Patent application number | Description | Published |
20160070276 | ECOSYSTEM WITH DYNAMICALLY AGGREGATED COMBINATIONS OF COMPONENTS - An interface mechanism in a system receives sensor data from at least one environmental monitoring device that represent an environmental condition in an environment. Then, a control mechanism in the system identifies, based on the sensor data, a combination that provides a service related to the environment, where the combination includes one or more environmental monitoring devices in the environment and one or more: partner electronic devices in the environment and/or service providers. Note that the one or more of the environmental monitoring devices and the one or more of the partner electronic devices and the service providers may be associated with different entities. Next, an interface mechanism in the system communicates configuration information specifying the combination and functions in the service to the one or more of the environmental monitoring devices and the one or more of the partner electronic devices and/or service-provider electronic devices. | 03-10-2016 |
20160070614 | IDENTIFYING FAULT CONDITIONS IN COMBINATIONS OF COMPONENTS - A control mechanism in a system monitors inputs and outputs (such as sensor data representing one or more environmental conditions in one or more environments, sub-services in the services, and/or compensation) exchanged among components in combinations that provide the services in the environments, where the components in a given combination include at least one of: environmental monitoring devices in the environments and one or more of the partner electronic devices in the environments and/or service providers. Moreover, the control mechanism stores the monitored inputs and outputs, and analyzes the monitored inputs and outputs based on quality criteria and historical inputs and outputs exchanged within the combinations. Based on the analysis, the control mechanism identifies an instance in the inputs and the outputs of: incorrect sensor data and/or fraudulent compensation. Furthermore, the control mechanism performs a remedial action based on the identified instance. | 03-10-2016 |
20160070920 | CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING BASED ON DATA PRIVILEGES - A sensor mechanism in an environmental monitoring device provides sensor data that represents an environmental condition in an external environment that includes the environmental monitoring device. Then, a control mechanism in the environmental monitoring device generates subsets of the sensor data based on data privileges of different entities, where the data privileges of at least some of the entities are different from each other, and at least some of the corresponding subsets of the sensor data are different. For example, the data privileges may specify: different spatial extents in the external environment monitored by the sensor mechanism; and/or different types of information associated with the external environment. Next, an interface circuit in the environmental monitoring device provides the subsets of the sensor data to electronic devices associated with the entities. | 03-10-2016 |
20160071148 | ALERT-DRIVEN DYNAMIC SENSOR-DATA SUB-CONTRACTING - An interface mechanism in a system receives an alert associated with an environment. In response to the alert, a control mechanism in the system identifies an environmental monitoring device within the environment, where the environmental monitoring device provides sensor data that represents an environmental condition in the environment. Moreover, the control mechanism: provides, via the interface mechanism, a service offer to an electronic device associated with an entity associated with the environment, where the service offer includes information associated with the environmental condition. After receiving a response from the electronic device that authorizes the service, the control mechanism provides, via the interface mechanism, a data request for the sensor data to the environmental monitoring device. Furthermore, after receiving the sensor data from the environmental monitoring device, the control mechanism provides the service to the entity based on the environmental condition. | 03-10-2016 |
20160071183 | ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING DEVICE WITH EVENT-DRIVEN SERVICE - A sensor mechanism in an environmental monitoring device provides sensor data that represents an environmental condition in an external environment that includes the environmental monitoring device. Then, a control mechanism in the environmental monitoring device determines, based on the sensor data, an alert associated with the environmental condition and/or the external environment. Moreover, an interface circuit in the environmental monitoring device provides, based on the alert, a service offer to an electronic device of an entity (such as a user or an owner of the environmental monitoring device, a tenant, a property owner and/or a property manager), where the service offer includes information associated with the environmental condition. Next, the environmental monitoring device receives, via the interface circuit, a response to the service offer from the electronic device, where the response authorizes a service based on the environmental condition. Based on the response, the environmental monitoring device performs the service. | 03-10-2016 |
