.

9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the operative proximity is a user adjustable setting of the RFID reader device.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the portable device is a portable controlling device.

11. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the location data is used to configure a setting of the controlling device.

12. A method for providing location data to a controlling device, the method comprising:

receiving with a location signal receiving device a location signal transmitted from a location signal generating device, the received location signal functioning to indicate a unique location of the location signal receiving device; and

matching the unique location indicated by the location signal received from the location signal generating device by the location signal receiving device to a unique location information within a database in order to provide location data associated with the matched unique location information within the database to the controlling device.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the location signal receiving device comprises an RFID reader and the location signal generating device comprises an RFID tag.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the RFID reader is associated with the controlling device.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the RFID tag is associated with the controlling device.