ENTERPRISE IOT, INFRASTRUCTURE
Quext | February 17, 2023
On February 16, 2023, Quext, one of the most innovative providers of smart technology solutions for the multifamily industry, announced recently that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has awarded five new patents protecting its IoT solution. The new patents bolster the company's patent portfolio and recognize the innovation and originality of Quext IoT's smart home solution.
Quext holds three patents pertaining to its Quext IoT solution. Quext and iApartments are currently involved in patent infringement litigation, with Quext alleging that the Tampa, Florida-based company infringes on the original patents. iApartments contests the validity of Quext's patents on the basis of alleged 'prior art.' Quext also filed an action with the International Trade Commission (ITC) against iApartments to prevent the importation of its white-labeled smart hubs.
The USPTO considered all of iApartments' alleged prior art when granting Quext five new patents and determined that Quext's inventive concepts are novel. Consequently, the new patents strengthen the company's patent portfolio and reaffirm the innovative nature of Quext IoT's solution. Quext utilized one of the new patents recently in a new lawsuit filed in Florida's Middle District against iApartments.
As operators themselves, the company designed its solution with operational efficiencies in mind, addressing pain points by remote lock credentialing, extending lock battery life, and reducing onsite hardware to lower maintenance calls, cost, and disruption. Quext IoT's patented solution has proven to be a thoughtful approach to smart apartment technology in multiple ways. Due to its distinctive network architecture, it is an optimal solution for both new construction and existing property retrofits of all classes.
About Quext
Quext is a smart technology and services enterprise that pioneers exciting innovations that make intelligent decision-making remarkably easy. It reimagined apartment technology with products that work together seamlessly to deliver the most intuitive, user-friendly, all-in-one, cloud-based apartment community hub ever made available. Internet of Things, broadband internet, digital human customer support, and fintech innovations are its fundamental platform innovations. The company, headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, was named the Fierce Wireless IoT Challenge winner in 2020.
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ENTERPRISE IOT, DEVICES
SparkFun | March 03, 2023
On March 02, 2023, SparkFun Electronics® and Silicon Labs® announced the launch of the Thing Plus Matter MGM240P Board, a development board that enables interoperability between various product ecosystems and communication protocols. SparkFun contributes to the Connectivity Standard Alliance-led momentum behind Matter with this board.
The board incorporates Silicon Labs' MGM240P wireless module. The MGM240P employs ARM's Cortex M33 processor and offers secure connectivity for both 802.15.4 (OpenThread® and Zigbee®) and Bluetooth® Low Energy 5.3 protocols. It is also designed to integrate seamlessly with the Matter IoT protocol using Silicon Labs' Simplicity Studio IDE.
As a unit of SparkFun's Thing Plus ecosystem, the board enables access to the Qwiic® rapid prototyping ecosystem. It includes multiple GPIO pins, a LiPo battery charger and connector, and a microSD card slot for any external memory requirements.
CEO of Sparkfun, Glenn Samala, shared, "We are pleased to support the Matter movement, which envisions a future where products are compatible and there is consistent operation between smart home devices and IoT platforms, even from different providers." He added, "This is a game-changer in terms of improving our daily interactions with the devices we have come to rely upon."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About SparkFun
SparkFun, a Colorado-based company founded in 2003 by a CU student, is committed to making electronics and supporting documentation accessible to everyone. With over 2,000 open-source components, widgets, and online tutorials, SparkFun offers a range of resources designed to foster electronics literacy and creativity. Their vision is to help people solve problems, create products, and get creative using technology, and the company is dedicated to assisting individuals in advancing innovation.
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ENTERPRISE IOT
TOTO | January 20, 2023
The largest plumbing company in the world, TOTO, has announced that it will work with MachineQ, a Comcast Company, to make it easier to install its Internet of Things (IoT) smart bathroom products in high-traffic public restrooms across the U.S. TOTO's partnership with MachineQ will enable the company to expand the installation of its innovative smart restroom products, such as automatic hand-dryers and soap dispensers, into areas that were previously difficult to access due to a lack of resources.
The partnership will allow TOTO's smart restroom products to better solve real-world business issues for facility managers, such as reducing audits, decreasing downtime, increasing employee efficiency, and increasing consumer satisfaction with their public restroom experience. Through this collaboration, TOTO and MachineQ will be able to increase the number of smart restroom product installations in public restrooms across the United States.
Hidemi Ishikawa, CEO of TOTO USA, said, "Utilizing MachineQ's fully integrated device-to-cloud platform enables TOTO to further increase the value our IoT smart restroom products provide to facility managers." He added, "With MachineQ's LoRaWAN® network, which interoperates easily with other networks, TOTO's IoT-enabled products easily integrate with facilities' smart restroom monitoring systems or building automation systems across the U.S." (Source – CISION PR Newswire)
The partnership will also let TOTO connect its Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled products to intelligent restroom monitoring systems in buildings or build automation systems across the U.S. This will let facility managers keep an eye on and manage restrooms in real time. This will give them the ability to plan ahead for problems, deal with them quickly and effectively, and keep a high level of cleanliness all the time.
About MachineQ
MachineQ, a Comcast company, makes it easy for businesses to build, connect, and scale long-range, low-power IoT solutions. Our fully integrated network connectivity platform, which is based on LoRaWAN® technology, gives customers a single source for service, support, technology, and development, as well as better security and a lower total cost of ownership. Our partnerships with leading IoT solution providers help us solve a wide range of business problems in key industries like real estate, food service, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, utilities, government, and agriculture.
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