{
  "patent_number": "US RE49480",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Smart Light Networks Coordinate Without a Central Controller",
  "original_title": "USRE49480E1 - Illumination control network",
  "summary": "A system where individual smart lights talk to each other to make lighting decisions based on sensors, rather than relying on a single master computer.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a lighting system where each light fixture acts as a small, independent computer. Instead of a central hub telling every light what to do, these lights share data about what they sense—like motion, sound, or ambient light—with their neighbors. By using a distributed processing method, they collectively decide how to adjust their brightness or patterns. For example, if one light detects a person walking down a hallway, it can signal nearby lights to brighten in anticipation of the person's movement, creating a responsive, energy-efficient environment.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover lighting systems that rely exclusively on a central server or master controller to process all sensor data.",
    "Does not cover simple motion-activated lights that operate in isolation without communicating with other fixtures.",
    "Does not cover non-networked lighting systems that lack inter-device communication interfaces."
  ],
  "filed": "2018-02-09",
  "granted": "2023-03-28",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Ideal Industries Lighting LLC",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/ideal-industries-lighting-llc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "W. Olin Sibert",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/w-olin-sibert"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "telecommunications",
    "energy"
  ],
  "abstract": "The present invention addresses the problem of providing illumination in a manner that is energy efficient and intelligent. In particular, the present invention uses distributed processing across a network of illuminators to control the illumination for a given environment. The network controls the illumination level and pattern in response to light, sound, and motion. The network may also be trained according to uploaded software behavior modules, and subsets of the network may be organized into groups for illumination control and maintenance reporting.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/RE49480/google-assistant",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/RE49480/google-assistant/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/USRE49480",
  "relatedPatents": []
}