U.S. patent application number 14/567502 was filed with the patent office on 2015-06-11 for multi-tiered feedback-controlled home automation notifications.
This patent application is currently assigned to Echostar Technologies L.L.C.. The applicant listed for this patent is Echostar Technologies L.L.C.. Invention is credited to Eric Holley, David B. Lett, Joseph Schofield.
Application Number | 20150160635 14/567502 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53270607 |
Filed Date | 2015-06-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150160635 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schofield; Joseph ; et
al. |
June 11, 2015 |
Multi-Tiered Feedback-Controlled Home Automation Notifications
Abstract
Various arrangements for providing home automation notifications
to users are detailed. A selection of a home automation event to
trigger transmission of a home automation notification and a first
group of users may be received. When the event occurs, the home
automation notification may be transmitted to the first group of
users. A first communication path associated with each user of the
first group of users may be used for transmitting the home
automation notification. For a time, monitoring can be performed to
determine if a receipt response from each of the plurality of
destinations is received. For users for which the receipt response
was not received, the home automation notification may be sent via
an alternate communication path.
Inventors: |
Schofield; Joseph; (Stone
Mountain, CA) ; Holley; Eric; (Atlanta, GA) ;
Lett; David B.; (Duluth, GA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Echostar Technologies L.L.C. |
Englewood |
CO |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Echostar Technologies
L.L.C.
Englewood
CO
|
Family ID: |
53270607 |
Appl. No.: |
14/567502 |
Filed: |
December 11, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61914856 |
Dec 11, 2013 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
700/90 ;
725/32 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05B 11/01 20130101;
H04N 21/435 20130101; H04N 21/6143 20130101; E05B 2047/0069
20130101; H04N 21/43637 20130101; H04N 21/47217 20130101; H04N
21/4131 20130101; E05B 2047/0094 20130101; H04N 21/422 20130101;
G05B 15/02 20130101; H04N 21/4532 20130101; H04N 21/478 20130101;
G07C 9/00571 20130101; H04L 12/2803 20130101; H04N 21/454 20130101;
G10L 17/22 20130101; H04N 21/235 20130101; G05B 2219/2642 20130101;
H04N 21/4126 20130101; H04N 21/42202 20130101; H04N 21/43615
20130101; H04L 12/2816 20130101; H04W 4/12 20130101; H04L 12/2825
20130101; Y10T 292/096 20150401; E05B 2047/0068 20130101; G07C
2209/62 20130101; H04L 12/2838 20130101; H04N 21/4263 20130101;
H04L 51/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G05B 15/02 20060101
G05B015/02; H04N 21/235 20060101 H04N021/235; H04N 21/435 20060101
H04N021/435; H04N 21/454 20060101 H04N021/454; H04N 21/436 20060101
H04N021/436; H04N 21/41 20060101 H04N021/41; H04N 21/45 20060101
H04N021/45; H04L 12/28 20060101 H04L012/28; H04N 21/4363 20060101
H04N021/4363 |
Claims
1. A method for providing home automation notifications, the method
comprising: receiving, by a home automation host system, a
selection of a home automation event to trigger transmission of a
home automation notification; receiving, by a home automation host
system, selection of a first group of users to receive the home
automation notification; determining, by the home automation host
system, the home automation event has occurred at a home automation
device in communication with the home automation host system;
transmitting, by the home automation host system, the home
automation notification to a plurality of destinations associated
with the first group of users, wherein a first communication path
associated with each user of the first group of users is used for
transmitting the home automation notification; monitoring, by the
home automation host system, for up to a defined period of time,
for a receipt response from each of the plurality of destinations;
receiving, by the home automation host system, receipt responses
from a first subset of the plurality of destinations; determining,
by the home automation host system, the defined period of time has
expired; identifying, by the home automation host system, a second
subset of the plurality of destinations associated with a subset of
the first group of users from which the receipt response has not
been received; and transmitting, by the home automation host
system, to each destination of the second subset of the plurality
of destinations, the home automation notification, wherein a second
communication path associated with each user of the subset of the
first group of users is used for transmitting the home automation
notification.
2. The method for providing home automation notifications of claim
1, wherein the plurality of destinations comprises a plurality of
mobile devices, each mobile device of the plurality of mobile
devices being associated with a different user of the first group
of users.
3. The method for providing home automation notifications of claim
2, further comprising: executing, by a mobile device of the
plurality of mobile devices, an application that functions as a
background process for monitoring for home automation notifications
received via a plurality of communication paths.
4. The method for providing home automation notifications of claim
3, further comprising: monitoring, by the application being
executed by the mobile device, multiple communication paths for
home automation notifications.
5. The method for providing home automation notifications of claim
4, further comprising: determining, by the application being
executed by the mobile device, the home automation notification has
been received via the first communication path; and transmitting,
by the application being executed by the mobile device, the receipt
response, wherein the receipt response is indicative of the mobile
device and is indicative of the first communication path.
6. The method for providing home automation notifications of claim
5, wherein the first communication path is a push notification
communication path and the receipt response is transmitted via a
communication path other than the first communication path.
7. The method for providing home automation notifications of claim
4, further comprising: determining, by the application being
executed by the mobile device, the home automation notification has
been received via the second communication path; and transmitting,
by the application being executed by the mobile device, the receipt
response, wherein the receipt response is indicative of the mobile
device and is indicative of the second communication path.
8. The method for providing home automation notifications of claim
7, wherein determining the home automation notification has been
received via the second communication path comprises: monitoring,
by the application being executed by the mobile device, simple
message service (SMS) messages being received by the mobile device
for a string of characters indicative of the home automation
notification.
9. The method for providing home automation notifications of claim
1, further comprising: receiving, by the home automation host
system, a message from a user of the first group of users, the
message being indicative of a request to be excluded from receiving
home automation notifications associated with the home automation
event.
10. The method for providing home automation notifications of claim
9, further comprising: determining that at least one additional
user is present in the first group of users in addition to the
user; and removing, by the home automation host system, the user
from the first group of users based on the message and determining
that the at least one additional user is present in the first group
of users.
11. A system for providing home automation notifications, the
system comprising: a television receiver that receives television
programming via a television service provider network, the
television receiver configured to output video content; and an
overlay device that receives the video content from the television
receiver and outputs modified video content to a display device,
the overlay device comprising: one or more processors; and a memory
communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more
processors and having stored therein processor-readable
instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors,
cause the one or more processors to: receive a selection of a home
automation event to trigger transmission of a home automation
notification; receive selection of a first group of users to
receive the home automation notification; determine the home
automation event has occurred at a home automation device in
communication with the overlay device; transmit the home automation
notification to a plurality of destinations associated with the
first group of users, wherein a first communication path associated
with each user of the first group of users is used for transmitting
the home automation notification; monitor for up to a defined
period of time, for a receipt response from each of the plurality
of destinations; receive receipt responses from a first subset of
the plurality of destinations; determine the defined period of time
has expired; identify a second subset of the plurality of
destinations associated with a subset of the first group of users
from which the receipt response has not been received; and transmit
to each destination of the second subset of the plurality of
destinations, the home automation notification, wherein a second
communication path associated with each user of the subset of the
first group of users is used for transmitting the home automation
notification.
12. The system for providing home automation notifications of claim
11, wherein the plurality of destinations comprises a plurality of
mobile devices, each mobile device of the plurality of mobile
devices being associated with a different user of the first group
of users.
13. The system for providing home automation notifications of claim
12, the system further comprising: a mobile device that executes an
application as a background process for monitoring for home
automation notifications received via a plurality of communication
paths, the mobile device being part of the plurality of mobile
devices.
14. The system for providing home automation notifications of claim
13, wherein the mobile device is configured to: determine, using
the application being executed by the mobile device, the home
automation notification has been received via the first
communication path; and transmit, by the application being executed
by the mobile device, the receipt response, wherein the receipt
response is indicative of the mobile device and is indicative of
the first communication path.
15. The system for providing home automation notifications of claim
14, wherein the first communication path is a push notification
communication path and the receipt response is transmitted via a
communication path other than the first communication path.
16. The system for providing home automation notifications of claim
13, wherein the mobile device is further configured to: determine,
using the application being executed by the mobile device, the home
automation notification has been received via the second
communication path; and transmitting, by the application being
executed by the mobile device, the receipt response, wherein the
receipt response is indicative of the mobile device and is
indicative of the second communication path.
17. The system for providing home automation notifications of claim
11, wherein the memory stores further processor-readable
instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors,
cause the one or more processors to: receive a message from a user
of the first group of users, the message being indicative of a
request to be excluded from receiving home automation notifications
associated with the home automation event.
18. The system for providing home automation notifications of claim
17, wherein the memory stores further processor-readable
instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors,
cause the one or more processors to: determine that at least one
additional user is present in the first group of users in addition
to the user; and remove the user from the first group of users
based on the message and determining that the at least one
additional user is present in the first group of users.
19. A non-transitory processor-readable medium for providing home
automation notifications, comprising processor-readable
instructions configured to cause one or more processors to: receive
a selection of a home automation event to trigger transmission of a
home automation notification; receive selection of a first group of
users to receive the home automation notification; determine the
home automation event has occurred at a home automation device in
communication with a home automation system; transmit the home
automation notification to a plurality of destinations associated
with the first group of users, wherein a first communication path
associated with each user of the first group of users is used for
transmitting the home automation notification; monitor for up to a
defined period of time, for a receipt response from each of the
plurality of destinations; receive receipt responses from a first
subset of the plurality of destinations; determine the defined
period of time has expired; identify a second subset of the
plurality of destinations associated with a subset of the first
group of users from which the receipt response has not been
received; and transmit to each destination of the second subset of
the plurality of destinations, the home automation notification,
wherein a second communication path associated with each user of
the subset of the first group of users is used for transmitting the
home automation notification.
