SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR APPLIANCE DETECTION AND APP CONFIGURATION

• US 20150334165A1
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Arling, Paul D., Hatambeiki, Arsham
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A system and method is used to provision an app to a smart device for use in connection with an appliance. A presence of the appliance on a wireless network which includes the smart device is detected and data received from the appliance is used to initiate a retrieval of the app. When the retrieved app is installed on the smart device the app is usable with the smart device to provide at least an interface between the smart device and the appliance. In some circumstance, installation of the app on the smart device may also include causing the app to be synchronized with a corresponding app that was prior installed on another smart device capable of communicating with the appliance.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning an app to a smart device for use in connection with an appliance, comprising:

detecting, via use of data received from the appliance, a presence of the appliance on a wireless network which includes the smart device;

using the data received from the appliance to determine if the smart device was previously made aware of the presence of the appliance on the wireless network;

when it is determined that the smart device was not previously made aware of the presence of the appliance on the wireless network, using the data received from the appliance to initiate a retrieval of the app for use in connection with the appliance; and

causing the app that was retrieved using the data received from the appliance to be installed on the smart device whereupon the app is usable with the smart device to provide at least an interface between the smart device and the appliance.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data received from the appliance comprises data indicative of a manufacturer and model of the appliance.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of using the data received from the appliance to determine if the smart device was previously made aware of the presence of the appliance on the wireless network comprises comparing the data received from the appliance to determine if corresponding data was previously stored in a table accessible to the smart device.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, comprising storing the table in a memory of the smart device.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, comprising storing the table in a cloud server accessible by the smart device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting is automatically initiated by the smart device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting is initiated by the smart device in response to user input being provided to the smart device.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data received from the appliance comprises a serial number provided to the appliance.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data received from the appliance comprises a MAC address provided to the appliance.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the app that was retrieved using the data received from the appliance is automatically installed on the smart device.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of using the data received from the appliance to initiate a retrieval of the app for use in connection with the appliance comprises using the data received from the appliance to identify a location from which the app is to be retrieved and retrieving the app from the location for provision to the smart device.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising associating with the interface a macro command sequence which is executable via use of the interface to cause the smart device to place at least the appliance into a predetermined state.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the macro command sequence is caused to be executed in response to the interface being invoked on the smart device.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising causing the app when installed on the smart device to be synchronized with a corresponding app that was prior installed on another smart device capable of communicating with the appliance.

15. A method for provisioning an app to a smart device for use in connection with an appliance, comprising:

detecting, via use of data received from the appliance, a presence of the appliance on a wireless network which includes the smart device;

using the data received from the appliance to initiate a retrieval of the app for use in connection with the appliance;

causing the app that was retrieved using the data received from the appliance to be installed on the smart device whereupon the app is usable with the smart device to provide at least an interface between the smart device and the appliance; and

causing the app when installed on the smart device to be synchronized with a corresponding app that was prior installed on another smart device capable of communicating with the appliance.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the data received from the appliance comprises data indicative of a manufacturer and model of the appliance.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of detecting is automatically initiated by the smart device.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of detecting is initiated by the smart device in response to user input being provided to the smart device.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the data received from the appliance comprises a serial number provided to the appliance.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the data received from the appliance comprises a MAC address provided to the appliance.

21. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the app that was retrieved using the data received from the appliance is automatically installed on the smart device.

22. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of using the data received from the appliance to initiate a retrieval of the app for use in connection with the appliance comprises using the data received from the appliance to identify a location from which the app is to be retrieved and retrieving the app from the location for provision to the smart device.

23. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of causing the app when installed on the smart device to be synchronized with a corresponding app that was prior installed on another smart device capable of communicating with the appliance comprises using data which functions to identify the app and data which functions to identify at least one of a user or the wireless network to identify the corresponding app that was prior installed on another device, causing data to be retrieved from the app that was prior installed on another device, and causing the retrieved data to be provided to the app as installed on the smart device.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the data which functions to identify the app and the data which functions to identify at least one of a user or the wireless network to identify the corresponding app that was prior installed on another device is uploaded to a cloud computing device from the smart device for use in causing the app to be synchronized with the corresponding app that was prior installed on another smart device capable of communication with the appliance.

25. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the data to be retrieved from the app that was prior installed on another device comprises data indicative of control setting for the appliance.

26. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the data to be retrieved from the app that was prior installed on another device comprises interface settings for the app.

27. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the data to be retrieved from the app that was prior installed on another device comprises shopping cart data.

28. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the data to be retrieved from the app that was prior installed on another device comprises at least one of app or appliance state data.

29. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the data to be retrieved from the app that was prior installed on another device comprises cookie data.

30. The method as recited in claim 15, comprising causing data related to use of the app as installed on the smart device to be provisioned to the corresponding app that was prior installed on another smart device to thereby allow the corresponding app that was prior installed on another smart device to be synchronized with the app as installed on the smart device.