Defining and implementing sensor triggered response rules

• US 9,729,342 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: iControl Networks, Inc. (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Dial, IV, John Degraffenreid, Cohn, Alan Wade, Faulkner, Gary Robert, Kitchen, James Edward, Proft, David Leon, Quain, Corey Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Gami, Tejal
• Application Number:
  US12/972,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,423 Days
• Field of Search: 700 90, 340501, 340540, 340514, 340506, 714 49
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality

Abstract

A single controller platform for controlling and monitoring security, home automation, and monitoring devices is provided. This controller platform further provides for a rules-based response to receiving sensor events, including causing actions to be performed by the controller platform or to cause actions to be performed by sensor devices.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing one or more sensor event rules, each sensor event rule comprising a rule sensor identifier, a rule event trigger identifier, and a rule action identifier;

one or more communication interfaces configured to communicate with one or more devices installed at a premises, the devices comprising one or more sensor devices, home automation devices, and monitoring devices; and

a processor, coupled to the memory and the one or more communication interfaces, wherein the one or more sensor event rules are generated at one of the processor and a remote server, wherein the one or more sensor event rules are stored in the memory and at the remote server when generated at the processor, and configured to

interpret a sensor event signal received via a first communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces from a first sensor device of the one or more sensor devices, the interpreting comprising reading an identifier of the first sensor device and an identifier of a sensor event from the sensor event signal, and

execute a process associated with the rule action identifier of a sensor event rule of the one or more sensor event rules, if the sensor event rule has a rule sensor identifier matching the identifier of the first sensor device and a rule event trigger identifier matching the sensor event signal sensor event identifier, wherein the process includes generating a control signal to a second device of the one or more devices installed at the premises in response to the sensor event signal received from a first device that is a sensor device installed at the premises.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the processor configured to execute the process associated with the rule action identifier of the sensor event rule by being further configured to transmit the control signal via a second communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces to one or more controlled devices, wherein the one or more controlled devices are configured to perform a task in response to the control signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more controlled devices comprises one or more of home automation devices, monitoring devices, and sensor devices.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the processor configured to compare the identifier of the first sensor device to rule sensor identifiers of the one or more sensor event rules, and compare the sensor event signal sensor event identifier to the rule event trigger identifier of a rule having a matching rule sensor identifier to the identifier of the first sensor device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a network interface, coupled to the processor, and configured to receive the one or more sensor event rules from a remote server coupled to the network.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, comprising the network interface configured to receive an extensible markup language file comprising the one or more sensor event rules, wherein the extensible markup language file is formatted according to a schema definition.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, comprising the memory configured to store the one or more sensor event rules in the extensible markup language file, and the processor configured to determine a match of the rule sensor event identifier and the rule event trigger identifier by reading the extensible markup language file.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an input device, coupled to the processor, and configured to receive the one or more sensor event rules as input.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising:

the processor configured to format the one or more sensor event rules in an extensible markup language file, wherein the extensible markup language file is formatted according to a schema definition;

the memory configured to store the extensible markup language file; and

a network interface, coupled to the processor, and configured to transmit the extensible markup language file to a remote server coupled to the network.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the processor configured to execute the process associated with the rule action identifier, only if additionally one or more constraints associated with the sensor event rule are satisfied.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a constraint of the one or more constraints associated with the sensor event rule is a time range between a starting time of day and an ending time of day.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing one or more sensor event rules, each sensor event rule comprising a rule sensor identifier, a rule event trigger identifier, and a rule action identifier;

one or more communication interfaces configured to communicate with one or more devices installed at a premises, the devices comprising one or more sensor devices, home automation devices, and monitoring devices; and

a processor, coupled to the memory and the one or more communication interfaces, wherein the one or more sensor event rules are generated at one of the processor and a remote server, wherein the one or more sensor event rules are stored in the memory and at the remote server when generated at the processor, and configured to

interpret one or more sensor event signals received via a first communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces from corresponding sensor devices of the one or more sensor devices, the interpreting comprising reading an identifier of the corresponding sensor device and an identifier of a sensor event from the sensor event signal,

determine if a time constraint associated with a sensor event rule is satisfied,

execute a process associated with the rule action identifier of a sensor event rule of the one or more sensor event rules, if, during a time period associated with the time constraint, each sensor event signal received has an identifier of the sensor device that fails to match the rule sensor identifier or a sensor event signal sensor event identifier that fails to match the rule event trigger identifier, wherein the process includes generating a control signal to a second device of the one or more devices installed at the premises in response to the sensor event signal received from a first device that is a sensor device installed at the premises.

