US 11,706,300 B2
In-room device control system
Peter S. Warrick, Calgary (CA)
Assigned to Bullhead Innovations Ltd., Calgary (CA)
Filed by Bullhead Innovations Ltd., Calgary (CA)
Filed on Sep. 17, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/23,850.
Application 17/023,850 is a continuation of application No. 16/217,958, filed on Dec. 12, 2018, granted, now 10,812,596.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/608,071, filed on Dec. 20, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0136152 A1, May 6, 2021
Int. Cl. H04L 67/125 (2022.01); H04L 12/28 (2006.01); H04L 9/40 (2022.01); H04W 12/64 (2021.01); H04W 4/70 (2018.01); H04L 67/55 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 67/125 (2013.01) [H04L 12/282 (2013.01); H04L 63/107 (2013.01); H04W 12/64 (2021.01); H04L 67/55 (2022.05); H04W 4/70 (2018.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for allowing user devices to remotely control in-room devices of a hospitality establishment, the system comprising:
a control server coupled to a computer network;
a plurality of hubs coupled to the control server; and
a plurality of controllable devices located among a plurality of guest rooms of the hospitality establishment, each of the controllable devices coupled to at least one of the hubs;
wherein the control server receives a device identifier of a user device and looks up a device communication token associated with the user device in a device-to-token table;
the control server sends a notification message to the user device via a message server, the notification message being addressed by the device communication token to an in-room control application on the user device; wherein, in response to receiving the notification message from the message server, an operating system on the user device automatically activates the in-room control application and delivers the notification message to the in-room control application;
the control server receives a state change message from the in-room control application running on the user device via the computer network;
the control server determines a guest room associated with the state change message, the guest room being one of the guest rooms of the hospitality establishment with which the user device is associated;
the control server determines a target controllable device according to the guest room and the state change message, the target controllable device being located within the guest room;
the control server determines a target hub according to the target controllable device, the target hub being coupled to the target controllable device;
the control server sends a command to the target hub to change a state of the target controllable device according to the state change message;
the control server includes a key within the notification message sent to the user device for verification purposes; and
the control server ensures the key is received back from the user device within the state change message before acting on the state change message.