RETROACTIVE MESSAGING FOR HANDLING MISSED SYNCHRONIZATION EVENTS

• US 20170352244A1
• Filed: 06/02/2016
• Published: 12/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Moore, Tyler, Wang, Fang
• Granted Patent: US 9,905,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Various arrangements for handling delayed status update are presented. A network-enabled sensor unit may be used to measure an environmental condition. The sensor unit may determine, based on measuring the environmental condition, an environmental condition status has changed state. A network connection may be established that permits communication with a remote notification service system. This notification service system may maintain a remote status intended to be synchronized with the environmental condition status of the sensor unit. The sensor unit may determine that the environmental condition status has changed prior to communicating the environmental condition status to the notification service system. A historical status array may be transmitted to the notification service system in response to determining the environmental condition status has reverted to the first state prior to communicating the environmental condition status. The historical status array can indicate previous states of the environmental condition status of the sensor unit.

Claims

1. A method for handling a delayed status update, the method comprising:

measuring, by a network-enabled sensor unit, an environmental condition;

determining, by the network-enabled sensor unit, based on measuring the environmental condition, an environmental condition status has changed from a first state to a second state;

establishing a network connection that permits communication with a notification service system in response to determining the environmental condition status has changed, wherein

the notification service system maintains a remote environmental condition status to be synchronized with the environmental condition status of the network-enabled sensor unit;

determining, by the network-enabled sensor unit, the environmental condition status has reverted to the first state prior to communicating the environmental condition status to the notification service system via the established network connection; and

transmitting, by the network-enabled sensor unit, a historical status array to the notification service system via the established network connection in response to determining the environmental condition status has reverted to the first state prior to communicating the environmental condition status to the notification service system, wherein;

the historical status array indicates one or more previous states of the environmental condition status of the network-enabled sensor unit; and

the remote environmental condition status remains unchanged at the notification service system.

2. The method for handling the delayed status update of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the network-enabled sensor unit, an amount of time that has elapsed between determining the environmental condition status has changed from the first state to the second state and the network connection being established; and

comparing, by the network-enabled sensor unit, the determined amount of time with a stored threshold amount of time;

wherein;

transmitting the historical status array to the notification service system is contingent on the determined amount of time not exceeding the stored threshold amount of time.

3. The method for handling the delayed status update of claim 1, further comprising parsing, by the notification service system, the transmitted historical status array to analyze the one or more previous states of the environmental condition status of the network-enabled sensor unit.

4. The method for handling the delayed status update of claim 3, further comprising:

determining, by the notification service system, based on parsing the historical status array, to transmit a user notification indicative of the environmental condition;

accessing, by the notification service system, a database that links a user device with the network-enabled sensor unit; and

causing, by the notification service system, a notification to be transmitted to the user device indicative of the environmental condition.

5. The method for handling the delayed status update of claim 4, wherein the notification is a push notification and the user device is a cellular telephone, the push notification being transmitted to the user device without a request having been sent from the user device to the notification service system.

6. The method for handling the delayed status update of claim 3, further comprising:

broadcasting, by the network-enabled sensor unit, a message indicative of the second state via a local wireless communication protocol distinct from a protocol used for the network connection.

7. The method for handling the delayed status update of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the notification service system, a suppression message from a user device associated with the network-enabled sensor unit; and

in response to the suppression message, suppressing transmission of a notification to the user device based on parsing of the historical status array.

8. The method for handling the delayed status update of claim 1, wherein the environmental condition that is measured is an amount of smoke or an amount of carbon monoxide.

9. The method for handling the delayed status update of claim 1, wherein the network-enabled sensor unit is exclusively battery powered.

10. The method for handling the delayed status update of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically establishing, by the network-enabled sensor unit, the network connection that permits communication with the notification service system absent the environmental condition status changing.

11. A system for handling a delayed status update, the system comprising:

a network-enabled wireless unit, comprising;

a wireless network interface;

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine a local status has changed from a first state to a second state, wherein the local status is maintained at the network-enabled wireless unit;

establish a network connection that permits communication with a notification service system in response to determining the local status has changed, wherein the notification service system maintains a remote status to be synchronized with the local status of the network-enabled wireless unit,

determine the local status has changed prior to synchronization with the notification service system via the established network connection; and

transfer, via the wireless network interface and the established network connection, a historical status array to the notification service system in response to determining the local status has changed prior to synchronization, wherein;

the historical status array indicates one or more previous states of the local status of the network-enabled wireless unit; and

the remote status remains unchanged at the notification service system.

12. The system for handling the delayed status update of claim 11, further comprising:

the notification service system accessible by the network-enabled wireless unit via the network connection, the notification service system configured to;

determine, based on parsing the historical status array, to transmit a user notification indicative of the second state;

access a database that links a user device with the network-enabled wireless unit; and

transmit a notification to the user device indicative of the second state.

13. The system for handling the delayed status update of claim 11, further comprising:

the notification service system accessible by the network-enabled wireless unit via the network connection, the notification service system configured to;

process a received suppression message from a user device associated with the network-enabled wireless unit; and

in response to the received suppression message, suppress transmission of a notification to the user device based on an analysis of the historical status array.

14. The system for handling the delayed status update of claim 13, wherein the network-enabled wireless unit further comprises a local direct wireless communication interface distinct from the wireless network interface, the processor-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

broadcast, via the local direct wireless communication interface, a message indicative of the second state.

15. The system for handling the delayed status update of claim 14, further comprising:

a mobile device, the mobile device configured to;

receive and process the broadcast message indicative of the second state, the broadcast message being received directly from the network-enabled wireless unit;

in response to the processed broadcast message, present an indication of the second state; and

in response to the processed broadcast message, transmit a suppression message to the notification service system, wherein the suppression message instructs the notification service system to suppress notifying the user device.

16. The system for handling the delayed status update of claim 11, wherein the network-enabled wireless unit comprises an environmental sensor that measures an environmental condition and the local status is based on measurements made by the environmental sensor and the environmental condition is an amount of smoke or carbon monoxide.

17. The system for handling the delayed status update of claim 11, the network-enabled wireless unit further comprising a power supply, the power supply providing power to components of the network-enabled wireless unit exclusively from one or more batteries.

18. The system for handling the delayed status update of claim 11, wherein the processor-readable instructions of the network-enabled wireless unit, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

determine an amount of time that has elapsed between determining the local status has changed from the first state to the second state and the network connection being established; and

compare the determined amount of time with a stored threshold amount of time;

wherein;

transmitting the historical status array to the notification service system is contingent on the determined amount of time not exceeding the stored threshold amount of time.

19. A non-transitory processor-readable medium comprising processor-readable instructions that cause one or more processors to:

determine a local status has changed from a first state to a second state based on measurements from one or more environmental sensors;

establish a network connection that permits communication with a notification service system in response to determining the local status has changed, wherein the notification service system maintains a remote status to be synchronized with the local status;

determine the local status has reverted to the first state following the network connection being established but prior to synchronization with the notification service system; and

transfer, via a wireless network interface, a historical status array to the notification service system in response to determining the local status has reverted to the first state prior to synchronization, wherein the remote status remains unchanged at the notification service system due to the local status having reverted to the first state prior to synchronization.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

determine an amount of time that has elapsed between determining the local status has changed from the first state to the second state and the network connection being established; and

compare the determined amount of time with a stored threshold amount of time;

wherein;

transmitting the historical status array to the notification service system is contingent on the determined amount of time not exceeding the stored threshold amount of time.