Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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GUEST ROOM SERVICE AND CONTROL SYSTEM
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U. S. Provisional Application
Serial No. 60/263,940, filed January 24, 2001, and to U.S. Provisional
Application
Serial No. 60/323,872, filed on September 21, 2001, both of which are
incorporated
by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Energy conservation is a proven means to reduce the operating costs of hotels.
But many lodging facility operators shun attempts at saving energy in the
guest-
rooms, as they are concerned about the negative impact such measures may have
on
guest perception and comfort.
A modern guestroom uses approximately 25 Kilowatt-hours (KWHr) of
electricity each day. Based on a cost estimate of $0.07 per KWHr, this amounts
to
about $1.75 per day per room. This figure assumes the following appliances are
used
in a typical room: Heating/Ventilation/Air-Conditioning (HVAC), Lamps
(portable),
Lights (fixed), Television, Radio, and Minibar. A mini-bar is a convenient
store of
goods within each room, usually within a refrigerator, that can be accessed by
the
guest at his or her discretion.
With the exception of the minibar, the appliances are manually controlled, and
their daily hours of use can be reduced using an energy management system
(EMS).
In the case of the HVAC system, a well-designed EMS can reduce not only the
number of hours the system is used each day, but can also reduce the average
power
required. The EMS can set back the HVAC temperature whenever a room is not
rented and, when rented, whenever a guest is not in the room. The EMS will
turn off
lamps and lights when the guest or housekeeping leaves the room. The EMS can
turn
off the television when the room is not rented, and it can open or close the
drapes to
control heat exchange with the outside.
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In modern lodging facilities, the EMS is part of a larger guest room control
system, which also includes direct digital control (DDC) of the HVAC system,
guestroom controls and a central electronic lock system (GELS). The guestroom
controls allow a guest to remotely control the lamps, lights, drapes,
television, and
other appliances from a single control station. The CELS connects guestroom
doorlocks to a central computer in the hotel for logging keycard access
operations and
for enabling and canceling access cards.
Guest room control systems are typically comprised of a control computer or
device for each room. The control computer receives data from various sensors
throughout the room and, in response to the feedback provided by the sensors,
operates a number of remote room control devices. Such remote sensors include,
for
example, motion sensors, temperature sensors, smoke detectors, and door and
other
closure switches. Such remote room control devices include, for example,
thermostats and associated relays for heating, ventilation and air
conditioning
(HVAC) equipment, electronic locks, lighting control switches and relays, and
motors
and switches for opening and closing drapes. The central control computer uses
the
data and control devices to, for example, adjust the room's temperature,
determine
and annunciate whether the room is occupied or unoccupied, determine and
annunciate whether the room's mini-bar has been accessed, sound fire and
emergency
alarms, turn lights on or off, permit or deny access to the room, open and
close drapes,
turn audio-visual equipment on or off, and perform other functions related to
controlling equipment or annunciating status in rooms. The central control
computer
located in each room can be tied to a single master central control computer.
The
central computer from each room provides data to the master central control
computer
from which such data is disseminated to display and control terminals at
housekeeping, front desk, security, engineering or any number of other
locations in
order to provide hotel personnel with access to the data and with the ability
to
remotely control various room functions or settings from such terminals.
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In one such guest room control system, a telephone console fitted with a touch
screen acts as the control computer for the room. It obtains room temperature
information from internal sensors, target temperature information from the
guest
through the touch screen, and room status information (rented/vacant) from the
master
central control computer via a twisted pair of low voltage wires connecting
all of the
rooms through a network structure. The control computer then decides if the
various
appliances in the room should be adjusted and controls the appliances by
providing
control signals to the appliances accordingly.
Such guest room control systems work well to provide conveniences to the
guest. For example, a guest can control many functions in the guest room
through a
bedside telephone console. Such guest room control systems also provide
convenience to housekeeping staff. For example, a housekeeper would simply
refer
to the screen on the master central control computer to determine if the guest
room
was occupied or if the minibar needs re-stocking. Moreover, guest room control
systems work well to conserve energy in a guest room. However, modern guest
room
control systems have limitations as well. Applications that depend on a faster
and
unconditional link to the master central control computer, such as digital
video,
cannot be implemented under this architecture. To overcome this limitation,
additional data lines are required to be installed. However, the installation
of
additional data lines in an existing hotel is expensive and increases the
maintenance
required for the hotel.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above described drawbacks and deficiencies are overcome or alleviated
by a guest room service and control system for a building including a
plurality of
guest rooms, the guest room service and control system comprising: a local
area
network; a plurality of guest room networks operably coupled to the local area
network, each guest room network of the plurality of guest room networks is
associated with a guest room in the building, each guest room network
includes: a
room hub operably coupled to the local area network, a guest room control
device
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operably coupled to the room hub, the guest room control device is a
centralized
electronic locking system component, a guest room energy management system
component, a direct digital control system component, a minibar monitoring
device,
or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing guest room control
devices.
