(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0025795 A1 Fiennnes (43) Pub
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US 2014.0025795A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0025795 A1 Fiennnes (43) Pub. Date: Jan. 23, 2014 (54) OPTICALLY CONFIGURED MODULARIZED Publication Classification CONTROL SYSTEM TO ENABLE WIRELESS NETWORK CONTROLAND SENSING OF (51) Int. Cl. OTHER DEVICES H04L 12/24 (2006.01) (52) U.S. Cl. (71) Applicant: Electric Imp, Inc., (US) CPC .................................. H04L 41/0806 (2013.01) USPC .......................................................... 709/222 (72) Inventor: Hugo Fiennnes, Palo Alto, CA (US) (57) ABSTRACT System and method of interfacing arbitrary non-network con (73) Assignee: ELECTRIC IMP, INC., Los Altos, CA nected devices to wireless computer networks. The invention (US) provides an optically configurable wireless communications module, in either fixed or removable formats, with wireless (e.g. WiFi) network connectivity. The module also has a pro (21) Appl. No.: 13/734,976 grammable arbitrary device controller, associated Software, and at least the combination of the arbitrary device and the module also provides a unique ID code. A Software token (22) Filed: Jan. 5, 2013 assisted method may be used to associate the unique ID code with appropriate control software and this association stored Related U.S. Application Data in network server memory. The invention also uses an inter net-based service and a local optical programmer to configure (63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 13/481,737, the module's wireless network configuration. Once connec filed on May 25, 2012. tivity is established, the module may upload its unique ID (60) Provisional application No. 61/490,498, filed on May code to the server and receive appropriate arbitrary device 26, 2011, provisional application No. 61/647,476, control code from the server. Portable version modules may filed on May 15, 2012, provisional application No. be swapped between arbitrary devices at will, and will auto 61/583,299, filed on Jan. 5, 2012. matically configure themselves. 202 209 Networked device Networked device Communications Communications Communications module module module 204 2O5 He Service N a - a a - a a a - Single sited are are a are are as a Single site 1 Customer Customer Single site customer Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 1 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 1 (prior art) Simple device without network Connectivity Device-specific circuitry 101 1OO Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 2 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 2 (prior art) 110 Simple device with network connectivity Device-specific circuitry 114 112 13 11 Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 3 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 3 52 150 151 Simple Device with Modular Network Connectivity Communications module 153 Unique ID Processor 157 Virtual Machine 55 56 Device-specific a circuitry Communications interface 154 Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 4 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 4 20 2O2 Single site Customer Networked device Networked device Networked device Communications Communications Communications module module module 2O t - 2O3 Local Network 204 2OS 2O6 t 207 He Service 208 -1 N & - a as a -a - a a -------------- Single site a a an as a a Single site f : CUStorner : Customer Single site 1 Y are us were ery ey gro are w are wers emp are as ww. Customer Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 5 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 5 207 Arbitrary device ID | Arbitrary device code ----------------1---------------- O: OO Code for device I): 002 Code for device Y ? IE): OOn Code for device N 38 3 2 O Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 6 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 6 170 Toaster with optional connectivity 171 Existing control circuitry Slot for Communications module Heating 173 element Adjustable Override Communications module Toast down 172 SeSO Stencil Stepper motor control Control Zero position Sense 74 175 R Unique ID Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 7 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 8 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 8 tg electric imp add node delete noda range Campares an inputnumber agains a threshold RANGE Buin s N Writtee anssee Os. ) sldeshow like testockfortnages 800 RANGE But 2 50s. RANgE gne web color Set a clotron an eteria 50s,53 wist pegs wah maga set almage from art estama web page E. colorFFECTS t web remote Control Impdafices from an exterrel webpage 802 802 t3 electric imp t3 electric imp delete node delete node O O) cheap power range Sends a signal when electricity Compares an input number is cheap againstathreshold colorize SS Outputs a color base on SN Writes an RSS feed input value Add ) disco slideshof Eternal disco rainbow Add E. Like ticktock for images