Smart environment
OwnerIlkka Salminen, Hannu Nieminen +2inventors
InventorsIlkka Salminen, Hannu Nieminen, Timo Tuomisto, Atte Kinnula
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Abstract
A method and system for providing selective access to appliances by terminals in a smart environment is provided. Each terminal and appliance is assigned a unique identification code (UID). Appliances and terminals wireless transmit their UID and receive UIDs transmitted by other appliances and terminals. Upon receiving a terminal's UID, an appliance queries a database to determine whether the terminal is authorized to control that appliance based on authorization information stored in the database. An owner may be notified id a terminal without authorization attempts to control an appliance or enters the environment.
Claims38
A smart environment for providing selective access to appliances comprising:
- a plurality of appliances, wherein each appliance is assigned a unique identifier (UID);
- a plurality of terminals adapted to wirelessly communicate with and control the appliances, wherein each terminal is assigned a UID;
- and
- a database adapted to store authorization information;
- wherein each appliance, prior to allowing control by one of the terminals, queries the authorization information to verify that the one terminal is authorized to control that appliance.
A method for providing selective access to one or more appliances by one or more terminals in a smart environment, where each terminal and each appliance have a unique identifier (UID), comprising the steps of:
- (i) wirelessly transmitting a UID from one of the terminals to one of the appliances;
- (ii) querying a database of authorization information for the received UID;
- (iii) granting control of the one appliance to the terminal when the database contains predetermined authorization information corresponding to the terminal;
- and
- (iv) using the one terminal to control the one appliance.
A wireless terminal, comprising:
- a wireless transceiver that communicates with at least one appliance, wherein the wireless transceiver repetitively transmits a unique identifier (UID), and listens for an appliance UID transmitted by an appliance, and
- a memory for storing data comprising:
- a terminal unique identification (UTn),
- an appliance database comprising information corresponding to controlling at least one appliance;
- and
- computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the terminal to perform the step of querying the appliance database for information corresponding to a received appliance UID.
A computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed in an appliance cause it to perform the steps of:
- (i) transmitting an appliance unique identifier (UID);
- (ii) receiving a terminal UID;
- (iii) querying an authorization database for authorization information corresponding to the terminal UID;
- and
- (iv) selectively granting access to the appliance by a terminal corresponding to the received terminal UID based on the authorization information returned in step (iii).
An appliance, comprising:
- a wireless transceiver that communicates with at least one terminal, wherein the wireless transceiver repetitively transmits a unique identifier (UID) associated with the appliance, and listens for a terminal UID transmitted by a terminal, and
- a memory for storing data comprising:
- the unique identifier (UID) associated with the appliance,
- computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the appliance to perform the steps of:
- (i) querying an authorization database for information corresponding to a received terminal UID;
- and
- (ii) allowing the terminal associated with the received terminal UID to control the appliance when the query results from step (i) meet predetermined criteria.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.