A guest room service device is also operably coupled to the room hub, the
guest room
service device is a computer, a voice over Internet Protocol phone, an
Internet
Protocol radio, a television signal converter, or a combination comprising at
least one
of the foregoing guest room service devices. Data between the local area
network and
the room hub is communicated in packets configured according to a first
communications protocol.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Refernng to the exemplary drawings wherein like elements are numbered
alike in the several Figures:
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a centralized guest room control system;
Figure 2 is a block diagram depicting an external view of a smart muter;
Figure 3 is a bloclc diagram depicting an internal view of the smart router of
Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a schematic diagram depicting the interface of application
programs and portions of operating systems in the smart muter of Figure 2; and
Figure 5 is a network address translation table.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figure 1 depicts a centralized guest room control system or network 10 by
which building-level services such as, but not limited to, digital video-on-
demand,
central electronic lock control, energy management, room control, and Internet
access
services are provided to one or more guest rooms 12 throughout one or more
hotels 14
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over the same network 10. While the embodiment described herein is directed to
one
or more hotels 14, it will be recognized that the system 10 has application in
a wide
range of buildings including, but not limited to, universities, health care,
multi-
dwelling units (MDUs), office, resort, and residential.
Guest room control system 10 is distributed across three general areas: one or
more guest rooms 12, hotel 14 including the one or more guest rooms 12, and a
location external to the hotel 14. It will be appreciated that the guest room
control
system 10 can be distributed across any number of rooms 12 in the hotel 14 and
any
number of buildings or hotels 14 as shown in FIG. 1.
Within each room 12, a room hub 16 coordinates connnunications to and from
various service devices 18 within the guestroom 12. Room hub 16 is a common
point
of connection for the various devices 18 within guestroom 12. Room hub 16 may
be
a passive hub, such that when a packet arrives at one port in room hub 16, it
is copied
to the other ports so that all devices in the guest room can see all packets.
An
example of a passive hub is the commercially available Netgear~ model DS 104 4-
port Dual Speed (10/100) Hub. Alternatively, room hub 16 may be a switching
hub
that reads the destination address of each paclcet and then forwards the
packet to the
correct port. Room hub 16 may also include an intelligent hub that enables an
administrator to monitor the traffic passing through the hub 16 and to
configure each
port in the hub 16.
Within network 10, User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol (UDP/If)
packets, Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) packets, Simple
Network Management Protocol SNMP packets, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
packets, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), or the like, are passed
through room hub 16 to the various guest room service devices 18. The various
guest
room service devices 18 may include: high-speed Internet access for a guest
laptop
20; a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone 22 that provides the guest
with
phone service (e.g., a VoIP phone commercially available from Nortel); an
Internet
Protocol (IP) radio 23 that provides the guest with music service (e.g., a
Moving
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Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) 1 audio layer 3 (MP3) capable radio); and a
signal
converter (set-top) box 24 that provides the guest with digital video-on-
demand
(VoD) for viewing on television 26 (e.g., model DSN-300 commercially available
from Daewoo). Information to guest room service devices 18 can be transmitted
within room 12 using data transmission media such as twisted-pair wire,
coaxial
cables, or fiber optic cables, or can be transmitted via a radio or infrared
signal.
Room hub 16 also coordinates communications to and from a room gateway
28. Room gateway 28 translates the data received from room hub 16, which is
formatted in paclcets, into a secondary protocol that may be readable by room
control
devices 30 in room 12. Room gateway 28 also translates the data received from
room
control devices 30 into a protocol (e.g., TCP/IP or UDP/IP) that can be
transmitted via
room hub 16. The secondary protocol is determined based on the types of room
control devices 30 that are used. For example, the secondary protocol may
include
the IRS infrared protocol as described in U.S. Patent Number 5,128,792, which
is
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In another example, the
secondary
protocol may include Inncom International's CIVET protocol, which is
commercially
available in Inncom International's Central Interface Networks. Other
secondary
protocols may include the ModBus protocol, the Bluetooth protocol, or the
like.
The room control devices 30 serviced by room gateway 28 may include one
or more of: an Energy Management System (EMS) device 32, a minibar monitoring
device 34, a direct digital control (DDC) system device 35, and a central
electronic
lock system (CELS) device 36. Energy Management System (EMS) device 32 is a
component in a system that digitally controls a heating, ventilation, and/or
air
conditioning system associated with the room 12 and which may include a
digitally
controlled thermostat. One example of an EMS is the e4 ~ Energy Management
System commercially available from Inncom International, Inc. of Mantic,
Connecticut. Minibar monitoring device 34, is a device that indicates when the
minibar in room 12 has been accessed and may indicate which consumable items
have
been removed. One example of a minibar monitoring device 34 is a minibar door
switch such as a model 5441 door switch commercially available from Inncom
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International, Inc; another example is a minibar with built in monitoring
capabilities
commercially available from Bartech Systems Corporation of Millersville,
Maryland.
