Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: A METHOD, SYSTEM, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT AND DEVICE
FOR FACILITATING CENTRALIZED CONTROL AND MONITORING OVER A
NETWORK OF A SET OF REMOTE BATHING UNIT SYSTEMS
.. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of remote control and
monitoring systems for
bathing unit systems (such as swimming pools, spas, hot tubs, baths and the
like), and more
specifically to systems, methods, computer program products and device for
facilitating
centralized control and monitoring of remote network-enabled bathing unit
systems that may be
owned and operated by different entities or customers.
BACKGROUND
Bathing units, such as spas, typically include various bathing unit components
that are used in
operating the bathing system. The bathing unit components generally include
pumps that circulate
water through a piping system, pumps for activating water jets, at least one
heating module to heat
the water, a filter system, an air blower, an ozone generator, a lighting
system, and a control system
that activate and manage the various operational settings of the bathing unit
components. Other
.. types of bathing units that have similar components include, for instance,
whirlpools, hot tubs,
bathtubs, therapeutic baths, spas and swimming pools. Most modern bathing
systems include a
user control panel implementing a user control interface that is in
communication with the bathing
unit control system. The user control panel is typically positioned on or in
proximity to the bathing
system so that a user of the bathing system may interact with it in order to
adjust and control the
activation and settings of the various bathing unit components.
Increasingly, it is becoming desirable to provide mechanisms to enable users
to remotely monitor
and control the operations of bathing units. For example, it is desirable to
allow an owner of a spa
system, when leaving his or her office after a long day at work, to be able to
control his spa system
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so that when he/she arrives at home, the spa water is at a desired temperature
level. In another
example, an owner of a spa system may leave his/her residence and
inadvertently forget to perform
some task in connection with his spa, for example turn off the jets, turn off
the lights and/or initiate
a filtering function amongst others. The owner may also not remember whether
the water
.. temperature, jets, lights or other components were set to a desired level
or desired mode of
operation before leaving his residence. Without the ability to remotely
monitor and control the
operations of the spa, the user must wait until he/she returns to his
residence in order to verify the
status of operation of the spa system and/or perform the required task. This
is clearly inconvenient
for the owner. It is also desirable to allow an owner of a spa to receive
notifications in the event
of a malfunctioning of the spa so that the owner may take some steps to
prevent situations in which
the malfunction may cause some damage if not attended to in a timely manner.
For example, in
the event of a generalized power failure or when the breaker for the spa
trips, a situation may arise
when power ceases to be provided to the spa. An interruption in the power
supply for a prolonged
period of time can have undesirable consequences ranging from minor
inconvenience such as less
than optimal water cleanliness due to an absence of filtration, to more
serious damage, such as
some components becoming permanently damaged. For example, in cold climates
where
temperatures fall below the freezing point of water, the absence of heat and
circulating water in
the circulation pipes may freeze and cause cracks in the pipes.
Some existing systems provide functionality for allowing for the remote
control and monitoring
of bathing systems to take place over a local computer network. In this
regard, some bathing
systems can now be equipped with network interfaces for allowing the bathing
system to register
with a local network (for example a home network) through a router in order to
exchange signals
with other devices in the same local network. In such a local network, each
device is associated
with its own internal or private IP address, which allows the devices in the
local network to
communicate with one another through the router. Such a configuration
therefore enables a
computing device connected to the local network and equipped with suitable
software to issue
commands to and receive status information from the over the private network
through the router.
Some of these systems also provide for the remote control and monitoring of
bathing systems over
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a public network (such as the Internet). For additional information, the
reader may refer for
example to U.S. patent application publication no. US2013-0166965-A 1
published on June 28,
2013 and to U.S. patent No. 7,292,898 issued on November 6, 2007.
In addition to bathing unit owners, it is also desirable for service
technicians, technician teams as
well as equipment distributors to be able to remotely control and monitoring
of bathing systems
over a public network. However, while some conventional systems provide tools
for the remote
control and monitoring of bathing systems over a public network, these tools
are often ill-suited
when it is desirable to centrally monitor large numbers of bathing units
systems, which may in
some cases be owned by different entities. If effect, while conventional
solutions allow a user to
remotely access different bathing unit system, these typically require the
user to independently
access the different bathing systems but fail to provide suitable mechanisms
for allowing the user
to manage and use information pertaining to the different bathing systems.
Against the background
described above, there remains a need in the industry to provide a system,
method and computer
program product for facilitating centralized control and monitoring over a
network of a set of
remote bathing unit systems that alleviates at least in part the problems
associated with existing
systems and methods.
SUMMARY
In accordance with a first aspect, a method to facilitate centralized control
and monitoring of
remote network-enabled bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers is
provided. The method comprises:
-
directing a computing device to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI),
said GUI
being configured for presenting a listing of bathing unit systems including a
plurality
of entries associated with respective bathing unit systems owned and operated
by
different customers;
-
the GUI being configured for displaying operational status indicators
associated with
at least some of the bathing unit systems presented in the listing of bathing
unit
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systems, wherein the operational status indicators convey operational status
information;
- receiving at the computing device, over a communication network, data
conveying
updated operational status information pertaining to one or more of the
bathing unit
systems in the listing of bathing unit systems;
- in response to receipt of the data conveying operational status information,
dynamically adapting the GUI to display updated operational status indicators
associated with the bathing unit systems presented in the listing of bathing
unit
systems.
In some implementations, a method according to the first aspect may further
comprise the GUI
providing a user-operable input object configured to accept a user input
identifying a specific
customer to generate an invitation message to request permission to remotely
control and monitor
a bathing unit system associated with the specific customer, wherein the
specific customer is
distinct from the different customers that own and operate the bathing unit
systems in the listing
of bathing unit systems. The invitation message may be transmitted from the
computing device
over a communication network. A confirmation message may be received at the
computing device
over the communication network, the confirmation message indicating that the
specific customer
has granted permission to remotely control and monitor the bathing unit system
associated with
the specific customer. The GUI may be dynamically adapted to modify the
listing of bathing unit
systems to include an additional entry in the plurality of entries, the
additional entry corresponding
to the bathing unit system associated with the specific customer. In specific
practical
implementations, the invitation message to may be transmitted to the specific
customer over the
communication network via a web-server or gateway with which a user of the
computing device
and the specific customer are registered. In such implementations, the data
conveying operational
status information may be received over the communication network via the web-
server or
gateway.
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In some implementations, the entries in the plurality of entries of the
listing of bathing unit systems
convey: identification information associated with a respective specific
bathing unit system; and
at least one operational status indicator conveying operational status
information of the respective
specific bathing unit system.
5
In specific practical implementations, the GUI may be configured to provide a
user operable
control for receiving user sort commands for sorting the plurality of entries
in the listing of bathing
unit systems according to user-selectable sorting criteria. For example, the
user operable control
for receiving the user sort commands may be configured for presenting the user
with a set of
selectable sorting criteria for sorting the plurality of entries in the
listing of bathing unit systems.
In some implementations, a method according to the first aspect may further
comprise dynamically
adapting the GUI, in response to receipt of a specific user sort command
conveying a specific
sorting criterion, to present a sorted version of the listing of bathing unit
systems, wherein the
plurality of entries in the sorted version of the listing of bathing unit
systems are arranged
according to the specific sorting criterion conveyed by the specific user sort
command. The user-
selectable sorting criteria may include criterion selected from the group
consisting of: a bathing
unit system identifier; operational status indicators; a type of bathing unit
system component
identified as being in need of servicing or replacement; distance to a current
location of the
computing device; maintenance service subscription classification; and a type,
classification or
model number associated with bathing unit systems.
In specific practical implementations, the GUI may be configured to provide a
user operable
control for receiving user filter commands for filtering the pluralities
entries in the listing of
bathing unit systems according to user-selectable filtering criteria. For
example, the user operable
control for receiving the user filter commands may be configured for
presenting the user with a
set of selectable filtering criteria for filtering the plurality of entries in
the listing of bathing unit
systems. In some implementations, a method according to the first aspect may
further comprise
dynamically adapting the GUI, in response to receipt of a specific user filter
command conveying
a specific filtering criterion, to present a filtered version of the listing
of bathing unit systems,
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wherein the plurality of entries in the filtered version of listing of bathing
unit systems omit one
or more entries from the listing of bathing unit systems according to the
specific filtering criterion
conveyed by the specific user filter command. The user-selectable filtering
criteria may include
criterion selected from the group consisting of: bathing unit system
identifiers; operational status
indicators; a type of bathing unit system component identified as being in
need of servicing or
replacement; distance to a current location of the computing device;
maintenance service
subscription classification; and a type, classification or model number
associated with bathing unit
systems.
In some implementations, the entries in the listing of bathing unit systems
may be independently
selectable by a user of the computing device. In such implementations, the GUI
may be
dynamically adapted, responsive to receiving the user selection specifying the
entry amongst the
entries presented in the listing of bathing unit systems, to present a bathing
unit system-specific
interface for remotely controlling and monitoring the bathing unit system
corresponding to the
selected entry.
In some implementations, the bathing unit system-specific interface is
configured to present one
or more user-operable input objects configured to accept user inputs to modify
one or more
operational parameters of the bathing unit system corresponding to the
selected entry, and, in
response to receipt of a specific user input to modify one or more operational
parameters of the
bathing unit system corresponding to the selected entry, transmit a command
signal to the bathing
unit system corresponding to the selected entry over a computer network to
cause a change in one
or more operational parameters. For example, in some implementations, the
bathing unit system-
specific interface is configured to present one or more user-operable input
objects configured to
accept user inputs to change an actuation setting of bathing unit components
associated with the
bathing unit system corresponding to the selected entry. The bathing unit
components may include
one or more of the following: lighting modules; a jet; a pump; a heater
module. In a specific
practical implementation, the bathing unit system-specific interface may be
configured to present
one or more user-operable input objects configured to accept user inputs to
modify a water
temperature setting associated with the bathing unit system corresponding to
the selected entry.
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In some implementations, the bathing unit system-specific interface is
configured to present one
or more error messages associated to specific bathing unit components of the
bathing unit system
corresponding to the selected entry.
In some implementations, the bathing unit system-specific interface is
configured to present
operational status information associated with one or more bathing unit
components of the bathing
unit system corresponding to the selected entry.
In some implementations, the operational status indicators may include one or
more color-coded
operational status indicators.
In some implementations, the operational status indicators may convey network
connection status
information associated with the bathing unit systems presented in the listing
of bathing unit
systems.
In some implementations, the operational status indicators include general
error indicators
indicating that errors have been detected for one or more components of the
bathing unit system.
In a specific practical implementation, the general error indicators may be
independently
selectable at the computing device through the GUI, wherein in response to
receiving a user
selection for a specific one of the general error indicators associated with a
specific bathing unit
system, the GUI being dynamically adapted to present a diagnostic interface
providing additional
information of an error condition for the specific bathing unit system
associated to the selected
specific one of the general error indicators.
In some implementations, a method according to the first aspect further
comprises deriving one
or more of the operational status indicators associated with the bathing unit
systems presented in
the listing of bathing unit systems at least in part by processing the data
conveying operational
status information received at the computing device. In a specific practical
implementation, at
least some of the operational status indicators are component-specific error
indicators conveying
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specific bathing unit components on which errors have been detected. In such
implementations,
the component-specific error indicators may be independently selectable by a
user of the
computing device, and the GUI may be dynamically adapted, responsive to
receiving the user
selection specifying the specific component-specific error indicator, to
present a diagnostic
.. interface for diagnostic analysis of the error condition. For example, the
GUI may be dynamically
adapted to present information identifying one or more replacement parts
available to address the
error condition for purchase in an electronic marketplace. In some
implementations, the
information conveying one or more replacement parts available for purchase in
the electronic
marketplace may include a user-operable actuator to initiate a purchasing
process for the one or
more parts from the electronic marketplace.
In some implementations, a method according to the first aspect further
comprises receiving, at
the computing device over the communication network, a service request
notification message
indicating that a specific customer associated with a specific bathing unit
system in the listing of
bathing unit systems presented on the GUI has requested to be contacted, and,
in response to
receipt of the service request notification message, dynamically adapting the
GUI to display a
service request GUI element in association with a specific entry in the
listing of bathing unit
systems associated with the specific bathing unit system. In a specific
practical implementation,
the service request GUI element may be displayed in conjunction with at least
one operational
status indicator in association with the specific entry in the listing of
bathing unit systems
associated with the specific bathing unit system. In some implementations, the
service request
GUI element may be selectable by a user of the computing device, and the GUI
may be
dynamically adapted to present one or more communication options for
contacting the customer
and/or provide a user-operable actuator to initiate a communication process
for contacting the
customer, responsive to the user selection of the service request GUI element.
For example, the
one or more communication options may include at least one of: e-mail; SMS
message; video
conference; text message; and telephone call.
In some implementations, a method according to the first aspect further
comprises processing
operational status information associated with at least a subset of the
plurality of bathing unit
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systems to identify at least a subset of the bathing unit systems in need of
replacing a specific
bathing unit system component. In such implementations, the GUI may be adapted
to present an
offer for purchasing one or more units of the specific bathing unit system
component for the
identified subset of the bathing unit systems. For example, the GUI may be
adapted to provide a
user-operable actuator configured to be responsive to a user input to initiate
a purchasing process
for the one or more units of the specific bathing unit system component. In a
specific practical
implementation, the GUI may be configured to display, in association with each
entry in the
identified subset of the bathing unit systems in need of replacing the
specific bathing unit system
component, a component-specific error indicator conveying the specific bathing
unit system
component that has been identified as being in need of replacement. Non-
limiting examples of
the specific bathing unit system components include: a bathing unit system
filter; a bathing unit
system heater component or part thereof; a bathing unit system sanitizing
component or part
thereof; a bathing unit system pump or part thereof; an ozonator system; and a
UV lamp.
.. In some implementations, the computing device is associated with a bathing
unit system service
technician or a service technician team.
In accordance with a second aspect, a method is provided to facilitate
maintenance of a bathing
unit system owned and operated by a customer associated with the bathing unit
system, wherein
the bathing unit system is network-enabled. The method according to the second
aspect
comprises:
- directing a computing device to implement a Graphical User Interface
(GUI), the GUI
being configured to present to the customer one or more user-operable input
objects
configured to accept user inputs to modify one or more operational parameters
of the
bathing unit system;
- the GUI being configured to display a user operable control for receiving
from the
customer service request commands for requesting that a bathing unit system
service
technician contact the customer associated with the bathing unit system;
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in response to receipt of a specific service request command from the
customer via the
user operable control, transmitting a service request notification message
over a
communication network indicating that the customer associated with the bathing
unit
system has requested to be contacted;
5 -
receiving over the communication network, at the computing device, an
invitation
message responsive to the service request notification message, the invitation
message
including a request to permit remote control and monitoring of the bathing
unit system
associated with the customer by a specific remote service technician; and
- following receipt of the invitation message at the computing device,
dynamically
10
adapting the GUI to present user-selectable options to enable the customer to
selectively accept the request to permit the remote control and monitoring of
the
bathing unit system by the specific remote service technician.
In some implementations, the GUI is configured for displaying an error
indicator indicating that
an operational error has been detected in the bathing unit system, wherein the
user operable control
for receiving the service request commands is displayed on the GUI in
conjunction with the error
indicator. For example, the error indicator may be a component-specific error
indicator conveying
that an error condition has been detected in connection with a specific
bathing unit component.
In some implementations, the error indicator may be user-selectable through
the GUI, wherein in
response to receiving a user selection for the error indicator, the GUI may be
dynamically adapted
to present a diagnostic interface providing additional information of an error
condition associated
with the error indicator. For example, dynamically adapting the GUI to present
the diagnostic
interface may include presenting information identifying one or more
replacement parts available
for purchase to address the error condition. In a specific practical
implementation, the presenting
the information conveying one or more replacement parts available for purchase
includes
providing a user-operable actuator to initiate a purchasing process for the
one or more parts from
an electronic marketplace.
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In some implementations, a method according to the second aspect further
comprises dynamically
adapting the GUI to display a service request GUI element following receipt of
the service request
command via the user operable control, the service request GUI element
indicating that a service
request notification message in respect of the bathing unit system has been
transmitted.
In some implementations, a method according to the second aspect further
comprises receiving,
at the computing device, an invitation message that includes a request to
permit remote control
and monitoring of the bathing unit system associated with the customer by a
remote bathing unit
system technician or a service technician team. Following receipt of the
invitation message, the
GUI may be dynamically adapted to present user-selectable options to enable
the customer to
selectively accept or reject the request to permit remote control and
monitoring of the bathing unit
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system by the bathing unit system technician or the service technician team.
In a specific practical
implementation, the invitation message may be received over the communication
network via a
web-server or gateway with which a user of the computing device and the
bathing unit system
technician or the service technician team are registered.
In some implementations, the computing device may be a portable device
associated with the
customer. For example, the computing device may be a smartphone. In other
implementations,
the computing device may be installed as part of the bathing unit system and
includes a top-side
control panel, wherein the GUI is displayed on a screen of the top-side
control panel.
In accordance with a third aspect, an apparatus to facilitate centralized
control and monitoring of
remote network-enabled bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers is
provided. An apparatus according to the third aspect comprises:
- a network interface;
- a display screen;
- a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable
instructions; and
- a processor in communication with the display screen, the network
interface and the
non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer readable
instructions
when executed by the processor configure the apparatus to:
a) direct the display screen to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI),
the GUI being configured to: present a listing of bathing unit systems
including
a plurality of entries associated with respective bathing unit systems owned
and
operated by different customers; and display operational status indicators
associated with at least some of the bathing unit systems presented in the
listing
of bathing unit systems, wherein the operational status indicators convey
operational status information;
b) receive data over a communication network via the network interface, the
data conveying updated operational status information pertaining to one or
more of the bathing unit systems in the listing of bathing unit systems;
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c) in response to receipt of the data conveying operational status
information,
dynamically adapt the GUI to display updated operational status indicators
associated with the bathing unit systems presented in the listing of bathing
unit
systems.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to:
d) configure the GUI to provide a user-operable input object configured to
accept a user input identifying a specific customer to generate an invitation
message to request permission to remotely control and monitor a bathing unit
system associated with the specific customer, wherein the specific customer is
distinct from the different customers that own and operate the bathing unit
systems in the listing of bathing unit systems;
e) transmit the invitation message over the communication network via the
network interface;
1) in response to receiving a confirmation message over the
communication
network via the network interface, the confirmation message indicating that
the
specific customer has granted permission to remotely control and monitor the
bathing unit system associated with the specific customer, dynamically adapt
the GUI to modify the listing of bathing unit systems to include an additional
entry in the plurality of entries, the additional entry corresponding to the
bathing unit system associated with the specific customer.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
configure the apparatus to transmit the invitation message to the specific
customer over the
communication network via a web-server or gateway with which a user of the
apparatus and the
specific customer are registered. In a specific practical implementation, the
data conveying
operational status information may be received over the communication network
via the web-
server or gateway.
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In some implementations, the entries in the plurality of entries of the
listing of bathing unit systems
convey: identification information associated with a respective specific
bathing unit system; at
least one operational status indicator conveying operational status
information of the respective
specific bathing unit system.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to configure the GUI to provide a user
operable control for
receiving user sort commands for sorting the plurality of entries in the
listing of bathing unit
systems according to user-selectable sorting criteria.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to dynamically adapt the GUI, in response to
receipt of a specific
user sort command conveying a specific sorting criterion, to present a sorted
version of the listing
of bathing unit systems, wherein the plurality of entries in the sorted
version of the listing of
bathing unit systems are arranged according to the specific sorting criterion
conveyed by the
specific user sort command.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to configure the GUI to provide a user
operable control for
receiving user filter commands for filtering the pluralities entries in the
listing of bathing unit
systems according to user-selectable filtering criteria.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to dynamically adapt the GUI, in response to
receipt of a specific
user filter command conveying a specific filtering criterion, to present a
filtered version of the
listing of bathing unit systems, wherein the plurality of entries in the
filtered version of listing of
bathing unit systems omit one or more entries from the listing of bathing unit
systems according
to the specific filtering criterion conveyed by the specific user filter
command.
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In some implementations, the entries in the listing of bathing unit systems
are independently
selectable by a user of the apparatus, wherein the computer readable
instructions when executed
by the processor further configure the apparatus to dynamically adapt the GUI,
in response to
receiving a user selection specifying an entry amongst the entries presented
in the listing of bathing
unit systems, to present a bathing unit system-specific interface for remotely
controlling and
monitoring the bathing unit system corresponding to the selected entry. For
example, in some
implementations, the computer readable instructions that when executed by the
processor further
configure the apparatus to dynamically adapt the GUI to present a bathing unit
system-specific
.. interface include computer readable instructions that when executed by the
processor further
configure the apparatus to: configure the GUI to present one or more user-
operable input objects
configured to accept user inputs to modify one or more operational parameters
of the bathing unit
system corresponding to the selected entry; and in response to receipt of a
specific user input to
modify one or more operational parameters of the bathing unit system
corresponding to the
selected entry, transmit a command signal to the bathing unit system
corresponding to the selected
entry over the communication network, via the network interface, to cause a
change in one or more
operational parameters.
In some implementations, the bathing unit system-specific interface is
configured to present one
or more error messages associated to specific bathing unit components of the
bathing unit system
corresponding to the selected entry.
In some implementations, the bathing unit system-specific interface is
configured to present
operational status information associated with one or more bathing unit
components of the bathing
unit system corresponding to the selected entry.
In some implementations, the operational status indicators include general
error indicators
indicating that errors have been detected for one or more components of the
bathing unit system.
For example, the general error indicators may be independently selectable GUI
elements, and the
GUI may be dynamically adapted, in response to receiving a user selection for
a specific one of
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the general error indicators associated with a specific bathing unit system
associated with an entry
amongst the plurality of entries presented in the listing of bathing unit
systems, to present a
diagnostic interface providing additional information of an error condition
for the specific bathing
unit system associated to the selected specific one of the general error
indicators.
5
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to derive one or more of the operational
status indicators associated
with the bathing unit systems presented in the listing of bathing unit systems
at least in part by
processing the data conveying operational status information received at the
apparatus.
In some implementations, at least some of the operational status indicators
are component-specific
error indicators conveying specific bathing unit components on which errors
have been detected.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
configure the apparatus to configure the GUI to display the component-specific
error indicators as
independently selectable GUI elements, and dynamically adapt the GUI,
responsive to receiving
a user selection specifying a specific component-specific error indicator
associated with an entry
amongst the plurality of entries presented in the listing of bathing unit
systems, to present a
diagnostic interface for diagnostic analysis of the error condition. For
example, the GUI may be
dynamically adapted to present information identifying one or more replacement
parts available
to address the error condition for purchase in an electronic marketplace. In
some implementations,
the information conveying one or more replacement parts available for purchase
in the electronic
marketplace may include a user-operable actuator to initiate a purchasing
process for the one or
more parts from the electronic marketplace.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to dynamically adapt the GUI, in response to
receiving a service
request over the communication network via the network interface, the service
request notification
message indicating that a specific customer associated with a specific bathing
unit system in the
listing of bathing unit systems presented on the GUI has requested to be
contacted, to display a
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service request GUI element in association with a specific entry in the
listing of bathing unit
systems associated with the specific bathing unit system. For example, the
service request GUI
element may be displayed in conjunction with at least one operational status
indicator in
association with the specific entry in the listing of bathing unit systems
associated with the specific
bathing unit system.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
configure the apparatus to: configure the GUI to display the service request
GUI element as a user-
selectable service request GUI element; and dynamically adapt the GUI,
responsive to receiving
a user selection of the service request GUI element, to present one or more
communication options
for contacting the customer.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
configure the apparatus to: configure the GUI to display the service request
GUI element as a user-
selectable service request GUI element; and dynamically adapt the GUI,
responsive to receiving
a user selection the service request GUI element, to provide a user-operable
actuator to initiate a
communication process for contacting the customer.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to: process operational status information
associated with at least
a subset of the plurality of bathing unit systems to identify at least a
subset of the bathing unit
systems in need of replacing a specific bathing unit system component; and
adapt the GUI to
present an offer for purchasing one or more units of the specific bathing unit
system component
for the identified subset of the bathing unit systems. For example, the GUI
may be adapted to
present the offer for purchasing one or more of the specific bathing unit
system component
comprise computer readable instructions that when executed by the processor
configure the
apparatus to adapt the GUI to provide a user-operable actuator configured to
be responsive to a
user input to initiate a purchasing process for the one or more units of the
specific bathing unit
system component.
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In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
configure the apparatus to configure the GUI to display, in association with
each entry in the
identified subset of the bathing unit systems in need of replacing the
specific bathing unit system
component, a component-specific error indicator conveying the specific bathing
unit system
component that has been identified as being in need of replacement.
In some implementations, the apparatus is implemented by a personal computing
device, such as
a smartphone or a tablet computer. In some implementations, the personal
computing device may
be associated with a bathing unit system service technician or a service
technician team.
In accordance with a fourth aspect, an apparatus is provided to facilitate
maintenance of a bathing
unit system owned and operated by a customer associated with the bathing unit
system, wherein
the bathing unit system is network-enabled. An apparatus according to the
fourth aspect
comprises:
- a network interface;
- a display screen;
- a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer
readable
instructions; and
- a processor in communication with the display screen, the network
interface and the
non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer readable
instructions
when executed by the processor configure the apparatus to:
a) direct the display screen to display a Graphical User Interface (GUI), the
GUI
being configured to:
o present to the customer one or more user-operable input objects
configured to accept user inputs to modify one or more operational
parameters of the bathing unit system; and
o display a user operable control for receiving from the customer service
request commands for requesting that a bathing unit system service
technician contact the customer associated with the bathing unit system;
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b) in response to receipt of a specific service request command from the
customer via the user operable control of GUI, transmit a service request
notification message over a communication network via the network
interface, the service request notification message indicating that the
customer associated with the bathing unit system has requested to be
contacted;
c) receive over the communication network, an invitation message responsive to
the service request notification message, the invitation message including a
request to permit remote control and monitoring of the bathing unit system
associated with the customer by a specific remote service technician; and
d) following receipt of the invitation message, dynamically adapt the GUI to
present user-selectable options to enable the customer to selectively accept
the
request to permit the remote control and monitoring of the bathing unit system
by the specific remote service technician.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to configure the GUI to display an error
indicator indicating that
an operational error has been detected in the bathing unit system, wherein the
user operable control
for receiving the service request commands is displayed on the GUI in
conjunction with the error
indicator.
In some implementations, the error indicator is a component-specific error
indicator conveying
that an error condition has been detected in connection with a specific
bathing unit component.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
configure the apparatus to:
-
configure the GUI to display the error indicator as a user-selectable error
indicator; and
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- dynamically adapt the GUI, in response to receiving a user selection for the
error
indicator, to present a diagnostic interface providing additional information
of an error
condition associated with the error indicator.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions that when executed
by the processor
configure the apparatus to dynamically adapt the GUI to present the diagnostic
interface providing
additional information of an error condition associated with the error
indicator comprise computer
readable instructions that when executed by the processor configure the
apparatus to dynamically
adapt the GUI to present information identifying one or more replacement parts
available for
purchase to address the error condition.
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In some implementations, the computer readable instructions that when executed
by the processor
configure the apparatus to present the information conveying one or more
replacement parts
available for purchase comprise computer readable instructions that when
executed by the
processor configure the apparatus to configure the GUI to provide a user-
operable actuator to
initiate a purchasing process for the one or more parts from an electronic
marketplace.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to:
-
dynamically adapt the GUI to display a service request GUI element following
receipt
of the service request command via the user operable control, the service
request GUI
element indicating that a service request notification message in respect of
the bathing
unit system has been transmitted.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
further configure the apparatus to:
- in response to receiving an invitation message over the communication
network via the
network interface, the invitation message including a request to permit remote
control
and monitoring of the bathing unit system associated with the customer by a
remote
bathing unit system technician or a service technician team, dynamically adapt
the GUI
to present user-selectable options to enable the customer to selectively
accept or reject
the request to permit remote control and monitoring of the bathing unit system
by the
bathing unit system technician or the service technician team.
In some implementations, the computer readable instructions when executed by
the processor
configure the apparatus for receiving the invitation message over the
communication network via
a web-server or gateway with which a user of the apparatus and the bathing
unit system technician
or the service technician team are registered.
In some implementations, the apparatus is implemented by a portable computing
device, such as
a smartphone or a tablet computer, associated with the customer. In other
implementations, the
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apparatus is installed as part of the bathing unit system and includes a top-
side control panel that
includes the display screen.
In accordance with a fifth aspect, a method to facilitate centralized control
and monitoring of
5 remote network-enabled bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers is
provided. A method according to the fifth aspect comprises:
- at a first computing device implementing a (Graphical User Interface)
associated with
a bathing unit system service technician or a service technician team,
configuring the
GUI to provide a user-operable input object configured to accept a user input
10 identifying a specific customer to generate an invitation message to
request permission
to remotely control and monitor a bathing unit system associated with the
specific
customer;
- transmitting the invitation message from the first computing device to a
second
computing device implementing a GUI associated with the specific customer;
15 - in response to receiving the invitation message at the second
computing device,
dynamically adapting the GUI at the second computing device to present user-
selectable options to enable the customer to selectively accept or reject the
request to
permit remote control and monitoring of the bathing unit system by the bathing
unit
system technician or the service technician team;
20 - in response to receiving user-selection of one of the user-
selectable options at the
second computing device indicating that the customer has accepted the
permission
request, transmitting a confirmation message from the second computing device
to the
first computing device, the confirmation message indicating that the specific
customer
has granted permission to remotely control and monitor the bathing unit system
associated with the specific customer;
- in response to receiving the confirmation message at the first computing
device,
dynamically adapting the GUI at the first computing device to include an
additional
entry in a listing of bathing unit systems that includes a plurality of
entries associated
with respective bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers, the
additional entry corresponding to the bathing unit system associated with the
specific
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customer, wherein the specific customer is distinct from the different
customers that
own and operate the bathing unit systems in the listing of bathing unit
systems.
In accordance with a sixth aspect, a system to facilitate centralized control
and monitoring of
remote network-enabled bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers is
provided. A system according to the sixth aspect comprises:
- a plurality of network-enabled bathing unit systems;
- a first computing device implementing a (Graphical User
Interface) associated with a
bathing unit system service technician or a service technician team;
- a plurality of second computing devices implementing GUIs associated with
different
customers associated with at least one of the plurality of network-enabled
bathing unit
systems,
- the first computing device configured to:
a) configure the GUI at the first computing device to provide a user-
operable input object configured to accept a user input identifying a
specific customer to generate an invitation message to request permission
to remotely control and monitor a bathing unit system associated with the
specific customer;
b) transmit the invitation message from the first computing device to a
second computing device implementing a GUI associated with the
specific customer;
- the second computing device configured to:
c) in response to receiving the invitation message, dynamically adapt the
GUI at the second computing device to present user-selectable options to
enable the customer to selectively accept or reject the request to permit
remote control and monitoring of the bathing unit system by the bathing
unit system technician or the service technician team;
d) in response to receiving user-selection of one of the user-selectable
options at the second computing device indicating that the customer has
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accepted the permission request, transmit a confirmation message from
the second computing device to the first computing device, the
confirmation message indicating that the specific customer has granted
permission to remotely control and monitor the bathing unit system
associated with the specific customer,
- the first computing device being further configured to:
c) in response to receiving the confirmation message, dynamically adapt
the
GUI at the first computing device to include an additional entry in a
listing of bathing unit systems that includes a plurality of entries
associated with respective bathing unit systems among the plurality of
network-enabled bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers, the additional entry corresponding to the bathing unit system
associated with the specific customer, wherein the specific customer is
distinct from the different customers that own and operate the bathing
unit systems in the listing of bathing unit systems.
In accordance with a seventh aspect, a method is provided to facilitate
maintenance of a bathing
unit system owned and operated by a customer associated with the bathing unit
system, wherein
the bathing unit system is network-enabled. A method according to the seventh
aspect comprises:
- directing a computing device to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI),
said GUI
being configured to present to the customer one or more user-operable input
objects
configured to accept user inputs to modify one or more operational parameters
of the
bathing unit system;
-
the GUI being configured to enable operation of a user operable control in
response to
detection of one or more operational errors in the bathing unit system, the
user operable
control being configured for receiving from the customer service request
commands
for requesting that a bathing unit system service technician contact the
customer
associated with the bathing unit system;
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22a
-
in response to receipt of a specific service request command from the
customer via the
user operable control, transmitting a service request notification message
over a
communication network indicating that the customer associated with the bathing
unit
system has requested to be contacted.
In accordance with an eighth aspect, an apparatus is provided to facilitate
maintenance of a bathing
unit system owned and operated by a customer associated with the bathing unit
system, wherein
the bathing unit system is network-enabled. An apparatus according to the
eighth aspect
comprises:
¨ a network interface;
¨ a display screen;
¨ a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer
readable
instructions; and
¨ a processor in communication with the display screen, the network interface
and the non-
transitory computer readable storage medium, said computer readable
instructions when
executed by the processor configure the apparatus to:
a) direct the display screen to display a Graphical User Interface (GUI), said
GUI being
configured to:
o present to the customer one or more user-operable input objects configured
to
accept user inputs to modify one or more operational parameters of the bathing
unit system;
o enable operation of a user operable control in response to detection of one
or
more operational errors in the bathing unit system, the user operable control
being configured for receiving from the customer service request commands
for requesting that a bathing unit system service technician contact the
customer associated with the bathing unit system;
b) in response to receipt of a specific service request command from the
customer via the
user operable control, transmitting a service request notification message
over a
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22b
communication network indicating that the customer associated with the bathing
unit
system has requested to be contacted.
All features of embodiments which are described in this disclosure and are not
mutually exclusive
can be combined with one another. Elements of one embodiment can be utilized
in the other
embodiments without further mention.
These and other aspects and features of the present invention will now become
apparent to those
of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of
specific embodiments of
the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention is provided
herein below, by
way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a network-enabled bathing unit system in
accordance with a
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23
non-limiting example of the present invention;
Figure 2 shows a simplified block diagram of a system for facilitating remote
control and
monitoring of the bathing unit system shown in Figure 1 including a server
implementing a
gateway, a customer personal computing device, and a technician personal
computing device, in
accordance with a non-limiting example of the present invention;
Figure 3 shows a more detailed block diagram of the server depicted in Figure
2 in accordance
with a non-limiting example of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a block diagram of a customer personal computing device for
remotely controlling and
monitoring the bathing system depicted in Figure 1 in accordance with a non-
limiting example of
the present invention;
Figure 5 is a block diagram of a technician personal computing device for
remotely controlling
and monitoring one or more bathing unit systems, including for example the
bathing system
depicted in Figure 1 in accordance with a non-limiting example of the present
invention;
Figure 6 shows a block diagram of a system for facilitating remote control and
monitoring of
network-enabled bathing unit systems by customers and/or technicians, wherein
the system
includes a server in accordance with a non-limiting example of the present
invention;
Figure 7 is a conceptual illustration of an address-translation table stored
in a memory of the server
of the system shown in Figure 6 in accordance with a non-limiting example of
the present
invention;
Figure 8 shows a non-limiting example of a graphical user interface for a
technician remote control
client showing a dashboard interface for controlling and monitoring multiple
remote network-
enabled bathing unit systems owned and operated by different customers in
accordance with the
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24
present invention;
Figure 9 shows non-limiting examples of operational status indicators for
bathing unit systems
that may be used to convey information in connection with the dashboard
interface shown in
Figure 8 in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 10 shows a flow diagram of a method of facilitating centralized control
and monitoring of
remote network-enabled bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers,
according to a non-limiting example of the present invention;
Figure 11 shows the dashboard interface depicted in Figure 8 updated in
response to a user initiated
filtering operation to filter the list of customer bathing unit systems in
accordance with a non-
limiting example of the present invention;
Figure 12 shows the graphical user interface of Figure 8 in which the
dashboard interface includes
component-specific error indicators for customers' bathing unit systems in
accordance with a non-
limiting example of implementation of the invention;
Figure 13 shows the graphical user interface of Figure 8 in which information
conveying one or
.. more replacement parts available for purchase in an electronic marketplace
is displayed and in
which a user-operable actuator is provided to initiate a purchasing process in
accordance with the
a non-limiting example of implementation of the invention;
Figure 14 shows a flow diagram of a method, implemented by a technician
personal computing
device, for presenting options for purchasing parts or components for
centrally controlled and
monitored network-enabled bathing unit systems, according to a non-limiting
example of the
present invention;
Figure 15 shows a non-limiting example of a settings interface for the
dashboard depicted in Figure
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8 in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 16 shows a non-limiting example of a customer invitation interface for
the dashboard
depicted in Figure 8 in accordance with the present invention;
5
Figure 17 shows the dashboard interface depicted in Figure 8 updated in
response to a user initiated
transmittal of a customer invitation to include a display of an entry for a
newly invited customer
spa for which a request remote control and monitoring is awaiting
authorization in accordance
with a non-limiting example of the present invention;
Figure 18 shows a non-limiting example of a graphical user interface for a
customer remote control
client showing a customer home page interface for controlling and monitoring a
bathing unit
system owned and operated by a customer in accordance with a non-limiting
example of the
present invention;
Figure 19 shows a non-limiting example of a settings interface for the
customer home page
interface depicted in Figure 18 in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 20 shows a non-limiting example of a customer invitation response
interface for the
customer home page interface depicted in Figure 18 in accordance with the
present invention;
Figure 21 shows the dashboard interface depicted in Figure 17 updated to
include operational
status indicators for the newly invited customer spa subsequent to receipt of
a customer
authorization for remote control and monitoring in accordance with a non-
limiting example of the
present invention;
Figure 22 shows a flow diagram of a method, implemented by a technician
personal computing
device, for adding a new customer to a listing of bathing unit systems owned
and operated by
different customers, according to a non-limiting example of the present
invention;
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Figure 23 shows a flow diagram of a method, implemented at a network server,
for adding a new
customer to a listing of bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers, according
to a non-limiting example of the present invention;
Figure 24 shows a flow diagram of a method, implemented by a customer
computing device, for
facilitating monitoring and/or maintenance of a network-enabled bathing unit
system owned and
operated by a customer, according to a non-limiting example of the present
invention;
Figure 25 shows a flow diagram of a method implemented by a technician
computing device for
receiving and managing a customer request for service according to a non-
limiting example of the
present invention;
Figure 26 shows a non-limiting example of the dashboard depicted in Figure 21
adapted to present
communication options for contacting a customer that has issued a service
request;
Figure 27 shows a flow diagram of a method for presenting status information
and options for
purchase at a customer personal computing device, according to a non-limiting
example of the
present invention;
Figure 28 shows a non-limiting example of a graphical user interface for a
technician remote
control client showing a customer home page interface for controlling and
monitoring a bathing
unit system owned and operated by a customer that has authorized the
technician to remotely
control and monitor the bathing unit system in accordance with the present
invention;
Figure 29 shows a non-limiting example of a graphical user interface for a
technician remote
control client showing a customer bathing unit system state interface for
monitoring one or more
operational states of a customer's bathing unit system in accordance with the
present invention;
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27
Figure 30 shows a non-limiting example of a graphical user interface for a
technician remote
control client showing a customer bathing unit system control interface for
controlling operational
settings of one or more components of a customer's bathing unit system in
accordance with the
present invention; and
Figure 31 shows a non-limiting example of a graphical user interface for a
technician remote
control client showing a customer bathing unit system reminder interface
conveying one or more
maintenance reminders for a customer's bathing unit system in accordance with
the present
invention.
In the drawings, the embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of
examples. It is to be
expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the
purpose of illustration and
are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the
limits of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Specific examples of implementation of the invention will now be described
with reference to the
Figures.
The description below is directed to a specific implementation of the
invention in the context of
the control and monitoring of bathing unit systems. It is to be understood
that the terms "bathing
system" or "bathing unit system", as used for the purposes of the present
description, are used
interchangeably and refer to spas, whirlpools, hot tubs, bathtubs, therapeutic
baths, swimming
pools and any other type of bathing unit that can be equipped with a control
system for controlling
various operational settings of the bathing unit components.
Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of a bathing system 10 in accordance with
a non-limiting
example of implementation of the present invention. The bathing system 10
includes a water
receptacle 18 for holding water, a plurality of jets 20, a set of drains 22
and a network-enabled
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28
controller 24. In the specific embodiment shown in Figure 1, the bathing
system 10 further
includes a set of bathing unit components comprising a heating module 30, two
water pumps 11
and 13, a filter 26 and an air blower 28. It should be understood that the
bathing system 10 could
include more or less bathing unit components without departing from the spirit
of the invention.
For example, although not shown in Figure 1, the bathing system 10 could
include an ozonator, a
lighting system for lighting up the water in the receptacle 18, multimedia
devices such as an MP3
player, a CD/DVD player as well as any other suitable device.
In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the network-enabled controller 24
includes a spa
functionality controller 34 for controlling the set of bathing unit components
11, 13, 26, 28, 30
and a network processing unit 40 for coordinating interactions between the spa
controller and
external devices. It is to be appreciated that although in the embodiment
illustrated in Figure 1,
the spa functionality controller 34 and the network processing unit 40 are
shown as two distinct
components of the network-enabled controller 24, they may in alternate
examples of
implementation be implemented by a same physical processor and be part of the
same physical
device. The spa functionality controller 34 communicates with a user control
panel 31, which
enables a user to enter user commands for the spa functionality controller 34.