20. The non-transitory processor-readable medium for providing home
automation notifications of claim 19, wherein the
processor-readable instructions are further configured to cause the
one or more processors to: receive a message from a user of the
first group of users, the message being indicative of a request to
be excluded from receiving home automation notifications associated
with the home automation event; determine that at least one
additional user is present in the first group of users in addition
to the user; and remove the user from the first group of users
based on the message and determining that the at least one
additional user is present in the first group of users.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application 61/914,856 filed Dec. 11, 2013, entitled "Methods and
Systems for Home Automation", attorney docket number P2013-12-12
(895122), the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference for all purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A user may desire to learn of particular types of events
occurring in a home automation system. For instance, a user may
desire to be notified when his or her home's doorbell is rung or
the home's garage door is opened. If the user is away from the
home, a notification indicative of the event may be transmitted to
the user's mobile device. However, in some instances, a
notification transmitted to the user's mobile device may not be
delivered or may be delayed in delivery. Despite such notification
issues, the user would still want to be informed of the event.
SUMMARY
[0003] Various arrangements for providing home automation
notifications are presented, including methods, systems, devices,
and apparatuses. A home automation host system may receive a
selection of a home automation event to trigger transmission of a
home automation notification. The home automation host system may
receive selection of a first group of users to receive the home
automation notification. The home automation host system may
determine the home automation event has occurred at a home
automation device in communication with the home automation host
system. The home automation host system may transmit the home
automation notification to a plurality of destinations associated
with the first group of users, wherein a first communication path
associated with each user of the first group of users is used for
transmitting the home automation notification. The home automation
host system may monitor for up to a defined period of time, for a
receipt response from each of the plurality of destinations. The
home automation host system may receive receipt responses from a
first subset of the plurality of destinations. The home automation
host system may determine the defined period of time has expired.
The home automation host system may identify a second subset of the
plurality of destinations associated with a subset of the first
group of users from which the receipt response has not been
received. The home automation system may transmit to each
destination of the second subset of the plurality of destinations,
the home automation notification, wherein a second communication
path associated with each user of the subset of the first group of
users is used for transmitting the home automation
notification.
[0004] Such embodiments may include one or more of the following
features: The plurality of destinations may include a plurality of
mobile devices, each mobile device of the plurality of mobile
devices being associated with a different user of the first group
of users. A mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices may
execute an application that functions as a background process for
monitoring for home automation notifications received via a
plurality of communication paths. The mobile device, via the
application being executed by the mobile device, may monitor
multiple communication paths for home automation notifications. The
mobile device may determine, via the application being executed by
the mobile device, the home automation notification has been
received via the first communication path. The mobile device, may
transmit the receipt response, wherein the receipt response is
indicative of the mobile device and is indicative of the first
communication path. The first communication path may be a push
notification communication path and the receipt response is
transmitted via a communication path other than the first
communication path. The mobile device may determine the home
automation notification has been received via the second
communication path. The mobile device may transmit the receipt
response, wherein the receipt response is indicative of the mobile
device and is indicative of the second communication path.
Determining the home automation notification has been received via
the second communication path may include monitoring, by the
application being executed by the mobile device, simple message
service (SMS) messages being received by the mobile device for a
string of characters indicative of the home automation
notification. The home automation system may receive a message from
a user of the first group of users, the message being indicative of
a request to be excluded from receiving home automation
notifications associated with the home automation event. The home
automation system may determine that at least one additional user
is present in the first group of users in addition to the user The
home automation system may remove the user from the first group of
users based on the message and determining that the at least one
additional user is present in the first group of users.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of
various embodiments may be realized by reference to the following
figures. In the appended figures, similar components or features
may have the same reference label. Further, various components of
the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label
by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar
components. If only the first reference label is used in the
specification, the description is applicable to any one of the
similar components having the same first reference label
irrespective of the second reference label.
[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a home automation system
that provides home automation notifications.
[0007] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a home automation engine
using various communication paths to communicate with one or more
mobile devices.
[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile device
executing an application that monitors various communication
paths.
[0009] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a method for providing
home automation notifications to one or more users.
[0010] FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a method for providing
home automation notifications to one or more users in which users
are permitted to opt out.
[0011] FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a television
distribution system with an integrated home automation engine.
[0012] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a computer system, which
may be incorporated as part of various computerized devices.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] A home automation system can provide notifications to users
for certain events being detected by or occurring at home
automation devices operating within the home automation system. For
such events, one or more users may be notified by a host system of
the home automation system sending a notification to one or more
mobile devices associated with the one or more users. Multiple
communication paths may be tried by the host system in order to
communicate with the one or more users. For instance, push
notifications, iMessages, simple message service (SMS) text
messages, emails, voice messages, and posts to social media may be
used by the home automation host server to communicate with a user.
Such communication paths may be ranked (or tiered) by a user based
on the user's preference or the preference of a user configuring a
home automation rule that triggers transmission of the
notification. When a notification is to be sent to the user, the
home automation host system may first try the user's highest ranked
communication path. The home automation host system may then
monitor for a receipt response for a predefined period of time,
such as two minutes. If no response is received, the next highest
ranked communication path may be used to resend the notification.
Again, a predefined period of time may be waited for a receipt
response, such as three minutes before trying a next highest ranked
communication path. The duration of the predefined period of time
may be selected based on the type of communication path, the user's
preference, and/or an urgency associated with the home automation
rule.
[0014] On each user's mobile device (e.g., smartphone, tablet
computer, wireless computerized device), an application may be
installed and may be executed that communicates with the home
automation host server. The application may execute in the
background (e.g., as a background process) on the user's mobile
device and may monitor for notifications to be received via
multiple communication paths (e.g., push notifications, iMessage,
SMS text messages, emails, voice messages, and posts to social
media). When a notification is received, the application may cause
a receipt response to be transmitted to the host server system. The
receipt may indicate: a time of receipt, the communication path, an
identifier of the mobile device and/or user, and an indication of
whether the user has viewed the notification.
[0015] If transmission of a notification to a user is unsuccessful,
another user or group of users (referred to as a fallback group of
users or a fallback tier of users) may be sent the notification.
Multiple communication paths may be tried for this second user or
second group of users. A user, via the application, may be
permitted to reorder his or her preferred communication paths. The
user may also be permitted to temporarily (e.g., for a vacation) or
permanently unsubscribe from notifications for a specific home
automation rule. Unsubscribing from notifications may be contingent
on at least one other user still being subscribed to the
notification such as to prevent the situation of a rule being
active but not having any available notification recipients.
[0016] A home automation system may include a host device along
with one or more home automation devices that control and/or gather
information about various systems and devices within a home or
other form of structure (e.g., building). FIG. 1 illustrates an
embodiment of a home automation system 100 hosted by a television
receiver. Television receiver 150 may be configured to receive
television programming from a satellite-based television service
provider; in other embodiments other forms of television service
provider networks may be used, such as an IP-based network (e.g.,
fiber network), a cable based network, a wireless broadcast-based
network, etc. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, television
receiver 150 is serving as the home automation host system. It
should be understood that, some other home automation device or a
separate host system (e.g., a computer system or dedicated host
computer) may serve as the home automation host system in lieu of
television receiver 150.
[0017] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, television receiver 150 may be
configured to communicate with multiple in-home home automation
devices. The devices with which television receiver 150
communicates may use different communication standards. For
instance, one or more devices may use a ZigBee.RTM. communication
protocol while one or more other devices communicate with the
television receiver using a Z-Wave.RTM. communication protocol.
Other forms of wireless communication may be used by devices and
the television receiver. For instance, television receiver 150 and
one or more devices may be configured to communicate using a
wireless local area network, which may use a communication protocol
such as IEEE 802.11.
[0018] In some embodiments, a separate device may be connected with
television receiver 150 to enable communication with home
automation devices. For instance, communication device 152 may be
attached to television receiver 150. Communication device 152 may
be in the form of a dongle. Communication device 152 may be
configured to allow for Zigbee.RTM., Z-Wave.RTM., and/or other
forms of wireless communication. The communication device may
connect with television receiver 150 via a USB port or via some
other type of (wired) communication port. Communication device 152
may be powered by the television receiver or may be separately
coupled with a power source. Communication device 152 may perform
processing related to home automation control and monitoring.
Communication device 152 may also output video and/or sound to
television receiver 150 which can be presented via a display device
connected with television receiver 150 to facilitate a user
interacting with communication device 152. In some embodiments,
television receiver 150 may be enabled to communicate with a local
wireless network and may use communication device 152 in order to
communicate with devices that use a ZigBee.RTM. communication
protocol, Z-Wave.RTM. communication protocol, and/or some other
home wireless communication protocols.
[0019] Communication device 152 may also serve to allow additional
components to be connected with television receiver 150. For
instance, communication device 152 may include additional
audio/video inputs (e.g., HDMI), a component, and/or a composite
input to allow for additional devices (e.g., Blu-ray players) to be
connected with television receiver 150. Such connection may allow
video from such additional devices to be overlaid with home
automation information. Whether home automation information is
overlaid onto video may be triggered based on a user's press of a
remote control button.
[0020] Regardless of whether television receiver 150 uses
communication device 152 to communicate with home automation
devices, television receiver 150 may be configured to output home
automation information for presentation to a user via display
device 160, which may be a television, monitor, or other form of
device capable of presenting visual information. Such information
may be presented simultaneously with television programming
received by television receiver 150. Television receiver 150 may
also, at a given time, output only television programming or only
home automation information based on a user's preference. The user
may be able to provide input to television receiver 150 to control
the home automation system hosted by television receiver 150 or by
overlay device 151, as detailed below.
