Methods and Apparatus for Using Smart Environment Devices Via Application Program Interfaces

Abstract

In one embodiment, one or more non-transitory, tangible, machine-readable media includes instructions to send one or more requests to retrieve, access, view, subscribe, or modify data in a data model representative of one or more smart environments. The data model includes a metadata object that includes an access token used to identify which user the data is associated with in the data model, a devices object that includes information related to one or more electronic devices, and a structures object that includes one or more references to the one or more electronic devices in the one or more smart environments.

1 . A method for controlling a smart-home device, the method comprising:
 receiving, by an application, an audible cue from a user that corresponds to a command to control a smart-home device;   converting the audible cue into a device request message to command the smart-home device;   forwarding the device request message to an application programming interface (API) server that is effective to cause the API server to:
 update a data model based on the device request message; and 
 send the command to the smart-home device via an update signal communicated to the smart-home device that causes the smart-home device to perform an action. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 receiving, by the application, one or more device status parameters of the smart-home device via the API of the API server.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data model comprises information related to one or more smart-home devices, one or more smart-device environment structures comprising the smart-devices, or both. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the smart-home device is one of: a thermostat, a hazard detector, a camera, a sensor of a security system, or some combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the audible cue sets a value of a parameter of the smart-home device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the parameter of the smart home device is one of: a target temperature in Fahrenheit, a target temperature in Celsius, a high target temperature in Fahrenheit, a high target temperature in Celsius, a low target temperature in Fahrenheit, a low target temperature in Celsius, a high away temperature in Fahrenheit, a high away temperature in Celsius, a low away temperature in Fahrenheit, or a low away temperature in Celsius. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the audible cue sets an operational mode of the smart-home device. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the smart-home device is a thermostat, wherein the operation mode is an HVAC mode, and wherein the HVAC mode comprises a home mode and an away mode. 
     
     
         9 . A system comprising:
 an application programming interface (API) server; and   an electronic device configured to:   receive an audible cue from a user that corresponds to a command to control a smart-home device;   convert the audible cue into a device request message to command the smart-home device; and   forward the device request message to the API server that is effective to cause the API server to:
 update a data model based on the device request message; and 
 send the command to the smart-home device via an update signal communicated to the smart-home device that causes the smart-home device to perform an action. 
   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , the electronic device is configured to:
 subscribe to updates to the data model.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , the electronic device configured to:
 receive one or more device status parameters of the smart-home device via the API of the API server.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the data model comprises information related to one or more smart-home devices, one or more smart-device environment structures comprising the smart-devices, or both. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the smart-home device is one of: a thermostat, a hazard detector, a camera, a sensor of a security system, or some combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the audible cue sets a value of a parameter of the smart-home device. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the audible cue sets an operational mode of the smart-home device. 
     
     
         16 . One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media comprising instructions to:
 receive an audible cue from a user that corresponds to a command to control a smart-home device;   convert the audible cue into a device request message to command the smart-home device; and   forward the device request message to an application programming interface (API) server that is effective to cause the API server to:
 update a data model based on the device request message; and 
 send the command to the smart-home device via an update signal communicated to the smart-home device that causes the smart-home device to perform an action. 
   
     
     
         17 . The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of  claim 16 , comprising instructions to receive one or more device status parameters of the smart-home device via the API of the API server. 
     
     
         18 . The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of  claim 16 , wherein the audible cue sets a value of a parameter of the smart-home device or an operational mode of the smart-home device. 
     
     
         19 . The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of  claim 16 , wherein the smart-home device is one of: a thermostat, a hazard detector, a camera, a sensor of a security system, or some combination thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of  claim 16 , comprising instructions to subscribe to updates to the data model.