System and method of monitoring, control and configuration of security and lifestyle devices

A social networking site that communicates with a plurality of human users can also communicate with a plurality of non-human users. Information from one of the non-human users can be automatically received at the site and evaluated. Commands can be automatically transmitted to another of the non-human users in response to the evaluation. A human readable indicator can be posted at a page of the site.

FIELD

The application pertains to Internet enabled systems and methods of monitoring and controlling security and lifestyle devices. More particularly, the application pertains to such systems and methods which incorporate functionality of social networking services to automatically implement control of and communications with displaced monitoring systems and associated devices.

BACKGROUND

Emerging Internet based social networking services and related tools, such as Twitter (www.twitter.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com), allow anyone to combine data and/or information from many sources to be displayed in a centralized portal and in a personalized way. Internet users are looking more and more to use these services to aggregate and display/edit information about conditions and physical devices that are important to them. It follows then that it would be useful to have access to security and lifestyle related information, via these portals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While disclosed embodiments can take many different forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles thereof as well as the best mode of practicing same, and is not intended to limit the application or claims to the specific embodiment illustrated.

Embodiments hereof provide systems and physical devices, both at the user's location (clients) and within the cloud (servers) that facilitate the integration of the monitoring, control, and configuration of clients and servers with the networking services and tools cited above by both the individual users and providers of these services and tools. The provided information would include, but not be limited to status/commands exchanged with clients such as configuration data, event descriptions, email, text messaging via chat and SMS, audio recording clips, photos and/or video clips.

Social networking services provide proprietary APIs (application programmer interfaces) and other tools to facilitate integration with their services. For example, Facebook provides documentation related to the above at developer.facebook.com. Disclosed embodiments include the client devices at the users' location including any of hardware, software, communications/networking protocols, user facing aspects, etc. that use and communicate with the proprietary services and tools cited above. In yet another aspect, embodiments include cloud based services that may be used to facilitate usage and communication between the above client and the proprietary services and tools cited above also including any of hardware, software, communications/networking protocols, user facing aspects, all without limitation.

With respect toFIG. 1, and block diagram100, one exemplary embodiment includes END USERS, as at102:a) Who TRUST each other and use SOCIAL NETWORKING APPLICATIONS such as Facebook to exchange and share information of a personal and confidential nature. That is, as a tool to create and maintain SOCIAL NETWORKS BASED ON MUTUAL TRUST.b) As described above, such users want to be AWARE of events that may occur in or around their RESIDENCES or PERSONAL SPACES such as the movement of persons, pets, or objects, as at104.c) As described above, who may also want to CONTROL devices such as lights, heaters, or air conditioners in or around their RESIDENCES or PERSONAL SPACES.d) Who want to SHARE WITH or DELEGATE TO members of their trusted social network, the AWARENESS and CONTROL described above by means of social networking applications.

The SOCIAL NETWORKING APPLICATIONS such as Facebook which may enable themselves to be extended by integrating related functionality such as that described above from third parties.

The CLOUD which includes, as at106:a) SERVERS which implement the SOCIAL NETWORKING functionality described above by executing software applications provided by such as Facebook to END USERS.b) SERVERS which implement the AWARENESS and CONTROL functionality described above by executing software applications provided by third parties to END USERS.c) COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS such as the Internet or wired or wireless Internet service providers which enable all of the SERVERS described above, the END USERS described above, and the CLIENT DEVICES described below to interact and exchange information with each other.

The END USERS' RESIDENCES or PERSONAL SPACES which include, as at108:a) Optional SENSING DEVICES of all types which monitor for a variety of events that may occur such as the movement of persons, pets, or objects. Likewise for changes in the environment such temperature, moisture, vibrations, etc.b) Optional CONTROL DEVICES of all types which affect changes in other devices such as lights, heaters, or air conditioners.c) CLIENT DEVICES which function as a communication gateways between the above devices and between the above devices and the SERVERS in the CLOUD as described above.

The END USER INTERFACE DEVICES which enable the end user to interact with the system described above which include:a) WEB BROWSERS such as Firefox or Internet Explorer.b) Software applications specific to fixed, desktop, or handheld computing and/or communications and/or entertainment devices which are connected to the CLOUD.