[0021] In some embodiments, television receiver 150 may not be used
as a host for a home automation system. Rather, a separate device
may be coupled with television receiver 150 that allows for home
automation information to be presented to a user via display device
160. This separate device may be coupled with television receiver
150. In some embodiments, the separate device is referred to as
overlay device 151. Overlay device 151 may be configured to overlay
information, such as home automation information, onto a signal to
be visually presented via display device 160, such as a television.
In some embodiments, overlay device 151 may be coupled between
television receiver 150, which may be in the form of a set top box,
and display device 160, which may be a television. In such
embodiments, television receiver 150 may receive, decode,
descramble, decrypt, store, and/or output television programming.
Television receiver 150 may output a signal, such as in the form of
an HDMI signal. Rather than be directly input to display device
160, the output of television receiver 150 may be input to overlay
device 151. Overlay device 151 may receive the video and/or audio
output from television receiver 150. Overlay device 151 may add
additional information to the video and/or audio signal received
from television receiver 150. The modified video and/or audio
signal may be output to display device 160 for presentation. In
some embodiments, overlay device 151 has an HDMI input and an HDMI
output, with the HDMI output being connected to display device 160.
To be clear, while FIG. 1 illustrates lines illustrating
communication between television receiver 150 and various devices,
it should be understood that such communication may exist, in
addition or alternatively via communication device 152 and/or with
overlay device 151.
[0022] In some embodiments, television receiver 150 may be used to
provide home automation functionality but overlay device 151 may be
used to present information via display device 160. It should be
understood that the home automation functionality detailed herein
in relation to a television receiver may alternatively be provided
via overlay device 151. In some embodiments, overlay device 151 may
provide home automation functionality and be used to present
information via display device 160. Using overlay device 151 to
present automation information via display device 160 may have
additional benefits. For instance, multiple devices may provide
input video to overlay device 151. For instance, television
receiver 150 may provide television programming to overlay device
151, a DVD/Blu-Ray.RTM. player may provide video overlay device
151, and a separate internet-TV device may stream other programming
to overlay device 151. Regardless of the source of the video/audio,
overlay device 151 may output video and/or audio that has been
modified to include home automation information and output to
display device 160. As such, in such embodiments, regardless of the
source of video/audio, overlay device 151 may modify the
audio/video to include home automation information and, possibly,
solicit for user input. For instance, in some embodiments, overlay
device 151 may have four video inputs (e.g., four HDMI inputs) and
a single video output (e.g., an HDMI output). In other embodiments,
such overlay functionality may be part of television receiver 150.
As such, a separate device, such as a Blu-ray.RTM. player, may be
connected with a video input of television receiver 150, thus
allowing television receiver 150 to overlay home automation
information when content from the Blu-Ray.RTM. player is being
output to display device 160.
[0023] As an example, while television receiver 150 may output
video to overlay device 151, overlay device 151 may augment or
replace some or all of the video with a user interface related to
home automation. For instance, when a user is making selections
(e.g., selecting users, defining a home automation event that
triggers a notification), the overlay device may cause a user
interface to be presented to a user via display device 160.
Further, when a notification is to be sent out to one or more
users, the overlay device may cause display device 160 to present
an indication of such a notification.
[0024] Various embodiments of a home automation engine, which
performs home automation functions, including enforcement of home
automation rules, are discussed herein. Such a home automation
engine is executed by whichever device is serving as the home
automation host, such as: overlay device 151, television receiver
150, or communication device 152. Regardless of whether television
receiver 150 is itself configured to provide home automation
functionality and output home automation input for display via
display device 160 or such home automation functionality is
provided via overlay device 151, home automation information may be
presented by display device 160 while television programming is
also being presented by display device 160. For instance, home
automation information may be overlaid or may replace a portion of
television programming (e.g., broadcast content, stored content,
on-demand content, etc.) presented via display device 160.
[0025] Television receiver 150, Communication device, 152, or
overlay device 151 may be configured to communicate with one or
more wireless mobile devices, such as mobile device 116. Mobile
device 116 may represent a tablet computer, cellular phone, laptop
computer, remote computer, or some other device through which a
user may desire to control home automation settings and view home
automation information, such as notifications that are created and
transmitted by television receiver 150, communication device 152,
or overlay device 151. Television receiver 150, communication
device 152, or overlay device 151 may communicate directly with
mobile device 116, such as by using Bluetooth.RTM. or WiFi
Direct.RTM.. A local wireless network may be used for communication
with mobile device 116, such as network 170. For instance, network
170 may represent a home's wireless local area network (LAN)
through which television receiver 150 may communicate with mobile
device 116 while mobile device 116 is within range of the wireless
LAN. However, mobile device 116 may be taken outside of the home
and, thus, outside of the range of the wireless LAN. In such
instances, network 170 may be used to communicate with an internet
service provider (ISP), which can be used for communicating with
mobile device 116. Via the Internet, television receiver 150 or
overlay device 151 may be configured to transmit a notification to
mobile device 116 regarding home automation information. For
instance, in some embodiments, a third-party notification server
system, such as the notification server system operated by
Apple.RTM., may be used to send such notifications to mobile device
116.
[0026] In some embodiments, a location of mobile device 116 may be
monitored. For instance, if mobile device 116 is a cellular phone,
when its position indicates it has neared a door, the door may be
unlocked. A user may be able to define which home automation
functions are controlled based on a position of mobile device 116.
Other functions could include opening and/or closing a garage door,
adjusting temperature settings, turning on and/or off lights,
opening and/or closing shades, etc. Such location-based control may
also take into account the detection of motion via one or more
motion sensors that are integrated into other home automation
devices and/or stand-alone motion sensors in communication with
television receiver 150.
[0027] In some embodiments, little to no setup of network 170 may
be necessary to permit television receiver 150 to stream data out
to the Internet. For instance, television receiver 150 and network
170 may be configured, via a service such as Sling.RTM. or other
video streaming service, to allow for video to be streamed from
television receiver 150 to devices accessible via the Internet.
Such streaming capabilities may be "piggybacked" to allow for home
automation data to be streamed to devices accessible via the
Internet. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/645,870,
filed on Dec. 23, 2009, entitled "Systems and Methods for Remotely
Controlling a Media Server via a Network", which is hereby
incorporated by reference, describes one such system for allowing
remote access and control of a local device. U.S. Pat. No.
8,171,148, filed Apr. 17, 2009, entitled "Systems and Methods for
Establishing Connections Between Devices Communicating Over a
Network", which is hereby incorporated by reference, describes a
system for establishing connection between devices over a network.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/619,192, filed May 19, 2011,
entitled "Systems and Methods for Delivering Messages Over a
Network", which is hereby incorporated by reference, describes a
message server that provides messages to clients located behind a
firewall.
[0028] Mobile device 116 may execute a home automation application
and serve as an input device for television receiver 150. For
instance, mobile device 116 may be a tablet computer that allows
text to be typed by a user and provided to television receiver 150.
Such an arrangement may be useful for responding to and managing
home automation notifications, text messaging, group chat sessions,
and/or other forms of communication. Other types of input may be
received for the television receiver from a tablet computer, such
as lighting commands, security alarm settings and door lock
commands. While mobile device 116 may be used as the input device
for typing text and/or acknowledging notifications, television
receiver 150 may output for display text to display device 160.
[0029] In some embodiments, a cellular modem 153 may be connected
with either overlay device 151 or television receiver 150. Cellular
modem 153 may be useful if a local wireless network (that is
connected with an ISP) is not available. For instance, cellular
modem 153 may permit access to the Internet and/or communication
with a television service provider. Communication with a television
service provider may also occur via a local wireless or wired
network connected with the Internet. In some embodiments,
information for home automation purposes may be transmitted by
television service provider system 110 to television receiver 150
or overlay device 151 via the television service provider's
distribution network, which may include the use of satellites 630,
as detailed in relation to FIG. 6.
[0030] Various home automation devices may be in communication with
television receiver 150 or overlay device 151. Such home automation
devices may use disparate communication protocols. Such home
automation devices may communicate with television receiver 150
directly or via communication device 152. Such home automation
devices may be controlled by a user and/or have a status viewed by
a user via display device 160 and/or mobile device 116. Home
automation devices may include: smoke/carbon monoxide detector,
home security system 107, pet door/feeder 111, camera 112, window
sensor 109, irrigation controller 132, weather sensor 106, shade
controller 104, utility monitor 102, heath sensor 114, intercom
118, light controller 120, thermostat 122, leak detection sensor
124, appliance controller 126, garage door controller 128, doorbell
sensor 123, and VoIP controller 125. A user may be interested in
receiving notifications related to one, multiple, and/or all of
such home automation devices (or other types of home automation
devices that are not illustrated in FIG. 1). For example, if
doorbell sensor 123 detects a doorbell actuation, the user may be
desired to receive a notification of such. As another example, if
pet door/feeder 111 is actuated, the user may desire to know about
the actuation.
