Appliance Management Subsystem via USB-Connected Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for managing user devices require complex hardware setups or mobile communication capabilities, making remote and economical management of device usage challenging, especially in ensuring timely payments to sellers.
Innovation Solution
A remote device management system that embeds an appliance management subsystem within devices, allowing control through a USB-connected internet-capable device, using a software app to verify payments and activate/deactivate appliances via a third-party infrastructure, without requiring the device to have its own communication capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple hardware units are required to be connected to the device for controlling and managing usage, then the seller can continue to receive payments after the buyer has walked away with the device, but the device complexity and deployment cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the payment management functionality from the device itself and places it in a separate remote system. The device only contains a simple subsystem that communicates with the external system, while the complex payment tracking and control logic resides remotely, allowing payment assurance without adding complexity to the device hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a remote management system as an intermediary between the buyer and seller. This intermediary system handles payment verification, device activation, and usage control remotely, eliminating the need for multiple hardware units to be physically connected to the device while ensuring payment reliability.
2Reliability
If mobile communication network is used to facilitate electronic payment verification, then remote payment management is enabled, but the device must have mobile communication capability which increases device cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the communication functionality from the device and relocates it to an external system. The device contains only minimal communication interfaces (such as USB or local wireless) sufficient to communicate with the remote management system, while all complex communication protocols and payment verification processes occur in the external system, eliminating the need for expensive mobile communication modules in the device.
3Ease of manufacture
If a simple USB-connected internet-capable device is used to control the appliance management subsystem, then the system is easier and more economical to deploy, but remote control capability without mobile communication in the device is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the appliance management subsystem universally accessible through multiple interface types. The subsystem can be controlled through various means (USB connection, local wireless, or other interfaces) as long as an internet-capable device is available, making the system easy to deploy across different device types without requiring specific mobile communication capabilities in each device.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments described herein include methods and systems for remotely managing appliances, including enabling communication between a user of the appliance and third party systems. The third party systems can be any entity that has a relationship with the user of the appliance, such as a payment infrastructure handling incremental payments for the appliance, or a content management entity (for example, helping parents to control access to digital content available to children). In various embodiments, third party systems communicate with a device that is primarily a communication device under control of the user. In turn, the communication device conveys control information to the appliance.