13. A method comprising:

generating one or more sensor event rules at one of a controller installed at a premises and a remote server, wherein the one or more sensor event rules are stored at the controller and at the remote server when generated at the processor;

interpreting at the controller a sensor event signal received from a first sensor device of one or more sensor devices installed at the premises, wherein the interpreting comprises reading an identifier of the first sensor device and an identifier of a sensor event from the sensor event signal; and

executing at the controller a process associated with a rule action identifier of a sensor event rule of the one or more sensor event rules, if the sensor event rule has a rule sensor identifier matching the identifier of the first sensor device and a rule event trigger identifier matching the sensor event signal sensor event identifier, wherein each sensor event rule of the one or more sensor event rules comprises an associated rule sensor identifier, an associated rule event trigger identifier, and an associated rule action identifier, wherein the process includes generating a control signal to a second device of the one or more devices installed at the premises in response to the sensor event signal received from a first device that is a sensor device installed at the premises.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the executing the process comprises transmitting the control signal to one or more controlled devices, wherein the one or more controlled devices are configured to perform a task in response to the control signal.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising:

comparing the identifier of the first sensor device to rule sensor identifiers of the one or more sensor event rules; and

comparing the sensor event signal sensor event identifier to the rule event trigger identifier of a rule having a matching rule sensor identifier to the identifier of the first sensor device.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising receiving the one or more sensor event rules from one or more of a remote network node and an input device.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

storing the one or more sensor event rules in an extensible markup language file; and

formatting the extensible markup language file according to a schema definition.

18. The method of claim 13, comprising performing the executing the process only if additionally one or more constraints associated with the sensor event rule are satisfied.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing one or more sensor event rules, each sensor event rule comprising a rule sensor identifier, a rule event trigger identifier, and a rule action identifier, wherein the one or more sensor event rules are generated at one of a processor associated with the memory and a remote server, wherein the one or more sensor event rules are stored in the memory and at the remote server when generated at the processor;

one or more communication interfaces configured to communicate with one or more devices installed at a premises, the devices comprising one or more sensor devices, home automation devices, and monitoring devices;

means for interpreting a sensor event signal received via a first communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces from a first sensor device of the one or more sensor devices, wherein the means for interpreting comprises means for reading an identifier of the first sensor device and an identifier of a sensor event from the sensor event signal; and

means for executing a process associated with a rule action identifier of a sensor event rule of one or more sensor event rules, if the sensor event rule has a rule sensor identifier matching the identifier of the first sensor device and a rule event trigger identifier matching the sensor event signal sensor event identifier, wherein the process includes generating a control signal to a second device of the one or more devices installed at the premises in response to the sensor event signal received from a first device that is a sensor device installed at the premises.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for executing the process comprises means for transmitting the control signal to one or more controlled devices, wherein the one or more controlled devices are configured to perform a task in response to the control signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, comprising:

means for comparing the identifier of the first sensor device to rule sensor identifiers of the one or more sensor event rules; and

means for comparing the sensor event signal sensor event identifier to the rule event trigger identifier of a rule having a matching rule sensor identifier to the identifier of the first sensor device.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, comprising means for receiving the one or more sensor event rules from one or more of a remote network node and an input device.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, comprising:

means for storing the one or more sensor event rules in an extensible markup language file; and

means for formatting the extensible markup language file according to a schema definition.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, comprising means for performing the executing the process only if additionally one or more constraints associated with the sensor event rule are satisfied.

25. A method comprising:

generating one or more sensor event rules at one of a controller installed at a premises and a remote server, wherein the one or more sensor event rules are stored at the controller and at the remote server when generated at the processor;

interpreting at the controller one or more sensor event signals received from one or more corresponding sensor devices installed at the premises, wherein the interpreting comprises reading an identifier of the corresponding sensor device and an identifier of a sensor event from the sensor event signal;

determining if a time constraint associated with a sensor event rule is satisfied; and

executing a process associated with a rule action identifier of a sensor event rule of the one or more sensor event rules, if, during a time period associated with the time constraint, each sensor event signal received has an identifier of the corresponding sensor device that fails to match a rule sensor identifier of the sensor event rule or a sensor event signal sensor event identifier that fails to match an associated rule event trigger identifier of the sensor event rule, wherein the process includes issuing a control signal to a second device of the one or more devices installed at the premises in response to the sensor event signal received from a first device that is a sensor device installed at the premises.