[0031] Door sensor 108 and lock controller 130 may be incorporated
into a single device, and may allow for a door's position (e.g.,
open or closed) to be determined and for a lock's state to be
determined and changed. Door sensor 108 may transmit data to
television receiver 150 (possibly via communication device 152) or
overlay device 251 that indicates the status of a window or door,
respectively. Such status may indicate open or closed. When a
status change occurs, the user may be notified as such via mobile
device 116 or display device 160. Further, a user may be able to
view a status screen to view the status of one or more door sensors
throughout the location. Window sensor 109 and/or door sensor 108
may have integrated glass break sensors to determine if glass has
been broken. Lock controller 130 may permit a door to be locked and
unlocked and/or monitored by a user via television receiver 150 or
overlay device 151. No mechanical or electrical component may need
to be integrated separately into a door or door frame to provide
such functionality. Such a single device may have a single power
source that allows for sensing of the lock position, for sensing of
the door position, and for engagement and disengagement of the
lock.
[0032] Additional forms of sensors not illustrated in FIG. 1 may
also be incorporated as part of a home automation system. For
instance, a mailbox sensor may be attached to a mailbox to
determine when mail is present and/or has been picked up. The
ability to control one or more showers, baths, and/or faucets from
television receiver 150 and/or mobile device 116 may also be
possible. Pool and/or hot tub monitors may be incorporated into a
home automation system. Such sensors may detect whether or not a
pump is running, water temperature, pH level, a splash, whether
something has fallen in, etc. Further, various characteristics of
the pool and/or hot tub may be controlled via the home automation
system. In some embodiments, a vehicle dashcam may upload or
otherwise make video/audio available to television receiver 150
when within range. For instance, when a vehicle has been parked
within range of a local wireless network with which television
receiver 150 is connected, video and/or audio may be transmitted
from the dashcam to the television receiver for storage and/or
uploading to a remote server.
[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment 200 of a home automation
engine using various communication paths to communicate with one or
more mobile devices. Embodiment 200 may include: home automation
engine 210, push notification server system 221, SMS server system
222, email server system 223, telephone service provider network
224, social media 225, network 230, and mobile devices 240 (240-1,
240-2, 240-3).
[0034] Home automation engine 210 may represent hardware, firmware,
and/or software that are incorporated as part of the home
automation host system, such as television receiver 150,
communication device 152, or overlay device 151 of FIG. 1. Home
automation engine 210 may include multiple components, which may be
implemented using hardware, firmware, and/or software executed by
underlying computerized hardware. Home automation engine 210 may
include: home automation monitoring engine 211, defined
notification rules 212, user contact database 213, notification
engine 214, and receipt monitor engine 215.
[0035] Home automation monitoring engine 211 may be configured to
monitor various home automation devices for events, status updates,
and/or other occurrences. Home automation monitoring engine 211 may
monitor information that is pushed to home automation engine 210
from various home automation devices. Home automation monitoring
engine 211 may additionally or alternatively query various home
automation devices for information. Defined notification rules 212
may represent a storage arrangement of rules that were configured
by a user. Such defined notification rules may indicate various
states, events, and/or other occurrences on which the user desires
notifications to be sent to one or more users. Defined notification
rules 212, which may be stored using one or more non-transitory
computer readable mediums, may allow a user to define or select a
particular home automation device, an event or state of the device,
a user or group of users, and/or classification of the home
automation state or event. For example, Table 1 presents three
examples of defined notification rules which may be stored as part
of defined notification rules 212. In some embodiments, it may be
possible that the service provider provides home automation engine
210 with one or more default defined home automation notification
rules. A user may enable or disable such default defined
notification rules and/or may be permitted to create customized
notification rules for storage among defined notification rules
212. A user may be permitted to enable and disable such defined
notification rules as desired.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Second (fallback) Home group of Automation
Rule First group of users to Rule Name Device Trigger Action
Classification users to notify notify "Person at Doorbell Doorbell
Send Class 1 Defined Default Door" Sensor actuation Notification
community 1 event [Text of Notification] [Coded Notification]
"Window Window [Window Send Class 2 Custom: None Open?" Sensor
state] = Notification Thomas, Jeff, open [Text of Jason, Andrew
Notification] [Coded Notification] "Door Left Door Sensor [Door
Send Urgent Defined Defined Ajar" state] = Notification communities
1 Community 4 open >30 [Text of and 3 seconds Notification]
[Coded Notification]
[0036] In Table 1, a user (or service provider) has defined a rule
name, the relevant home automation device, the trigger that causes
the rule to be invoked, the action to be performed in response to
the rule being triggered, the classification of the rule, a first
group of users to send the notification, and a second group of
users to notify if communication with the first group of users
fails. To create a rule, home automation engine 210 may output a
user interface that walks a user through creation of the rule such
as by presenting the user with various selections. As an example, a
user may first type in a name for rule. Next, the user may be
presented with a list of home automation devices that are present
in the home automation network with which home automation engine
210 is in communication. The user may then be permitted to select
among triggers that are applicable to the selected home automation
device, such as events and states that can occur at the selected
home automation device. For instance, home automation devices such
as a doorbell sensor may only have a single possible event: a
doorbell actuation. However, in other home automation devices, such
as garage door controller 128 may have multiple states, such as
open, shut, and ajar. Another possible state or event may be a low
battery state or event. Next, the user may select the action that
the home automation engine is to perform in response to the trigger
event for the home automation device occurring. For the three
examples of Table 1, notifications are to be sent to various groups
(called "communities") of users.
[0037] In some embodiments, a user may be permitted to select a
classification for each rule. The classification may designate the
urgency of the rule. Depending on the classification, the
communication channels tried for communication with the user and/or
the amount of time for which home automation engine 210 waits for a
response before trying another communication channel may be
controlled. The user may also define one or more groups of users
that are to receive the notifications. The first group of users may
include one or more users and may indicate which users are to
initially receive a notification. The second group of users may
remain undefined for a particular rule or may specify one or more
users that are to receive the notification if the notification
failed to be received by one, more than one, or all users indicated
as part of the first group of users.
[0038] If a particular grouping of users is to collectively receive
notifications, a user may be permitted to define a "community"
rather than specifying each user individually. For instance, a user
may select from among available users to create "defined community
1," which may include users such as: "Thomas," "Nick," and "Mary."
By specifying "defined community 1" the user may not have to
individually select these three users in association with the rule.
Such a use of defined communities is exemplified in Table 1.
[0039] User contact database 213 may specify definitions of groups
of users and orderings of communication paths for individual users
and/or classifications. Table 2 presents an exemplary embodiment of
an ordering of communication paths for particular user.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 First Second Third Fourth User Communica-
Communica- Communica- Communica- Name tion Path tion Path tion Path
tion Path Andrew Push SMS Text Email (Fail) Social Media
Notification Message Post (Fail) Jeff SMS Text Push Voice call
Email (fail) Message Notification Jason Push SMS Text Email (Fail)
-- Notification Thomas SMS Text Voice Call -- --
[0040] For each user, one or more communication paths are defined.
For example, for the user named Andrew, the first communication
path is a push notification. His second communication Path is an
SMS text message. The SMS text message may be used as the
communication path if a receipt response is not received in
response to transmission of a push notification within a defined
period of time. Similarly, if the second communication path fails
to yield a receipt being received by receipt monitor engine 215
after a predefined period of time, an email, which is Andrew's
third communication path, may be used to send the notification.
Entries in Table 2 labeled as "Fail" may be indicative of a
communication path that may receive the notification but from which
a receipt is not expected and is treated as a failed communication
attempt. For instance, an email sent to an email address associated
with Andrew may go through and may be accessible by Andrew the next
time he accesses his email account; however, notification engine
214 may send the notification via the fourth communication path
without waiting a defined period of time since a receipt is not
expected to be received in response to the email. For different
users, different communication paths may be ordered differently.
For instance, an SMS text message is defined as Jeff's first
communication path while an SMS text message is defined as Andrew's
second communication path. Each user via an application on his or
her mobile device, or by directly interacting with the home
automation host system executing home automation engine 210, may
customize which communication paths are used for their
notifications and the ordering of such communication paths.
[0041] For each type of communication path, a default period of
time to wait for a receipt response may be defined. For instance,
for push notifications, a default wait period of time may be one
minute, while the default wait period of time for an SMS text
message may be two minutes. Such wait periods of time may be tied
to the classification of the rule. For instance, a classification
of urgent may cause the period of time to be halved. In some
embodiments, a user can customize his wait periods of time. For
users, various alternate orderings of communication paths may be
created based on the classification of the rule and/or whether the
user is part of the first group of users or the second, fallback
group of users.
[0042] When home automation monitoring engine 211 determines that a
rule of defined notification rules 212 has been triggered,
notification engine 214, by accessing user contact database 213,
may begin transmitting one or more notifications to one or more
users using one or more communication paths. Notification engine
214 may be configured to try communicating with the user via a
first communication path, then waiting a defined period of time to
determine if a receipt is received in response notification. If
not, notification engine 214 may use user contact database 213 to
determine the next communication path for use in communicating with
the user. Notification engine 214 may then use such a communication
path to try to communicate with the user. Notification engine 214
may determine when communication with a particular user has failed
and, if available, a second group of users, which can be referred
to as a fallback group of users, should receive a notification
instead. In such an instance, notification engine 214 may then use
user contact database 213 in order to communicate with the second
group of users via the ordering of defined communication paths.
[0043] While notification engine 214 may cause notifications to be
transmitted to users via various communication paths, receipt
monitor engine 215 may monitor for received receipts that are
indicative of delivery of the notification. Receipt monitor engine
215 may inform notification engine 214 when a notification has been
received and further notifications to that user are unnecessary.
Receipt monitor engine 215 may cause information to be stored by
home automation engine 210 indicative of the circumstances under
which the notification was received. For instance, receipt monitor
engine 215 may create a database entry that is indicative of the
user, the time of receipt (or of viewing by the user), and the
communication path that was successful in causing the notification
to reach the user.
