# US 2019/0379554 A1 · Authentication systems and methods for controllers > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0379554 A1 - Document ID: US20190379554A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/551,238 - Filed: 2019-08-26 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-26 - Assignees: Hunter Industries, Inc. - Applicants: Hunter Industries, Inc. - Inventors: Vicente Tulliano; Dexter Baga; Charlotte A. Wilson; Dustin R. Franklin; Lynn Langit; Jason Lin; Christopher Karady Scripca Lucian; Christian M. Stead - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190379554A1 ## CPC - H04L 12/283: {Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network} - G08C 17/00: Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link - H04L 12/2818: {from a device located outside both the home and the home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007)} - H04L 63/0853: {using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234)} - H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] - H04M 1/72415: for remote control of appliances - G08C 2201/91: Remote control based on location and proximity - H04L 2012/2843: {Mains power line} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G08C: TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS (fluid pressure transmitting systems F15B; mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member into a different variable G01D5/00; mechanical control systems G05G) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract Systems and methods to authenticate a controller having a user interface with a manually actionable control include randomly selecting a first position of the plurality of positions of the manually actuable control, prompting a user to position the manually actionable control to the randomly selected position, receiving an indication of the present position of the manually actionable control, comparing the indication of the randomly selected position with the indication of the present position, and authenticating the controller when the indication of the randomly selected position matches the indication of the present position. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system to authenticate a controller, the system comprising: a controller configured to communicate over the Internet, the controller comprising a user interface with at least one switch that is mounted to the controller, the at least one switch including an actuatable control, the at least one switch configured to be manually placed in a plurality of positions by applying a mechanical force to the actuatable control; and a web server comprising at least one processor and memory storing an indication for each position of the plurality of positions of the at least one switch and instructions executable by the at least one computer processor, the web-server configured to interact with a web-enabled device to cause the web-enabled device to display prompts to a user, the controller unable to display the prompts to the user from the web server, the at least one computer processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the at least one computer processor to: (i) randomly select a position of the plurality of positions of the at least one switch; (ii) cause the web-enabled device to display a prompt to position the at least one switch to the randomly selected position; (iii) receive an indication from the controller of the position of the at least one switch; (iv) compare an indication of the randomly selected position stored in memory with the indication of the position from the controller; and (v) initiate a next action in response to the comparison associated with the randomly selected position. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the next action comprises authenticating the controller. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the next action comprises randomly selecting a second position of the plurality of positions of the at least one switch. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3 wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to execute the instructions to cause the at least one computer processor to: cause the web-enabled device to display a second prompt to position the at least one switch to the second randomly selected position; receive a second indication from the controller of the position of the at least one switch; compare an indication of the second randomly selected position stored in memory with the second indication of the position from the controller; and initiate a third action in response to the comparison associated with the second randomly selected position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4 wherein the third action comprises authenticating the controller. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4 wherein the third action comprises: randomly selecting a third position of the plurality of positions of the at least one switch; causing the web-enabled device to display a third prompt to position the at least one switch to the third randomly selected position; receiving a third indication from the controller of the position of the at least one switch; comparing an indication of the third randomly selected position stored in memory with the third indication of the position from the controller; and initiating a fourth action in response to the comparison associated with the third randomly selected position. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6 wherein the fourth action comprises authenticating the controller. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the web server and the user interact with the controller and the web-enabled device to authenticate the controller through a series of actions. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8 wherein the series of actions are repeated for a determined number of times to authenticate the controller. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8 wherein the series of actions includes steps (i)-(v). ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein steps (i)-(v) are repeated for a number of times to authenticate the controller. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is one of a landscape controller, an irrigation controller, and a lighting controller. ### Claim 13 A computer-implemented method to authenticate a controller that is configured to communicate over the Internet, the controller comprising a user interface with at least one switch that is mounted to the controller, the at least one switch including an actuatable control, the at least one switch configured to be manually placed in a plurality of positions by applying a mechanical force to the actuatable control, the computer-implemented method comprising: randomly selecting a position of the plurality of positions of the at least one switch; causing a web-enabled device to display a prompt to position the at least one switch to the randomly selected position, the controller unable to display the prompt; receiving an indication from the controller of the position of the at least one switch; comparing an indication of the randomly selected position stored in memory with the indication of the position from the controller; and initiating a next action in response to the comparison associated with the randomly selected position. ### Claim 14 A system to authenticate a controller, the system comprising: a controller configured to communicate over the Internet, the controller comprising a user interface including a plurality of switches mounted to the controller, each of the switches including an actuatable control, each of the switches configured to be manually placed in more than one position by applying a mechanical force to the actuatable control; and a web server comprising at least one computer processor and memory storing an indication for each position of a plurality of positions and instructions executable by the at least one computer processor, wherein the plurality of positions include each position of the more than one position of each switch of the plurality of switches, the web server configured to interact with a web-enabled device to cause the web-enabled device to display prompts to a user, the controller unable to display the prompts to the user from the web server, the at least one computer processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the at least one computer processor to: (i) randomly select a position of the plurality of positions; (ii) cause the web-enabled device to display a prompt to position a switch associated with the randomly selected position to the randomly selected position; (iii) receive an indication from the controller of the position of the switch associated with the randomly selected position; (iv) compare an indication of the randomly selected position stored in memory with the indication of the position from the controller; and (v) initiate a next action in response to the comparison associated with the randomly selected position. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein the next action comprises authenticating the controller. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein the next action comprises randomly selecting a second position of the plurality of positions. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to execute the instructions to cause the at least one computer processor to: cause the web-enabled device to display a second prompt to position a switch associated with the second randomly selected position to the second randomly selected position; receive a second indication from the controller of the position of the switch associated with the second randomly selected position; compare an indication of the second randomly selected position stored in memory with the second indication of the position from the controller; and initiate a third action in response to the comparison associated with the second randomly selected position. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17 wherein the third action comprises authenticating the controller. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17 wherein the third action comprises: randomly selecting a third position of the plurality of positions; causing the web-enabled device to display a third prompt to position a switch associated with the third randomly selected position to the third randomly selected position; receiving a third indication from the controller of the position of the switch associated with the third randomly selected position; comparing an indication of the third randomly selected position stored in memory with the third indication of the position from the controller; and initiate a fourth action in response to the comparison associated with the third randomly selected position. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19 wherein the fourth action comprises authenticating the controller. ### Claim 21 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein the web server and the user interact with the controller and the web-enabled device to authenticate the controller through a series of actions. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the series of actions are repeated for a determined number of times to authenticate the controller. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21 wherein the series of actions includes steps (i)-(v). ### Claim 24 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein steps (i)-(v) are repeated for a number of times to authenticate the controller.