IP Verse

System And Method For Server Based Control

Patent No. US12010174 (titled "System And Method For Server Based Control") was filed by Smart Speaker Llc on Aug 23, 2021.

What is this patent about?

’174 is related to the field of building and vehicle automation, specifically systems that control actuators based on sensor data. Traditional building and vehicle automation systems often rely on dedicated hardware gateways to manage communication between sensors, actuators, and control logic. This patent addresses the limitations of these dedicated gateways, such as cost, reliability, and level of service.

The underlying idea behind ’174 is to replace the dedicated hardware gateway in a building or vehicle automation system with an Internet-connected control server that implements the control logic. This server communicates with sensors and actuators via a router or gateway within the building or vehicle, enabling centralized control and potentially improving cost-effectiveness and reliability. The control server can implement sophisticated control loops, such as PID control, and incorporate voice or image processing for enhanced functionality.

The claims of ’174 focus on a system comprising an Internet-connected control server, a router, a device associated with a sensor, and a device associated with an actuator. The independent claim specifically covers a system that uses a microphone in a client device to capture human voice data, sends this data to the control server for processing, and then operates a first actuator in the client device and a second actuator in a controlled device based on messages received from the server.

In practice, the invention allows for a more flexible and scalable automation system. For example, a user's voice command captured by a microphone in a smart speaker (the client device) could be processed by a remote server to adjust the thermostat (the first actuator) in the same room and simultaneously close the blinds (the second actuator) in another room. The system can also incorporate redundancy by using multiple sensors or actuators, or by using multiple data paths for communication.

’174 differentiates itself from prior approaches by moving the core control logic and processing to a remote, Internet-connected server. This eliminates the need for a dedicated, on-site gateway, potentially reducing hardware costs and simplifying system maintenance. Furthermore, the use of a remote server allows for more complex control algorithms and data processing capabilities, such as voice and image recognition , which may not be feasible with a traditional embedded gateway.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the early 2010s when ’174 was filed, systems commonly relied on client-server architectures at a time when wireless networking was typically implemented using standards such as 802.11a/b/g/n. At that time, cloud computing and SaaS models were gaining traction, but hardware and software constraints made real-time control loops over the Internet non-trivial due to latency and reliability concerns.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The examiner approved the patent because no prior art, either individually or in combination, taught or suggested a system that sends first and second human voice data captured by a microphone in a client device to a server via a wireless network. The server processes this voice data and produces first and second messages, which are then used to operate a first actuator in the client device and a second actuator in a controlled device, respectively.

Claims

This patent contains 29 claims, with claim 1 being the only independent claim. Independent claim 1 is directed to a system for operating multiple actuators in response to captured human voice data within a building using a wireless network and a server. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and specify details of the system described in the independent claim, such as voice recognition algorithms, sensor data integration, actuator types, network configurations, and controlled device functionalities.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Captured human voice data
(Claim 1)		“The sensor may be an electroacoustic sensor and may respond to a sound, such as inaudible or audible audio. The electroacoustic sensor may be a an omnidirectional, unidirectional, or bidirectional microphone, may be based on the sensing the incident sound based motion of a diaphragm or a ribbon, and may consist of, or comprise, a condenser, an electret, a dynamic, a ribbon, a carbon, or a piezoelectric microphone.”Digital data representing human voice sensed by a microphone.
Client device
(Claim 1)		“Similarly, the term ‘client’ herein refers to a program or to a device or a computer (or a series of computers) executing this program, which accesses a server over the Internet for a service or a resource. Clients commonly initiate connections that a server may accept. For non-limiting example, web browsers are clients that connect to web servers for retrieving web pages, and email clients connect to mail storage servers for retrieving mails.”A device in the building configured to communicate with a controlled device and a server device over a wireless network, including a microphone and a first actuator.
Controlled device
(Claim 1)		“Any element designed for or capable of directly or indirectly affecting, changing, producing, or creating a physical phenomenon under an electric signal control may be used as an actuator. An appropriate actuator may be adapted for a specific physical phenomenon, such as an actuator responsive to temperature, humidity, pressure, audio, vibration, light, motion, sound, proximity, flow rate, electrical voltage, and electrical current.”A device in the building that includes a second actuator, and is configured to communicate with the client device.
Internet-connected server device
(Claim 1)		“The terms ‘server’ or ‘server computer’ relates herein to a device or computer (or a plurality of computers) connected to the Internet and is used for providing facilities or services to other computers or other devices (referred to in this context as ‘clients’) connected to the Internet. A server is commonly a host that has an IP address and executes a ‘server program’, and typically operates as a socket listener.”A server computer external to the building, connected to the Internet, and configured to process human voice data and produce messages in response.
Operate the first actuator
(Claim 1)		“Any element designed for or capable of directly or indirectly affecting, changing, producing, or creating a physical phenomenon under an electric signal control may be used as an actuator. An appropriate actuator may be adapted for a specific physical phenomenon, such as an actuator responsive to temperature, humidity, pressure, audio, vibration, light, motion, sound, proximity, flow rate, electrical voltage, and electrical current.”To activate or control the first actuator in response to a received message.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
2:25-cv-00707Jul 11, 2025Smart Speaker LLC v. Amazon.com Services LLC

Patent Family

Patent Family

File Wrapper

The dossier documents provide a comprehensive record of the patent's prosecution history - including filings, correspondence, and decisions made by patent offices - and are crucial for understanding the patent's legal journey and any challenges it may have faced during examination.

  • Date

    Description

  • Get instant alerts for new documents

US12010174

SMART SPEAKER LLC
Application Number
US17408549
Filing Date
Aug 23, 2021
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Mar 25, 2034
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents