IP Library Granted Patent US 11,678,241
Granted Patent B2
US 11,678,241 · App. 17/943,264 · Granted Jun 13, 2023

Automatically switching communication pathways between connected devices

Inventors: Puneet Shivam (Schaumburg, IL); Angel Fernando Favila (Lake in the Hills, IL); Nicholas James Shuttleworth (Schaumburg, IL)
Assignee: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
H04W36/165H04W28/08H04W36/03H04W40/02H04W76/14H04W36/32H04W76/15H04W76/23H04W84/18H04W88/16
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,678,241
App. No.
17/943,264
Granted
Jun 13, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for switching communication pathways between a mobile device and connected “Internet of Things” (IOT) device are described to improve scalability and communication between devices. An application on the mobile device may determine whether local or virtual local endpoints are available to route communications without using a remote IoT server endpoint. Communications and updates from multiple co-located, but not necessarily user-related connected devices may be aggregated, and sent to a remote IoT server to reduce the peak load scalability requirement of the server.

Claims (33)

1. A method for a communication between devices comprising:

storing a list of one or more WiFi access points that a mobile device has connected to;

storing a decision making threshold parameter for each access point of the one or more access points; and

determining an optimal pathway for the communication from the mobile device to a primary controlled device, wherein:

the optimal pathway comprises at least one hop from at least one secondary controlled device,

the primary controlled device is an Internet of Things (IoT) device, and

the optimal pathway is determined according to a distance between the IoT device and an IoT cloud server.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein an application operating on the mobile device is operable to generate the optimal pathway.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises selecting the optimal pathway from a plurality of pathways according to at least one of network traffic, location of the at least one secondary controlled device, and availability of at least one endpoint.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one endpoint comprises a virtual local endpoint.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises sending the communication from the mobile device to the primary controlled device through the optimal pathway.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optimal pathway does not include a server.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optimal pathway comprises a WiFi direct connection.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optimal pathway is determined according to a number of hops between the mobile device and the primary controlled device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises receiving one or more state updates from a plurality of connected devices and routing the one or more state updates to a server.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises compiling, via the at least one secondary controlled device, one or more state updates for a period of time.

11. A system for communication comprising:

a mobile device configured to:

store a list of one or more WiFi access points that the mobile device has connected to;

store a decision making threshold parameter for each access point of the one or more access points; and

determine an optimal pathway between the mobile device and a primary controlled device, wherein:

the optimal pathway comprises at least one hop from at least one secondary controlled device,

the primary controlled device is an Internet of Things (IoT) device, and

the optimal pathway is determined according to a distance between the IoT device and an IoT cloud server.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein an application operating on the mobile device is operable to generate the optimal pathway.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the mobile device is configured to select the optimal pathway from a plurality of pathways according to at least one of network traffic, location of the at least one secondary controlled device, and availability of at least one endpoint.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one endpoint comprises a virtual local endpoint.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the mobile device is configured to send data from the mobile device to the primary controlled device through the optimal pathway.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the optimal pathway does not include a server.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the optimal pathway comprises a WiFi direct connection.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the optimal pathway is determined according to a number of hops between the mobile device and the primary controlled device.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the mobile device is configured to send one or more state updates from a plurality of connected devices to a server.

20. The system of claim 11 , wherein mobile device is configured to receive one or more state updates compiled for a period of time by the at least one secondary controlled device.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 9, 2023
From: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
To: JPP, LLC
Reel/Frame 063578/0139 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 27, 2023
From: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
To: CANTOR FITZGERALD SECURITIES
Reel/Frame 063464/0433 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16542226 · Aug 15, 2019
Continuation 15667514 · Aug 2, 2017
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