[0044] Illustrated in embodiment 200 are various communication
paths that may be used by notification engine 214 for communicating
with various users' mobile devices. These communication paths
include: push notification server system 221, SMS server system
222, email server system 223, telephone service provider network
224, social media 225, and network 230. Push notification server
system 221 may be a system that causes a mobile device to display a
message such that the message must be actively dismissed by the
user prior to or otherwise interacting with the mobile device. As
such, a push notification has a high likelihood of being viewed by
user since the user is required to dismiss the push notification
before performing any other functions, home automation related or
not, with the mobile device.
[0045] SMS server system 222 may cause text messages to be sent to
mobile devices. Typically, a mobile device provides an alert, such
as a sound of flashing light or vibration to user to indicate that
a new text message has been received. However, it is possible for a
user to interact with a mobile device that has received a new SMS
text message without viewing or otherwise interacting with the text
message. Other forms of messaging systems may additionally or
alternatively be used, such as Apple's iMessage service. Email
server system 223 may serve as an email service provider for user.
An email transmitted to a user, that is sent to email server system
223 may be viewed by the user the next time the user accesses email
server system 223. In some embodiments, emails are actively pushed
by email server system 223 to an application being executed by a
user's mobile device, thus increasing the likelihood that a user
will look at the email shortly after it has been sent. In other
embodiments, a user's mobile device may be required to be triggered
by the user to retrieve emails from email server system 223, such
as by executing an application associated with the email server
system or by logging in to the user's email account via a web
browser being executed by the mobile device.
[0046] Telephone service provider network 224 may permit voice
calls to be performed to a mobile device. A user operating such a
mobile device may answer a telephone call to hear a recorded
message that is transmitted by notification engine 214 or, if the
user does not answer, a voicemail may be left for the user using
telephone service provider network 224. Social media 225 may
represent various social media networks through which notification
engine 214 can try to communicate with the user. Social media may
for example include: Twitter.RTM., Facebook.RTM., Tumblr.RTM.,
LinkedIn.RTM., and/or various other social networking websites.
Notification engine 214 may directly transmit a message to a user
via social media 225 (e.g., Facebook.RTM. Messenger) or may create
a post to one or more social media websites via a shared or
dedicated social media account that could be viewed by the user.
For example, notification engine 214 may have login credentials to
a Twitter.RTM. account that can be used to post a message
indicative of the home automation notification. If the user is
following the Twitter.RTM. account associated with the notification
engine, the notification would be listed in the user's Twitter.RTM.
feed. If such posts are public (that is, available to be viewed by
members of the public, such as on Twitter.RTM.), the social media
post may be "coded" such that it would only make sense to the user.
A user, by configuring an alternate notification text at home
automation engine 210 (as indicated in Table 1) may assign coded
words or phrases to various home automation events that would be
posted to public social media. For instance the door being left
ajar may be assigned: "The cat is out of the bag" is a coded
message to be posted to social media, while a direct message (e.g.,
SMS text message) would not be coded, such as: "Your home's front
door is ajar." While to a member of the public, a coded
notification may be nonsensical, to the user who configured the
notification, the coded notification may be quickly interpreted as
meaning his home's front door has been left ajar.
[0047] Network 230 may represent one or more public and/or private
networks through which notification engine 214 and receipt monitor
engine 215 may communicate with a mobile device. For instance
network 230 may represent a home wireless network, such as network
170, and/or the Internet. For instance, if notification engine 214
has an IP address of mobile device 240-1, it may be possible for
notification engine 214 to directly transmit a notification via
network 230 to mobile device 240-1. Additionally or alternatively,
mobile device 240-1 may be executing an application that can
communicate directly with home automation engine 210 via network
230. Home automation engine 210 and a mobile device may
alternatively or additionally communicate with service provider
host system 250, which is accessible via network 230, and serves as
an intermediary for communications between home automation engine
210 and mobile device. For instance, a message to be transmitted
from mobile device 240-1 to home automation engine 210 may be
transmitted by mobile device 240-1 to service provider host system
250 via network 230. Home automation engine 210 may periodically
query service provider host system 250 via network 230 to determine
if any messages are pending for home automation engine 210. In
response to such a query, the message transmitted by mobile device
240-1 destined for home automation engine 210 may be retrieved by
home automation engine 210.
[0048] Three mobile devices are illustrated in embodiment 200. Each
of such mobile devices may be associated with a different user. In
embodiment 200, such mobile devices are shown as only being
available via specific communication paths. This is for example
purposes only. For instance, mobile device 240-1 can communicate
with home automation engine 210 via push notification server system
221 (which may be unidirectional to mobile device 240-1), and
network 230 (such as via communications coordinated by service
provider host system 250). Mobile device 240-2 may, for some
reason, be unable to receive push notifications sent via push
notification server system 221 but may be able to send and receive
SMS texts via SMS server system 222. Mobile device 240-3 may be
currently unavailable via any of the illustrated communication
paths. For example, based on where mobile device 240-3 is located,
it may be unable to communicate with a wireless network that
enables access to one or more of the communication paths
illustrated in FIG. 2 or the mobile device may be turned off.
[0049] It should be understood that the communication paths,
components of home automation engine 210, and the number of mobile
devices 240 are intended to represent examples. For instance,
notifications may be sent to types of devices other than mobile
devices. For instance, for a user, while the first notification may
be sent to the user's mobile device, a second communication path
may communicate with the user's desktop computer. Further various
components of home automation engine 210 may be divided out into a
greater number of components or may be combined into fewer
components.
[0050] FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile device 300
executing an application that monitors various communication paths.
Mobile device 300 may represent each of mobile devices 240 or some
other form of mobile device that is receiving notifications from a
home automation engine via various possible communication paths.
Mobile device 300, which may be a cellular phone, smart phone,
table computer, laptop, in-dash network-enabled navigation system,
or other form of a wireless and/or mobile computerized device, may
execute application 301. Application 301 may be executed in the
background such that when a user is not interacting with
application 301, a process of application 301 can monitor various
communication paths of mobile device 300. A user may also bring
application 301 to the foreground, such that the user can view a
user interface of application 301 and generally interact with
application 301. Application 301 may include: push notification
monitor engine 311, SMS monitor engine 312, email monitor engine
313, social media monitor engine 314, presentation engine 320, and
receipt response engine 340. Such modules may be implemented using
software that is executed on underlying hardware.
[0051] Push notification monitor engine 311 may monitor for when a
push notification is received by mobile device 300 that includes a
notification from notification engine 214 of home automation engine
210. The operating system of mobile device 300 may cause the push
notification to be presented by a display of mobile device 300 such
that a user is required to view and dismiss the push notification
before performing any other function on mobile device 300. The push
notification, when displayed, may present text of the push
notification indicative of the home automation event. For instance,
returning to Table 1 for the "Person at Door" event, the
corresponding [Text of Notification] from the event may be
presented as part of the push notification. Additional information
may include the time at which the event occurred and a location of
the home automation engine (which may be useful if the user has
home automation systems installed at multiple locations, such as a
primary home, office building, and vacation home). Push
notification monitor engine 311 may determine 1) that the push
notification has been received by mobile device 300; and 2) if the
user has dismissed the push notification.
[0052] SMS monitor engine 312 may monitor for when a text message
is received by mobile device 300 that includes a notification from
notification engine 214 of home automation engine 210. SMS monitor
engine 312 may monitor for a particular string of characters that
is indicative of the home automation engine 210 or the source
number from which the SMS text message may be indicative of the
home automation engine. The operating system of mobile device 300
may cause the text message to be stored and may cause the mobile
device 300 to output vibration, sound, and/or light indicative of
the received text message. The user may need to select the text
message for presentation or the text message may be automatically
displayed by mobile device 300. The text of the SMS message may
present text indicative of the home automation event. For instance,
as with the push message, returning to Table 1 for the "Person at
Door" event, the corresponding [Text of Notification] from the
event may be presented as part of the SMS message. Additional
information may include the time at which the event occurred and a
location of the home automation engine. SMS monitor engine 312 may
determine 1) that the SMS message containing the notification has
been received by mobile device 300; and 2) if the user has viewed
the SMS text containing the notification.
[0053] Email monitor engine 313 may monitor for when an email is
received by mobile device 300 that includes a notification from
notification engine 214 of home automation engine 210. Email
monitor engine 313 may monitor for a particular string of
characters in either the body or subject line of the email that is
indicative of the home automation engine 210 or the sender from
which the email was received may be indicative of the home
automation engine. The email may be added to an inbox of mobile
device 300 and an operating system of mobile device 300 may cause
vibration, sound, and/or light to be output that is indicative of
the received email. The user may need to select an email
application and the email for the email to be presented by mobile
device 300. The text of the email may present text indicative of
the home automation event. For instance, as with the push message
and the SMS text message, returning to Table 1 for the "Person at
Door" event, the corresponding [Text of Notification] from the
event may be presented as part of the SMS message. Additional
information may include the time at which the event occurred and a
location of the home automation engine. Since an email can contain
significantly more information than an SMS text or push
notification, more details regarding the home automation event and
system may be presented as part of the email. Email monitor engine
313 may determine 1) that the email message containing the
notification has been received by mobile device 300; and 2) if the
user has opened the email containing the notification.
[0054] Social media monitor engine 314 may monitor for when a
social media post is made by home automation engine 210 that is
indicative of a notification. As such, social media monitor engine
314 may periodically check one or more social media feeds for posts
either privately sent to a user of mobile device 300 or publically
posted. Social media monitor engine 314 may monitor for a
particular string of characters that is indicative of the home
automation engine 210 or the username or account from which the
post was made which is indicative of the home automation engine.
