Patents by Inventor Arlee C. Swensen

Arlee C. Swensen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6865428
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing distributed control of a home automation system is provided. Each device participating in a home automation system is equipped with control logic for providing distributed control. Through the control logic, each device maintains scene definitions describing the state of the device for each scene in which it participates. When any device in the system receives a request to launch a scene, such as a button press on one of the devices, the device broadcasts a scene state change message to all devices within the home automation system. The scene state change message identifies to each device a particular scene that should be launched. Each device in the system receives the message and determines whether the device is a participant in the scene. If the device is a participant in the scene, the device adjusts its state according to a scene definition stored in the device associated with the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Greg Gonzales, Arlee C. Swensen, Brian D. Baker
  • Publication number: 20030040813
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing distributed control of a home automation system is provided. Each device participating in a home automation system is equipped with control logic for providing distributed control. Through the control logic, each device maintains scene definitions describing the state of the device for each scene in which it participates. When any device in the system receives a request to launch a scene, such as a button press on one of the devices, the device broadcasts a scene state change message to all devices within the home automation system. The scene state change message identifies to each device a particular scene that should be launched. Each device in the system receives the message and determines whether the device is a participant in the scene. If the device is a participant in the scene, the device adjusts its state according to a scene definition stored in the device associated with the scene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2002
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Applicant: C-SMART Corporation
    Inventors: Greg Gonzales, Arlee C. Swensen, Brian D. Baker