Automatic temperature and humidity regulation – With timing element – Timer other than clock
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-15
2001-07-24
Wayner, William (Department: 3744)
Automatic temperature and humidity regulation
With timing element
Timer other than clock
C236S047000, C236S094000, C165S011100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264110
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to thermostats having the capability of tracking, recording, and reporting setback information to a remotely located entity.
Thermostats have heretofore received and implemented setbacks of locally programmed setpoints in response to receiving setback information from a remotely located source such as an energy provider. An example of such a thermostat is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/456,355 entitled “Communicating Thermostat”. The aforementioned thermostat includes an ability within the thermostat to override a request by the energy provider to adjust the locally programmed setpoints. When this occurs, a communication is generated to the energy provider informing the energy provider that an override has occurred.
The above described thermostat requires that the energy provider must keep track of when such overrides occur so as to maintain an accurate record of the amount of time the thermostat has participated in a requested adjustment of the locally programmed setpoints. This can pose particular problems for an energy provider who might need to receive and process such overrides from quite a few communicating thermostats possibly at or near the same time. The energy provider must also make sure that the record or database it maintains of such override information is preserved since there is no ability to further query the individual thermostats as to their respective participation in requested setbacks or curtailments of locally programmed setpoints.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a thermostat that allows a remotely located source such as an energy provider to determine when the latter wishes to receive override information from the thermostat relative to participation in requested setbacks or adjustments of setpoints.
The above and other objects are achieved by a thermostat which maintains a record of the elapsed time in any presently occurring setback mode of operation being implemented by the thermostat as well as the elapsed times in any setback modes of operation previously implemented by the thermostat. The record of the presently occurring mode of setback operation as well as any previous setback modes of operation is stored for retrieval by a remotely located entity, which is usually an energy provider seeking an accurate record of time spent in setback modes of operation by the thermostat. This time record is available for retrieval at any time, including a time when the thermostat is presently in a setback mode of operation. The thermostat also preferably allows the requester to clear the accumulated time record or simply read the time record without clearing. In either case, the thermostat preferably continues to track any time during which the thermostat is in a current setback mode of operation. This includes the tracking of any remaining time in a current setback mode of operation when the accumulated time record is cleared.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5819840 (1998-10-01), Wilson et al.
patent: 000341022 (1989-11-01), None
Archacki, Jr. Raymond J.
Proffitt Jerry L.
Carrier Corporation
Wayner William
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