The text of the social media post may present text indicative of
the home automation event. For instance, as with the push message,
returning to Table 1 for the "Person at Door" event, the
corresponding [Text of Notification] from the event may be
presented as part of the social media post. If the post is made
publically, a code message may be posted instead of the [Text of
Notification]. For instance, referring to Table 1, [Coded
Notification] may be publically posted instead of [Text of
Notification]. Additional information posted may include the time
at which the event occurred and a location of the home automation
engine. Social media monitor engine 314 may determine 1) mobile
device 300 has received the social media post (e.g., in an updated
Twitter.RTM. feed); and 2) if the user has viewed the social media
message containing the notification or the social media feed
containing the notification.
[0055] Voice call monitor engine 315 may monitor for when a voice
call or voicemail is received by mobile device 300 that includes a
notification from notification engine 214 of home automation engine
210. Voice call monitor engine 315 may monitor for a particular
phone number from which the call is originating to determine that a
notification from the home automation engine has been received. The
operating system of mobile device 300 may cause an indication of
the voice message to be presented via output vibration, sound,
and/or light. The user may need to answer the call or listen to the
voicemail in order to receive the notification. Voice call monitor
engine 315 may determine 1) whether the notification has been
received; and 2) if the user has listened to the voicemail or
answered the call. The voice call or voicemail may include
synthesized voice that reads the notification for the home
automation event. Additional information may include the time at
which the event occurred and a location of the home automation
engine.
[0056] In some embodiments, it may not be possible to monitor
various communication paths. For instance, a user may have his
email only accessible via a specialized application (e.g.,
Google'S.RTM. Gmail.TM. application). As such, the user may receive
the email; however, email monitor engine 313 may not be able to
determine that the email has been received. During an initial
configuration, home automation engine 210 may test communication
paths with application 301 when it is known or expected that such
communication paths are functional. Such a test may determine which
communication paths of application 301 will be able to acknowledge
receipt of notifications. When a notification cannot be
acknowledged, notification engine 214 may still use such a
communication path to send a notification but may assume
transmission has failed and/or may only use such a communication
path as a final attempt. For instance, such communication paths are
noted in Table 2 with the "(fail)" designation.
[0057] A user may view the push notifications, SMS texts, emails,
social media posts and/or messages, and (listen to) voice calls
directly. Additionally, when one of the monitor engines (311-315)
notes that a notification has been received, presentation engine
320 may be triggered to present an additional or alternate
indication of the notification. For instance, if the user launches
application 301 (such that it is displayed and no longer only
executed in the background of mobile device 300), presentation
engine 320 may cause information regarding the notification to be
presented in a user friendly format and may allow the user to
perform various actions in response to the notification. For
instance, if the notification is "Door left ajar," the user may
have the ability to select from "View security camera feed," "Call
at-home User" (which may determine, such as based on
geo-positioning, a user who is within the home) and "Call 911."
[0058] Receipt response engine 340 may receive information from
engines 311-315 that is indicative of a notification being received
and/or of the notification being viewed, dismissed, or heard by the
user. Receipt response engine 340 may generate and cause a response
to be transmitted by mobile device 300 to receipt monitor engine
215 of home automation engine 210. The receipt response may
indicate the time at which the notification was received and/or
viewed/heard by the user.
[0059] The systems of FIGS. 1-3 may be used to perform various
methods. FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a method 400 for
providing home automation notifications to one or more users.
Method 400 may be performed using one or more of the systems of
FIGS. 1-3. Specifically, each step of method 400 may be performed
using home automation engine 210, which could be executed by
television receiver 150, overlay device 151, communication device
152, or some other computerized device serving as the home
automation host.
[0060] At block 405, indication of a home automation event for
which a notification is desired to be set by user may be received.
The home automation engine may be configured to present a user with
a listing of available home automation devices and/or a listing of
home automation events associated with such devices from which the
user is permitted to select. Therefore, in some embodiments, a user
may first select a home automation device for which the user
desires to receive a related notification. Second, the user may
select a particular event associated with that home automation
device for which the notification will be sent.
[0061] At block 410, the user interacting with the home automation
engine may select one or more users to receive the notification of
the home automation event selected at block 405. The user may, of
course, select himself and/or one or more other users. For each of
the users selected at block 410, a user profile containing contact
information for each of these users may have been previously
created. Such information, along with preferences on communication
paths for communicating with such users, may be stored as part of
the user contact database, such as user contact database 213 of
FIG. 2.
[0062] In some embodiments, the user may be permitted to select one
or more communication paths for use for the home automation event
notification sent to the users of block 410. In other embodiments,
the default communication paths defined in a user contact database
may instead be used. As such, if communication paths are specified
at block 415, such communication paths may override the default
communication paths stored in a user contact database. For
instance, the user may specify that each user specified at block
410 is to initially receive notification via a text message. If
multiple communication paths are specified at block 415, these
communication paths may be ranked such that the highest ranked
communication path is tried first and if no response is received,
the next highest ranked communication path is tried, and so on.
[0063] At block 420, a fallback selection of one or more users
(also referred to as a second group of users) may be received.
These fallback users may only be notified of the home automation
event if a receipt response indicative of the notification being
received (and, possibly, read) is not received from at least one of
the users specified at block 410. For instance, the user may
specify one or more other users at block 410 and himself at block
420. In such an instance, the user will only be notified when the
one or more other users fail to acknowledge receipt of the home
automation notification. In some embodiments, multiple
communication passes may also be selected for the one or more users
identified as fallback recipients of the home automation
notification.
[0064] At block 425, the home automation rule may be created based
on the information received from the user at blocks 405 through
420. The rule may indicate the home automation device and the event
of the device to be monitored, a first group of users to initially
receive the notification, one or more communication paths to try
for the initial group of users, a fallback group of one or more
users who are to receive the notification if communication to the
first group fails, and one or more communication paths to use for
the fallback one or more users. The rule may be enabled and
disabled as desired by the user via the home automation engine. By
default, created rule may be enabled. In some embodiments, a user
may be permitted to specify dates and/or time ranges for which the
rules are valid. For instance, the user may only want a particular
rule to be turned on at night.
[0065] At block 430, each user that was indicated at block 410
and/or the users indicated as fallback selections at block 420 may
be notified of their inclusion as a recipient of the home
automation event notification. Such a message created and
transmitted at block 430 may serve to alert such users as to their
inclusion as part of the home automation rule. The communication
paths specified at block 415 may be used for providing the message
at block 430. Therefore, the message transmitted at block 430 may
also serve to test the communication paths with the users specified
at block 410 and block 420.
[0066] At block 435, a request to unsubscribe from the home
automation rule notification may be received. The message provided
to each user at block 430 may provide the user with instructions as
to how to unsubscribe from the home automation rule. For instance,
the user may access an application executed by his mobile device
and provide input indicating that he does not desire to receive
notifications associated with the rule.
[0067] At block 440, a determination may be made by the home
automation engine to determine if unsubscribing is an option for
the user from which the request was received at block 435.
Unsubscribing may not be an option if the user is the only
remaining user selected to receive the home automation
notification. For instance, if only the user is present in the
group of users specified at block 410 and also the users specified
at block 420, the user may not be permitted to unsubscribe as the
user would be the only person receiving the notification. Instead,
another user may be required to be added to receive the
notification or the rule may be required to be disabled or deleted.
In some embodiments, if all users are deleted, the user who created
the rule is by default added to receive the notification. It may
not be permitted to have a rule that is active for which there are
no users selected to receive notifications. This may serve as a
safety measure such that a home automation notification cannot be
created and then have all of its associated users unsubscribe from
receiving the notification, which would cause the notification to
go unseen.
[0068] If one or more other users are still selected to receive the
home automation notification, the user may be unsubscribed at block
445. Once unsubscribed, the user may not receive the home
automation notification when the home automation event occurs. If
the user is unable to unsubscribe, the user may be informed as such
at block 450 and the user may be maintained as selected in one of
the groups specified at blocks 410 and 420. In some embodiments,
the user who set up the groups of users to receive the notification
at block 410 and 420 may have specified one or more users as being
required. If indicated as such, unsubscribing from the rule may not
be permitted without editing the home automation rule directly.
[0069] FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a method 500 for
providing home automation notifications to one or more users in
which users are permitted to opt out. Method 400 may be performed
using one or more of the systems of FIGS. 1-3. Specifically, each
step of method 400 may be performed using home automation engine
210, which could be executed by television receiver 150, overlay
device 151, communication device 152, or some other computerized
device serving as a home automation host system.
[0070] At block 510, the home automation engine may determine that
a home automation event has occurred. The home automation engine
may have determined that the home automation event has occurred by
receiving an indication of the event from a home automation device
in communication with the home automation engine. In some
embodiments, the home automation engine may send a status request
to home automation devices. In response to such a request, a home
automation device may send a status update to the home automation
engine, which may serve to indicate that the home automation event
has occurred. The home automation event may be determined at block
510 to trigger a home automation rule, such as a rule that was
previously defined in accordance with method 400 of FIG. 4.
[0071] At block 520, one or more users that are to receive the home
automation notification are identified. The rule determined to be
triggered at block 510 may have one or more users associated with
it that are to receive the notification. Referring to Table 1, a
"first group of users to notify" may be specified. These one or
more users may receive the notification via a first communication
identified for each user. The communication paths that are to be
used for each user may be determined at block 520 by accessing a
storage arrangement, such as user contact database 213 of home
automation engine 210.