Direct digital control (DDC) system device 35 is a component in a system that
allows
a guest to remotely control lamps and lights, window draperies, television, or
other
appliances. DDC device 35 may include, for exaanple: a model L207 lamp control
module commercially available from Inncom International, Inc; a motorized
window
drapery system such as those commercially available from the Makita, BTX, or
Silent
Gliss companies; an infrared television remote control; and a model P463 Do
Not
Disturb/Make Up Room plate commercially available from Inncom W ternational,
Inc.
A central electronic lock system (CELS) device 36 is a component in a system
for
locking and unlocking an access door to room 12. GELS device 36 may include,
for
example, a model I~.294 Infrared Transciever, which is commercially available
from
Inncom International, Inc., and infrared capable guest roam door locks
commercially
available from such companies as TimeLox, Sargent, Safelok, and VingCard.
Inside hotel 14, guest room control system 10 is divided by a smart router 50
into two sub-networks: a primary network 52 and a secondary network 54.
Secondary
network 54 includes a local area network (LAN) 55 employing the Ethernet
protocol
for transferring data encapsulated in packets. LAN 55 includes a main switch
56 that
filters and forwards packets between one or more floor switches 58. Floor
switches
58 filter and forward packets between one or more room hubs 16 on a floor of
hotel
14.
Secondary network 54 includes a commercially available property
management system (PMS) server 74 connected serially or via the Ethernet to
smart
router 50. PMS server 74 may include, for example, the Micros~ Fidelio OPERA
PMS, which is commercially available from Micros Systems, Inc. of Columbia,
Maryland. PMS server 74 stores, processes, and recalls room usage information
(i.e.,
whether the room is rented or vacant) and room billing information for lodging
fees,
Internet access, video-on-demannd, mini-bar usage and other services. PMS
server 74
transmits zoom status information to and accepts billing information from
smart router
50.
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Secondary network 54 also includes a web browser station 60, which is a
personal computer comiected to a port of main switch 56. Web browser station
60
allows hotel personnel to access hotel information. The station 60 uses a
browser to
provide indication on rented status, room occupancy, minibar service, do-not-
disturb
(DND) and make-up-room (MUR) requests, diagnostics and other data. Engineering
or management personnel will be able to see information on energy management
performance, diagnostic alerts and other useful items. A central interface
server (CIS)
70 is also provided, which stores, processes, and recalls guestroom control
signals to
augment on-site capability. One example of a CIS 70 is Inncom International's
commercially available CIS-5 22058 Central Interface Server.
Primary networlc 52 includes a LAN 63 employing the Ethernet protocol for
transferring data encapsulated in packets. LAN 63 includes one or more
information
servers 64 and a router 66. Information servers 64 store, process, and
retrieve data
typically used in the operation of a modern hotel system. Information servers
64
include a digital video server 68, which stores, processes, and recalls
digital video
programming for viewing on television 26. While digital video server 68 is
shown, it
will be recognized that primary network 52 may include other information
servers as
well.
Router 66 connects primary network 52 with the Internet 80. Router 66
receives TCP/IP packets from the Internet 80 and uses packet headers and a
forwarding table stored within router 66 to direct the packets to smart router
50 or
digital video server 68. Router 66 also provides firewall and security
services for the
primary and secondary networks 52, 54. In addition to router 66, a modem 82
connects primary network 52 with the Internet 80 via smart muter 50, and smart
router 50 provides a firewall and security services for the primary and
secondary
networks 52, 54.
Outside hotel 14, all hotel data, including the hotel's in-house Internet
homepage, are stored and maintained on a remote server 84. Remote server 84 is
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connected to the Internet 80, and a connection between the remote server 84
and
router 66 in hotel 14 is maintained via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) Tunnel
86.
All Internet traffic coming from muter 66 or modem 82 in hotel 14 is
automatically
directed to remote server 84 through Virtual Private Network (VPN) 86. A CIS
88 is
located outside hotel 14 and cormnunicates with primary system 52 via VPN 86
and
muter 66. By placing CIS 88 at a remote site, CIS 88 can store, process, and
recall
control signals for legacy guest room control systems in any number of hotels
14.
The remote CIS 88 can replace or supplement server 68 in hotel 14.
Because all Internet traffic to and from hotel 14 traverses VPN 86 to remote
server 84, remote server 84 can act as a portal for Internet traffic to and
from guest
laptop 20. For each guest laptop 20, remote server 84 provides access to
certain
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages stored in remote server 84 (e.g., the
hotel's homepage, local information, and advertiser pages) free of charge. As
a result,
the remote server 84 offers possibilities for selling advertising, demographic
data, and
other services, which can be displayed on the HTML pages available to the
guest. hi
addition, once the guest has agreed to a high-speed Internet access charge
(unless the
property offers Internet access free of charge), remote server 84 allows guest
laptop
to have unrestricted access to the Internet 80 via VPN 86 and remote server
84.
