User configurable system that minimizes wireless network airtime

• US 7,778,633 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2007
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomas Owen Ward
• Original Assignee: Thomas Owen Ward
• Inventors: Ward, Thomas Owen
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard; Patrick N
• Assistant Examiner(s): THIER, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/743,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20070202859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-408, 455423-425, 455/458, 455/522, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 4551151-1154, 4552261-2264, 370/310, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/51 Remote controlling of devices based on replies, status thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means

Abstract

A system for remote monitoring and control of remotely located equipment that minimizes wireless airtime includes an interface device coupled with the remote equipment. The interface device selectively communicates over a wireless network with a central server and/or a user device. Wireless communication with the interface device is field configurable by a user to be selectively triggered base on user specified operational conditions. Communication by the interface device may be with one of a first protocol and a second protocol based on user specified operating conditions to optimize wireless airtime. The first protocol includes a user configured data string to select information to be transmitted based on the user specified operating conditions. The second protocol includes a user configurable datafile selectively transmitted over a voice channel of the wireless network based on the user specified operating conditions. Messages communicated with the first and second protocol may be selectively utilized to generate an alert message to the user device based on a user configured message profile.

Claims

1. A system to monitor operational parameters of a remote site, the system comprising:

an interface device configurable with a user accessible customization template to generate a customized data string in accordance with the user accessible customization template;

the user accessible customization template configurable by a user of the interface device to specify an operational data parameter to be included in the customized data string, and configurable by the user to specify a binary bit location in the customized data string in which to represent the operational data parameter;

the interface device configured to populate the binary bit location in the customized data string with a representation of the operational data parameter in accordance with the user accessible customization template; and

the interface device comprising a remote communication module that is configured to encapsulate the customized data string within a transport protocol for transmission over a wireless network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the customized data string comprises a plurality of binary bits, all of which are specified by the user with the user accessible customization template.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user device in communication with the interface device, the user device comprising a user interface, the user accessible customization template configurable by a user with the user interface of the user device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operational data parameter is a plurality of operational data parameters, and the customization template is configurable by the user to specify a respective plurality of binary bit locations in the customized data string to represent only the operational data parameters.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface device is configured to receive and implement a new customization template to replace an existing customization template during operation of the interface device.

6. A system to monitor operational parameters of a remote site, the system comprising:

an interface device configurable with a user accessible customization template to generate a customized data string in accordance with the user accessible customization template,

the user accessible customization template configurable by a user of the interface device to specify an operational data parameter to be included in the customized data string, and configurable by the user to specify a binary bit location in the customized data string in which to represent the operational data parameter;

the interface device configured to populate the binary bit location in the customized data string with a representation of the operational data parameter in accordance with the user accessible customization template;

the interface device comprising a remote communication module that is configured to encapsulate the customized data string within a transport protocol for transmission over a wireless network; and

the user accessible customization template is further configurable by a user of the interface device to specify a logic statement, the logic statement configurable by the user to be representative of a condition under which the binary bit location is automatically populated with the representation of the operational data parameter and transmitted over the wireless network.

7. A system to monitor operational parameters of a remote site, the system comprising:

an interface device configurable with a user accessible customization template to generate a customized data string in accordance with the user accessible customization template,

the user accessible customization template configurable by a user of the interface device to specify a plurality of operational data parameters to be included in the customized data string, and configurable by the user to specify a respective plurality of binary bit locations in the customized data string to represent only the operational data parameters, a total length of the customized data string configurable by the user with the customization template based on a number of the binary bit locations that are allocated by the user to the operational data parameters;

the interface device configured to populate the binary bit location in the customized data string with a representation of the operational data parameter in accordance with the user accessible customization template; and

the interface device comprising a remote communication module that is configured to encapsulate the customized data string within a transport protocol for transmission over a wireless network.

8. A system to monitor operational parameters of a remote site, the system comprising:

an interface device configurable with a user accessible customization template to generate a customized data string in accordance with the user accessible customization template,

the user accessible customization template configurable by a user of the interface device to specify an operational data parameter to be include in the customized data string, and configurable by the user to specify a binary bit location in the customized data string in which to represent the operational data parameter, specification of the operational data parameter comprising specification, in the customization template, of a memory location of the operational data parameter, and the interface device is further configured to obtain the operational data parameter from the specified memory location;

the interface device configured to populate the binary bit location in the customized data string with a representation of the operational data parameter in accordance with the user accessible customization template; and

the interface device comprising a remote communication module that is configured to encapsulate the customized data string within a transport protocol for transmission over a wireless network.

9. A system to monitor operational parameters of a remote site, the system comprising:

an interface device configured to receive at least one signal representative of a plurality of operational parameters from a remote site, the interface device further configured to selectively generate a customized data string that includes a representation of the operational parameters for transmission over a network;

a customization template accessible to a user of the interface device to configure the customized data string, the customization template comprising a plurality of groups of operational parameter fields that are each configured to receive data entries input by the user of the interface device; and

each of the groups of operational parameter fields representative of one of the operational parameters and comprising a string structure data entry field configured to receive a user entered indication of a binary bit location in the customized data string so that a current value of the one of the operational parameters is assigned to the binary bit location.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a total number of groups in the customization template are configurable by the user to be representative of the number of operational parameters that are desired.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein one or more of the groups of operational parameter fields are selectable by the user with the customization template so that a respective operational parameter represented with a selected group is included in the customized data string.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the groups of operational parameter fields are represented with a row in the customization template.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the data entries by the user in the customization template specifically designate to the interface device all of the contents of the customized data string.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the customized data string is a plurality of binary bit locations, each of the binary bit locations in the customizable data string are allocated with the interface device based only on the configuration of the customization template.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the customization template is accessible to the user via a server computer, and content of the customization template is downloadable from the server computer to the interface device.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the customization template is accessible to the user with the interface device.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the groups of operational parameter fields are representative of one of the operational parameters of a remote site that are selectable by a user with the customization template for inclusion in the customized data string.