srns in Receives texts from a phone Off, on, off, on... forewer AddAcc O formatter sis out A. Formats a message GP Sends a text to armobile phone ifone Rsrin Outputs a 1 if it gets a 1 in Receives Wests for assarch impcount We color imps online Set a color from an external Web page pachute web image Setan image from an external f Sends data to Pachubs Web page Weberrote range Compares an inputnumber Control imp devices from an external web page a Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 9 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 9 904 Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 10 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 10 Network device to be configured 3.3V Photo-transistor M icroprocessor Screen used to generate varying light levels Mobile device running Signalling Software Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 11 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 1 1A 904 906 Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 12 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 11B Arbitrary device D Software token Arbitrary device code Toaster Toaster Code for device O: OO2 Toaster Toaster Code for device 2 D: 00 light switch Light switch code for device N. Arbitrary device IED | Software token | Arbitrary device code Toaster Toaster Code Toaster Toaster Code 132 D: a 00 Light switch | Light switch code 4 /15- Y 14 312 34. w 2O6 Setup Imp toaster enrollment card by Send toaster telling server imp token and MAC address and unique ID arbitrary device type 26 Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 13 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 14 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 13 1302 Glass Status 1306 Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 15 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 4 1400 Patent Application Publication Jan. 23, 2014 Sheet 16 of 17 US 2014/0025795 A1 Figure 15 1500 1502 1504 UART1 UART2UART32C1 I2C2 SP1 SPI2 o role t| |scia Rasda Most | 5 | | x Misoscle Yes | 7 || |R2| SCL SCL SDA YeS (Pins 3 = Ground, Pin 4 = Power, Pin 6 = ID chip) Patent Application Publication US 2014/0025795 A1 US 2014/0025795 A1 Jan. 23, 2014 OPTICALLY CONFIGURED MODULARIZED service for the devices to communicate with, allowing their CONTROL SYSTEM TO ENABLE WIRELESS states to be checked and behaviors controlled; most of the NETWORK CONTROLAND SENSING OF services provided for these devices are severely lacking, OTHER DEVICES buggy, and do not take advantage of new technologies or potentially useful partner services. CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED 0009. The customers who purchase these network-en APPLICATIONS abled devices often have a poor experience with installation 0001. This application is a continuation in part of U.S. and operation of the network portion of the devices due to the patent application Ser. No. 13/481,737 “MODULARIZED often incomplete or buggy implementation of the network CONTROL SYSTEM TO ENABLE NETWORKED CON portion. In addition, the customers often find that no single TROL AND SENSING OF OTHER DEVICES, inventor vendor can provide network-enabled versions of all the Hugo Fiennes, filed May 25, 2012; this application also devices they wish to control or monitor. As a result, they are claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional application often forced to use several different and incompatible con 61/647,476, “MODULARIZED CONTROL SYSTEM TO trols or monitoring services, and often cannot link the results ENABLE NETWORKED CONTROL AND SENSING OF of monitoring one device to the actions of another device. OTHER DEVICES, inventor Hugo Fiennes, filed May 15, 0010 Prior art modular network interfaces include U.S. 2012; this application also claims the priority benefit of U.S. Pat. No. 7,702,821, which is sold as the Eye-Ficard. This card provisional application 61/583.299, “Method of transferring is a wireless enabled SD card essentially a standard WiFi network setup information using optical signaling, inventor card in the SD form factor. Other WiFi cards, as well as other Hugo Fiennes, filed Jan. 5, 2012; U.S. patent application Ser. types of network cards including Ethernet cards, Bluetooth No. 13/481,737 also claims the priority benefit of U.S. pro cards, and the like are also known. These prior art devices visional application 61/490,498, “MODULARIZED CON generally add the network hardware interface to the host TROL SYSTEM TO ENABLE NETWORKED CONTROL device that they are installed in, but otherwise generally oper AND SENSING OF OTHER DEVICES, inventor Hugo ate or act as “dumb' slave devices. Fiennes, filed May 26, 2011; the contents of all of these applications are incorporated herein by reference. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 0011. This invention provides a standardized way to con BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION nect arbitrary devices (e.g. electrical devices) to computer networks, allowing them to be monitored and/or controlled 0002 1.