20 Remote server 84 achieves this Internet portal function in conjunction with
smart
router 50. Smart muter 50 monitors the secondary networlc 54 for guests'
laptops 20,
assigns a local IP address to those laptops 20, and dynamically adapts to the
network
and mail settings of those laptops 20. This feature allows guests to access
guest room
control system 10 without having to reconfigure their laptops 20. Remote
server 84
filters traffic to and from the local IP addresses, and passes only those
TCP/IP packets
addressed to, or sent from, the IP address of those guests that have agreed to
the
access charge, or have been given access free of charge.
Filtering of the TCP/IP packets may also be accomplished by assigning an
available bandwidth to each laptop 20, where higher priority packets (e.g.,
packets
sent from a guest that has paid a fee for premium access) are given greater
bandwidth,
and lower priority packets (e.g., free services) are given less bandwidth.
This
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bandwidth can be based on, for example, Quality of Service (QoS) attributes
indicated
in the headers of packets provided to, or sent from, each laptop 20. For
packets sent
from each laptop 20, smart muter 20 may review the QoS attributes of the
packets and
give priority to those packets having a higher priority QoS. Conversely, smart
router
5 20 may review the QoS attributes of the packets sent from each laptop 20 and
drop or
queue (delay) those packets with a lower priority QoS. For packets sent to
each
laptop 20, remote server 84 may review the QoS attributes of the paclcets and
give
priority to those packets having a higher priority QoS. Conversely, remote
server 84
may review the QoS attributes of the packets sent from each laptop 20 and drop
or
10 queue (delay) those packets with a lower priority QoS. Using both the smart
router 20
and remote server 84 to filter packets reduces traffic in VPN Tunnel 86.
Smart router 50 periodically connects through modem 82 and VPN 86 to the
remote server 84. Through these connections, smart router 50 off loads
collected
hotel and guest information to the remote server 84. This information can be
monitored using a browser station 90 connected with the remote server 84. In
addition, remote server 84 provides this information back to the hotel 14, via
router 66
and VPN 86, where the information can be viewed through browser station 60. hl
this
manner, a single user can view the status of any number of hotels 14 or hotel
rooms
12 from a single location (e.g., browser station 60 or browser station 90).
Remote server 84 also connects with smart router 50 to upload data from
remote server 84 to smart muter 50. Smart muter 50 will then direct the data
to the
PMS server 74 or to the appropriate floor, room, and appliance. In this
manner, a
single user can alter the state of the PMS or any appliance in any room from a
remote
location.
Referring now to Figure 2, a block diagram depicting an external view of
smart router 50 is shown. Smart muter 50 is housed in a rack mountable chassis
100
that includes four serial ports 102, 104, 106, and 108 and two Ethernet ports
110 and
112. The smart router 50 includes light emitting diodes (LEDs) to indicate the
following: power-on (LED 114), traffic on primary Ethernet port 110 (LED 116),
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traffic on secondary Ethernet port 112 (LED 118), traffic on RS-232 port of
serial
ports 102, 104, 106, and 108 (LEDs 120), and traffic on RS-485 port of serial
ports
102, 104, 106, and 108 (LEDs 122). The smart muter 50 also includes a push
button
124 for instant connection to remote server 84 (Figure 1). Push button 124
allows a
service technician to off load data instantly to the remote server 84 during
tests and
debugging phases, without having to wait for the next scheduled data off load.
Ethernet port 110 is connected to LAN 63 of primary network 52, and
Ethernet port 112 is connected to LAN 55 of secondary networlc 54. Serial port
104 is
connected to modem 82, and serial port 108 is connected to PMS 74. Serial
ports 102
and 106 allow smart router 50 to act as a replacement to a network bridge,
such as the
B271 riser bridge commercially available from W ncom International, Inc., in a
legacy
guest room control system 126.
Referring to Figure 3, a block diagram depicting an internal view of smart
router 50 is shown. Smart muter 50 includes two processing systems 152 and
154.
Processing system 152 processes data received from and provided to primary
network
52, and processing system 154 processes data received from and provided to
secondary network 54. Primary network processing system 152 includes a
microprocessor 156, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 158, and flash
memory 160 interconnected by a bus 161. Stored in flash memory 160 and
accessed
by microprocessor 156 via DRAM 158 and bus 161 is an operating system program
162 and a primary side smart application program 164. Stored in DRAM 158 is a
first-in first-out queue 166 of data for off loading to remote server 84, as
will be
described in further detail hereinafter. Secondary network processing system
154
includes a microprocessor 168, DRAM 170, and flash memory 172 interconnected
by
a bus 174. Stored in flash memory 172 and accessed by microprocessor 168 via
DRAM 170 and bus 174 is an operating system program 176 and a secondary side
smart application program 178. Stored in DRAM 170 are one or more room process
database images 180, a hotel process database image 182, and a network address
translation (NAT) table 184, as will be described in further detail
hereinafter.
