Patent ID: 7917615
Filing Date: 2011-03-29
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for monitoring and controlling of networked appliances connected to an interoperable computer network including a wide-area network (WAN) and a local-area network (LAN), the apparatus comprising: a Device State and Location Server (DSLS), which receives beacons from the networked appliances periodically or polls the networked appliances to record a current activity status of each networked appliance, wherein the Device State and Location Server (DSLS) is operatively connected to the wide-area network (WAN); a commanding device operatively connected to the interoperable computer network, wherein the commanding device monitors and/or controls the networked appliance through a unified user interface; the unified user interface coupled to the commanding device, wherein the unified user interface monitors the current activity status of each networked appliance by accessing the Device State and Location Server (DSLS) instead of directly connecting to every networked appliance; and an orbital user interface software operatively connected to the commanding device, wherein the orbital user interface software enables visualization of an approximate physical distance or an approximate signal strength between the commanding device and each networked appliance by placing a particular networked appliance as a “node” in a particular orbit, which encircles the commanding device in a center of the particular orbit.