Systems and methods for handing off configuration of a building device from a contractor to a customer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10812285-B2
Application number	US-201615045120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2016
Priority date	Feb 16, 2016
Publication date	Oct 20, 2020
Grant date	Oct 20, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to systems, methods and tools for coordinating the activities of a contractor and a user during a setup process of a building control system. In some instances, a contractor may install a building device and then partially configure the building device. The contractor may then send an invite, such as an electronic invite, to a customer that invites the customer to complete the configuration of the installed building device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program, when executed, facilitates configuring a building controller by instructing a first mobile device to:
allow a user to access, via the first mobile device, a remote server and login to a contractor's account on the remote server;
display one or more contractor configuration screens on a display of the first mobile device for initially configuring a setup of the building controller installed in a building before a customer has established a customer account on the remote server;
receive, at the first mobile device, configuration information from the user via the one or more contractor configuration screens, the received configuration information is sufficient to only partially configure the installed building controller, wherein the received configuration information sufficient to only partially configure the installed building controller identifies a type of HVAC system to be controlled by the building controller and is sufficient to cause the building controller to operate one or more HVAC components to maintain a set point temperature in the building;
receive, at the first mobile device, a unique building controller identifier;
in response to the building controller not being connected to a local WiFi network, send the received configuration information to the building controller using a network other than the local WiFi network to which the building controller is not connected;
while logged into the contractor's account, identify the installed and partially configured building controller to the remote server by sending the unique building controller identifier to the remote server; and
initiate an electronic invite to be sent, from the remote server, to a second mobile device of the customer inviting the customer to download an application to the second mobile device to create the customer account on the remote server, wherein the customer account is different from the contractor's account and to complete the configuration of the installed and partially configured building controller via the downloaded application, wherein the unique building controller identifier links the customer account on the remote server to the building controller.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the downloaded application does not query the customer for the received configuration information that only partially configured the installed building controller.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein at least part of the received configuration information is sent to the remote server.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the electronic invite is sent as an email.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the electronic invite is sent as a text message.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the application further presents information for connecting the building controller to the local WiFi network.

Assignees

• Ademco Inc

Inventors

• Gerszewski Riley
• Quam David
• Mcleod George
• Putrevu Sriharsha
• Gilmer Preston

Classifications

• G05B2219/2642

  Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• H04L12/281 Primary

  indicating a format for calling an appliance service function in a home automation network (for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025) · CPC title

• H04L12/2816

  Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities (arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00) · CPC title