Mechanism for On-Demand Environmental Services Based on Network Activity

• US 20100256823A1
• Filed: 04/04/2009
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cherukuri, Sunil, Khalid, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US12/418,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20100256823A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/277
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• 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

Abstract

In an example embodiment, a method includes determining the network activity associated with a predetermined area of a building and determining a desired environmental service for the area in response to the activity.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring communications activity of a network port, the network port associated with an environmental zone of a building; and

determining a desired environmental service to provide to the environmental zone in response to the communications activity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the network port with the environmental zone.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an environmental command signal to effectuate the desired environmental service.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

sending the environmental command signal to an environmental system adapted to provide the desired environmental service to the environmental zone in response to the environmental command signal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the desired environmental service to the environmental zone.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of providing the desired environmental service to the environmental zone comprises:

sending a command signal to an environmental system, the command signal configured to effectuate the environmental system to provide the desired environmental service to the environmental zone.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of providing the desired environmental service to the environmental zone comprises:

sending a command signal to an environmental system, the command signal configured to effectuate the environmental system to provide the desired environmental service to the environmental zone; and

receiving the environmental command signal at the environmental system and providing the desired environmental service in response to the environmental command signal.

8. A green network switch, comprising:

a network module adapted to provide network services to a communications device; and

a green controller adapted to determine the network activity of an environmental zone of a building and determine a desired environmental service for the environmental zone.

9. The green network switch of claim 8, wherein the green controller is adapted to generate a command signal to effectuate the desired environmental service.

10. A green controller, comprising:

a monitoring module configured to monitor the network activity associated with an environmental zone; and

a determinator module configured to determine a desired environmental service to provide to the environmental zone in response to the network activity.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the monitoring module is adapted to monitor the communications activity of a network switch port.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the determinator is adapted to generate a command signal to effectuate an environmental system to provide the desired environmental service to the environmental zone.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the monitoring module is configured to monitor wired network activity.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the monitoring module is configured to monitor wireless network activity.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the monitoring module is adapted to actively monitor the communications activity of the network port switch.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the monitoring module is adapted to passively monitor the communications activity of the network port switch.

17. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution when executed operable to:

determine an environmental service to provide to an environmental zone in response to network activity associated with the environmental zone.

18. The logic of claim 17, further operable to associate an environmental zone of a building to a port of a network switch.

19. A method, comprising:

determining the network activity associated with a predetermined area of a building; and

providing environmental services to the predetermined area in response to the network activity.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of determining the network activity associated with a predetermined area of a building, comprises:

monitoring the activity of a network port of a network switch, the network port associated with the predetermined area.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising dividing the building into a plurality of environmental zones to which environmental services are provided.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising associating the environmental zones with the network port of a network switch.

23. An intelligent environmental system, comprising:

a green network switch adapted to provide network services and determine network activity for an environmental zone of a building and determine a desired environmental service for the environmental zone in response to the network activity; and

an environmental system coupled to the green network switch, the environmental system adapted to provide the desired environmental service to the environmental zone in response to a command form the green network switch.

24. The intelligent environmental system of claim 23, wherein the environmental system further comprises a controller adapted to receive and execute command signals from the green network switch.

25. The intelligent environmental system of claim 23, wherein the environmental system comprises a Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.

26. The intelligent environmental system of claim 23, wherein the environmental system comprises a lighting system.

27. The intelligent environmental system of claim 23, wherein the environmental system comprises a power system.