USER PRESENCE BASED CONTROL OF REMOTE COMMUNICATION WITH INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT) DEVICES

• US 20150006695A1
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: GUPTA, Binita
• Granted Patent: US 10,447,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/32 Specific management aspects for broadband networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Disclosed systems and methods include an Internet of Things (IoT) SuperAgent/Gateway for controlling remote communication with an IoT proximal network comprising one or more IoT devices. The presence of an IoT user device in the IoT proximal network is detected. The remote communication is disabled if the IoT user device is present in the IoT proximal network and if the remote communication criteria for disabling the remote communication are met. The remote communication is enabled if the IoT user device is not present in the IoT proximal network and if the remote communication criteria for enabling the remote communication are met. The remote communication includes remote access of the one or more of the IoT devices by the IoT user device, as well as, remoting notifications from the one or more the IoT devices to the IoT user device.

Claims

1. A method of controlling remote communication with a Internet of Things (IoT) proximal network comprising one or more IoT devices, the method comprising:

detecting presence of an IoT user device in the IoT proximal network;

determining if one or more remote communication criteria for disabling remote communication with the one or more IoT devices in the IoT proximal network are met; and

disabling the remote communication if the IoT user device is present in the IoT proximal network and if the remote communication criteria for disabling the remote communication are met.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote communication comprises remote access of one or more of the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network by the IoT user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote communication comprises remote access of one or more of the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network by a cloud service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote communication comprises remoting notifications of messages or events from the one or more of the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network to the IoT user device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence of the IoT user device in the IoT proximal network is based on a control application for communicating presence or absence of the IoT user device to a IoT SuperAgent/Gateway, the IoT SuperAgent/Gateway for controlling remote communications in the IoT proximal network, wherein the control application is executed on the IoT user device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence of the IoT user device in the IoT proximal network is based on a periodic refreshment of registration of the IoT user device with a IoT SuperAgent/Gateway, the IoT SuperAgent/Gateway for controlling remote communications in the IoT proximal network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more remote communication criteria for disabling remote communication to the IoT proximal network include at least one of:

one or more events or one or more time instances.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote communication criteria are based on a direction of the remote communication.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein disabling the remote communication comprises selectively disabling remote communication capability with respect to selected functionalities of the one or more IoT user devices.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting presence of one or more additional IoT user devices in the IoT proximal network;

and disabling the remote communication based on presence of a subset of one or more of the IoT user devices in the IoT proximal network and remote communication criteria pertaining to each of the subset of the one or more IoT devices which are present in the IoT proximal network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more remote communication criteria for disabling remote communication to the IoT proximal network include designations or priority levels of the IoT user device among a set of one or more IoT devices that are capable of communicating with the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network, based on a registration of the IoT user device in the IoT proximal network.

12. A method of controlling remote communication with a Internet of Things (IoT) proximal network comprising one or more IoT devices, the method comprising:

detecting absence of an IoT user device in the IoT proximal network;

determining if one or more remote communication criteria for enabling remote communication with the one or more IoT devices in the IoT proximal network are met; and

enabling the remote communication if the IoT user device is absent from the IoT proximal network and if the remote communication criteria for enabling the remote communication are met.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote communication comprises remote access of one or more of the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network by the IoT user device or a cloud service.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote communication comprises remoting notifications of messages or events from the one or more the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network to the IoT user device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting the absence of the IoT user device in the IoT proximal network is based on a control application for communicating presence or absence of the IoT user device to a IoT SuperAgent/Gateway, the IoT SuperAgent/Gateway for controlling remote communications in the IoT proximal network, wherein the control application is executed on the IoT user device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting the absence of the IoT user device in the IoT proximal network is based on a periodic refreshment of registration of the IoT user device with a IoT SuperAgent/Gateway, the IoT SuperAgent/Gateway for controlling remote communications in the IoT proximal network.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more remote communication criteria for enabling remote communication to the IoT proximal network include at least one of:

one or more events or one or more time instances.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote communication criteria are based on a direction of the remote communication.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more remote communication criteria for enabling remote communication to the IoT proximal network include designations or priority levels of the IoT user device among a set of one or more IoT user devices that are capable of communicating with the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network, based on a registration of the IoT user device in the IoT proximal network.

20. An apparatus comprising:

an Internet of Things (IoT) SuperAgent/Gateway configured to control remote communication with a IoT proximal network comprising one or more IoT devices;

a presence detection block configured to detect whether an IoT user device is present in the IoT proximal network;

a remote access/remoting control rules block configured to determine if one or more remote communication criteria for enabling or disabling remote communication with the one or more IoT devices in the IoT proximal network are met; and

a remote access/remoting enable/disable block configured to disable the remote communication if the IoT user device is present in the IoT proximal network and if the remote communication criteria for disabling the remote communication are met.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the remote access/remoting enable/disable block is further configured to enable the remote communication if the IoT user device is not present in the IoT proximal network and if the remote communication criteria for enabling the remote communication are met.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the remote communication comprises remote access of one or more of the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network by the IoT user device or a cloud service.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the remote communication comprises remoting notifications of messages or events from the one or more the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network to the IoT user device.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the presence detection block is configured to detect if the IoT user device is present in the IoT proximal network based on communication from a control application on the IoT user device regarding presence or absence of the IoT user device in the IoT proximal network.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a user registration block, wherein the presence detection block is configured to detect if the IoT user device is present in the IoT proximal network based on a periodic refreshment of registration of the IoT user device with the user registration block.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the one or more remote communication criteria for enabling or disabling remote communication include designations or priority levels of the IoT user device stored in the user registration block, the user registration block configured to store designations or priority levels of a set of one or more IoT user devices that are capable of communicating with the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more remote communication criteria for enabling or disabling remote communication to the IoT proximal network include at least one of:

one or more events or one or more time instances.

28. A communication system comprising:

means for controlling remote communication with a Internet of Things (IoT) proximal network comprising one or more IoT devices;

means for detecting whether an IoT user device is present in the IoT proximal network;

means for determining if one or more remote communication criteria for enabling or disabling remote communication with the one or more IoT devices in the IoT proximal network are met; and

means for disabling the remote communication if the IoT user device is present in the IoT proximal network and if the remote communication criteria for disabling the remote communication are met.

29. The communication system of claim 28, further comprising means for enabling the remote communication if the IoT user device is not present in the IoT proximal network and if the remote communication criteria for enabling the remote communication are met.

30. The communication system of claim 28, wherein the remote communication comprises:

remote access of one or more of the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network by the IoT user device or cloud service; and

remoting notifications of messages or events from the one or more the IoT devices in the IoT proximal network to the IoT user device.