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Microprocessors 1S6 and 168 operate independently of each other and share
information via an interface device 186. Processors 156, 168 and interface
device 186
are commercially available from Net Silicon, Inc. of Waltham, Massachusetts.
Microprocessor 1 S6 is connected to serial ports 102 and 104 and to Ethernet
port 110.
S Microprocessor 168 is comlected to serial ports 106 and 108 and to Ethernet
port 112.
W general, microprocessors 1S6 and 168 execute applications 164 and 178, which
instruct microprocessors 1S6 and 168 to perform various steps necessary to off
load
data stored in queue 166 to remote server 84 (Figure 1) and to route and to
track all
data transferred between devices 18 and 30 in guest rooms 12 and PMS server
74,
remote server 84, CIS 70 and/or CIS 88, and digital video server 68.
Figure 4 is a schematic diagram depicting the interface of smart application
programs 164 and 178 and portions of operating systems 162 and 176 in primary
and
secondary network processing systems 1 S2 and 154, respectively. Operating
systems
1 S 162 and 176 each include a stack of protocol layers, with each layer
representing a
process or group of processes that perform related communications tasks
according to
a communications protocol. In one embodiment of primary network processing
system 1 S2, the stack of layers 200, 202, 204, and 206 is lc~lown as the
Transport
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) stack. Processes in each layer
200, 202,
204, and 206 can call on, or be called by processes in adj acent layers 200,
202, 204 or
206, or by application 164. Layer 200 is the soclcets layer; layer 202 is the
TCP layer;
layer 204 is the IP layer; and layer 206 is the network layer. Network layer
206
includes a process or group of processes 208 that perform communications tasks
according to the Ethernet protocol for communication with LAN 63. Network
layer
2S 206 also includes a process or group of processes 210 that perform
communications
tasks according to the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) for communication with
modem
82. The functions of the processes in the various layers 200, 202, 204, and
206 of the
TCP/IP stack are well known in the art. Operating system 162 also includes
various
device drivers and a network layer process 208 for handling network layer
protocols
(e.g., the CIVET protocol used in Inncom International Inc. commercially
available
guest room control systems) used in legacy guest room control system 126.
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Application 164 includes processes to perform various functions. These
processes include: a dial-up scheduler process 21 l, a data compression and
elimination process 212, a flow management process 214, a security process
216, a
program upload process 218, a traffic separation process 220, and a modem
driver
process 222. Dial-up scheduler process 211 periodically initiates a connection
between the smart router 50 and the remote server 84. Dial up scheduler
process 211
activates modem driver process 222, which dials a local Internet service
provider (not
shown). Dial up scheduler process 211 then initiates a data off load through a
file
transfer protocol (FTP) link towards the remote server 84.
Data compression and elimination process 212 compresses data prior to
placing the data in queue 166 to increase the amount of data that can be
buffered in
DRAM 158 and to reduce the chances of data congestion and bottleneck. Security
process 216 provides a basic level of encryption on the data packets that
leave the
smart router 50 to ensure that the data is secure from inside or outside
intrusion.
Program upload process 218 allows application 164 in the primary network
processing system 152 to be replaced on the fly by downloading new code into
the
flash memory 160.
Traffic separation process 220 identifies the data destined for the room
devices
18 or 30, room gateway 28, PMS 74, Internet 80, etc. by monitoring data
provided by
a set of soclcet servers in soclcets layer 200, as will be described in
further detail
hereinafter. After the data has been identified, the traffic separation
process 220
directs the data to its appropriate-destination. Flow management process 214
ensures
that the traffic is directed in an efficient and organized fashion by delaying
the
transmission of certain data while expediting the transmission of other data
based on
such factors as data criticality and expected delays.
Sockets layer 200 includes a plurality of socket servers. Each socket server
in
sockets layer 200 is assigned to establish an assigned port for data from the
TCP layer
of the TCP/IP stack, and to handle data sent to that port. In addition, each
socket
server provides a basic security feature. The following TCP/IP sockets servers
are
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found in sockets layer 200: socket server 224 for PMS 74, socket server 226
for an
INNCOM or third-party peak-demand monitoring system (not shown), socket server
228 for remote server 84, socket server 230 for ISP gateway (e.g., remote
server 84),
socket server 232 for other third-party servers (not shown), socket server 234
for CIS
70 or 88, socket server 236 for configuration, and a socket server 238 for
network
address table (NAT) 184 management. Soclcet server 224 for PMS 74 ensures
connectivity to PMS 74. PMS 74 uses the link established by socket server 224
to
send room status information (e.g., occupied/vacant) to smart muter 50.