In a specific
embodiment, the user control panel 31 comprises a display screen and a user
input device (which
can also be referred to as a user operable input). The user input device could
include a trackball,
mouse, gyroscope remote (which senses movement of the device in the air so as
to move a cursor),
a keypad, a touch sensitive screen, turn-dials, turn-and-push dials (such as
idrive from BMW), a
stylus pen or a microphone, among other possibilities. The user input device
can include one or a
combination of any or all of the above input devices.
.. The user control panel 31 provides an interface that allows a user to enter
commands for causing
the controller 34 to control the various operational settings of the bathing
unit components 11, 13,
26, 28, 30. Some non-limiting examples of operational settings include
temperature control
settings, jet control settings, and lighting settings, among other
possibilities. In a non-limiting
embodiment where the bathing unit is connected to entertainment and/or
multimedia modules, the
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operational settings of the bathing unit may also include audio settings and
video settings, amongst
others. Consequently, the expression "operational settings", for the purpose
of the present
invention, is intended to cover operational settings for any suitable bathing
unit component or
components that can be operated by a user of the bathing system.
In normal operation, water flows from the bathing unit receptacle 18, through
the drains 22 and is
pumped by water pump 13 through the heating module 30 where the water is
heated. The heated
water then leaves the heating module 30 and re-enters the bathing unit
receptacle 18 through jets
20. In addition, water flows from the bathing unit receptacle 18, through
different drains 22 and
is pumped by water pump 11 through filter 26. The filtered water then re-
enters the bathing unit
receptacle 18 through different jets 20. Water can flow through these two
cycles continuously
while the bathing system 10 is in operation. Optionally, water can also flow
from the bathing unit
receptacle 18 through one or more drains 22 to an air blower 28 that is
operative for delivering air
bubbles to water that re-enters the bathing unit receptacle 18 through jets
20.
The network-enabled controller 24 receives electrical power from an electric
power source 36 that
is connected thereto via service wiring 51. The power source 36 supplies the
network-enabled
controller 24 with any conventional power service suitable for residential or
commercial use. In a
non-limiting implementation, the power source 36 can supply 240 volts (V) AC
to the network-
enabled controller 24 via service wiring 51. In an alternative non-limiting
implementation, the
power source 36 can supply 120 volts (V) AC to the network-enabled controller
24 via service
wiring 51. In yet a further alternative non-limiting implementation, the power
source 36 can supply
120 Volts and 240 Volts AC to the network-enabled controller 24 via service
wiring 51. It is to
be appreciated that other voltage supply values or voltage supply
combinations, for example
depending on geographical location, are possible without detracting from the
spirit and scope of
the invention. In a non-limiting implementation, the service wiring 51 is
passed through a ground
fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) that is adapted for tripping in the presence
of a current leakage to
the ground. The ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) provides an added
safety measure to the
bathing system.
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The spa functionality controller 34 is configured for controlling the
distribution of power supplied
to the various bathing unit components 11, 13, 26, 28, 30 in order to cause
desired operational
settings to be implemented on the basis of program instructions and signals
received from the user
5 control panel 31 or from a device external to the system 10 through the
network processing unit
40. The spa functionality controller 34 may also receive control signals from
various sensors 71
in order to cause the desired operational settings to be implemented. Manners
in which the spa
functionality controller 34 can be used to control the individual bathing unit
components of the
bathing system, such as for example the jets 20, the drains 22, the heating
module 30, the water
10 pumps 11 and 13, the filter 26, the air blower 24, a valve jet sequencer
for massage, a variable
speed pump with a pre-programmed massage setting, a water fall, an aroma
therapy device and an
atomizer, as well as any lighting and multimedia components, are well known in
the art and are
not critical to the invention and as such will not be described in further
detail here.
15 A mentioned above, and as depicted in Figure 1, the network-enabled
controller 24 includes a
network processing unit 40 for coordinating interactions between the spa
functionality controller
34 and external devices. The network processing unit 40 is in communication
with a memory unit
42 and a network interface 68. The network interface 68 may be of any suitable
type known in
the art including a wireless interface and wired interface. In a non-limiting
implementation, the
20 network interface 68 includes a wireless antennae suitable transmitting
signal in a WiFi network.
It is however to be understood that any suitable network interface, including
for example but
without being limited to a cellular interface, power line transmission and low
power long range
transmission (ex: LoRa, Sigfox), may be used in alternate embodiments. The
memory unit 42
stores program instructions for execution by the network processing unit 40
for coordinating
25 interactions between spa functionality controller 34 and external
devices (not show in Figure 1).
The memory unit 42 stores program instructions and data for use by the network
processing unit
40. The data stored in the memory 42 includes, amongst others, information
conveying
operational settings associated with components in the bathing unit. For
example, the operational
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31
settings may include temperature control settings, jet control settings, and
lighting settings, among
other possibilities. The memory 42 may also store water temperature
information conveying water
temperature measurements for water in the bathing system. The program
instructions stored in
the memory unit 42 when executed by the network processing unit 40 provide
network related
functionality which will be described in greater detail in the present
application.
In specific practical implementations, different suitable types of network
connections may be used
in in the context of providing remote control and monitoring capability for
the bathing system
depicted in Figure 1. In this regard, various practical mechanisms have been
proposed. For
additional information, the reader may refer for example to U.S. patent
application publication no.
.. US2013-0166965-A 1 published on June 28, 2013 and to U.S. patent No.
7,292,898 issued on
November 6, 2007.
In the present document, one specific type of network architecture will be
described for the
purpose of illustrating a specific embodiment. It is however to be expressly
understood that, while
an example is described, any suitable practical mechanism for providing a
network connection in
the context of providing features of the invention may be used in alternate
embodiments.
As such, in a specific practical example of implementation, the network-
enabled controller 24 is
used to facilitate the remote control and monitoring of the bathing system
depicted in Figure 1 in
the context of a system of the type shown in Figure 2. A depicted, the system
includes the
network-enabled controller 24, a router 220, an Internet accessible server 230
implementing a
gateway, and a customer personal computing device 1200 implementing a customer
remote
control client 250. In a non-limiting example the system establishes a TCP or
UDP socket type
connection between the network-enabled controller 24 and the customer personal
computing
device 1200 implementing a customer remote control client 250 through the
Internet accessible
server 230. In this manner, the network-enabled controller 24 and the customer
personal
computing device 1200 implementing a customer remote control client 250 can
communicate with
one another through the Internet accessible server 230 while one or both are
in respective private
networks. A "Keepalive" type communication can be used in case of an
asymmetric network in
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order to maintain an active communication link between the network-enabled
controller 24 and
the Internet accessible server 230 and, optionally, between the customer
remote control client 250
and the Internet accessible server 230.
More specifically, in use, the network-enabled controller 24 is in
communication with the router
220.
The router 220 includes the necessary functionality for establishing a private
(home) network 210
to which different network-enabled devices can connect. Amongst others, the
router 220 is
configured for assigning to each connected device on the private (home)
network 210 a respective
private network address that is used for communicating with the router and
other devices within
the network 210. In the example depicted in Figure 2, the private (home)
network 210 established
by router 220 is shown as having three networked devices connected thereto
including the
network-enabled controller 24, a desktop computer 80 and a set top box 82. It
is to be appreciated
that the devices other than the network-enabled controller 24 have been shown
in Figure 2 for the
purpose of illustration only and that additional or fewer devices may be
connected to the private
(home) network 210 along with the network-enabled controller 24.
As mentioned, the router 220 is configured to assign to each device a
respective private network
address that is used within the network 210. The router 220 also acts as an
interface for
communications between devices within the private (home) network 210 and
devices residing on
networks outside the private (home) network 210. In connection with such
communications, the
router 220 implements a network address translator (NAT) mechanism whereby the
private
network addresses of the devices in the private (home) network 210 are mapped
to one public
1P/Internet address. The public IP/Internet address will typically be assigned
by an Internet service
provider. There are different types of NATs that can be implemented by the
router such
asymmetric Cone, Symmetric Cone, or completely asymmetric. Routers suitable
for establishing
private (home) networks which provide Network Address Translation (NAT)
capabilities are
known in the art and will therefore not be described in further detail here.
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In use, the network-enabled controller 24 is also in communication with the
Internet accessible
server 230, which implements a gateway. The server 230 is associated with a
public IP/Internet
address and is accessible by the network-enabled controller 24 over the public
Internet.
When the network enabled controller 24 establishes a communication with the
server 230 through
the router 220, the server is programmed for processing that communication to
obtain a public
network address associated with the network-enabled controller 24. This public
network address
can then be sent back to the network-enabled controller 24 so that the network-
enabled controller
24 is made aware of the public network address that it is using. In a specific
example, the public
network address associated with the network-enabled controller 24 includes an
IP address
component associated with the home router 220 and a port identifier component
associated with
the network-enabled controller 24, wherein the port identifier component was
assigned by router
220. Different methods for obtaining the public network address may be used.
In a specific
practical implementation, the server 230 implements a STUN protocol to obtain
the public
network address associated with the network-enabled controller 24, wherein the
network-enabled
controller 24 implements a client portion of the STUN protocol. STUN is an
acronym for
referring to a Simple traversal of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) through
Network address
translators (NATs). A STUN protocol allows applications operating through a
Network address
translator (NAT) to discover the presence of a network address translator and
to obtain the mapped
(public) IP address (NAT address) and port number that the NAT has allocated
for the application's
User Datagram Protocol (UDP) connections to remote hosts. STUN techniques have
been used in
connection with IP telephony (VolP) for establishing communication links
between two secured
devices behind respective NATs. The specific manner in which a STUN protocol
is implemented
may vary from one implementation to the next and is not critical to the
present application and
therefore will not be described in further detail here. Other techniques for
obtaining the public
network address associated with the network-enabled controller 24 may also be
used in alternative
examples of implementation for example Traversal Using Relay NAT (TURN) and
Interactive
Connectivity Establishment (ICE) could be used. For the purpose of simplicity,
the examples
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presented in the present application will consider the case where a STUN
protocol is used by the
server 230.
Figure 3 shows a functional block diagram of the server 230 in accordance with
a non-limiting
example of the present invention. As shown, the server 230 includes a
processor 600 and memory
unit 602 connected by a communication bus. The memory unit 602 includes data
608 and program
instructions 610. The processor 600 is operative for processing program
instructions 610 and data
608 stored in the memory unit 602 for implementing the functionality of the
server 230. The
server 230 also includes one or more I/0 interfaces 604 for communicating with
external devices
including one or more network-enabled spa controllers, such as network-enabled
spa controller
24, and one or more devices implementing remote control clients, such as
customer personal
computing device 1200 implementing customer remote control client 250 and
technician personal
computing device 1300 implementing technician remote control client 350. It is
to be appreciated
that although the server 230 has been depicted as a single physical device
with a single processor
in Figure 3, in practical implementations server 230 may be implemented by a
single physical
device with one or more processors or by multiple physical devices each having
one or more
processors. In the case were the server is implemented by multiple devices,
the latter may reside
in a same location or in different locations.
In use through the server 230, in the system depicted in Figure 2, the network-
enabled controller
24 also enters in communication with the customer personal computing device
1200 implementing
the customer remote control client 250 and the technician personal computing
device 1300
implementing technician remote control client 350.
The customer remote control client 250 that is implemented on the customer
personal computing
device 1200 and the technician remote control client 350 that is implemented
on technician
personal computing device 1300 provide users with remote access to the network-
enabled
controller 24 of the bathing system 10. More specifically, the customer
personal computing device
1200 and the technician personal computing device 1300 communicate with the
network-enabled
controller 24 through the server 230 to transmit data based on information
entered by the users via
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the customer remote control client 250 or the technician remote control client
350. In this manner,
for example, a customer or a technician may provide commands to the network-
enabled controller
24 in order to activate and/or modify the operational settings of the bathing
unit components
without actually having to be in proximity to the bathing unit system 10. For
example, a customer
5 or technician may be able to initiate activation of one or more bathing
unit components (e.g.
activate a pump, jet, heater, lights or other), and/or adjust the operational
settings of the one or
more bathing unit components (e.g. such as set a water temperature or an
ambience setting), while
the customer is travelling home from work, such that the bathing system 10 is
ready for the
customer by the time the customer gets home. Similarly, a technician may be
able to provide a
10 command to remotely initiate or activate one or more bathing unit
component(s) for
diagnostic/troubleshooting purposes.
Figure 4 shows a functional block diagram of the customer personal computing
device 1200 in
15 .. accordance with a non-limiting example of the present invention. As
shown, the customer
personal computing device 1200 includes a processor 1208 and memory unit 1210
connected by
a communication bus. The memory unit 1210 includes data 1212 and program
instructions 1214.
The processor 1208 is operative for processing program instructions 1214 and
data 1212 stored in
the memory unit 1210 for implementing the functionality of the customer remote
control client
20 250. The customer personal computing device 1200 also includes one or
more I/0 interfaces 1216
for communicating with external devices including but not limited to a display
screen and one or
more user operable inputs. The customer personal computing device 1200 also
includes a network
interface module 1218 for exchanging signals with external devices including
the Internet-based
server 230.
Figure 5 shows a functional block diagram of the technician personal computing
device 1300 in
accordance with a non-limiting example of the present invention. As shown, the
technician
personal computing device 1300 includes a processor 1308 and memory unit 1310
connected by
a communication bus. The memory unit 1310 includes data 1312 and program
instructions 1314.
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The processor 1308 is operative for processing program instructions 1314 and
data 1312 stored in
the memory unit 1310 for implementing the functionality of the technician
remote control client
350. The technician personal computing device 1300 also includes one or more
1/0 interfaces
1316 for communicating with external devices including but not limited to a
display screen and
one or more user operable inputs. The technician personal computing device
1300 also includes
a network interface module 1318 for exchanging signals with external devices
including the
Internet-based server 230.
