Methods and Apparatus for Using Smart Environment Devices Via Application Program Interfaces
In one embodiment, one or more non-transitory, tangible, machine-readable media includes instructions to send one or more requests to retrieve, access, view, subscribe, or modify data in a data model representative of one or more smart environments. The data model includes a metadata object that includes an access token used to identify which user the data is associated with in the data model, a devices object that includes information related to one or more electronic devices, and a structures object that includes one or more references to the one or more electronic devices in the one or more smart environments.
1 . A method for controlling a smart-home device, the method comprising:
receiving, by an application, an audible cue from a user that corresponds to a command to control a smart-home device;
converting the audible cue into a device request message to command the smart-home device;
forwarding the device request message to an application programming interface (API) server that is effective to cause the API server to:
update a data model based on the device request message; and
send the command to the smart-home device via an update signal communicated to the smart-home device that causes the smart-home device to perform an action.
2 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
receiving, by the application, one or more device status parameters of the smart-home device via the API of the API server.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the data model comprises information related to one or more smart-home devices, one or more smart-device environment structures comprising the smart-devices, or both.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the smart-home device is one of: a thermostat, a hazard detector, a camera, a sensor of a security system, or some combination thereof.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the audible cue sets a value of a parameter of the smart-home device.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the parameter of the smart home device is one of: a target temperature in Fahrenheit, a target temperature in Celsius, a high target temperature in Fahrenheit, a high target temperature in Celsius, a low target temperature in Fahrenheit, a low target temperature in Celsius, a high away temperature in Fahrenheit, a high away temperature in Celsius, a low away temperature in Fahrenheit, or a low away temperature in Celsius.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the audible cue sets an operational mode of the smart-home device.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the smart-home device is a thermostat, wherein the operation mode is an HVAC mode, and wherein the HVAC mode comprises a home mode and an away mode.
9 . A system comprising:
an application programming interface (API) server; and
an electronic device configured to:
receive an audible cue from a user that corresponds to a command to control a smart-home device;
convert the audible cue into a device request message to command the smart-home device; and
forward the device request message to the API server that is effective to cause the API server to:
update a data model based on the device request message; and
send the command to the smart-home device via an update signal communicated to the smart-home device that causes the smart-home device to perform an action.
10 . The system of claim 9 , the electronic device is configured to:
subscribe to updates to the data model.
11 . The system of claim 9 , the electronic device configured to:
receive one or more device status parameters of the smart-home device via the API of the API server.
12 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the data model comprises information related to one or more smart-home devices, one or more smart-device environment structures comprising the smart-devices, or both.
13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the smart-home device is one of: a thermostat, a hazard detector, a camera, a sensor of a security system, or some combination thereof.
14 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the audible cue sets a value of a parameter of the smart-home device.
15 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the audible cue sets an operational mode of the smart-home device.
16 . One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media comprising instructions to:
receive an audible cue from a user that corresponds to a command to control a smart-home device;
convert the audible cue into a device request message to command the smart-home device; and
forward the device request message to an application programming interface (API) server that is effective to cause the API server to:
update a data model based on the device request message; and
send the command to the smart-home device via an update signal communicated to the smart-home device that causes the smart-home device to perform an action.
17 . The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16 , comprising instructions to receive one or more device status parameters of the smart-home device via the API of the API server.
18 . The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16 , wherein the audible cue sets a value of a parameter of the smart-home device or an operational mode of the smart-home device.
19 . The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16 , wherein the smart-home device is one of: a thermostat, a hazard detector, a camera, a sensor of a security system, or some combination thereof.
20 . The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16 , comprising instructions to subscribe to updates to the data model.