Socket server 226 for an 1NNCOM or third party peak-demand monitoring
system ensures connectivity to EMS 32. EMS 32 uses the link established by
socket
server 226 to send information such as outside temperature, humidity, etc. to
the smart
router 50. Socket server 228 for remote server 84 ensures connectivity to the
remote
server 84. The smart muter 50 uses the link established by socket server 228
to off
load data from queue 166 to the remote server 84. The socket server 230 for
ISP
gateway ensures connectivity to the ISP gateway server, which is the remote
server 84
in the present embodiment. The socket server 232 for other third-party servers
ensures connectivity to any other servers. The socket server 234 for CIS 70
ensures
connectivity to CIS 70. Smart muter 50 uses the link established by socket
server 234
to transfer any legacy data (e.g., a C1NET frame) received by the smart muter
50 to
the CIS 70. Correspondingly, room gateway 28 requests from the CIS 70 are
routed
towards the devices 30 serviced by room gateway 28, and device 30 responses
are
routed to the CIS 70. The socket server 236 for configuration is opened to set
or
change various data in flash memory 160 or 172 of smart router 50. The soclcet
server
238 for NAT 184 management allows remote access to NAT 184.
In addition to TCP/IP socket servers 224-238, sockets layer 200 includes an
FTP server 240 for downloading changes to application 164 or 178 stored in
flash
memory 160 or 172, and a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent 242
for use in remotely setting Ethernet switches 56 and 58 in LAN 55.
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In an embodiment of secondary network system 154, a stack of layers 250,
252, 254, and 256 is known as the User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol
(ITDP/IP) stack. Processes in each layer 250, 252, 254, and 256 can call on,
or be
called by processes 250, 252, 254, or 256 in adjacent layers or by application
178.
5 Layer 250 is the sockets layer; layer 252 is the UDP layer; layer 254 is the
IP layer;
and layer 256 is the network layer. Network layer 256 includes a process or
group of
processes 258 that perform communications tasks according to the Ethernet
protocol
for communication with LAN 55. Network layer 256 also includes a process or
group
of processes 260 that perform communications tasks according to the Point-to-
Point
10 Protocol (PPP) for communication with PMS server 74. The functions of the
processes in the various layers 250, 252, 254, and 256 of the UDP/IP stack are
well
known in the art. Operating system 176 also includes various device drivers
and a
network layer process 262 for handling network layer protocols (e.g., the
CIVET
protocol used in Inncom International Inc. conmnercially available guest room
control
15 systems) used in legacy guest room control system 126.
Application 178 in the secondary network system includes processes 264-288
to perform various functions. Process 264 is a laptop traffic management
process,
which allows microprocessor 168 to manage any traffic from guest laptop 20.
Process
266 is a legacy data management process, which allows microprocessor 168 to
manage all of the legacy data (e.g., CIVET frames) received on the secondary
Ethernet port 112 (i.e., via LAN 55). Process 268 is a NAT management process,
which allows microprocessor 168 to read and write from NAT 184. Process 270
routes traffic to and from the various room devices 18 and 30. Process 272 is
a
database image creation process that updates the room process image 180 every
time
the smart router 50 receives information from the room devices 18 and 30.
Process
274 collects information from the PMS 74 and the room devices 18 and 30 about
the
status of the rooms (e.g., rented or vacant). A UDP exchange process 276
receives
UDP packets from the room gateway 28, decodes the packets and routes the
packets
to the primary network processing system 152. Process 280 acts as a Simple
Network
Management Protocol (SNMP) agent for remote setup and maintenance of switches
56 and 58. Processes 282 and 284 allow for automatic configuration of guest
laptop
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20, where process 282 provides Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
binding of dynamically configured laptops 20, and process 284 provides address
spoofing of statically configured laptops 20. In the former case,
microprocessor 168
will act as the DHCP server, and mapped IP addresses will be provided by the
ISP
gateway (e.g., remote server 84). Process 286 provides information on the
various
devices 18 and 30 connected to the secondary network 54, such as device type,
connection status, and quality of connection. Process 288 provides a histogram
of
traffic in the secondary networlc 54.
As can be seen in Figure 4, data coimnunication between LAN 63 or modem
82 and LAN 55 or PMS 74 is accomplished at the application levels of primary
and
secondary network processing systems 152 and 154. That is, data communication
between LAN 63 or modem 82 and LAN 55 or PMS 74 is handled by applications
164 and 178. As can also be seen in Figure 4, data communication between
portions
of legacy guest room control system 126 is accomplished between network layers
processes 209 and 262. In other words, smart router 50 acts as a network layer
bridge
between portions of legacy guest room control system 126.
With reference to Figures 1 through 4, the functionality of guest room control
system 10 and smart router 50 can now be described. Communication between
smart
router 50 and devices 30 via room gateway 28 is performed using a series of
query
and reply frames (packets) using UDP as the link protocol. Each frame includes
a
frame header containing addressing information for a specific room gateway 28
and a
specific device 30, a frame sequence number, a control flag that can disable a
reply to
the frame, and a field that defines the type of the frame (e.g., query by
smart muter
50, query by room gateway 28, response by smart router 50, or response by room
gateway 28).