In practical implementations, the customer personal computing device 1200 and
the technician
personal computing device 1300 may be embodied as any suitable type of
computing device
known in the art. For example, the customer and technician personal computing
devices 1200 and
1300 may be a personal computer such as a desktop or laptop computer, or they
may be a portable
hand-held computing device, such as a PDA, a cell phone, a smart phone (such
as a Blackberry'
or an iPhone"), or a web-enabled computing device (such as an iTouchTm, iPadTm
or computer
Tablet), among other possibilities.
The customer remote control client 250 implemented by the customer personal
computing device
1200 and the technician remote control client 350 implemented by the
technician personal
computing device 1300 provide, amongst others, spa control and monitoring
functionality. The
spa control and monitoring functionality enables a user to provide commands or
other information
in connection with the control of a bathing unit system, such as the bathing
unit system 10 shown
in Figure 1, as well as to request status information in connection with the
bathing unit system.
Amongst others, the customer remote control client 250 and the technician
remote control client
350 implement respective user interfaces that can be displayed on display
screens of the customer
personal computing device 1200 or the technician personal computing device
1300, respectively.
In a specific implementation, the customer personal computing device 1200 and
the technician
personal computing device 1300, each include a user input device (which can
also be referred to
as user operable controls) and a display screen. The display screen is
operative for displaying a
graphical user interface (GUI) to a user that provides the user with
information regarding the
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bathing system and enables the user to input commands for controlling various
bathing unit
components of the bathing system. Amongst others, the user can input commands
affecting the
spa water temperature, the operation of the jets, the operation of the lights
and any other spa
components in the bathing unit system. In accordance with a non-limiting
example, the GUI may
be configured such as to allow a user to navigate through the GUI via the user
input device in
order to access desired information, enter commands and/or provide desired
inputs for adjusting
and activating the operational settings of the bathing unit components. In a
specific
implementation, the customer remote control client 250 and the technician
remote control client
350 implement functionality for exchanging messages with the network-enabled
controller 24
(shown in Figures 1 and 2). As part of this functionality, the GUIs
implemented by the customer
personal computing device 1200 and the technician personal computing device
1300 may be
configured for visually conveying operational settings information associated
with the bathing
system associated with the network-enabled spa controller 24 at least in part
based on the messages
exchanged with the network-enabled controller 24, the operational settings
information associated
with the bathing system including water temperature settings associated with
the bathing system.
The particular spa control and monitoring functionality provided by the
customer remote control
client 250 may vary from one implementation to the other and is not critical
to the present
application and as such will not be described in greater detail here. For
greater information on the
type of spa control and monitoring functionality that can be provided through
customer remote
control client 250 executed by the customer personal computing device 1200 and
the technician
remote control client 350 executed by the technician personal computing device
1300, the reader
is invited to refer to the following co-pending U.S. patent applications:
- U.S. Patent Applicant no. 12/916,160, filed on October 29, 2010, entitled "A
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A BATHING SYSTEM IN
ACCORDANCE WITH AN ENERGY SAVINGS MODE", by Benoit Laflamme et
al.; and
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- U.S. Patent Applicant no. 12/910,615, filed on October 22, 2010, entitled "A
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING AMBIANCE SETTINGS IN A
BATHING SYSTEM", by Benoit Laflamme et al.; and
- U.S. Patent Applicant no. 13/336,513, filed on December 23, 2011, entitled
"A
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING REMOTE MONITORING AND
CONTROL OF A BATHING SYSTEM", by Christian Brochu et al.
The customer remote control client 250 implemented by the customer personal
computing device
1200 and the technician remote control client 350 implemented by the
technician personal
computing device 1300 may also implement remote connectivity functionality for
establishing a
communication link with the network-enabled controller 24 through the router
220.
In the example depicted in Figure 2, customer personal computing device 1200
and technician
personal computing device 1300 have been shown as being part of a public
(Internet) network. It
is noted that in cases where the remote control client is on a public
(Internet) network, no NAT
traversal protocol is required since the public address is already known.
Although customer
personal computing device 1200 and technician personal computing device 1300
have been shown
in Figure 2 as being part of a public (Internet) network, in alternative
embodiments the customer
personal computing device 1200 and/or the technician personal computing device
1300 may be
located in a private network distinct from private network 210 and may be
connected to the public
Internet via a router implementing a network address translator (NAT)
protocol.
In implementations in which the communication relationship to be established
between the
customer remote control client 250 and the network-enabled spa controller 24,
and between the
technician remote control client 350 and the network-enabled spa controller
24, through the server
230 are client-server relationships in which the customer remote control
client 250 and the
technician remote control client 350 behave as "clients" and issue requests to
the network-enabled
spa controller 24 and in which the network-enabled spa controller 24 behaves
as the "server" and
replies to these requests, no NAT traversal protocol on the side of the
customer remote control
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client 250 or the technician remote control client 350 is required since each
exchange between the
remote control clients 250 and 350 and the network-enabled spa controller 24
is initiated by the
customer remote control client 250 or the technician remote control client
350. In alternate
implementations in which it is desirable for the remote control client 250 and
350 and the network-
enabled spa controller 24 to establish a peer-to-peer communication
relationship, in which any
one of the network-enabled spa controller 24, the customer remote control
client 250, and the
technician remote control client 350 can initiate a communication, a NAT
traversal protocol such
as STUN may also be applied by the server to the remote control clients 250
and 350 in order to
determine the public network addresses of the remote control clients.
For the purpose of simplicity, the present description will consider a
situation in which a NAT
traversal protocol on the side of the remote control clients 250 and 350 is
not required. In light of
the present description, it will become readily apparent to the person skilled
in the art how a NAT
traversal protocol could be applied in connection with the remote control
clients 250 and 350 and
as such no further details will be provided here.
In practical implementations of the remote control and monitoring system
depicted in Figure 2,
the server 230 will be configured for interconnecting a plurality of network
enabled controllers,
such as network enabled controller 24, with a plurality of personal computing
devices executing
remote control clients, such as personal computing device 1200 and remote
control client 250.
Figure 6 of the drawings is a block diagram of a system 500 including the
server 230 for enabling
control and monitoring of network-enabled controllers for bathing units by
remote control clients
that include both customer remote control clients and technician remote
control clients. As shown,
the system 500 includes a plurality of network enabled spa controllers 24.1 to
24.k (#1 to #K), a
plurality of customer personal computing devices 1200.1 to 1200.X running
customer remote
control clients 250.1 to 250.X (#1 to #X), and a plurality of technician
personal computing devices
1300.1 and 1300.2 (in the example two are shown) running technician remote
control clients 350.1
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and 350.2, which can communicate with one another over the public Internet
using communication
links established through server 230.
In some implementations, the system 500 may also include an electronic
marketplace 240 through
5 which technicians and/or customers may purchase accessories, replacement
components or part
thereof, for a bathing unit system. As will be discussed in further detail
later on, such purchases
may be made by a technician via the technician remote control client 350
executing on the
technician's personal computing device 1300, or by a customer via the customer
remote control
client 250 executing on the customer's personal computing device 1200 or via a
similar customer
10 control client 250 executing on a network-enabled controller 24 that is
part of a customer's bathing
unit system.
Each one of network enabled spa controllers 24.1 to 24.k (#1 to #K) may be
analogous to network
enabled spa controller 24, described above with reference to Figure 2, and is
part of a respective
15 private network established by a corresponding router. Each one of
private network 210.1 to 210.k
(#1 to #K) may be analogous to private (home) network 210 described previously
with reference
to Figure 2 and each one of router 220.1 to 220.k ( #1 to #K) is analogous to
router (NAT) 220
also described previously with reference to Figure 2. Similarly each one of
customer personal
computing devices 1200.1 to 1200.X running customer remote control clients
250.1 to 250.X (#1
20 to #X) may be analogous to personal computing device 1200 running
customer remote control
client 250 described previously with reference to Figure 4. Similarly each one
of technician
personal computing devices 1300.1 and 1300.2 running remote control clients
350.1 and 350.2
may be analogous to technician personal computing device 1300 running
technician remote
control client 350 described previously with reference to Figure 5. It is
noted that a specific remote
25 control client (say customer remote control client 250.1 or technician
remote control client 350.1)
may exchange messages with one or more network-enabled controllers, for
example network-
enabled controllers 24.1 and 24.2. Similarly, a specific network-enabled
controller, say network-
enabled controller 24.1, may exchange messages with one or more remote control
clients, say for
example customer remote control client 250.1 and technician remote control
client 350.1.
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In a specific non-limiting example of implementation, the server 230 maintains
active
communications links with the network enabled spa controllers 24.1 to 24.k (#1
to #K). In a first
implementation, active communication links may also be maintained between the
server 230 and
each of the customer personal computing devices 1200.1 to 1200.X and the
technician personal
computing devices 1300.1 and 1300.2. Alternatively, the communication links
between the server
230 and a given one of the personal computing devices 1200.1 to 1200.X, 1300.1
and 1300.2 may
be established when the personal computing device wishes to send a message to
a designated one
of the network enabled spa controllers 24.1 to 24.k (#1 to #K) and destroyed
once a reply is
received and/or the communication link remains unused for a period of time
exceeding a certain
delay. It is to be appreciated that the specific practical manner in which
communication links are
established may vary between implementations as will become apparent to person
skilled in the
art.
The server 230 in the system of Figure 6 may implement various processes in
connection with
enabling control and monitoring of network-enabled controllers for bathing
units by remote
control clients. As mentioned with reference to Figure 3 showing a functional
block diagram of
the server 230, the server 230 includes a processor 600 and memory unit 602
connected by a
communication bus. In a system of the type depicted in Figure 6, the memory
unit 602 may store
an address-translation table allowing mapping information associated with
different registered
network enabled spa controllers 24.1 to 24.k (#1 to #K) in the system 500 to
information associated
with respective personal computing devices 1200.1 to 1200.X, 1300.1 and
1300.2.
Figure 7 shows a conceptual illustration of an address-translation table that
may be stored in
memory 602 of server 230 in accordance with a non-limiting implementation. In
the example
illustrated, the table includes a plurality of entries 750 each of which is
associated with a respective
registered network-enabled controller with which a communication link is being
maintained. Each
registered network-enabled controller may be associated with identification
information (e.g. a
MAC address) 752, a public IP address 754, a public port 756 and information
associated with
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one or more personal computing devices. The information associated with one or
more personal
computing devices may include permissions settings associated with certain
personal computing
devices 758, the personal computing device(s) currently linked with a specific
network-enabled
controller 760 as well as the public IP address 762 and public port (not shown
in the Figures) of
the personal computing device linked with the network-enabled controller.
For example, as shown in Figure 7, the customer who owns and operates the
bathing unit system
corresponding to Spa Controller IDs "Roberts SPA", has registered a customer
personal
computing device identified as "Roberts ¨ Mobile Device" implementing a
customer remote
control client to remotely control and monitor his respective bathing unit
system. This customer
has also authorized a technician associated with a technician personal
computing device identified
as "Technician #1 Mobile Device" implementing a technician remote control
client to remotely
control and monitor his bathing unit system. Also shown in Figure 7, the
customer owns and
operates the bathing unit system corresponding to Spa Controller Ds "MAC
Address", has
registered customer personal computing device identified as "Anna's Tablet" to
remotely control
and monitor her bathing unit system. This customer has also authorized the
technician associated
with the technician personal computing device identified as "Technician #1
Mobile Device" to
remotely control and monitor his bathing unit system.
Technician personal computing device 1300'
Figure 8 is a specific example of a technician personal computing device 1300'
implementing a
technician remote control client suitable for use in connection with the
system shown in Figure 6
in accordance with a non-limiting example of the present invention. The
technician personal
computing device 1300' is in the form of a smart phone having a display screen
1400. The
personal computing device 1300' executes program instructions implementing a
technician
remote control client including a graphical user interface (GUI) which is
displayed on the display
screen 1400 presenting dashboard interface to enable a bathing unit system
service technician or
a service technician team to centrally control and monitor multiple remote
network-enabled
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bathing unit systems that may be owned and operated by different customers. In
this non-limiting
example, the program instructions implementing the technician remote control
client are part of a
software application that can be downloaded to the personal computing device
1300' from an
Internet accessible server according to suitable known methods.
The GUI depicted in Figure 8 is configured to present a listing 1402 of
bathing unit systems
including a plurality of entries associated with respective bathing unit
systems that may be owned
and operated by different customers. In this specific example, each entry in
the listing 1402
corresponds to a respective bathing unit and includes identification
information 1404 and
operational status indicators 1406. In this specific example, the
identification information 1404
includes customer identification information 1408 and bathing unit system
identification
information 1410. The operational status indicators 1406 for a given entry in
the listing convey
operational status information related to the corresponding bathing unit
system. Different types
of operational status information, and different manners of conveying it, may
be contemplated in
different implementations. In addition, different types of information may
also be conveyed. In
the specific example depicted in Figure 8, the operational status indicators
1406 include a color-
coded operational status indicator 1412 and a network connection status
indicator 1414.
Figure 9 shows non-limiting examples of the codes that may be used for
operational status
indicators 1407 that include a set of color-coded operational status
indicators 1413 and a set of
network connection status indicators 1415 for bathing unit systems in
accordance with the present
invention. For a specific bathing unit corresponding to an entry in the
listing 1402 of bathing unit
systems, the selection of a specific color-coded operational status indicator
from the set of color-
coded operational status indicators 1413 may be performed at least in part by
processing data
conveying operational status information received at the computing device
1300' from the server
230 shown in Figure 6. In the specific example depicted, the network
connection status indicators
1415 convey an indication of the signal strength on a wireless link between a
bathing unit system
controller and a router, such as the signal strength on a wireless link
between the network enabled
spa controller 24 and the Router 220 shown in Figure 2.
