Patent ID: 7826408
Filing Date: 2010-11-02
Classification: H04L,H04W,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A network-enabled power plug device comprising: a housing into which electronic components can be housed internally; a plug that can be inserted into a wall socket to obtain electrical power for the electronic components, wherein the plug is positioned to exit the housing to allow the plug to be inserted into the wall socket; a wireless radio circuit that can send and receive data wirelessly; a processing circuit that can process data received via the wireless radio circuit and can generate data to be transmitted by the wireless radio circuit, the processing circuit including logic for initiating and maintaining network connections with nodes of a wireless network external to the network-enabled power plug device, maintaining at least a first network connection using a first network protocol and a second network connection using a second network protocol, that can be maintained, at times, simultaneously with each other, wherein the second network protocol is an overlay protocol with respect to the first network protocol in that communications using the second network protocol are partially consistent, but not entirely consistent, with the first network protocol.