Smart workstation method and system

• US 9,921,726 B1
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Sculley, Darrin, Anderson, Bo, Neiman, Rachel Anne, Buckingham, Brandon
• Primary Examiner(s): Odom, Curtis
• Application Number:
  US15/173,212
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 83/001 Office desks or work-stations combined with other pieces of furniture, e.g. work space management systems
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/12 Means, e.g. measuring means for adapting chairs, beds or mattresses to the shape or weight of persons body measuring means for clothing manufacture A41H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/126 for chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/00 Parts, details, or accessories of chairs or stools attaching to floor A47B91/08
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/72 Adaptations for incorporating lamps, radio sets, bars, telephones, ventilation, heating or cooling arrangements or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/723 with display screens
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/727 with speakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers

Abstract

A method and system for anonymously associating a workstation user'"'"'s station control preferences with a workstation, the method comprising the steps of correlating anonymous user IDs with user preference sets in a database, obtaining input from a user at a workstation, comparing the user input to the anonymous user IDs to distinguish one distinguished user from other users without determining the identity of the user, accessing the user preference set associated with the distinguished user and controlling workstation affordances per the accessed user preferences while the user is located within a present zone proximate the workstation.

Claims

1. A method for anonymously associating a workstation user'"'"'s station control preferences with a workstation, the method comprising the steps of:

correlating anonymous user IDs with user preference sets in a database;

obtaining input from a user at a workstation;

comparing the user input to the anonymous user IDs to distinguish one distinguished user from other users without determining the identity of the user;

accessing the user preference set associated with the distinguished user; and

controlling workstation affordances per the accessed user preferences while the user is located within a present zone proximate the workstation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining input from a user includes receiving an anonymous code that the user inputs at the workstation.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of obtaining input from a user further includes querying the user for the anonymous code.

4. The method of claim 3 further including the steps of, where a user preference set is not stored for a specific user, controlling the workstation in a manner consistent with a default preference set.

5. The method of claim 3 further including the steps of, where a user preference set is not stored for a specific user, sensing at least one physiological parameter of a user proximate the workstation, using the sensed parameter to generate a prescriptive preference set and using the prescriptive preference set to control workstation affordances.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the anonymous user IDs include bio-signatures for each of the users and wherein the step of obtaining input includes sensing biometric information from a user.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of comparing includes comparing the sensed biometric information to the bio-signatures to identify the user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the workstation affordances are placed in a standby state when the user moves out of the present zone.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of controlling further includes associating the user preferences with the station and wherein the association is maintained for at least a timeout period after the user moves out of the present zone.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein, if the user moves back into the present zone during the timeout period, the step of controlling again includes controlling the workstation affordances per the user preferences.

11. The method of claim 1 further including the step of monitoring for user changes to workstation control and altering user preferences based on at least some changes to workstation control.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the user preferences include preferences related to services to the facilitated by the workstation affordances.

13. A method for associating a user'"'"'s portable computing device with a workstation, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing a link activity at the workstation indicating that a user wants to associate the user'"'"'s portable computing device with the workstation;

determining that the user'"'"'s portable computing device is located within a wireless near field zone;

obtaining a device ID from the user'"'"'s portable device that is located in the wireless near field zone;

establishing wireless communication with the user'"'"'s portable device via the device ID;

presenting a workstation control interface via a display screen on the portable device;

monitoring the location of the user'"'"'s portable device within a wireless present zone associated with the workstation wherein the wireless present zone is larger than the near field zone; and

if the user'"'"'s portable device is no longer detected within the wireless present zone, removing the workstation control interface from the display screen.

14. The method of claim 13 further including the steps of, while the workstation control interface is presented on the display screen, receiving a workstation control signal from the portable device and controlling workstation affordances per the control signal.

15. The method of claim 13 further including the steps of, after removing the workstation control interface form the display screen, if the user'"'"'s portable device is again detected within the wireless present zone, presenting the workstation control interface on the display screen.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of establishing wireless communication with the user'"'"'s portable device via the device ID includes establishing an association between the user'"'"'s portable device and a workstation processor.

17. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of monitoring the location of the user'"'"'s portable device within a wireless station zone associated with the workstation wherein the wireless station zone is larger than the present zone;

and

if the user'"'"'s portable device is no longer detected within the wireless present zone and is still within the station zone, maintaining the association between the portable device and the workstation processor; and

if the portable device is outside the station zone, disassociating the portable device from the workstation processor.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the near field zone is located above a portion of a workstation tabletop assembly.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the link activity includes bumping the portable device into a workstation component and a workstation sensor sensing the bumping action.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the link activity includes a user tapping on a workstation component and a workstation sensor sensing the tapping action.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein the workstation includes a height adjustable tabletop driven between different heights by a processor controlled motor and wherein the step of presenting an interface includes presenting an interface for controlling various aspects of the height adjustable tabletop.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein a near field sensor is integrated into a corner portion of the tabletop and wherein the near field zone is located above the corner portion of the tabletop.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the wireless present zone includes a space adjacent a rear edge of the tabletop.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the workstation also includes other affordances in addition to the tabletop and wherein the step of presenting an interface includes presenting an interface for controlling various aspects of at least a subset of the other affordances in addition to the tabletop.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the other affordances include an adjustable chair that can be controlled via wireless control signals.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the other affordances include at least one light device controllable via the interface.

27. The method of claim 13 wherein the workstation includes each of a near field sensor and a Bluetooth sensor, the step of determining that the user'"'"'s portable computing device is located within a wireless near field zone including detecting the user'"'"'s portable device with the near field sensor within the near field zone and the step of monitoring the location including using the Bluetooth sensor to monitor the location of the user'"'"'s portable computing device within the wireless present zone.

28. The method of claim 13 further including storing user preferences for workstation settings within a database and, upon detecting a user'"'"'s device within the near field zone and while the user'"'"'s device is detected within the wireless present zone, controlling the workstation settings per the preferences of the user associated with the detected user'"'"'s device.