18. A system to monitor operational parameters of a remote site, the system comprising:

an interface device configured to receive at least one signal representative of a plurality of operational parameters of a remote site, the interface device further configured to selectively generate a customized data string that includes a representation of the operational parameters for transmission over a network;

a customization template accessible to a user of the interface device to configure the customized data string, the customization template comprising a plurality of groups of operational parameter fields that are each configured to receive data entries input by the user of the interface device;

each of the groups of operational parameter fields representative of one of the operational parameters and comprising a string structure data entry field configured to receive a user entered indication of a binary bit location in the customized data string so that a current value of the one of the operational parameters is assigned to the binary bit location; and

each of the groups of operational parameter fields comprising a memory location data field configured to receive a user input of a memory location, the memory location indicative of a storage location in a memory of a value of one of the operational parameters.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the interface device is further configured to obtain the value from the storage location in the memory in response to a predetermined condition specified by the user.

20. A system to monitor operational parameters of a remote site, the system comprising:

an interface device configured to receive at least one signal representative of a plurality of operational parameters of a remote site, the interface device further configured to selectively generate a customized data string that includes a representation of the operational parameters for transmission over a network;

a customization template accessible to a user of the interface device to configure the customized data string, the customization template comprising a plurality of groups of operational parameter fields that are each configured to receive data entries input by the user of the interface device;

each of the groups of operational parameter fields representative of one of the operational parameters and comprising a string structure data entry field configured to receive a user entered indication of a binary bit location in the customized data string so that a current value of the one of the operational parameters is assigned to the binary bit location; and

the customization template further comprising a logic statement data field accessible to the user of the interface device, the logic statement data field configured to receive indication of a user entered logic statement, the user entered logic statement selectable to be included in one or more of the groups of operation parameter fields so that inclusion in the customized data string of a value representative of one or more respective operational parameters is triggered when conditions specified with the user entered logic statement are met.

21. A system to monitor operational parameters of a remote site, the system comprising:

a server computer;

an interface device in communication with the server computer, the interface device configurable to receive a plurality of operational parameters, and generate a user customized protocol data string, in accordance with a customization template, for transmission over a wireless network,

the server computer operable to generate for display the customization template, the customization template comprising a string structure data entry field operable to receive entry of a binary bit location in the customized protocol data string for at least one of the operational parameters as specified by the user; and

the server computer operable to download user entered data included in the customization template to the interface device over the wireless network.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the server computer is operable to generate the customization template in a browser to receive entry of the binary bit location.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the server computer comprises a database operable to store the customization template in association with a user account, the customization template configurable to be associated with the interface device.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the interface device is configurable with a unique identifier, the interface device configured to communicate with the server computer via the wireless network to request download of the customization template that is associated with the unique identifier, and to upload the user customized data string.

25. A system to monitor operational parameters of a remote site, the system comprising:

a server computer;

an interface device in communication with the server computer, the interface device configurable to receive a plurality of operational parameters, and generate a user customized protocol data string, in accordance with a customization template, for transmission over a wireless network,

the server computer operable to generate for display the customization template, the customization template comprising a string structure data entry field operable to receive entry of a binary bit location in the customized protocol data string for at least one of the operational parameters as specified by the user;

the server computer operable to download user entered data included in the customization template to the interface device over the wireless network; and

the interface device configured to generate the user customized protocol data string automatically in response to a conditional event that is based on the operational parameters, the customization template comprising a logic statement data entry field operable to receive entry of an identifier of a logic statement that specifies the conditional event, the logic statement createable by the user and storable in the interface device.

26. A system to monitor operational parameters of a remote site, the system comprising:

a server computer;

an interface device in communication with the server computer, the interface device configurable to receive a plurality of operational parameters, and generate a user customized protocol data string, in accordance with a customization template, for transmission over a wireless network,

the server computer operable to generate for display the customization template, the customization template comprising a string structure data entry field operable to receive entry of a binary bit location in the customized protocol data string for at least one of the operational parameters as specified by the user;

the server computer operable to download user entered data included in the customization template to the interface device over the wireless network; and

the interface device configured to obtain each of the operational parameters from a respective memory data location, the customization template comprising a memory location data entry field operable to receive entry of the memory data location of a respective operational parameter as specified by the user.

27. A method of monitoring operation parameters of a remote site, the method comprising:

generating a customization template in a graphical user interface;

specifying within the customization template a memory location of an operational parameter;

specifying within the customization template a string number of a data string protocol that includes a plurality of bit locations to be generated with an interface device;

specifying within the customization template the content to be placed in each and every one of the bit locations in the data string protocol by the interface device;

downloading the customization template to an interface device;

the interface device, in accordance with the downloaded customization template, populating the bit locations of the data string protocol specified in the customization template with data extracted from the specified memory location; and

transmitting the data string protocol over a network.