This invention relates to infrastructure reporting and more particularly to systems and methods for reporting and controlling the operation of a premise from multiple points within the premise.
If a home owner or infrastructure dweller were to try at any point in time to monitor the power usage, or any other operating parameter (such as the average temperature, the power usage, the occupancy pattern, the light levels, the highest or lowest temperature a room, or the refrigerator, achieved during the preceding 12 hours) that information would be difficult or impossible, to generate without sophisticated equipment. Certainly, systems could be established to provide that information along with any other information that a user would desire. However, such system would most likely require a multitude of disparate sensors, a sophisticated database to store sensor data, and be computer based accessed from a particular location, or at least from a computer wirelessly connected to a hub. The user would then have to access the computer to obtain the desired information.
In most situations, such computer access is impractical, either because of the time required, the lack of expertise in computer usage, or the lack of a computer at the time or place where the information is desired.
Take the simple task of obtaining a weather forecast. One must access a radio or TV station (which may not be convenient at the time the information is desired) or one could position one or more thermometers (electronic or otherwise) outside the premises and then the resident would read the thermometer to obtain the temperature. Regardless of how the resident (or other building user) decided to obtain the information, the resident would have to go to the location of the readout device, be it a TV screen, a radio or a thermometer. Now if the user desires to obtain another data point, such as the traffic conditions on the way to work or to school the resident would have to go to still another location (unless a computer was being used). When the necessary data is not publicly available (e.g., the temperature, power consumption or light level in a region of the building not otherwise monitored, say for example, the garage or back-bedroom), the user first must install various sensors to gather the data and install individual local display devices to view the data. In the event the user wants to view this data from a centralized location, networks must be installed to each of the sensors. If the user wishes to view historic data or otherwise compare (trend) historic data vs. present data, the data must be further organized into databases.
The focal point of the above discussion is centered around a typical home environment. But the problems discussed are not limited to homes but extend to any infrastructure, such as, by way of example, business locations, hotels, schools, shops, etc. For example, a person checks into a hotel and desires a late night snack. Typically, the person must call the front desk to obtain such information. This is sometimes inconvenient and often non-productive. In any case, existing systems are not capable of tailoring the response to a particular user's preferences.
A plurality of devices are interconnected via a utility and distributed throughout a premises with each device operable for being temporarily configured to provide a service as well as information desired by a user. In one embodiment, the service is selected from the utility list of: light switch, power outlet, thermostat while the information is selected from the list of: environmental condition, power consumption, power grid conditions, security condition, telephony, building automation conditions, Internet access, announcements, and advertising. If desired, one or more devices can be configured from time to time in anticipation of the user's needs at that time. Further, one or more devices can be configured to act in anticipation of the user and user type. For example, a user with a unique electronic ID such as car key fob, house key, ID bracelet, or cell phone could have light switches, power outlets, thermostats respond to them with unique user interface displays/menus and customized services. In one embodiment, the user interface is tailored to the particular user.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Screen 11 can be a touch sensitive screen designed in the well-known manner such that different keys' functions can be displayed from time to time in anticipation of a user's needs at that time. For example, during the day, as determined either from clock 204 (
Process 303 then determines if this is an anticipated stimuli. For example, if it is nighttime and motion is detected in the bedroom, (but nowhere else in the house) the system can assume that one of the occupants is moving about and turns on one or more of the night lights or if preferred, one or more of the main lights, 130,
In situations, where the stimuli is neither anticipated nor recognized, or where some ambiguity remains, or in situations were the response would be proper but the time is wrong (turning on the bedroom light at 2 AM) the system can both display additional options to the user, via process 306 or the system can use (internal or remote) logic to determine the proper response. For example, movement is detected not only in the master bedroom but several temperature (or smoke) sensors are now beginning toward a warning condition. Because of the combination of events which are occurring at different locations, the system could decide (depending upon prior programming) to sound or display, via process 308, either a local or a remote (or both) alarm condition. The display, then could visually provide the current location of the first emergency responders and could open a communication path directly to a dispatcher, thereby avoiding the necessity of using a separate telephone. Another example, movement is detected when/where none is expected. The system takes a picture of the perpetrator which is then immediately forwarded to police and/or rescue workers.
In some situations the stimuli will remain vague and this then is reported to the user, either immediately or via a message at a later time.
As discussed herein, the utility devices can be stand-alone or, most likely, used in tandem to form a premises monitoring control, and reporting system that will not only allow a user to control electrical or other apparatus, but to provide and obtain and display information locally and remotely without requiring a number of specialized devices to perform all the desired functions.
Note that the message and operational linking need not be contained within one building or within a neighborhood or even within geographical area, but could extend over long distances. For example, a user could link his/her home in Calgary with a parent's home in California for medical monitoring or security purposes (or any other purpose). If mom were to fall down in her bedroom, the light switches and wall plugs in all of the users homes (e.g., in Calgary and a beach house in XXXX) would light up to indicate that mom is in trouble. If her heart rate and blood pressure were to be dangerously erratic, the system would also call, for example, her neighbor, the hospital, 911, etc. In all cases, the user could see her problem from the user's light switch message display and immediately be able to push a button on any light switch to speak to mom over the Internet to the corresponding light switch in the room mom is in. If mom does not answer, then the user could push a button to send a message to her system so that her system calls locally for help. The system of tagging would run down an “alert priority” list so that it would call a cell phone in the event the user is not home and then progresses down the call list. Emergency services often use the originating number to cross reference the caller's location and thus the system would need to default to making local calls from mom's home.
Examples of services controllable from a device are: light switch, power outlet, thermostat, touch screen, appliance, communications device, keypad, access card, security card, credit card, scanner, RFID, telephone, microphone, VoIP, speaker, television, remote control, doorbell.
Examples of information displayable at a device are: environmental condition, power consumption, power grid conditions, Internet access; date and time, seasons, announcements; the real-time price of power, status of the security system, occupancy, CO and CO2, equivalent and avoided greenhouse gas emissions, messages, notification of an important call, status of investments/stock portfolio/exchange rates, compliance issues, medication alerts, exercise alerts and messages, medical alerts, health of aging parent/loved ones, status of future meeting/conference call, a “times-up” warning for TV or computer games, heavy traffic warning for the commute home, accidents, pollen index, allergy alerts, homeland security, biohazard warnings, the upcoming weather, indicators as to equipment health, score of the game, alerts for local merchant specials, real-time asset management/maintenance (e.g., failed bulbs, performance of real and virtual zones, uptime, time between failure, availability).
Examples of anticipated user needs are: time, sensor inputs, user defined rules, system interactions of inputs and outputs, previous action patterns of a device user, instructions provided external to said device.
Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
The present application is related to concurrently filed, co-pending, and commonly-assigned; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, Attorney Docket No. 66816/P012US/10609934, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LINKING UTILITY CONTROL DEVICES”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, Attorney Docket No. 66816-P014US-10614006, entitled “LIGHT SWITCH USED AS A COMMUNICATION DEVICE”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, Attorney Docket No. 66816-P015US-10614005, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREMISES MONITORING USING WEIGHT DETECTION”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, Attorney Docket No. 66816-P016US-10614296, entitled “ANTICIPATORY UTILITY CONTROL DEVICE”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, Attorney Docket No. 66816-P017US-10614295, entitled “PLUG AND PLAY MODULAR POWER CONTROL MODULES”; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, Attorney Docket No. 66816-P018US-10701603, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SUBSTITUTING DATA IN RESPONSES TO MULTIMEDIA INQUIRIES”, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.