Google Invents the Smart Door Opener for the Garage & Beyond

This week the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Google that reveals one of the first Home Automation devices that they had their eye prior to acquiring Nest, the maker of the smart thermostat. Is this invention now under the direction of Nest? Only time will tell.

Right out of the gate, Google notes the problem that they want to solve: Most garage doors are not capable of being opened or closed from far away. Google's invention covers methods and devices for remote monitoring and controlling a door, such as a garage door and beyond.

An implementation of the invention may obtain a state of the door from a position sensor located within a removable device, which may be attached to the door. The state of the door may include whether the door is open or closed. An implementation may indicate, over a wireless network, the state of the door to a user. The user may send a command to a wireless transmitter located within the device to change the state of the door. An implementation may also send a signal to the door to change the state of the door.

According to Google, "the device" could be a smartwatch, smartphone, tablet, ultraportable computer, notebook and media devices to name a few.

Read more: http://www.patentlymobile.com/2015/02/google-invents-the-smart-door-opener-for-the-garage-beyond.html

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