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Figure 10 shows a flow diagram of a method for facilitating centralized
control and monitoring of
remote network-enabled bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers,
according to an example of implementation. In this specific example, the
method is implemented
on a computing device. For example, the computing device may be executing
program
instructions implementing a technician remote control client including a GUI
which is displayed
on a display screen of the computing device. As shown at step 2402, the
computing device is
directed to implement a GUI configured for presenting a listing of bathing
unit systems including
a plurality of entries associated with respective bathing unit systems owned
and operated by
different customers. At 2404, the computing device directs the GUI to display
operational status
indicators associated with at least some of the bathing unit systems presented
in the listing of
bathing unit systems, wherein the operational status indicators convey
operational status
information. At 2406, the computing device receives data conveying updated
operational status
information pertaining to one or more of the bathing unit systems in the
listing of bathing unit
systems. At 2408, the computing device dynamically adapts the GUI to display
updated
operational status indicators associated with the bathing unit systems
presented in the listing of
bathing unit systems.
The example operations of the method depicted in Figure 10 are illustrative of
a specific example
embodiment. Various ways to perform the illustrated operations, as well as
examples of other
operations that may be performed, are described herein. Further variations may
be or become
apparent in view of the present description. For example, operations that may
be included in some
embodiments are described later in the present document with reference to the
flow diagrams
shown in Figures 14, 22, and 25.
Referring again to Figure 8, the GUI may also include one or more user
operable controls 1420
for receiving user commands to change the appearance and/or content of the
listing 1402 of
bathing unit systems. In the specific example depicted, the user operable
controls 1420 include a
user operable filter control 1422, a user operable search control 1424 and a
user operable sort
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control 1426.
In this specific example, the user operable filter control 1422 is operable
for receiving user filter
commands for filtering the plurality of entries in the listing 1402 of bathing
unit systems according
5 to user-selectable filtering criteria. For example, responsive to user
selection of the user operable
filter control 1422 the GUI may be adaptively modified to present the user
with a set of selectable
filtering criteria for filtering the plurality of entries in the listing 1402
of bathing unit systems, for
example by listing selectable filtering criteria in the set in a drop down
menu (not shown in the
figures). In some implementations, in response to receiving a specific user
filter command
10 conveying selection of a specific filtering criterion, the displayed GUI
is dynamically adapted to
present a filtered version of the listing 1402 of bathing unit systems that
omits one or more entries
from the listing of bathing unit systems according to the specific filtering
criterion.
Some non-limiting examples of user-selectable filtering criteria that may be
presented for user
15 selection may include, within being limited to:
- bathing unit system identifiers, such as customer identification information
1408 and
bathing unit system identification information 1410;
- operational status indicators, such as color-coded operational status
indicators 1412 and
network connection status indicators 1414;
20 - a type of bathing unit system component identified as being in need of
servicing or
replacement;
- a distance to a current location of the personal computing device
1300' (for example, the
filtering criterion may allow omitting from the listing bathing units located
more than "X"
lun from the personal computing device 1300', where "X" may optionally be
specified by
25 the user or may be a pre-programmed value);
- maintenance service subscription classification; and
- a type, classification or model number associated with bathing unit
systems.
Figure 11 shows the dashboard interface depicted in Figure 8 adapted in
response to receipt of a
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46
user filter command conveying a selection of a specific filtering criterion to
present a filtered
version 1403 of the listing 1402 of bathing unit systems. In particular, shown
in Figure 11 is a
non-limiting example of the result of filtering of the list 1402 of bathing
unit systems shown in
Figure 8 based on an operational status indicator corresponding to the yellow
or "general error"
color-coded operational status indicator to generate a filtered version 1403
of the listing. As can
be seen in Figure 11, the plurality of entries in the filtered version 1403 of
bathing unit systems
omits one or more entries from the listing 1402 of bathing unit systems
according to the specific
filtering criterion conveyed by the specific user filter command.
Returning now to Figure 8, in accordance with some embodiments, the displayed
GUI may be
configured so that some of the displayed operational status indicators 1406,
such as for example
those conveying an error condition, may be user-selectable to view additional
information or to
initiate further diagnostic processes. For example, in some embodiments
general error indicators
may be independently selectable through the technician's GUI, for example
through a touch
sensitive screen or other suitable user input device, wherein in response to
receiving a user
selection for a specific one of the general error indicators associated with a
specific bathing unit
system, the GUI may be dynamically adapted to present a diagnostic interface
providing additional
information on the error condition for the specific bathing unit system
associated to the selected
specific one of the general error indicators.
It is to be appreciated that, while Figure 8 presented some specific types of
operational status
indicators 1406 in connection with entries in the listing 1402 of bathing unit
systems on the
technician's GUI, it is to be appreciated that other types of operational
status indicators 1406 may
also be contemplated to be included in the displayed either in addition to
those presented in Figure
8 or instead of those presented in Figure 8.
For example, Figure 12 shows the GUI of Figure 8 in which the dashboard
interface includes
component-specific error indicators 1416 for customers' bathing unit systems.
In this specific
example, the component-specific error indicator 1416 for the "Carl Lewis"
bathing unit indicates
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that a water filter component requires, or will soon require, replacement or
servicing. Other non-
limiting examples of potential component-specific error indicators may
include, without being
limited to, component-specific error indicators related to:
(1) a bathing unit system heater component or part thereof;
(2) a bathing unit system sanitizing component or part thereof;
(3) a filter; or
(4) a bathing unit system pump or part thereof; or
(5) an ozonator system; or
(6) a UV lamp.
In some embodiments, component-specific error indicators, such as the
component-specific error
indicators 1416 shown in Figure 12, may be independently selectable by a user
of the computing
device 1300', wherein the GUI is configured to receive a user selection
provided through a touch
sensitive screen or other suitable user input device, the user selection
specifying a specific
component-specific error indicator associated with an entry amongst the
plurality of entries
presented in the listing of bathing unit systems. In response to receipt of
the user selection
specifying the component-specific error indicator, the GUI may be dynamically
adapted to present
a diagnostic interface providing additional information for error condition.
For example, the
diagnostic interface may include information identifying one or more specific
components that
may be causing the error. Optionally, the diagnostic interface may also
displayed information on
one or more replacement parts that may be purchased to address the error
condition, either from a
store or from an electronic marketplace, such as the electronic marketplace
240 shown in Figure
6. The one or more replacement parts may be identified by processing the
information identifying
the one or more specific components that may be causing the error to derive
replacement parts
related the one or more specific components. The processing may be made with
reference to a
database of parts that may form part of the electronic market place 240 (shown
in Figure 6).
For example, in order to illustrate the above, if the error message indicates
that there is a flow
problem in the circulation system and identifies the filter as being a
potential cause of the error,
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the diagnostic interface may display one or more replacement filter options
that may be purchased.
In some embodiments, information identifying one or more replacement parts
available to address
the error condition for purchase in an electronic marketplace may be presented
on the GUI
proactively by the technician remote control client executing on the
technician personal computing
device 1300'. For example, the technician remote control client may process
the operational status
information associated with the plurality of customer bathing unit systems in
the listing to identify
a subset of the bathing unit systems that may be in need of replacing a
specific bathing unit system
component. The GUI displayed on the display screen 1400 of the personal
computing device
.. 1300' may in response be adapted to present an offer for purchasing one or
more units of the
specific bathing unit system component for the identified subset of the
bathing unit systems.
Advantageously, by identifying multiple customers that may be in need of
replacing a same
component and informing the technician, the technician may be enabled to be
(i) proactively
contacting these customers to perform respective service appointments; (ii)
order multiple
components at the same thereby potentially benefiting from volume discounts;
and (iii) order the
components before the customer service appointments to arrive ready at the
customer locations
and to avoid having to schedule follow-up appointments to replace the
component. As such, such
functionality may assist the service technician in providing an improved and
more proactive
service to his customers and to do so in a more efficient manner than what was
typically done in
the past.
Figure 13 shows a non-limiting example of a technician's dashboard interface
for a technician
remote control client showing an information notification 1432 conveying one
or more
replacement parts available for purchase in an electronic marketplace and
providing a user-
operable actuator 1434 to initiate a purchasing process for the one or more
parts from the electronic
marketplace in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 14 shows a flow diagram of a method for presenting options for
purchasing parts or
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components for centrally controlled and monitored network-enabled bathing unit
systems,
according to a non-limiting example of the present invention. In this specific
example, the method
is implemented on a computing device. For example, the computing device may be
executing
program instructions implementing a technician remote control client 350
including a GUI which
is displayed on a display screen of the computing device. In some embodiments,
the operations
depicted in Figure 14 may follow the process steps depicted in the non-
limiting example shown
in Figure 10, as indicated by "A" in the process depicted in Figure 10 and in
Figure 14.
As shown at step 2412 in Figure 14, the computing device processes operational
status information
associated with at least some systems in the plurality of bathing unit systems
in the listing to
identify at least a subset of the bathing unit systems in need of replacing a
specific bathing unit
system component. At 2414, the computing device adapts the GUI to display a
component-
specific error indicator in association with each bathing unit system
identified as being in need of
replacing the specific bathing unit system component. The GUI displaying the
component-
specific error indicators 1416 in Figure 12 is a non-limiting example of the
manner in which such
information may be conveyed to a user through the GUI.
At step 2416, the computing device adapts the GUI to present information
conveying one or more
options for purchasing one or more units of the specific bathing unit system
component for the
identified subset of the bathing unit systems. At 2418, which may be performed
concurrently with
or subsequent to step 2416, the GUI provides a user-operable actuator
configured to be responsive
to a user input to initiate a purchasing process. The display of the
information notification 1432
and the user-operable actuator 1434 in the GUI shown in Figure 13 is a non-
limiting example of
the operations that may be performed at steps 2416 and 2418.
At 2420, responsive to receiving user input via the user-operable actuator
(for example actuator
1434), the computing device is configured to initiates a purchasing process
for the one or more
units of the specific bathing unit system component. Any suitable known manner
of initiating a
purchasing process may be used to complete this step. The example operations
of the method
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depicted in Figure 14 are illustrative of a specific example embodiment.
Various ways to perform
the illustrated operations, as well as examples of other operations that may
be performed, are
described herein. Further variations may be or become apparent to the person
skilled in the art in
view of the present description.
5
In some embodiments, customer remote control clients, such as customer remote
control clients
250.x; 250.x-1; 250.1 and 250.2 (see Figure 6) may be configured to allow
customers to generate
service requests messages indicating that the customer has requested to be
contacted by a
technician. For example, such service request messages may be communicated
from a given
10 customer personal communication device 1200 to one or more technician
personal communication
devices 1300 via server 230 shown in Figure 6.
In a specific example, in response to receipt of such a service request
notification message at the
technician's personal computing device indicating that a specific customer
associated with a
15 specific bathing unit system in the listing 1402 of bathing unit systems
presented on the GUI
(shown in Figure 8) has requested to be contacted, the technician's GUI may be
dynamically
adapted to display a service request GUI element in association with a
specific entry in the listing
1402 of bathing unit systems associated with the specific bathing unit system
(not shown in Figure
8). In a non-limiting example, the service request GUI element may be
displayed in conjunction
20 with an operational status indicator in association with the specific
entry in the listing 1402 of
bathing unit systems associated with the specific bathing unit system on the
technician's
dashboard interface.
Optionally, the service request GUI element may be configured to be user-
selectable. In such an
25 implementation, in response to the user selection of the service request
GUI element, the GUI
displayed on the technician's personal computing device may be dynamically
adapted to present
the user one or more individually selectable communication options for
contacting the customer
and/or to present the user with a user-operable actuator to initiate a
communication process for
contacting the customer. Non-limiting examples of communication options that
may be presented
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to the user in such embodiments include e-mail, SMS message; chat message,
push notification,
video conference, text message, and telephone call.
In the specific examples of the technician personal computing device 1300'
depicted in Figures 8,
11, 12 and 13, the user operable search control 1424 may be configured for
receiving user search
commands for searching the plurality of entries in the listing 1402 of bathing
unit systems
according to one or more user-selectable searching criteria. For example,
responsive to a user
selection of the user operable search control 1424 through the personal
computing device 1300',
the GUI may be adaptively modified to present the user with a set of
independently selectable
searching criteria and/or for presenting a user editable interface for
allowing the user to enter
search term(s) for searching the plurality of entries in the listing 1402 of
bathing unit systems.
In the specific example depicted in the Figures, the user operable sort
control 1426 may configured
for receiving user sort commands for sorting the plurality of entries in the
listing 1402 of bathing
unit systems according to one or more user-selectable sorting criteria. For
example, responsive to
a user selection of the user operable sort control 1426 through the personal
computing device
1300', the GUI may be adaptively modified to present the user with a set of
independently
selectable sorting criteria for sorting the plurality of entries in the
listing 1402 of bathing unit
systems.
In some implementations, in response to receiving a specific user sort command
conveying a
specific sorting criterion, the GUI may be dynamically adapted to present a
sorted version of the
listing 1402 of bathing unit systems in which the plurality of entries are
arranged according to the
specific sorting criterion conveyed by the specific user sort command. Some
non-limiting
examples of user-selectable sorting criteria that may be presented for user
selection may include,
without being limited to:
(0 bathing unit system identifiers, such as customer identification
information 1408 and
bathing unit system identification information 1410. For example, the entries
may be
sorting alpha-numerically (ascending or descending) based on these identifiers
or
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identification information;
(ii) operational status indicators, such as color-coded operational status
indicators 1412
and network connection status indicators 1414. For example, this criteria may
allow
the listing 1402 of bathing unit systems to be presented in a ordered manner,
for
example by presenting entries with decreasing (or increasing) levels of
criticality on
the GUI;
(iii) a type of bathing unit system component identified as being in need of
servicing or
replacement;
(iv) distance to a current location of the personal computing device 1300'.
For example,
the sorting criterion may allow ordering the entries in the listing bathing
units based
on increasing (or decreasing) distance from the personal computing device
1300';
(v) maintenance service subscription classification; and
(vi) a type, classification or model number associated with bathing unit
systems.
As shown in the specific example depicted in Figure 8, the GUI may also
include a user operable
settings control 1430 operable for causing the GUI to be adaptively modified
to display a settings
interface for the GUI or "dashboard" implemented by the technician remote
control client
executing on the personal computing device 1300'.
