Secure external access to device automation system
AssigneeSmartThings, Inc.
InventorsScott David Vlaminck, Jesse Curtis O'Neill-Oine, Robert Max Florian, Jr., Jeffrey Hagins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A secure external access method provides an external system with access to a device automation system implementing automatic control of one or more devices in an automation environment. The external access method enables external system access to devices only when the devices have been authorized for external access and the external system has the proper authentication credential. External access endpoints are dynamically defined by the web service automation applications and are unique to each installed instance of the web service automation application.
Claims19
A method of providing an external system access to a device automation system implementing automatic control of one or more devices in an automation environment associated with a user, the external system being separate from and not related to the device automation system, the method comprising:
- receiving, at a central server, a selection of a web service automation application from a client device, the web service automation application being associated with the external system;
- receiving, at the central server, configuration information for the selected web service automation application from the client device, the configuration information defining a first device selected from the one or more devices in the automation environment that is authorized for external system access by the external system;
- installing, at the central server, the selected web service automation application to generate an installed instance of the web service automation application;
- generating, at the central server, a web service access endpoint associated with the installed instance of the web service automation application, the web service access endpoint being an unique access endpoint to be used by the external system for accessing the installed instance of the selected web service automation application on the central server and to be used by the external system to access the authorized devices defined by the configuration information for the selected web service automation application;
- and
- in response to generating the web service access endpoint, enabling the external system to access the first device as the authorized device defined in the configuration information for the selected web service automation application.
A system for providing an external system access to a device automation system implementing automatic control of one or more devices in an automation environment associated with a user, the external system being separate from and not related to the device automation system, the system comprising:
- a processor at a central server of the device automation system configured to:
- receive from a client device a selection of a web service automation application, the web service automation application being associated with the external system;
- receive from the client device configuration information for the selected web service automation application, the configuration information defining a first device selected from the one or more devices in the automation environment that is authorized for external system access by the external system;
- install the web service automation application to generate an installed instance of the web service automation application;
- generate a web service access endpoint associated with the installed instance of the web service automation application, the web service access endpoint being an unique access endpoint to be used by the external system for accessing the installed instance of the selected web service automation application and to be used by the external system to access the authorized devices defined by the configuration information for the selected web service automation application;
- and
- in response to generating the web service access endpoint, enable the external system to access the first device as the authorized device defined in the configuration information for the selected web service automation application;
- and
- a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.