[0072] At block 530, the home automation notification may be
transmitted to each user identified in the first group using each
user's highest ranked communication path. The notification may be
transmitted to a mobile device associated with the user, which
serves as the destination of the notification. The highest ranked
communication path may vary by user or may be the same for each
user. FIG. 2 shows examples of various communication paths. At
block 540, a receipt response may be monitored for. The destination
device of the notification may create and transmit the receipt
response. The receipt response being received may be monitored for
a predefined time either associated with the rule or the
communication path. For example, if the communication path is an
SMS text message, the defined monitor time period may be two
minutes. A different time period may be used for another
communication path, such as a push notification or email.
[0073] It has been previously detailed in relation to FIG. 3 how an
application being executed by a mobile device (or other form of
computerized device) can monitor for home automation notifications
and cause a receipt response to be transmitted to the home
automation engine, either via the same communication path (if
available) or via a different communication path. For instance,
push notifications may be unidirectional, that is, only available
for transmission to a mobile device. The mobile device's
application may use a text message, http message, or some other
communication path to provide a receipt response to the home
automation engine in response to the push notification. However, if
the communication path is bidirectional, such as SMS, the mobile
device may attempt to use the same communication path to transmit a
receipt response to the home automation engine. If transmission
fails, another communication path may be used.
[0074] If a receipt response is determined as being received from a
user's device in response to the transmitted notification, method
500 may proceed to block 580 from block 550. At block 580, an
indication of the user that received the response, when the
notification was received by the user's device that served as the
destination device, and the successful communication path may be
stored by the home automation engine. Once the notification has
been acknowledged as received by a user's device, no further action
may be necessary for that particular user. However, method 500 may
continue if one or more other users are to be notified. If no
receipt response is determined as being received from the user's
device, method 500 may proceed to block 560. At block 560, a
determination may be made if an alternate communication path is
available for the user. For instance, a second communication path
may be specified for the user that is lower in priority than the
failed communication path. If block 560 is determined in the
affirmative, method 500 may proceed back to block 530. The next
communication path may then be attempted for the user, along with
monitoring for the receipt response at block 540. This process may
repeat for the user until all communication paths available for the
user are exhausted. In some embodiments, a home automation rule may
specify that the notification only needs to be received by a single
user of a group. Therefore, once a user's device acknowledges
receipt, attempts made via other communication paths for other
users may be ended.
[0075] A notification may only be considered received by a user if
a receipt response is received by the home automation engine. In
some embodiments, receipts are used to acknowledge when a user's
device has received the notification. Additionally or
alternatively, receipts may be used to acknowledge when a user has
read the notification (e.g., the notification has been displayed
while the user is interacting with the destination device). Some
communication paths may not permit a receipt response to be
generated. For instance, if the communication path used is a
voicemail, it may not be possible to determine if the voicemail has
been received by the user or the user's device. As such, such a
notification may be considered as having failed to be delivered
because it is not possible to confirm receipt by the user's
device.
[0076] If all communication paths fail for all of the users in a
first group, a second, fallback group of one or more users may be
notified at block 570. At block 570, one or more fallback users may
be notified, such as identified as in Table 1. Following the one or
more fallback users being identified at block 570, method 500 may
proceed to block 530, such that the home automation notification is
sent to the one or more fallback users. As with users in the first
group, once the home automation notification may be sent, the home
automation engine may monitor for a receipt response for a period
of time, then may proceed to try a different communication path for
the user if a receipt response has not been received (the home
automation engine may monitor for a receipt that indicates the
notification has been received or read, depending on how the rule
was initially configured). This loop may continue until a user's
device that serves as the destination acknowledges receipt of the
notification or all of a user's communication paths are exhausted.
In some embodiments, if one fallback user's device acknowledges
receipt, the home automation engine may cease sending notifications
to home automation devices of other users.
[0077] FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a satellite television
distribution system 600 with an integrated home automation engine
210 as part of a television receiver. Similarly, a home automation
engine may be executed by a device in communication with a
television receiver, such as an overlay device or communication
device as detailed in relation to FIG. 1. Home automation features,
including the systems and methods detailed herein, can be
integrated with satellite television distribution system 600.
Cable, IP-based, wireless and broadcast-focused systems are also
possible. Satellite television distribution system 600 may include:
television service provider system 610, satellite transmitter
equipment 620, satellites 630, satellite dish 640, television
receiver 650, home automation service server 612, and display
device 660. Alternate embodiments of satellite television
distribution system 600 may include fewer or greater numbers of
components. While only one satellite dish 640, television receiver
650, and display device 660 are illustrated, it should be
understood that multiple (e.g., tens, thousands, millions of)
instances and types of user equipment may receive data and
television signals from television service provider system 610 via
satellites 630.
[0078] Television service provider system 610 and satellite
transmitter equipment 620 may be operated by a television service
provider. A television service provider may distribute television
channels, on-demand programming, programming information, and/or
other content/services to users. Television service provider system
610 may receive feeds of one or more television channels and
content from various sources. Such television channels may include
multiple television channels that contain at least some of the same
content (e.g., network affiliates). To distribute television
channels for presentation to users, feeds of the television
channels may be relayed to user equipment via multiple television
distribution satellites. Each satellite may relay multiple
transponder streams. Satellite transmitter equipment 620 may be
used to transmit a feed of one or more television channels from
television service provider system 610 to one or more satellites
630. While a single television service provider system 610 and
satellite transmitter equipment 620 are illustrated as part of
satellite television distribution system 600, it should be
understood that multiple instances of transmitter equipment may be
used, possibly scattered geographically, to communicate with
satellites 630. Such multiple instances of satellite transmitting
equipment may communicate with the same or with different
satellites. Different television channels may be transmitted to
satellites 630 from different instances of transmitting equipment.
For instance, a different satellite dish of satellite transmitter
equipment 620 may be used for communication with satellites in
different orbital slots.
[0079] Satellites 630 may be configured to receive signals, such as
streams of television channels, from one or more satellite uplinks
such as satellite transmitter equipment 620. Satellites 630 may
relay received signals from satellite transmitter equipment 620
(and/or other satellite transmitter equipment) to multiple
instances of user equipment via transponder streams. Different
frequencies may be used for uplink signals 670 from downlink
signals 680. Satellites 630 may be in geosynchronous orbit. Each of
the transponder streams transmitted by satellites 630 may contain
multiple television channels transmitted as packetized data. For
example, a single transponder stream may be a serial digital packet
stream containing multiple television channels. Therefore, packets
for multiple television channels may be interspersed. Further,
information used by television receiver 650 for home automation
functions may be also relayed to television receiver via one or
more transponder streams.
[0080] Multiple satellites 630 may be used to relay television
channels from television service provider system 610 to satellite
dish 640. Different television channels may be carried using
different satellites. Different television channels may also be
carried using different transponders of the same satellite; thus,
such television channels may be transmitted at different
frequencies and/or different frequency ranges. As an example, a
first and second television channel may be relayed via a first
transponder of satellite 630-1. A third, fourth, and fifth
television channel may be relayed via a different satellite or a
different transponder of the same satellite relaying the
transponder stream at a different frequency. A transponder stream
transmitted by a particular transponder of a particular satellite
may include a finite number of television channels, such as seven.
Accordingly, if many television channels are to be made available
for viewing and recording, multiple transponder streams may be
necessary to transmit all of the television channels to the
instances of user equipment.
[0081] Satellite dish 640 may be a piece of user equipment that is
used to receive transponder streams from one or more satellites,
such as satellites 630. Satellite dish 640 may be provided to a
subscriber for use on a subscription basis to receive television
channels provided by the television service provider system 610,
satellite transmitter equipment 620, and/or satellites 630.
Satellite dish 640, which may include one or more low noise blocks
(LNBs), may be configured to receive transponder streams from
multiple satellites and/or multiple transponders of the same
satellite. Satellite dish 640 may be configured to receive
television channels via transponder streams on multiple
frequencies. Based on the characteristics of television receiver
650 and/or satellite dish 640, it may only be possible to capture
transponder streams from a limited number of transponders
concurrently. For example, a tuner of television receiver 650 may
only be able to tune to a single transponder stream from a
transponder of a single satellite at a given time. The tuner can
then be re-tuned to another transponder of the same or a different
satellite. A television receiver 650 having multiple tuners may
allow for multiple transponder streams to be received at the same
time.
[0082] In communication with satellite dish 640 may be one or more
television receivers. Television receivers may be configured to
decode signals received from satellites 630 via satellite dish 640
for output and presentation via a display device, such as display
device 660. A television receiver may be incorporated as part of a
television or may be part of a separate device, commonly referred
to as a set-top box (STB). Television receiver 650 may decode
signals received via satellite dish 640 and provide an output to
display device 660. On-demand content, such as PPV content, may be
stored to a computer-readable storage medium. A television receiver
is defined to include set-top boxes (STBs) and also circuitry
having similar functionality that may be incorporated with another
device. For instance, circuitry similar to that of a television
receiver may be incorporated as part of a television. As such,
while FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of television receiver 650
as separate from display device 660, it should be understood that,
in other embodiments, similar functions may be performed by a
television receiver integrated with display device 660. Television
receiver 650 may include home automation engine 210, as detailed in
relation to FIG. 2.
[0083] Display device 660 may be used to present video and/or audio
decoded and output by television receiver 650. Television receiver
650 may also output a display of one or more interfaces to display
device 660, such as an electronic programming guide (EPG). In many
embodiments, display device 660 is a television. Display device 660
may also be a monitor, computer, or some other device configured to
display video and, possibly, play audio.
[0084] Uplink signal 670-1 represents a signal between satellite
transmitter equipment 620 and satellite 630-1. Uplink signal 670-2
represents a signal between satellite transmitter equipment 620 and
satellite 630-2. Each of uplink signals 670 may contain streams of
one or more different television channels. For example, uplink
signal 670-1 may contain a first group of television channels,
while uplink signal 670-2 contains a second group of television
channels. Each of these television channels may be scrambled such
that unauthorized persons are prevented from accessing the
television channels.