Figure 15 shows a non-limiting example of a settings interface 1440 for the
dashboard depicted in
Figure 8 that may be displayed in response to receiving user selection of the
user operable settings
control 1430 in accordance with invention non-limiting implementation. Amongst
other user-
operable input objects, the settings interface 1440 as shown includes a user-
operable invitation
control 1442 configured to receive a user input identifying a specific
customer to generate an
invitation message to request permission to remotely control and monitor a
bathing unit system
associated with that specific customer. In use, this functionality allows the
user to identify a
specific (new) customer that is distinct from the customers that own and
operate the bathing unit
systems that are already in the listing 1402 of bathing unit systems. For
example, shown in Figure
16 is a non-limiting example of a user-operable input object 1450 that may be
displayed by
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personal computing device 1300' in response to user selection of the user-
operable invitation
control 1442 (shown in Figure 15). In this specific example, the user-operable
input object 1450
is configured to accept a user input in the form of alpha-numeric characters
identifying a specific
customer to generate an invitation message to request permission to remotely
control and monitor
a bathing unit system associated with the specific customer. For example, the
user input may
convey an email address that the specific customer used when registering a
personal computing
device 1200 implementing a customer remote control client 250 with server 230
shown in Figure
2.
In a specific example, responsive to receiving user input identifying a
specific customer via the
user-operable input object 1450 shown in Figure 16, the technician remote
control client
implemented by the personal computing device 1300' is programmed to transmit
an invitation
message from the technician computing device over a communication network in
order to request
permission from the specific customer. For example, the invitation message may
be transmitted
from the personal computing device 1300.2 of the technician to the server 230
shown in Figure 6,
which may then cause a message to be transmitted to a device associated with
the customer, in
order to notify the specific customer of the technician's invitation. The
device associated with the
customer may be any suitable device, including without being limited to, a
customer personal
computing device implementing a customer remote control client associated with
the specific
customer, such as for example customer personal computing device #1 1200.1
shown in Figure 6,
and/or to a topside control panel of the bathing unit system owned and
operated by the specific
customer.
In some implementations, once the personal computing device 1300' has
transmitted the invitation
message, the dashboard interface of the GUI displayed on the display screen
1400 of the personal
computing device 1300' of the technician may be dynamically modified to
display a new entry in
the listing 1402 for the newly invited bathing unit system. For example, shown
in Figure 17 is a
non-limiting example of the dashboard interface depicted in Figure 8 updated
to include a new
entry 1401 for a newly invited customer bathing unit system owned and operated
by a customer
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identified as "Caroline Touch" according to the customer identification
information 1408 provided
as part of the new entry 1401. In this specific example, the newly invited
customer is identified
as having not yet authorized the technician associated with personal computing
device 1300' to
remotely control and monitor their bathing unit system. As such, as depicted,
rather than
displaying the bathing unit system identifier information, the newly created
entry 1401 includes
the invitation status notification message "Waiting Authorization" as
indicated at 1411 in Figure
17.
Customer personal computing device 1200'
The following section will describe some functionality, GUI and processes that
may be
implemented at the customer computing device 1200' and in some cases the
technician computing
device 1300' described in the preceding section for facilitating centralized
control and monitoring
over a network of bathing unit system.
A non-limiting example of an invitation notification, review and authorization
process viewed
from the perspective of a customer personal computing device 1200' will now be
described with
reference to Figures 18 to 20.
In specific practical implementations, the customer personal computing device
may be a personal
computing device of a customer, such as a smartphone, tablet or personal
computer, or the
computing device may be installed as part of the network enabled controller of
the customer's
bathing unit system, such as for example a top-side control panel.
Figure 18 is a specific example of a customer personal computing device 1200'
implementing a
customer remote control client suitable for use in connection with the system
shown in Figure 6
in accordance with a specific practical implementation. The customer personal
computing device
1200' may be any one of customer personal computing device #1 1200.1, customer
personal
computing device #2 1200.2 ... customer personal computing device #X-1 1200.X-
1 and customer
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personal computing device #X 1200.X. As depicted in Figures 18 to 20, the
customer personal
computing device 1200' is in the form of a smart phone having a display screen
1500. The
personal computing device 1200' executes program instructions implementing a
customer remote
control client including a graphical user interface (GUI) which is displayed
on the display screen
5 1500 to enable the customer to control and monitor their network-enabled
bathing unit systems.
In addition to allowing the customer to control and monitor their network-
enabled bathing unit
systems, the program instructions implementing the GUI are configured to allow
the customer to
receive, review and respond to invitations for remote control and monitoring
originating from
bathing unit system service technicians or service technician teams.
In the non-limiting example depicted, the program instructions implementing
the customer remote
control client may be part of a software application that can be downloaded to
the personal
computing device 1200' from an Internet accessible server according to any
suitable known
method, for example through an "app store" (or app marketplace) other similar
type of digital
distribution platform for computer software. In the specific example depicted
in Figure 18, the
GUI is configured to present a customer home page interface for controlling
and monitoring a
bathing unit system owned and operated by the customer. The GUI includes
bathing unit system
identifier information1540 that identifies this display as being the home page
interface for the
bathing unit system the customer has identified as "Chalet". The GUI also
includes an operational
status indicator 1542 that in this specific example includes a color-coded
operational status
indicator icon within which a current water temperature of the bathing unit
system is displayed.
The GUI also includes user-operable controls 1544 for controlling settings of
various bathing unit
system accessories.
In the example depicted in the Figures, the user-operable controls 1544
include a first user-
operable control 1546 for a first pump, a second user-operable control 1548
for a second pump,
and a third user-operable control 1550 for a lighting module. It is to be
appreciated that additional
(or fewer) user-operable controls may be provided in alternate
implementations.
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The GUI may also include a message center 1552 that may convey information
pertaining to a
current status of the bathing unit system, such as "currently heating",
filtration cycle "on", error
etc., corresponding to the color of the operational status indicator 1542. In
some specific examples
such as the one depicted, the message center 1552 may be configured to include
a user operable
input object which, when selected, may cause the GUI to be dynamically
modified to display a
spa state interface that may provide additional information regarding the
state of the bathing unit
system and/or its components. The GUI may also include one or more user-
selectable menus
1553, which in this specific example include a water care menu 1554, a
reminders menu 1556 and
a settings menu 1558, each of which may also be independently
selectable/operable by the user to
present the user with different types of information.
In the specific example depicted, the GUI also includes a user-operable
account settings control
1530 configured for causing the GUI to be adaptively modified to display an
account settings
interface on the personal computing device 1200'. In the specific embodiment
shown in Figure
18, in response to receiving an invitation message from a technician personal
computer unit 1300',
the customer remote control client implemented by the customer personal
computing device 1200'
causes the GUI to display a notification icon 1532 next to the account
settings control 1530 to
notify the customer that a new message related to the customer's account has
been received.
Selecting the user-operable account settings control 1530 through the GUI (for
example through
the use of a touch-sensitive screen) is configured for displaying additional
information allowing
the customer to review the newly received message via the account settings
interface.
Figure 19 shows a non-limiting example of a customer account settings
interface 1560 that may
be displayed in response to receiving user selection of the user operable
settings control 1530 in
accordance with invention specific practical implementation. Amongst other
user-operable or
selectable objects, the settings interface 1560 may display a list 1570
including one or more dealers
or technicians the customer has authorized to remotely control and monitor the
customer's bathing
unit system or that have invited the customer to permit them to do so. In this
specific example,
the list 1570 includes a new entry 1572 corresponding to the invitation
message that caused the
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notification icon 1532 to be displayed on the home page interface shown in
Figure 18. The new
entry 1572 notifies the customer that a technician identified as "Spa
Technician" has requested
permission to remotely control and monitor the customer's bathing unit system.
It is noted that in
the specific example shown in Figure 19, another technician "Gecko Alliance
Technician" already
.. has permission to remotely control and monitor the customer's bathing unit
system, as indicated
by the first entry 1574 in the list 1570. In this specific example, the
entries in the list 1570 are
independently selectable by the user through the user interface to allow the
customer to authorize
or rescind permission for remote control and monitoring for a given
dealer/technician, as well as
to review information associated with the particular dealer/technician, such
as contact information
and terms of a service arrangement the customer may have with the particular
dealer/technician.
In some embodiments, the customer's account settings interface 1560 may also
optionally include
a user-operable control 1576 for receiving service request commands for
requesting that a specific
bathing unit system service technician or a service technician team contact
the customer associated
with the selected bathing unit system. The specific bathing unit system
service technician or
service technician team may be selected from the list 1570 of dealers or
technicians the customer
has authorized to remotely control and monitor the customer's bathing unit
system or,
alternatively, a default dealer or technician may be contacted. Alternatively
still, in order to
identify the specific bathing unit system service technician or service
technician team, the user
may be prompted through the interface 1560 to provide identification
information. In such
embodiments, in response to receipt of a service request command via the user
operable control
1576, the customer remote control client executing on the customer personal
computing device
1200' may cause a service request notification message to be transmitted to
the specific service
technician or service technician team to indicate that the customer associated
with the bathing unit
system has requested to be contacted. For example, the service request
notification message may
be transmitted via a server, such as the server 230 shown in Figures 2 and 6.
Shown in Figure 20 is a non-limiting example of a dealer authorization
interface 1580 that may
be displayed in response to receiving user selection of the entry 1572 in the
list 1570 shown in
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Figure 19. The dealer authorization interface 1580 includes user-operable
controls 1582
configured to enable a user to authorize, decline or review the terms of
service associated with the
dealer's/technician's invitation, and dealer/technician contact information
1584.
In the specific example depicted in Figure 20, responsive to receiving user
selection of the user
operable input object indicating that the user has authorized the invitation,
the customer remote
control client implemented by the personal computing device 1200' may transmit
an authorization
message over a communication network to the personal computing device 1300' of
the technician
in order to indicate that the customer has accepted the invitation to permit
remote control and
monitoring. Similarly, responsive to receiving a user selection of the user
operable input object
indicating that the user has declined the invitation, the customer remote
control client implemented
by the personal computing device 1200' may transmit a decline message over a
communication
network to the personal computing device 1300' of the technician in order to
indicate that the
customer has declined the invitation. For example, the authorization or
decline messages may be
transmitted from the personal computing device 1200' to the server 230 shown
in Figure 6, which
may then cause a message to be transmitted to the technician personal
computing device 1300'
implementing the technician remote control client in order to notify the
technician of the
customer's decision.
Shown in Figure 21 is a non-limiting example of the dashboard interface of the
technician personal
computing device 1300' depicted in Figure 17 updated to display operational
status indicators for
the newly invited customer bathing unit system ("Caroline Touch"). In this
Example, the GUI
depicted in Figure 21 was adapted in response to receiving a confirmation
message from the
customer indicating that the specific customer has granted permission to
remotely control and
monitor the bathing unit system associated with the specific customer. More
specifically, the GUI
displayed on the technician personal computing device 1300' has been
dynamically adapted to
modify the listing 1402 so that the entry 1401 displays the operational status
indicators 1412 and
1414, and the invitation status notification message "Waiting Authorization"
indicated at 1411 in
Figure 17 has been replaced with the bathing unit system identifier
information "Chalet", as
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indicated at 1410 in Figure 21.
Figure 22 shows a flow diagram of a method, at a personal computing device, of
adding a new
customer to a listing of bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers, according
to a non-limiting implementation. For example, the computing device may be
executing program
instructions implementing a technician remote control client including a GUI
which is displayed
on a display screen of the computing device. In some embodiments, the
operations depicted in
Figure 22 may follow the operations depicted in the non-limiting example shown
in Figure 10, as
indicated by "A" at the end of Figure 10 and the beginning of Figure 22.
As shown at 2422 in Figure 22, the technician computing device directs the GUI
to present a user-
operable input object to accept a customer identifier identifying a new
customer to be added to the
listing of bathing unit systems. The display of user-operable input object
1450 in the GUI shown
in Figure 16 is a non-limiting example of how this step may be implemented. At
step 2424, the
computing device receives customer identifier provided by the user through an
input at the
computing device and generates an invitation message. At step 2426, the
computing device
transmits the invitation message to a computing device associated to the
customer via a network
connection. At step 2428, the technician computing device receives a message
originating from
the customer computing device granting permission to remotely control and
monitor the
customer's network-enabled bathing unit system. At step 2430, the technician
computing device
dynamically adapts the GUI to include an additional entry associated with the
new customer in
the listing of bathing units. The display of the listing 1402 updated to
include the new entry 1401
in the GUI shown in Figure 21 is an example of this operation.
The example operations of the method depicted in Figure 22 are illustrative of
a specific example
embodiment. Various ways to perform the illustrated operations, as well as
examples of other
operations that may be performed, are described herein. Further variations may
be or become
apparent to the person skilled in the art in view of the present description.
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Figure 23 shows a flow diagram of a method, implemented at a network server,
for adding a new
customer to a listing of bathing unit systems owned and operated by different
customers that may
be monitored and controlled by a technician (or technician team), according to
a non-limiting
example of implementation. The server 230 depicted in Figures 2 and 6 is a non-
limiting example
5 of a server that may implement such a method.
At step 2502, the server receives a message over a computer network from a
computing device
identifying a customer associated with a bathing unit system that a technician
is requesting to
remotely control and monitor. For example, the message may be received from a
personal
10 computing device executing program instructions implementing a
technician remote control client
as described herein. At step 2504, the server transmits a message over a
network to the specific
customer to notify the customer of the technician's request. For example, in
some embodiments
the message may be transmitted to a personal computing device executing
program instructions
implementing a customer remote control client as described herein. In other
embodiments, the
15 message may be additionally or alternatively transmitted to a network-
enabled controller that is
installed as part of the customer's bathing unit system to cause a
notification message to be
displayed on the screen of a topside control panel of the customer's bathing
unit system.
At step 2506, the server receives a message confirming that the customer has
granted (or declined)
20 a permission to the technician to remotely control and monitor the
bathing unit system associated
with the customer. For example, the message may be received from the
customer's personal
computing device implementing a customer remote control client or from the
network-enabled
controller installed as part of the customer's bathing unit system.
