User identification and location determination in control applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9602172-B2
Application number	US-201314019418-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2013
Priority date	Sep 5, 2012
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

A system in which a portable electronic device communicates with an external device to determine a location. Upon determining its location, the portable electronic device transmits this information as well as identifying information to a control processor. The control processor controls one or more controllable devices according to the location and identifying information. The portable electronic device may determine the location via NFC tag or via one or more RF beacons transmitting information according to the Bluetooth 4.0 protocol.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for providing individualized control, the system comprising:
(a) an NFC tag encoding encoded information comprising a tag ID, control system information and one or more payloads, each of the one or more payloads further comprising an action; and
(b) a portable electronic device identified by a user ID and comprising an NFC interface, a network interface, a display, a memory encoding one or more processor-executable instructions and a processor configured to load the one or more processor-executable instructions when encoded from the memory, wherein the one or more processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed comprising:
(i) reading the encoded information from the NFC tag via the NFC interface of the portable electronic device,
(ii) selecting a desired action from one of the one or more payloads,
(iii) establishing communication with a control processor corresponding to the control system information via the network interface, including:
(1) receiving, from each of at least three beacons, a transmission signal strength of a signal transmitted by that beacon,
(2) determining, for each of the at least three beacons, a received signal strength of the signal transmitted by that beacon, and
(3) estimating, for each of the at least three beacons, a distance between the portable electronic device and that beacon based on a difference between the transmission signal strength and the received signal strength of the signal transmitted by that beacon,
(4) selecting a nearest one of the at least three beacons based on the distances estimated from the transmission signal strength and the received signal strength of the at least three beacons, and
(5) transmitting the user ID and location of the portable electronic device to the control processor via the selected beacon, and

(iv) transmitting the desired action to the control processor via the selected beacon.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:
(a) the NFC tag further encodes an application identifier; and
(b) the one or more processor executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed comprising opening a control application on the portable electronic device corresponding to the application identifier.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the control system information comprises a project file ID and a control processor ID.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the one or more processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed further comprising:
(a) loading a project file corresponding to project file ID with the control application; and
(b) establishing communication with a control processor corresponding to the control processor ID.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein:
(a) the NFC tag further encodes a page ID; and
(b) the one or more processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed further comprising
(i) reading from the NFC tag the page ID via the NFC interface of the portable electronic device, and
(ii) displaying on the display a page of the control application corresponding to the page ID.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the page of the control application comprises one or more selectable visual items representing one or more control functions of a controllable device.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the page of the control application comprises one or more selectable visual items representing one or more control functions of a zone of a facility.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the portable electronic device is further identified by a device ID and the one or more processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed further comprise transmitting the device ID to the control processor.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein:
(a) each of the one or more payloads further comprises a corresponding user ID; and
(b) the one or more processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed further comprising selecting a desired action from the one or more payloads by comparing each user ID of the one or more payloads with the user ID of the control application.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein:
(a) the NFC tag encodes a payload with an unassigned user; and
(b) one or more processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed further comprising selecting a desired action from the one or more payloads by selecting the action form the payload comprising the unassigned user ID when no payload user ID matches the device user ID.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein one or more processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed further comprising displaying an error page of the control application in response to no payload user ID's matching the device user ID.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the NFC tag is associated with a controllable device.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the NFC tag is associated with a location.

14. A system for providing individualized control, the system comprising:
(a) an NFC tag encoding an application identifier, a tag ID, a project ID, a control processor ID and one or more payloads, each of the one or more payloads further comprising an action; and
(b) a portable electronic device identified by a device ID and a user ID and comprising an NFC interface, a network interface, a display, a memory encoding one or more processor-executable instructions and a processor configured to load the one or more processor-executable instructions when encoded from the memory, wherein the one or more processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed comprising:
(i) reading the encoded information from the NFC tag via the NFC interface of the portable electronic device,
(ii) opening a control application on the portable electronic device corresponding to the application ID,
(iii) loading a project file corresponding to project file ID with the control application,
(iv) selecting a desired action from one of the one or more payloads,
(v) establishing communication with a control processor corresponding to the control processor ID, including:
(1) receiving, from each of at least three beacons, a transmission signal strength of a signal transmitted by that beacon,
(2) determining, for each of the at least three beacons, a received signal strength of the signal transmitted by that beacon,
(3) estimating, for each of the at least three beacons, a distance between the portable electronic device and that beacon based on a difference between the transmission signal strength and the received signal strength of the signal transmitted by that beacon,
(4) selecting a nearest one of the at least three beacons based on the distances estimated from the transmission signal strength and the received signal strength of the at least three beacons, and
(5) transmitting the user ID, the device ID, and location of the portable electronic device to the control processor via the selected, and

(iv) transmitting the desired action to the control processor via the selected beacon; and

(c) the control processor comprising a network interface, a memory encoding one or more processor-executable instructions and a processor configured to load the one or more processor-executable instructions when encoded from the memory, wherein the one or more processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause acts to be performed comprising:
(i) determining whether t

Assignees

• Crestron Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Jackson Daniel
• Bargetzi Fred
• Donlan Brian

Classifications

• H04M2250/04

  including near field communication means, e.g. RFID · CPC title

• H04W4/043

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M2250/02

  including a Bluetooth® interface · CPC title

• H04B5/0062 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G08C23/04

  using light waves, e.g. infrared · CPC title