Smart muter 50 can off load data to a device 30 via room gateway 28 by using
a series of query frames with their control flags set to disable any reply.
For example,
when a guest checlcs in to hotel 14, a desk clerk enters guest information
into a
terminal (not shown) connected to PMS server 74. The guest information is
stored as
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a record in the PMS server 74, and the PMS server 74 provides the data to
smart
muter 50 via serial port 108. Room status process 274 receives the data via
sockets
layer 250, stores the data in non-volatile memory, and initiates the transfer
of room
status data to EMS 32 by calling traffic separation process 270. Traffic
separation
process 270 establishes a link with room gateway 28 over LAN 55 and sends
frames
containing the room status information to the room gateway 28 via LAN 55. Room
gateway 28 strips the header from the frame and determines the destination of
the
device 30. Room gateway 28 then converts the data from the packet into a
protocol
understood by EMS 32 (e.g., Inncom International's IRS protocol as described
in U.S.
Patent Number 5,128,792). EMS 32 accepts the data and acts according to pre-
programmed, rented-status logic. For example, EMS 32 may switch the room
heating
or air conditioung system from an energy savings mode to a guest comfort mode.
Room status process 274 periodically resends room status data to EMS 32. Upon
the
guest's check out, the process is repeated with PMS providing the guest
information
to the smart muter 50, and room status process 274 providing the room status
data to
EMS 32. EMS 32 accepts the data and acts according to its pre-programmed,
vacant-
status logic. For example, EMS 32 may switch the heating or air condition
system
from the guest comfort mode to an energy savings mode.
Where smart muter 50 requires a reply from device 30, smart router 50 can
query a device 30 via room gateway 28 using one or more frames having their
control
flags set to enable a response. Upon receiving these frames, room gateway 28
will
strip the header from the frame and send the data to the appropriate device
30. Room
gateway 28 saves the frame sequence number in anticipation of the response.
Upon
response from the device 30, room gateway 28 encapsulates the response data
within
a frame and includes the frame sequence munber in the appropriate field. Upon
receiving the frame, smart muter 50 identifies the response using the frame
sequence
number and processes the response data from the frame.
Devices 30 may be configured to provide an event message in response to
some event within room 12. An event message may include the opening of a door
to
minibar 34 or operation of door lock 36 by someone in guest room 12, for
example.
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Upon receiving such an event message, room gateway 28 encapsulates the event
message into one or more frames. Each frame includes addressing information
from
the device 30. Room gateway 28 sends the frames to smart muter 50, which uses
the
addressing information to determine the origin and appropriate response to the
event
message.
The query and reply frames are also used to synchronize data stored in smart
muter 50 and room gateway 28. Synchronization is performed periodically, as
initiated by the room status process 274 in smart router 50. Room status
process 274
iutiates a query containing a number of attributes (parameters) that impact on
the
operation of guest room 12. These parameters are retrieved from the room
process
image 180 for the particular room 12 and from the hotel process image 182 for
the
hotel 18. The parameters include, for example: rented status of the room,
outside
temperature, water temperature in the HVAC supply piping, system-wide energy
demand situation, fire condition (i.e., if a fire alarm has been activated),
central
HVAC settings, and date and time. Data in the query frames are translated by
room
gateway 28 and provided to devices 30, which use the data to configure room
control
settings. In response to these query frames, devices 30 provide data to room
gateway
28, which, in turn, provides one or more reply frames to smart muter 50. The
reply
frames contain a number of attributes that indicate status information from
the guest
room 12. These parameters include, for example: occupancy status (i.e., if the
room
is unoccupied or occupied by the guest or by staff), do not disturb (if
indicated by the
guest), make up room (if indicated by the guest), butler request (if indicated
by the
guest), balcony door open/closed, entry door open/closed, room temperature,
target
temperature, air conditioning mode (e.g., off, fan only, auto), air
conditioning fan
speed, heat valve percentage open, cooling valve percentage open, and electric
heater
relays activated. Upon receiving the response frames, room status process 274
updates the room process image 180 for the room 12.
Hotel process image 182 is updated by input from PMS server 74. Hotel
process image 182 includes hotel-wide information such as outside temperature,
water
temperature in the HVAC supply piping, system-wide energy demand situation,
fire
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condition (i.e., if a fire alarm has been activated), and central HVAC
settings. In
addition, the information in hotel process image 182 can be changed remotely
from
remote server 84 via VPN 86 router 66 and LAN 63. Remote changing of hotel-
wide
information, in conjunction with the synchronization process described above,
allows
an operator at web browser station 90 attached to remote server 84 to alter
the
configuration of devices 30 in one or more hotels 14. This feature is
particularly
important for a remote server 84 that services a number of hotels 14. In this
case,
remote server 84, by changing the system-wide energy demand situation setting,
can
change the power consumption in hundreds or thousands of rooms 12
simultaneously.
