Touch screen for convergence and automation system

• US 8,271,881 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Exceptional Innovation, Inc. (ST Holdings Topco LLC)
• Original Assignee: Exceptional Innovation, LLC (ST Holdings Topco LLC)
• Inventors: Moorer, Seal, Eichensehr, Eric, Virgin, William K., Lehman, Joesph
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US11/738,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20070288849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 715/736, 715/737, 345/173, 709/223, 709/246, 709/224
• US Class Current: 715/737
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23377 Touch screen, with representation of buttons, machine on screen
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25168 Domotique, access through internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2615 Audio, video, tv, consumer electronics device
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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

An automation system operating in a Web Service for Devices environment includes clients and devices, a network comprising a server configured to be connected to the clients and devices with the web services for devices, and a touch screen device coupled to the network and provided a user interface for controlling the devices. The clients and devices are configured with a web services for devices stack protocol to provide automation-based control and communication between the clients and devices.

Claims

1. An automation system operating in a Web Service for Devices (WSD) environment, comprising:

a server, at least one client and a plurality of devices implemented with a WSD stack interface, each client configured to control the at least one of the plurality of devices, the plurality of devices grouped into one or more device categories based on functions thereof;

an Internet Protocol (IP) based network among the server, the at least one client and the plurality of devices,

wherein the WSD stack interface is configured to establish communication among the server, the at least one client and the plurality of devices regardless of a difference thereamong in at least one of a proprietary language and communication protocol via the IP based network according to a WSD protocol architecture, the WSD protocol architecture comprising;

a first communication layer configured to logically interface the at least one client;

a second communication layer configured to physically interface the plurality of devices; and

a service provider layer stacked between the first and second communication layers and hosting one or more components, each component provided for a particular device category in a one-to-one relationship and hosting one or more Web Services, one or more device bridges and a controller,

wherein each Web Service is provided for a particular device of the device category corresponding to the component in a one-to-one relationship and configured to function as a Web Service host for the particular device,

wherein each device bridge is provided for a particular Web Service in a one-to-one relationship and configured to translate communication between the particular Web Service and the particular device corresponding thereto, each device bridge being specific to a specific make of the particular device, and

wherein the controller is provided for the component in a one-to-one relationship and configured to communicate with the one or more devices of the same device category corresponding to the component and receive feedback from the one or more devices of the corresponding device category to the component.

2. The automation system of claim 1, wherein the at least one client comprises a touch screen device implemented with a user interface for controlling at least one of the plurality of devices.

3. The automation system of claim 2, wherein the touch screen device comprises:

a display panel;

a housing holding the display panel; and

a rear compartment arranged on a rear surface of the display panel and containing components for driving the display panel.

4. The automation system of claim 3, wherein the housing comprising:

at least one hotspot arranged on a front surface of the housing configured to activate a predetermined function upon being pushed; and

at least one slider area arranged on an edge portion of the housing configured to provide increasing or decreasing activation of a predetermined function.

5. The automation system of claim 3, wherein the touch screen device further comprises at least one speaker.

6. The automation system of claim 3, wherein the touch screen device further comprises an IR receiver.

7. The automation system of claim 3, wherein the touch screen device further comprises a photocell sensor.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therewith, which, when executed by a computer cause the computer to establish an automation system in a Web Service environment, the machine-readable storage medium comprising:

instructions for implementing a server, at least one client and a plurality of devices with a Web Services for Devices (WSD) interface, each client configured to control the at least one of the plurality of devices, the plurality of devices grouped into one or more device categories based on functions thereof;

instructions for establishing an Internet Protocol (IP) based network among the server, the at least one client and the plurality of devices; and

instructions for enabling communication among the server, the plurality of devices and the at least one client via the IP based network using the WSD interface,

wherein the WSD interface is configured to establish communication among the server, the at least one client and the plurality of devices regardless of a difference thereamong in at least one of a proprietary language and communication protocol via the IP based network according to a WSD protocol architecture, the WSD protocol architecture comprising;

