Apple progress-interesting article

Apple aims to control devices based on your location A newly-awarded patent describes a way to monitor your remote location as a way to control devices at home or elsewhere. by Lance Whitney November 5, 2013 6:26 AM PST Follow @lancewhit (Credit: Apple/USPTO) Imagine a technology that can automatically turn on the heat or the stove at home based simply on your location. That's exactly what Apple has in mind in a freshly-awarded patent. Awarded on Tuesday by the US Patent and Trademark Office, a patent with the lengthy title of " System and method of determining location of wireless communication devices/persons for controlling/adjusting operation of devices based on the location " envisions a system that would not require your manual input to control remote devices, as most of today's home automation system do. Instead, you'd customize the system to automatically perform certain tasks based on your whereabouts. Your location would be tracked via your iPhone or other mobile device. The home automation system would then respond accordingly. As one example, the heating or air conditioning in your house could be turned on as you make your way home from work. As another example, the lights in your house or the garage door opener could be activated as you drive onto your street. The technology could even function directly in your home, automatically turning lights on and off as you enter or exit a room. As the patent describes it: One or more relay servers can access first data received from one or more first devices (e.g., a phone, tablet computer, vehicle tracking device, or badge reader). The one or more relay servers can aggregate the data and infer a location of a person. The one or more relay servers can transmit second signals including second data to one or more second devices (e.g., lighting systems, security systems, garage-door openers, music controllers, climate controllers, or kitchen appliances), the second data being based at least in part on the estimated location. As always, an awarded patent doesn't mean we'll see this technology pop up anytime soon. In this case, your home would have to outfitted with the necessary equipment for all of this to work. But it does conjure up a possible next step in the world of home automation. ( Via AppleInsider ) .