25 At step 2508, the server transmits a message to the technician
indicating that the customer has
granted (or decline) a permission to remotely control and monitor the
customer's bathing unit
system.
The example operations of the method depicted in Figure 23 are illustrative of
a specific example
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embodiment. Various ways to perform the illustrated operations, as well as
examples of other
operations that may be performed, are described herein. Further variations may
be or become
apparent to the person skilled in the art in view of the present description.
Figure 24 shows a flow diagram of a method for facilitating maintenance of a
network-enabled
bathing unit system owned and operated by a customer by providing a user
operable control for
receiving service request commands for requesting that a bathing unit system
service technician
or a service technician team contact a customer, according to a non-limiting
example of the present
invention. In this specific example, the method is implemented on a customer
computing device
implementing a GUI. For example, the computing device may be a personal
computing device of
a customer, such as a smartphone, tablet or personal computer, or the
computing device may be
installed as part of the network enabled controller of the customer's bathing
unit system, such as
for example a top-side control panel.
As shown at step 2602, the customer computing device is directed to implement
a GUI configured
to present one or more user-operable input objects configured to accept user
inputs to modify one
or more operational parameters of a bathing unit system. Figure 18 shows a non-
limiting
embodiment of such a GUI. For example, the GUI may be displayed on a display
screen of the
customer's personal computing device or on a screen of a top-side control
panel installed as part
of the customer's bathing unit system.
At step 2604, the customer computing device directs the GUI to display a user
operable control
for receiving service request commands for requesting that a bathing unit
system service
technician or a service technician team contact a customer associated with the
bathing unit system.
.. In some implementations, the user operable control for receiving service
request commands is
displayed on the GUI in conjunction with an error indicator indicating that an
operational error
has been detected in the bathing unit system. The error indicator may be a
general error indicator
(such as for example "error detected ¨ servicing required" or, alternatively,
may be a component-
specific error indicator conveying that an error condition has been detected
in connection with a
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specific bathing unit component. In such implementations, the GUI displayed on
the customer
computing device may optionally be adapted to selectively display the user
operable control for
receiving service request commands when operational error has been detected in
the bathing unit
system and to omit that the user operable control in the absence of such as
error.
At step 2606, in response to receipt of a service request command at the
customer computing
device via the user operable control, the computing device transmits, over a
communication
network, a service request notification message indicating that the customer
associated with the
bathing unit system has requested to be contacted.
Optionally, at step 2608, the customer computing device dynamically adapts the
GUI to display a
service request GUI element indicating that a service request notification
message in respect of
the bathing unit system has been transmitted.
The example operations of the method depicted in Figure 24 are illustrative of
a specific example
embodiment. Various ways to perform the illustrated operations, as well as
examples of other
operations that may be performed, are described herein. Further variations may
be or will become
apparent to the person skilled in the art in view of the present document. For
example, further
operations that may be included in some embodiments are described later with
reference to the
flow diagram shown in Figure 27, and which will be described later on in the
present document.
Figure 25 shows a flow diagram of a method for receiving and managing a
customer request for
service originating from a customer computing device, according to a non-
limiting example of the
present invention. In this specific example, the method is implemented on a
technician computing
device. For example, the computing device may be executing program
instructions implementing
a technician remote control client including a GUI which is displayed on a
display screen of the
computing device. In some embodiments, the operations depicted in Figure 25
may follow the
operations depicted in the non-limiting example shown in Figure 10, as
indicated by "A" at the
end of Figure 10 and the beginning of Figure 25.
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As shown at step 2432 in Figure 25, the technician computing device receives a
service request
notification message indicating that a customer associated with a specific
bathing unit system has
requested to be contacted. At step 2434, the technician computing device
dynamically adapts the
.. GUI to display a service request GUI element in association with a specific
entry corresponding
to the specific bathing unit system in the listing of bathing unit systems for
which the service
request notification message was issued.
At step 2436, the technician computing device receives a user selection
specifying the service
request GUI element. At step 2438, responsive to receiving the user selection,
the technician
computing device dynamically adapts the GUI to present one or more
communication options for
contacting the customer or, in some embodiments the GUI may provide a user-
operable actuator
to initiate a communication process for contacting the customer. For example,
the GUI may
display an email address for the customer and/or an email icon that is/are
user selectable to initiate
an email communication to the customer. Alternatively, the GUI may display a
telephone number
for the customer and/or a telephone icon that is/are user selectable to
initiate a telephone
communication with the customer.
The example operations of the method depicted in Figure 25 are illustrative of
a specific example
.. embodiment. Various ways to perform the illustrated operations, as well as
examples of other
operations that may be performed, are described herein. Further variations may
be or become
apparent to the person skilled in the art in view of the present description.
Figure 26 shows a non-limiting example of the dashboard displayed on the
display 1400 of the
technician personal computing device 1300' depicted in Figure 21 adapted to
present a GUI
element 1460 that includes communication options 1470 for contacting a
customer "Bill's Spa"
that has issued a service request. As shown in Figure 26, the communication
options 1470 include
options to initiate a telephone call to the customer, initiate an SMS message
to the customer, or
initiate an e-mail to the customer, as well as an option to ignore the
customer's service request. In
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this specific implementation, the communication options 1470 are displayed as
user-operable
actuators that are individually selectable to initiate the corresponding
communication process for
contacting the customer or ignoring the customer's service request.
Figure 27 shows a flow diagram of a method for presenting status information
and options for
purchase at a customer computing device according to a non-limiting example of
the present
invention. In this specific example, the method may be implemented on a
customer computing
device implementing a GUI. For example, the customer computing device may be a
personal
computing device of a customer, such as a smartphone, tablet or personal
computer, or the
customer computing device may be installed as part of the network enabled
controller of the
customer's bathing unit system. In some embodiments, the operations depicted
in Figure 27 may
follow the operations depicted in the non-limiting example shown in Figure 24,
as indicated by
"B" at the end of Figure 24 and the beginning of Figure 27.
As shown at step 2612 in Figure 27, the customer computing device directs the
GUI to display an
error indicator indicating that an operational error has been detected in the
bathing unit system.
For example, the error may have been detected based on processing of
operational status
information at the customer computing device and/or at one or more remote
servers, such as the
server 230 shown in Figures 2 and 6. At 2614, the customer computing device
receives a user
selection for the error indicator and may dynamically adapt the GUI to present
a diagnostic
interface providing additional information of an error condition associated
with the error indicator.
Instead of, or in addition to, providing additional information of an error
condition associated with
the error indicator, the GUI may be dynamically adapted to present the user
with a reminder
associated with the error indicator, such as for example "change your filter",
"request your annual
service maintenance" ,"replace the UV lamps" or "replace the ozone generator".
At 2616, the customer computing device may direct the GUI to present
information identifying
one or more replacement parts available for purchase to address the error
condition. For example,
this information may be displayed as part of the diagnostic interface or may
be displayed
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responsive to receiving user selection of a user-selectable GUI element within
the diagnostic
interface. The information identifying one or more replacement parts may
include a user-operable
actuator configured to be responsive to a user input to initiate a purchasing
process, as shown at
2618. At step 2630, responsive to receiving user input selecting the user-
operable actuator, the
5 computing device initiates a purchasing process for the one or more parts
from an electronic
marketplace, such as the electronic marketplace 240 shown in Figure 6.
The example operations of the method depicted in Figure 27 are illustrative of
a specific example
embodiment. Various ways to perform the illustrated operations, as well as
examples of other
10 operations that may be performed, are described herein. Further
variations may be or become
apparent.
Referring again to Figure 21, in this specific example, the entries in the
list 1402 of bathing unit
systems are individually user-selectable in order to allow the technician to
access the home page
15 interface for each of the listed bathing unit systems that have
authorized the technician to remotely
control and monitor their bathing unit systems. Figure 28 shows a customer
home page interface
that may be displayed on the display 1400 of the technician personal computing
device 1300'
responsive to receiving a user selection of the entry corresponding to
customer "Joseph Lister" in
the list 1402 shown in Figures 8, 17 and 21. Similar to the customer home page
interface displayed
20 by the customer personal computing device 1200' shown in Figure 18, the
customer home page
interface displayed by the technician personal computing device 1300' shown in
Figure 28
includes bathing unit system identifier information1640 that identifies this
as being the home page
interface for the bathing unit system the customer has identified as "My Spa".
The GUI also
includes an operational status indicator 1642, user-operable controls 1644 for
various bathing unit
25 system accessories, a message center 1652 that indicates a current
status of the bathing unit system,
and multiple user-selectable menus 1653, and a user-operable account settings
control 1630
operable for causing the GUI to be adaptively modified to display an account
settings interface.
Similar to the message center 1552 of the customer home page interface
displayed by the customer
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personal computing device 1200' shown in Figure 18, the message center 1652
displayed by the
technician personal computing device 1300' shown in Figure 28 is user-
selectable to cause the
GUI displayed by the personal computing device 1300' to be dynamically
modified to display a
spa state interface that may provide additional information regarding the
state of the bathing unit
system and/or its components.
Figure 29 shows a non-limiting example of a customer bathing unit system state
interface 1710
that may be displayed in response to receiving user selection of the user
selectable message center
1652 shown in Figure 28. The customer bathing unit system state interface 1710
provides for
monitoring one or more operational states of a customer's bathing unit system.
For example, in
the specific example shown in Figure 29, the customer bathing unit system
state interface 1710
may include operational status indicators 1712 conveying operational status
information of the
respective specific bathing unit system. It is noted that the operational
status indicator 1712
displayed for a given bathing unit system as part of its entry in the list
1402 of the GUI shown in
Figures 8, 17 and 21, or as the operational status indicators 1542 and 1642
displayed on the
customer home page interfaces shown in Figures 18 and 28 depict the color-
coded operational
status indicator corresponding to the operational status indicator that is
considered to be the most
important according to a hierarchy of operational status identifiers. However,
a given bathing unit
system may have multiple active operational status indicators at any given
time. For example, as
shown in Figure 29, the bathing unit system "My Spa" has two active
operational status indicators:
"Heating to 101 F" and "Filtering is active". In some embodiments, the spa
state interface for
the technician remote control client may provide additional information that
is not provided as
part of the spa state interface for the customer remote control client. For
example, the spa state
interface for the technician remote control client may present a diagnostic
interface providing
additional information of an error condition for the specific bathing unit
system associated to a
selected specific general error indicator that may be displayed as part of the
spa state information.
Referring again to Figure 28, it is noted that in this specific example the
operational status indicator
1642 and the user-operable controls 1644 for various bathing unit system
accessories are user-
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operable to accept user inputs to modify one or more operational parameters of
the bathing unit
system. For example, responsive to user selection of the operational status
indicator 1642, the
GUI may be dynamically modified to include a user-operable input object
configured to accept
user input to modify the current water temperature setting of the bathing unit
system.
Figure 30 shows a non-limiting example of the GUI shown in Figure 28 modified
to include a
user-operable input object 1810 configured to accept user input to modify the
current water
temperature setting of the bathing unit system. In this specific example, the
user-operable input
object 1810 is in the form of a slide bar. Similarly, user-selection of user-
operable controls 1644
allow the technician to turn on/off or adjust one or more other operating
parameters of the bathing
unit system. In response to receipt of a specific user input to modify one or
more operational
parameters of the bathing unit system, the technician remote control client
implemented by the
technician personal computing device causes a command signal to be transmitted
to the bathing
unit system over a computer network to cause a change in one or more
operational parameters.
Referring again to Figure 28, it is noted that the multiple user-selectable
menus 1653 include a
water care menu 1654, a reminders menu 1656 and a settings menu 1658. Each of
these user-
selectable menus is reviewable and modifiable by the technician through the
GUI. For example,
the technician can modify or reset reminders for the bathing unit system by
selecting the reminders
menu 1656. Shown in Figure 31 is a non-limiting example of a graphical user
interface for a
technician remote control client showing a customer bathing unit system
reminder interface 1910
for monitoring and controlling one or more maintenance reminders for a
customer's bathing unit
system in accordance with the present invention.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific
features and
embodiments thereof, various modifications and combinations can be made
thereto and will
become apparent in view of the present description. The description and
drawings are,
accordingly, to be regarded simply as an illustration of some embodiments of
the invention as
defined by the appended claims. As one of ordinary skill in the art will
readily appreciate from
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the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture,
compositions of matter,
means, methods, or steps that perform substantially the same function or
achieve substantially the
same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized
in alternative
implementations.
Moreover, any module, component, or device exemplified herein that executes
instructions may
include or otherwise have access to a non-transitory computer/processor
readable storage medium
or media for storage of information, such as computer/processor readable
instructions, data
structures, program modules, and/or other data. A non-exhaustive list of
examples of non-
transitory computer/processor readable storage media includes magnetic
cassettes, magnetic tape,
magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, optical disks such as
compact disc read-
only memory (CD-ROM), digital video discs or digital versatile disc (DVDs),
Blu-ray Disc', or
other optical storage, volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable
media implemented
in any method or technology, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory
(ROM),
electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or
other
memory technology. Any such non-transitory computer/processor storage media
may be part of
a device or accessible or connectable thereto. Any application or module
herein described may be
implemented using computer/processor readable/executable instructions that may
be stored or
otherwise held by such non-transitory computer/processor readable storage
media.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the
invention. Since numerous
modifications and changes will become readily apparent to those skilled in the
art in light of the
present description, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact
examples and embodiments
shown and described, and accordingly, suitable modifications and equivalents
may be resorted to.
It will be understood by those of skill in the art that throughout the present
specification, the term
"a" used before a term encompasses embodiments containing one or more to what
the term refers.
It will also be understood by those of skill in the art that throughout the
present specification, the
term "comprising", which is synonymous with "including," "containing," or
"characterized by,"
is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, un-recited
elements or method steps.
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Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have
the same meaning as
commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this
invention pertains. In the
case of conflict, the present document, including definitions will control.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with
reference to certain
embodiments thereof, variations and refinements are possible and will become
apparent to the
person skilled in the art in view of the present description. The invention is
defined more
particularly by the attached claims.
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