IP Library Granted Patent US 11,720,571
Granted Patent B2
US 11,720,571 · App. 15/092,501 · Granted Aug 8, 2023

Unified description scheme for controlling and operating network connected devices

Inventors: David Kenneth Evans (Los Altos Hills, CA); Michael Alexander Yurochko (Los Gatos, CA); Yaron Sheba (Mountain View, CA); Kristopher Charles Linquist (Milpitas, CA); Hitesh Kalra (Cupertino, CA); David Frank Russell Weir (San Jose, CA); Rajiv Ramanasankaran (San Jose, CA); Shalin Harshadkumar Patel (San Carlos, CA)
Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
G06F16/24573G06F16/21H04L67/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,720,571
App. No.
15/092,501
Granted
Aug 8, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to configuring and operating Internet of things (IoT) elements connected by a network. A computing device receives an interface component corresponding to an IoT element. The computing device retrieves a description of the interface component at least describing a set of restrictions of an operation of the IoT element. The computing device deploys the interface component in the computing device to at least translate events and commands specific to the IoT element to common events and commands for processing in the computing device. The computing device sends at least a subset of the description of the interface component to a user device to cause the user device to generate a user interface for configuring the operation of the IoT element.

Claims (55)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first computing device, interface information, associated with an Internet of Things (IoT) device, indicating a plurality of functions for controlling the IoT device and indicating positions of content in an interface associated with the IoT device;

sending, to a second computing device, at least a portion of the interface information to cause output of the content at the indicated positions to enable control of the IoT device; and

receiving, from the second computing device, a message indicating one or more controls associated with the IoT device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content comprises a virtual representation of the IoT device that enables simulation of control of the IoT device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interface information comprises:

application programming interface (API) information used to communicate with the IoT device, and

security information to authenticate the second computing device when controlling the IoT device, and

metadata comprising attributes associated with the IoT device.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the metadata further comprises a link to configuration information to enable or disable a function of the plurality of functions.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the attributes comprise at least one of: a manufacturer of the IoT device, a mode of the IoT device, a version of the IoT device, an operating system of the IoT device, a state of the IoT device, and a protocol for communicating with the IoT device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the interface information indicates at least one of:

dimensions of one or more user interface elements associated with the content,

identification of a type of the one or more user interface elements, or

properties associated with the one or more the user interface elements.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating, based on one or more controls and the interface information, a command for the IoT device; and

sending, to the IoT device, the generated command to cause the IoT device to perform one or more actions associated with the one or more controls.

8. A device comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to:

receive, from a first computing device, interface information, associated with an Internet of Things (IoT) device, indicating a plurality of functions for controlling the IoT device and indicating positions of content in an interface associated with the IoT device;

send, to a second computing device, at least a portion of the interface information to cause output of the content at the indicated positions to enable control of the IoT device; and

receive, from the second computing device, a message indicating one or more controls associated with the IoT device.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the portion of the interface information indicates at least one of:

dimensions of the one or more user interface elements associated with the content,

identification of a type of the one or more user interface elements, or

properties associated with the one or more the user interface elements.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the device to:

generate, based on one or more controls and the interface information, a command for the IoT device; and

send, to the IoT device, the generated command to cause the IoT device to perform one or more actions associated with the one or more controls.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the content comprises a virtual representation of the IoT device that enables simulation of control of the IoT device.

12. The device of claim 8 , wherein the interface information comprises:

application programming interface (API) information used to communicate with the IoT device, and

security information to authenticate the second computing device when controlling the IoT device, and

metadata comprising attributes associated with the IoT device.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the attributes comprise at least one of: a manufacturer of the IoT device, a mode of the IoT device, a version of the IoT device, an operating system of the IoT device, a state of the IoT device, and a protocol for communicating with the IoT device.

14. The device of claim 12 , wherein the metadata further comprises a link to configuration information to enable or disable a function of the plurality of functions.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause:

receiving, from a first computing device, interface information, associated with an Internet of Things (IoT) device, indicating a plurality of functions for controlling the IoT device and indicating positions of content in an interface associated with the IoT device;

sending, to a second computing device, at least a portion of the interface information to cause output of the content at the indicated positions to enable control of the IoT device; and

receiving, from the second computing device, a message indicating one or more controls associated with the IoT device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor cause:

generating, based on one or more controls and the interface information, a command for the IoT device; and

sending, to the IoT device, the generated command to cause the IoT device to perform one or more actions associated with the one or more controls.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the portion of the interface information indicates at least one of:

dimensions of one or more user interface elements associated with the content,

identification of a type of the one or more user interface elements, or

properties associated with the one or more the user interface elements.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the interface information comprises:

application programming interface (API) information used to communicate with the IoT device, and

security information to authenticate the second computing device when controlling the IoT device, and

metadata comprising attributes associated with the IoT device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the attributes comprise at least one of: a manufacturer of the IoT device, a mode of the IoT device, a version of the IoT device, an operating system of the IoT device, a state of the IoT device, and a protocol for communicating with the IoT device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the metadata further comprises a link to configuration information to enable or disable a function of the plurality of functions.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Sep 20, 2017
From: STRINGIFY INC.
To: COMCAST CABLE COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 043641/0289 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 6, 2016
From: EVANS, DAVID KENNETH; YUROCHKO, MICHAEL ALEXANDER; SHEBA, YARON; LINQUIST, KRISTOPHER CHARLES; KALRA, HITESH; WEIR, DAVID FRANK RUSSELL; RAMANASANKARAN, RAJIV; PATEL, SHALIN HARSHADKUMAR
To: STRINGIFY INC.
Reel/Frame 038210/0814 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62206143 · Aug 17, 2015
Related Publication 20170052688A1 · Feb 23, 2017
Cited By (7)
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