System for remotely controlling device of node featuring client application that displays virtual component corresponding to physical component of device and remote site located remote from node for sending control commands received from client application to node

• US 9,172,606 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2014
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rezvani, Babak, Kalin, Edward B., Chen, Jack L., Jalili, Reza
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US14/481,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20140375437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/505, 340/3.1, 340/539.1, 340/10.1, 705/80, 705/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/02 Mechanical actuation of the alarm, e.g. by the breaking of a wire
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 : Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 : Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 : Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 : Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 : for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 : characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 : by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 : Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 : Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 : providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 : Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 : based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 : Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 : for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 : for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 : Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 : Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 : Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 : Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 : Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 : Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 : using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing registration at a remote site that may include, for example, a monitoring module that may communicate with a remote site. A registration protocol may be used by the monitoring module and the remote site in generating the messages communicated during the registration process. The monitoring module may gather and generate various identification information to be included in the registration protocol messages. The registration information provided by the monitoring module may be stored at the remote site in a database server having a database. A confirmation message may be communicated from the remote site to the monitoring module that may either acknowledge successful registration or report that an error occurred during the registration process.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a remote site being communicatively coupled to a communications network;

a node being communicatively coupled to the communications network, the node being communicatively coupled to the remote site via the communications network, the node being remote from the remote site, the node including;

a device being registered to a user account maintained by the remote site on a data store; and

interface software serving as an interface between the device and the remote site, the interface software being at least partially located on the device to enable communication between the device and the remote site via the communications network; and

a client application being configured to run on a client device that is operatively coupled to the communications network, the client application being communicatively coupled to the remote site via the client device, the client application and the client device being remote from the remote site, the client application being configured to;

display, via the client device, a user interface for controlling the device of the node via a communication between the client device and the remote site, the user interface including a virtual component that corresponds to a physical component of the device, the physical component of the device being usable by a user to control the device of the node when present at the device, the virtual component of the user interface being useable by a user to control the device of the node via the client device; and

responsive to use of the virtual component of the user interface, send to the remote site, via the client device and the communications network, a command for controlling the device of the node, the command corresponding to the use of the virtual component of the user interface;

the remote site being configured to;

maintain on the data store account information associated with the user account, the account information including device identifying information received at the remote site during registration of the device of the node at the remote site, the device identifying information identifying the device of the node, wherein the device identifying information being included in the account information of the user account indicates that the device of the node is associated with the user account; and

responsive to receiving from the client application running on the client device via the communications network the device identifying information of the device of the node and the command for controlling the device of the node,

determine an address for communicating with the device of the node, the address being determined based at least in part on the device identifying information; and

send to the address, via the communications network, the command for controlling the device of the node;

the software interface of the node being configured to;

responsive to receiving, from the remote site via the communications network, the command for controlling the device of the node, instruct the device of the node to operate according to the command.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the device of the node is a thermostat and the physical component of the device is movable by a user to control a thermostat temperature.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the virtual component of the user interface is a slider movable by a user to control the thermostat temperature.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the user interface includes a virtual representation of the thermostat.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the client device on which the client application runs is a cellular mobile device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the client application running on the cellular mobile device and the node are communicatively coupled via a local-area network, wherein the client application is capable of sending a command directly to the node via the local-area network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the client device on which the client application runs is a system controller, the system controller and the node being located at an installation, the system controller being communicatively coupled to the node via a local-area network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the device of the node is a camera, a radio, a smoke or fire detector, a contact sensor, a light switch, an audio device, a video device, a display device, a washer, a dryer, a microwave oven, a cooking range, a car alarm, a plant watering device, a sprinkler, a carbon monoxide detector, a humidistat, or a rain gauge.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein, responsive to a user request to use the user interface to remotely control the device of the node, the client application is configured to prompt the user to input the login identifier and password included in the account information of the user account.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote site is further configured to:

send an unsolicited command to the device of the node, wherein the unsolicited command is a command to download a software update, a command to synchronize polling intervals, or a command to change a state of the device of the node.

11. A method, comprising:

displaying, by a client application running on a client device, a user interface for remotely controlling a device of a node, the client device being operatively coupled via a communications network to a remote site, the node including interface software being operatively coupled via the communication network to the remote site, the interface software serving as an interface between the device of the node and the remote site, the device of the node being remote from the remote site, the device of the node being registered to a user account maintained by the remote site on a data store, the user account including device identifying information that identifies the device of the node, the user interface including a virtual component that corresponds to a physical component of the device, the physical component of the device being usable by a user to control the device when present at the device, the virtual component of the user interface useable by a user to control the device via the client device;

responsive to use of the virtual component of the user interface, sending to the remote site, by the client application running on the client device, a command for controlling the device of the node and the device identifying information that identifies the device of the node, the command corresponding to the use of the virtual component of the user interface;

responsive to receiving, from the client application running on the client device, the command for controlling the device of the node and the device identifying information that identifies the device of the node, determining, by the remote site, an address for communicating with the device of the node, the address being determined based at least in part on the device identifying information;

sending, from the remote site to the address, the command for controlling the device of the node; and

responsive to receiving from the remote site the command for controlling the device of the node, instructing, by the interface software of the node, the device of the node to operate according to the command.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user account maintained by the remote site on the database further includes:

a device name assigned by a user to the device of the node, the device name being received at the remote site during registration of the device of the node at the remote site, the device name received at the remote site from client application running on the client device via the communications network;

user identifying information received at the remote site during creation of the user account, the user identifying information identifying a user associated with the user account, the user identifying information including a name of the user, the user identifying received at the remote site from client application running on the client device via the communications network; and

a login identifier and password received at the remote site during creation of the user account, the login identifier and password usable for accessing the user account, the login identifier and password received at the remote site from client application running on the client device via the communications network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

responsive to a user request to use the user interface to remotely control the device of the node, prompting, by the client application, the user to input the login identifier and password included in the user account.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the device of the node is a thermostat and the physical component of the device is movable by a user to control a thermostat temperature.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the virtual component of the user interface is a slider movable by a user to control the thermostat temperature.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface includes a virtual representation of the thermostat.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the client device on which the client application runs is a cellular mobile device.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the client device on which the client application runs is a system controller, the system controller and the node being located at an installation, the system controller being coming communicatively coupled to the node via a local-area network.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the device of the node is a camera, a radio, a smoke or fire detector, a contact sensor, a light switch, an audio device, a video device, a display device, a washer, a dryer, a microwave oven, a cooking range, a car alarm, a plant watering device, a sprinkler, a carbon monoxide detector, a humidistat, or a rain gauge.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sending, by the remote site, an unsolicited command to the device of the node, wherein the unsolicited command is a command to download a software update, a command to synchronize polling intervals, or a command to change a state of the device of the node.