a first communication layer configured to logically interface the at least one client;

a second communication layer configured to physically interface the plurality of devices; and

a service provider layer stacked between the first and second communication layers and hosting one or more components, each component provided for a particular device category in a one-to-one relationship and hosting one or more Web Services, one or more device bridges and a controller,

wherein each Web Service is provided for a particular device of the device category corresponding to the component in a one-to-one relationship and configured to function as a Web Service host for the particular device,

wherein each device bridge is provided for a particular Web Service in a one-to-one relationship and configured to translate communication between the particular Web Service and the particular device corresponding thereto, each device bridge being specific to a specific make of the particular device, and

wherein the controller is provided for the component in a one-to-one relationship and configured to communicate with the one or more devices of the same device category corresponding to the component and receive feedback from the one or more devices of the corresponding device category to the component.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the at least one client comprises a touch screen device implemented with a user interface for controlling at least one of the plurality of devices.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 9, further comprising instructions for generating audio from the touch screen device with at least one speaker.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 10, further comprising instructions for receiving IR input to the touch screen device through an IR receiver.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 10, further comprising instructions for sensing light in the touch screen device with a photocell sensor.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the server is configured to send feedback from the at least one device to the touch screen device.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the at least one client further comprises at least one of a TV, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, and a game controller, and

the plurality of devices comprise at least one of an audio system, a video system, an intercom system, a lighting system, a security system, a link, and a HVAC system.

15. A process of operating an automation system in a Web Service environment, comprising steps of:

implementing a server, at least one client and a plurality of devices with a Web Services for Devices (WSD) interface, each client configured to control the at least one of the plurality of devices, the plurality of devices grouped into one or more device categories based on functions thereof;

establishing an Internet Protocol (IP) based network among the server, the at least one client and the plurality of devices;

enabling communication among the server, the at least one client and the plurality of devices via the IP based network using the WSD interface,

wherein the WSD interface is configured to establish communication among the server, the at least one client and the plurality of devices regardless of a difference thereamong in at least one of a proprietary language and communication protocol via the IP based network according to a WSD protocol architecture, the WSD protocol architecture comprising;

a first communication layer configured to logically interface the at least one client;

a second communication layer configured to physically interface the plurality of devices; and

a service provider layer stacked between the first and second communication layers and hosting one or more components, each component provided for a particular device category in a one-to-one relationship and hosting one or more Web Services, one or more device bridges and a controller,

wherein each Web Service is provided for a particular device of the device category corresponding to the component in a one-to-one relationship and configured to function as a Web Service host for the particular device,

wherein each device bridge is provided for a particular Web Service in a one-to-one relationship and configured to translate communication between the particular Web Service and the particular device corresponding thereto, each device bridge being specific to a specific make of the particular device, and

wherein the controller is provided for the component in a one-to-one relationship and configured to communicate with the one or more devices of the same device category corresponding to the component and receive feedback from the one or more devices of the corresponding device category to the component.

16. The process of claim 15, wherein the at least one client comprises a touch screen device implemented with a user interface for controlling at least one of the plurality of devices.

17. The process according to claim 16, further comprising the step of receiving a user input to the touch screen device through at least one of:

a hotspot arranged on a front surface of a housing of the touch screen device, the hotspot configured to activate a predetermined function upon being touched; and

at least one slider area arranged on an edge portion of the housing, the at least one slider area configured to provide increasing or decreasing activation of a predetermined function responsive to a sliding touch.

18. The process according to claim 17, further comprising the step of generating audio from the touch screen device with at least one speaker.

19. The process according to claim 17, further comprising the step of at least one of:

receiving IR input to the touch screen device through an IR receiver; and

sensing light in the touch screen device with a photocell sensor.

20. The process according to claim 16, wherein the at least one client further comprises at least one of a TV, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, and a game controller, and the plurality of devices comprise at least one of an audio system, a video system, an intercom system, a lighting system, a security system, a link, and a HVAC system.