In effect, remote server 84 aggregates these rooms 12 into a single power
consumer.
As a single power consumer, the operator of remote server 84 can negotiate
with
electric utility companies for better power rates in exchange for promising to
lower
power consumption during peak demand times.
Data from hotel process image 182 and one or more room process images 182
are periodically provided by microprocessor 168 in secondary network
processing
system 154 to microprocessor 156 in primary network processing system 152.
This
data is then stored in FIFO queue 166. If the smart muter is constantly
connected to
remote server 84 through LAN 63, router 66 and VPN 86, the data is sent
immediately to remote server 84. If the connection is of the dial-up type,
smart router
50 periodically establishes a connection with remote server 84 via modem 82
and
VPN 86. This data can be viewed through web browser station 90.
In addition to receiving off loaded data from smart muter 50, remote server 84
is able to provide data to any individual device 18 or 30 in room 12. To
accomplish
data transfer to devices 18 or 30, remote server 84, smart muter 50 and other
information servers 64 are provided with a network address translation (NAT)
table
184 such as that shown in Figure 5.
Refernng to Figure 5, NAT table 184 is a mix of static (persistent) data and
dynamically acquired data. In NAT table 184, "Room Address" is the logical
room
number, which is used as the real address for applications. "Wiring Address"
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indicates the port number of the floor switch (hub) 58 to which the room hub
16
attached. "Suite ID" indicates a grouping of room hubs 16 for servicing a
guest suite.
"CIVET Address" indicates an address for a legacy guest room control system.
"MAC Address" indicates a medium access control address assigned to a specific
5 device 18 or room gateway 28 in room 12. "IP Address" indicates an Internet
protocol address for a device 18 or room gateway 28 (or an application in
device 18).
"Device Type/Status" identifies the device 18 or room gateway 28 and indicates
whether the device 18 or room gateway 28 is present on the network. "IP
Address
Towards ISP Gateway" indicates an IP address for use by a guest laptop 20
(Figure 1)
10 for Internet access. The IP address in this field is generated by the ISP
gateway (e.g.,
remote server 84 of Figure 1) where process 282 (Figure 4) provides Dynamic
Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) binding for a dynamically configured laptop 20
(Figure 1 ).
15 Referring to Figures 1 through 5, when hotel 14 is being wired, the
installer
creates a list of room 12 addresses and the respective wiring address
information for
the room 12. This information is fed into NAT table 184 through either a tool
(e.g.,
an identification frame injected into room gateway 28 at the time of the
installation)
or through entering the data manually into the smart muter 50. Preferably,
data can
20 be entered into NAT table 184 though an information server 64 and then
exported to
smart router 50 via LAN 63.
The smart muter 50 complements NAT table 184 with dynamic data. The
SNMP agent process 280 in smart muter 50 queries room hubs 16 with SNMP
messages. The room hubs 16 respond with the MAC and IP addresses of devices 18
and room gateways 28 that are connected to their respective ports. The SNMP
agent
process 280 frequently polls the found devices 18 and room gateways 28 to
monitor
their presence - deriving from it a present/lost status, which is input into
NAT table
184. Information servers 64 and remote server 84 periodically access NAT table
184
using NAT management process 268 in smart router 50 to ensure that their copy
of
NAT table 184 is up to date. Information servers 64 and remote server 84 can
then
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use the data NAT table 184 to address data to any individual device 18 or 30
in room
12.
Centralized guest room control system 10 provides high speed Internet access,
sophisticated energy management, direct digital control, digital video-on-
demand,
minibar reporting, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones, central
electronic lock
control, and a myriad of other services to the hotel and resort owner.
Centralized
guest room control system 10 provides these services to each room through a
single
wire, rather than the large number of wires previously associated with guest
room
control systems. Accordingly, centralized guest room control system 10 reduces
installation and maintenance costs from those previously attainable using
guest room
services of the prior art. In addition, guest room control system 10 supports
applications that depend on faster, unconditional links, such as digital video
or a
centralized locking system.
Centralized guest room system 10 allows a single user at a remote server to
control any number of hotels or guest rooms. Because the smart muter,
switches, and
hubs are fully controllable from a remote location, centralized guest room
control
system 10 allows for remote diagnostics, restarts, and software downloads.
Moreover, centralized guest room control system 10 allows any number of rooms
to
be aggregated into a single power consumer. As a single power consumer, the
operator of centralized guest room system 10 can negotiate with electric
utility
companies for better power rates in exchange for promising to lower power
consumption during peak demand times.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred
embodiment, it will be understood by those spilled in the art that various
changes may
be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without
departing
from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made
to
adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention
without
departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the
invention
not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode
contemplated
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for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all
embodiments
falling within the scope of the appended claims.