20160071184 | SERVICE-IMPROVEMENTS BASED ON INPUT-OUTPUT ANALYSIS - A control mechanism in a system monitors inputs and outputs exchanged among components in combinations that provide services in environments, where the components in a given combination include at least one of: environmental monitoring devices in the environments and one or more of the partner electronic devices in the environments and/or service providers. Note that the inputs and the outputs from a given component in the given combination include: sensor data representing one or more environmental conditions in one or more of the environments, sub-services in the services, and/or compensation within the given combination for the sensor data and the sub-services. Moreover, the control mechanism stores the monitored inputs and outputs, and analyzes the monitored inputs and outputs to determine: sensor-data patterns, suggested services, and/or suggested sensor-data sub-contracting during the services and the suggested services. | 03-10-2016 |
20160071196 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRANSFERRING DATA AND REVENUE - Systems and methods are described for transferring data, goods, information, and items of value between users, partners, and service providers. The data can be collected by a plurality of sensors installed in a space. Payments, rebates, and incentives can be provided in response to analysis of the collected data. The collected data can be analyzed to provide a monitoring system in a home or other environment. | 03-10-2016 |
20160071219 | DYNAMIC INSURANCE BASED ON ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING - An interface mechanism in a system receives sensor data from environmental monitoring devices in environments, where the sensor data represent environmental conditions in the environments. Then, a control mechanism in the system analyzes the sensor data to determine a probability of an environmental condition occurring during a time interval in at least one of the environments. Moreover, the control mechanism calculates a price-duration range of a service in the environment necessary for profitability of the service based on the determined probability and an estimated cost associated with the service. Next, the interface mechanism provides a service offer for the service associated with the environmental condition to an electronic device of an entity, where the service offer includes at least a price and a duration based on the calculated price-duration range, and the entity is associated with the environment. | 03-10-2016 |
20160072891 | SENSOR-DATA SUB-CONTRACTING DURING ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING - An interface mechanism in a system receives a service request for a service associated with an environment from an electronic device of an entity. In response to the service request, a control mechanism in the system identifies an environmental monitoring device within the environment, where the environmental monitoring device provides sensor data that represents an environmental condition in the environment, and the environmental monitoring device is associated with a second entity that is different from the entity and a third entity associated with the system. Moreover, the control mechanism provides, via the interface mechanism, a data request for the sensor data to the environmental monitoring device. Furthermore, in response to the data request, the interface mechanism receives the sensor data from the environmental monitoring device. Then, the control mechanism provides the service to the entity based on the environmental condition. | 03-10-2016 |
20160110085 | PRESENTING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS USING VISUAL PERCEPTION INFORMATION - An electronic device that allows data to be viewed intuitively using visual perception information (which is other than a graph) is described. In particular, the electronic device may be associated with a user of an environmental monitoring device that monitors an environmental condition in an external environment that includes the environmental monitoring device. When the environmental monitoring device provides environmental-summary information that specifies a time history of the environmental condition, the electronic device may represent the time history of the environmental condition as a sequence of images. A given image may include a numerical value of the environmental condition at a given time and associated visual perceptual information, such as a color associated with the numerical value and/or the environmental condition. The electronic device presents one of the sequence of images on a display. Moreover, the user can provide a user-interface command to view another of the sequence of images. | 04-21-2016 |
20160110994 | CALIBRATING AN ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING DEVICE - A computer that facilitates calibration of an environmental monitoring device is described. In particular, the computer may interact with an electronic device of a user of the environmental monitoring device to calibrate the environmental monitoring device. During the calibration, the computer provides user-interface information associated with a user interface that allows the user to select to select to monitor sound corresponding to an alarm output by a legacy device (such as a smoke detector) that is in an external environment that includes the environmental monitoring device. When the user selects to monitor a legacy device, the computer provides an instruction to the electronic device for the user to activate the legacy device. Then, the computer receives legacy-device information from the environmental monitoring device, specifying whether the legacy device was detected, a type of legacy device identified based on the monitored sound and/or a location of the legacy device. | 04-21-2016 |