[0085] Downlink signal 680-1 represents a signal between satellite
630-1 and satellite dish 640. Downlink signal 680-2 represents a
signal between satellite 630-2 and satellite dish 640. Each of
downlink signals 680 may contain one or more different television
channels, which may be at least partially scrambled. A downlink
signal may be in the form of a transponder stream. A single
transponder stream may be tuned to at a given time by a tuner of a
television receiver. For example, downlink signal 680-1 may be a
first transponder stream containing a first group of television
channels, while downlink signal 680-2 may be a second transponder
stream containing a different group of television channels. In
addition to or instead of containing television channels, a
transponder stream can be used to transmit on-demand content to
television receivers, including PPV content (which may be stored
locally by the television receiver until output for
presentation).
[0086] FIG. 6 illustrates downlink signal 680-1 and downlink signal
680-2, being received by satellite dish 640 and distributed to
television receiver 650. For a first group of television channels,
satellite dish 640 may receive downlink signal 680-1 and for a
second group of channels, downlink signal 680-2 may be received.
Television receiver 650 may decode the received transponder
streams. As such, depending on which television channels are
desired to be presented or stored, various transponder streams from
various satellites may be received, descrambled, and decoded by
television receiver 650.
[0087] Network 690, which may include the Internet, may allow for
bidirectional communication between television receiver 650 and
television service provider system 610, such as for home
automation-related services provided by home automation service
server 612. Network 690 may be connected with or represent the same
network as network 170 of FIG. 1. Home automation service server
612 may forward important information to home automation engine
210. For instance, a home automation rule may be set up that is
triggered when new information is received from home automation
service server 612. Such information may include information
relevant to the user, such as a newly released on-demand television
program that the user is interested in. In addition or in alternate
to network 690, a telephone (e.g., landline) or cellular connection
may be used to enable communication between television receiver 650
and television service provider system 610.
[0088] A computer system as illustrated in FIG. 7 may be
incorporated as part of the previously described computerized
devices, such as the television receivers, home automation engines,
overlay devices, and/or communication devices. FIG. 7 provides a
schematic illustration of one embodiment of a computer system 700
that can perform various steps of the methods provided by various
embodiments. It should be noted that FIG. 7 is meant only to
provide a generalized illustration of various components, any or
all of which may be utilized as appropriate. FIG. 7, therefore,
broadly illustrates how individual system elements may be
implemented in a relatively separated or relatively more integrated
manner.
[0089] The computer system 700 is shown comprising hardware
elements that can be electrically coupled via a bus 705 (or may
otherwise be in communication, as appropriate). The hardware
elements may include one or more processors 710, including without
limitation one or more general-purpose processors and/or one or
more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processing
chips, graphics acceleration processors, video decoders, and/or the
like); one or more input devices 715, which can include without
limitation a mouse, a keyboard, remote control, and/or the like;
and one or more output devices 720, which can include without
limitation a display device, a printer, and/or the like.
[0090] The computer system 700 may further include (and/or be in
communication with) one or more non-transitory storage devices 725,
which can comprise, without limitation, local and/or network
accessible storage, and/or can include, without limitation, a disk
drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-state
storage device, such as a random access memory ("RAM"), and/or a
read-only memory ("ROM"), which can be programmable,
flash-updateable and/or the like. Such storage devices may be
configured to implement any appropriate data stores, including
without limitation, various file systems, database structures,
and/or the like.
[0091] The computer system 700 might also include a communications
subsystem 730, which can include without limitation a modem, a
network card (wireless or wired), an infrared communication device,
a wireless communication device, and/or a chipset (such as a
Bluetooth.TM. device, an 802.11 device, a WiFi device, a WiMax
device, cellular communication device, etc.), and/or the like. The
communications subsystem 730 may permit data to be exchanged with a
network (such as the network described below, to name one example),
other computer systems, and/or any other devices described herein.
In many embodiments, the computer system 700 will further comprise
a working memory 735, which can include a RAM or ROM device, as
described above.
[0092] The computer system 700 also can comprise software elements,
shown as being currently located within the working memory 735,
including an operating system 740, device drivers, executable
libraries, and/or other code, such as one or more application
programs 745, which may comprise computer programs provided by
various embodiments, and/or may be designed to implement methods,
and/or configure systems, provided by other embodiments, as
described herein. Merely by way of example, one or more procedures
described with respect to the method(s) discussed above might be
implemented as code and/or instructions executable by a computer
(and/or a processor within a computer); in an aspect, then, such
code and/or instructions can be used to configure and/or adapt a
general purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more
operations in accordance with the described methods.
[0093] A set of these instructions and/or code might be stored on a
non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as the
non-transitory storage device(s) 725 described above. In some
cases, the storage medium might be incorporated within a computer
system, such as computer system 700. In other embodiments, the
storage medium might be separate from a computer system (e.g., a
removable medium, such as a compact disc), and/or provided in an
installation package, such that the storage medium can be used to
program, configure, and/or adapt a general purpose computer with
the instructions/code stored thereon. These instructions might take
the form of executable code, which is executable by the computer
system 700 and/or might take the form of source and/or installable
code, which, upon compilation and/or installation on the computer
system 700 (e.g., using any of a variety of generally available
compilers, installation programs, compression/decompression
utilities, etc.), then takes the form of executable code.
[0094] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
substantial variations may be made in accordance with specific
requirements. For example, customized hardware might also be used,
and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware,
software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or
both. Further, connection to other computing devices such as
network input/output devices may be employed.
[0095] As mentioned above, in one aspect, some embodiments may
employ a computer system (such as the computer system 700) to
perform methods in accordance with various embodiments of the
invention. According to a set of embodiments, some or all of the
procedures of such methods are performed by the computer system 700
in response to processor 710 executing one or more sequences of one
or more instructions (which might be incorporated into the
operating system 740 and/or other code, such as an application
program 745) contained in the working memory 735. Such instructions
may be read into the working memory 735 from another
computer-readable medium, such as one or more of the non-transitory
storage device(s) 725. Merely by way of example, execution of the
sequences of instructions contained in the working memory 735 might
cause the processor(s) 710 to perform one or more procedures of the
methods described herein.
[0096] The terms "machine-readable medium," "computer-readable
storage medium" and "computer-readable medium," as used herein,
refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes
a machine to operate in a specific fashion. These mediums may be
non-transitory. In an embodiment implemented using the computer
system 700, various computer-readable media might be involved in
providing instructions/code to processor(s) 710 for execution
and/or might be used to store and/or carry such instructions/code.
In many implementations, a computer-readable medium is a physical
and/or tangible storage medium. Such a medium may take the form of
a non-volatile media or volatile media. Non-volatile media include,
for example, optical and/or magnetic disks, such as the
non-transitory storage device(s) 725. Volatile media include,
without limitation, dynamic memory, such as the working memory
735.
[0097] Common forms of physical and/or tangible computer-readable
media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard
disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any
other optical medium, any other physical medium with patterns of
marks, a RAM, a PROM, EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip
or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read
instructions and/or code.
[0098] Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in
carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to the
processor(s) 710 for execution. Merely by way of example, the
instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk and/or
optical disc of a remote computer. A remote computer might load the
instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions as
signals over a transmission medium to be received and/or executed
by the computer system 700.
[0099] The communications subsystem 730 (and/or components thereof)
generally will receive signals, and the bus 705 then might carry
the signals (and/or the data, instructions, etc. carried by the
signals) to the working memory 735, from which the processor(s) 710
retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received
by the working memory 735 may optionally be stored on a
non-transitory storage device 725 either before or after execution
by the processor(s) 710.
[0100] It should further be understood that the components of
computer system 700 can be distributed across a network. For
example, some processing may be performed in one location using a
first processor while other processing may be performed by another
processor remote from the first processor. Other components of
computer system 700 may be similarly distributed. As such, computer
system 700 may be interpreted as a distributed computing system
that performs processing in multiple locations. In some instances,
computer system 700 may be interpreted as a single computing
device, such as a distinct laptop, desktop computer, or the like,
depending on the context.
[0101] The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are
examples. Various configurations may omit, substitute, or add
various procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, in
alternative configurations, the methods may be performed in an
order different from that described, and/or various stages may be
added, omitted, and/or combined. Also, features described with
respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other
configurations. Different aspects and elements of the
configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Also,
technology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples and
do not limit the scope of the disclosure or claims.
[0102] Specific details are given in the description to provide a
thorough understanding of example configurations (including
implementations). However, configurations may be practiced without
these specific details. For example, well-known circuits,
processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown
without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the
configurations. This description provides example configurations
only, and does not limit the scope, applicability, or
configurations of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of
the configurations will provide those skilled in the art with an
enabling description for implementing described techniques. Various
changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements
without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure.
[0103] Also, configurations may be described as a process which is
depicted as a flow diagram or block diagram. Although each may
describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the
operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In
addition, the order of the operations may be rearranged. A process
may have additional steps not included in the figure. Furthermore,
examples of the methods may be implemented by hardware, software,
firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or
any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware,
middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments to
perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a non-transitory
computer-readable medium such as a storage medium. Processors may
perform the described tasks.
[0104] Having described several example configurations, various
modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be
used without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For
example, the above elements may be components of a larger system,
wherein other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify
the application of the invention. Also, a number of steps may be
undertaken before, during, or after the above elements are
considered.
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