Method, system and apparatus for management of applications for an SMA controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10813034-B2
Application number	US-77107110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2010
Priority date	Apr 30, 2009
Publication date	Oct 20, 2020
Grant date	Oct 20, 2020

Abstract

A server-based environment for management of widget programs distributable to remote execution and display devices is provided. Embodiments of the present invention provide a set of tools for operator development of widget programs, operator provisioning of the widget programs and user selection of programs or parameters for the widget programs. Embodiments of the present invention further provide for operator-determined widget program or widget program functionality distribution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by an application management system, an application package, wherein the application package comprises an application;
receiving an indication of an access restriction associated with the application, wherein the access restriction is configured to limit, based on functionality of the application, access to the application to a subset of users of a plurality of users;
receiving, by the application management system and from a remote device associated with a user of the plurality of users, a request for the application;
determining that the user is a member of the subset of users; and
sending, to an interface device associated with the user and based on receiving the request, the application, wherein the interface device is configured to install and execute the application on the interface device, wherein the interface device is located at a premises and configured to manage one or more of a security device or an automation device located at the premises.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the access restriction comprises an association of the application with a service tier, wherein the subset of users are members of the service tier.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining a service tier associated with the user;
displaying, to the user via a user interface and based on determining that the service tier associated with the user matches the service tier associated with the application, information associated with the application; and
wherein sending the application to the interface device is performed based on the user selecting, via the user interface, the application.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the service tier corresponds to a purchased level of service.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein a level of functionality of the application is associated with the service tier.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application package comprises a manifest file describing the application, wherein the manifest file comprises one or more of a minimum firmware, a version number of the application, a property definition of the application, a run mode of the application, an identifier for an application engine, and an editor key.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the property definition comprises one or more of an admin property definition editable by an management portal account having authority to modify admin properties, a premise default property definition specifying an initial default setting editable by a user account, and a user property definition.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the run mode of the application comprises one of:
a static run mode in which an icon associated with the application does not change;
a persistent run mode in which the icon associated with the application changes with new data based on the new data being received by the interface device; or
a persistent with persistent window run mode in which the icon associated with the application changes with new data based on the new data being received by the interface device and a window associated with the application being instantiated on a separate device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application is associated with a premises management service, wherein the subset of users subscribe to the premises management service.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application comprises a widget program.

11. An application management system comprising:
a database server configured to store an application package comprising an application; and
a portal server configured to:
receive an indication of an access restriction associated with the application, wherein the access restriction is configured to limit, based on functionality of the application, access to the application to a subset of users of a plurality of users,
receive, from a remote device associated with a user of the plurality of users, a request for the application, and
determine that the user is a member of the subset of users, and
send, to an interface device associated with the user and based on receiving the request, the application, wherein the interface device is configured to install and execute the application on the interface device, wherein the interface device is located at a premises and configured to manage one or more of a security device or automation devices located at the premises.

12. The application management system of claim 11 , wherein the access restriction comprises an association of the application with a service tier, wherein the subset of users are members of the service tier.

13. The application management system of claim 12 , wherein the portal server is configured to:
determine a service tier associated with the user;
display, to the user via a user interface and based on determining that the service tier associated with the user matches the service tier associated with the application, information associated with the application; and
wherein sending the application to the interface device is performed based on the user selecting, via the user interface, the application.

14. The application management system of claim 12 , wherein the service tier corresponds to a purchased level of service.

15. The application management system of claim 12 , wherein a level of functionality of the application is associated with the service tier.

16. The application management system of claim 11 , wherein the application package comprises a manifest file describing the application, wherein the manifest file comprises one or more of a minimum firmware version, a version number of the application, a property definition of the application, a run mode of the application, an identifier for an application engine, and an editor key.

17. The application management system of claim 16 , wherein the property definition comprises one or more of an admin property definition editable by an management portal account having authority to modify admin properties, a premise default property definition specifying an initial default setting editable by an user account, and a user property definition.

18. The application management system of claim 16 , wherein the run mode of the application comprises one of:
a static run mode in which an icon associated with the application does not change when displayed on the interface device;
a persistent run mode in which the icon associated with the application changes with new data based on the new data being received by the interface device; and
a persistent with persistent window run mode in which the icon associated with the application changes with new data based on the new data being received by the interface device and a window associated with the application being instantiated on a separate device.

19. The application management system of claim 11 , wherein the application is associated with a premises management service, wherein the subset of users subscribe to the premises management service.

20. The application management system of claim 11 , wherein the application comprises a widget program.

21. 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 an application package associated with an application management system, wherein the application package comprises an application;
receive an indication of an access restriction associated with the application, wherein the access restriction is configured to limit,

Assignees

• Cohn Alan Wade
• Faulkner Gary Robert
• Kitchen James Edward
• Proft David Leon
• Quain Corey Wayne
• Icontrol Networks Inc

Inventors

• Cohn Alan Wade
• Faulkner Gary Robert
• Kitchen James Edward
• Proft David Leon
• Quain Corey Wayne

Classifications

• G08B25/001 Primary

  Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation · CPC title

• G06F11/0736

  in functional embedded systems, i.e. in a data processing system designed as a combination of hardware and software dedicated to performing a certain function (testing or monitoring of automated control systems G05B23/02) · CPC title

• G08B3/10

  using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission · CPC title

• G08B25/10

  using wireless transmission systems {(G08B25/009 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04L12/2834

  Switching of information between an external network and a home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856) · CPC title