Last month, SDM wrote about the announcement from Nest Labs, makers of the Nest thermostat, about the Nest Protect: Smoke + Carbon Monoxide alarm. By 2014 it is expected to be available in a version that will be compatible with wired security systems, indicating Nest is targeting the security industry. Read more in “Nest Reimagines Security Industry With Nest Protect.”
Now, Apple is throwing its hat into the ring, targeting home automation with a new patent for an intelligent system where a person's location and habits will automatically control at-home appliances.
Apple's U.S. Patent No. 8,577,392, as published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is for a "system and method of determining location of wireless communication devices/persons for controlling/adjusting operation of devices based on the location." Those devices can include home devices. By gathering a user’s location and even anticipating the user’s future location, devices and functions in the home can remotely and automatically be activated or deactivated.