In yet another aspect, the awareness and control functionality which would be provided by a third party should be perceived by the end users as another user of the social networking application (provided by a service such as Facebook).

For example, although Facebook provides significant page area within the application part of their site for use by third party applications, it can be expected that most of the interaction between the end users and third party applications will take the form of text messages exchanged between such applications and the end users. On Facebook these types of exchanges occur mostly within the ‘News Feed’ and ‘Messages’ parts of the Facebook site. In yet another embodiment, third party applications can incorporate software technology to interpret and respond to end users using phrases that are as near as possible to natural human text exchanges in this type of context.

In another aspect, third party functionality posts within the ‘Photos’ part of the Facebook site visual/audio content would relate to the awareness and control functionality.

FIG. 2illustrates a combination210in accordance herewith.FIG. 2illustrates a social networking site212which could be implemented as is the case with Twitter.com or Facebook.com. A plurality of different apps214can provide specific additional functionality as would be understood by those of skill in the art to registered human users216of the site212. Such services can include, accessing or modifying existing pages all without limitation.

Unlike the human-to-human types of communications supported by networking sites, such as site212, combination210provides access and enables communications at site212with a plurality of different non-human communicators, such as systems, devices, or machines, generally indicated at220.

Non-human information providing communicators of a type that might access and communicate with site212include, without limitation, control systems, monitoring systems of all types including security systems, temperature and air quality monitoring systems, fire alarm systems, gas monitoring systems, and the like all without limitation, indicated generally at220a, b, . . . n.

It will be understood that the non-human communicators can present information at the “Messages” and “News Feed” portions of a respective page of the networking site212for the benefit of human monitors. In addition however, using pre-stored apps, such as at214, as well as at respective devices or systems, such non-human communicators can evaluate information provided by one of them, for example a control system, such as220a,and determine that one or more operational settings needs to be changed. Responsive thereto, in addition to potentially providing a human readable message or alarm, at the respective page, one or more commands can be transmitted to a respective detector, sensor, or camera for more information. Further, instructions can be automatically transmitted to one or more actuators, motors, pumps or displaced control computers such as220i.Those output devices, such as220ican in turn respond to the site212and the associate page with confirmatory information as to their response to the instructions.

In another exemplary embodiment, the elements220icould correspond to person carried IP enabled GPS positioning systems. In this embodiment the elements220icould be provided to volunteers canvasing prospective voters, making requests for charitable donations or the like. The respective page at the networking site212can not only provide, or display, information to a person working with the volunteers, but, information can be automatically forwarded to the respective elements220iproviding directions to the volunteers as to regions to move into for further activities.

In yet another configuration, the elements220ican be carried by each member of a plurality of mobile devices, such as boats, motorcycles, cars or the like which might be participating in some activity, such as a tour or race. The elements220ican forward status information as to the location, or condition of the participating mobile devices to a pre-established page of the networking site212for presentation to a monitor of the activity. A local app at the site212can process that information and automatically forward updated routing information to the plurality of mobile devices. This configuration could also automatically provide updated weather information and be used with wilderness hiking, or mountain climbing.

Businesses could use configurations, such as210, to automatically and on an on-going basis, keep track of fleets of vehicles. Local traffic conditions or location information can automatically be provided to a dispatcher monitoring a page of the networking site212. Business requests, for example a request for taxi service or a delivery, could be formatted and automatically forwarded to one or more of the vehicles.

In summary, the use of networking sites, such as site212, can cost effectively provide a platform which can be used to interact automatically with a wide variety of remote devices or elements. For purposes of this application, references to non-human communicators refer to devices, systems, detectors, actuators, computers or the like, without limitation, which do not need human intervention to initiate, or respond to communications with/from a social networking site, or service. An individual or organization enrolled at a social networking site, such as site212, can benefit from such intermittent connectivity without having to invest resources in the creating or maintaining of their own, personal, platform.

As those of skill will understand, information presented at site212originating from the displaced elements or devices220i,as a result for example of one or more third party apps executing at site212, could be presented and perceived by respective end users viewing the respective Facebook page as being from, or associated with, another user of the respective social networking application.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope hereof. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims. Further, logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be add to, or removed from the described embodiments.