Thermostat eco-mode
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method performed by a computer comprising at least a processor, the method comprising:
- determining an operational configuration for at least one thermostat that controls at least one heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system for a property;
determining at least one energy-saving program to be implemented on the thermostat for reducing at least some energy consumption by the HVAC system;
in response to determining that at least one resident of the property has exited a first geo-fence by at least a first distance away from the property, modifying, by at least the processor, the operational configuration for the thermostat based at least in part on the energy-saving program, the modifying comprising modifying a configuration for activation of an adaptive recovery program from (i) a first configuration that activates the adaptive recovery program at a time determined to enable reaching a specified temperature by a scheduled time to (ii) a second configuration that delays activation of the adaptive recovery program until a determination is made that one or more residents are in the property or within a threshold distance of the property;
maintaining the operational configuration for the thermostat in the second configuration until determining that at least one of the residents have entered a second geo-fence by at least a second distance away from the property; and
in response to determining that at least one of the residents have entered the second geo-fence by at least the second distance away from the property, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance, modifying the operational configuration for the thermostat from the second configuration to the first configuration,wherein the thermostat is configured to modify control of the HVAC system based at least in part on the energy-saving program.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In some aspects, the subject technology relates to an “Eco-mode” on a thermostat. A button or other user interface element may be configured to activate and/or deactivate) the eco-mode on the thermostat. Upon selection of the eco-mode option, various energy-saving programs can be implemented on the thermostat. The energy-saving programs can be configured to adjust a temperature setting of the thermostat or to provide notifications to a user associated with the thermostat that implement various approaches for reducing energy consumption of a heating, ventilation, and air condition (HVAC) system associated with the thermostat. The eco-mode button can provide users/consumers with a convenient way to save energy, without requiring the user to think of comfort tradeoffs that may need to take place.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method performed by a computer comprising at least a processor, the method comprising:
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determining an operational configuration for at least one thermostat that controls at least one heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system for a property; determining at least one energy-saving program to be implemented on the thermostat for reducing at least some energy consumption by the HVAC system; in response to determining that at least one resident of the property has exited a first geo-fence by at least a first distance away from the property, modifying, by at least the processor, the operational configuration for the thermostat based at least in part on the energy-saving program, the modifying comprising modifying a configuration for activation of an adaptive recovery program from (i) a first configuration that activates the adaptive recovery program at a time determined to enable reaching a specified temperature by a scheduled time to (ii) a second configuration that delays activation of the adaptive recovery program until a determination is made that one or more residents are in the property or within a threshold distance of the property; maintaining the operational configuration for the thermostat in the second configuration until determining that at least one of the residents have entered a second geo-fence by at least a second distance away from the property; and in response to determining that at least one of the residents have entered the second geo-fence by at least the second distance away from the property, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance, modifying the operational configuration for the thermostat from the second configuration to the first configuration, wherein the thermostat is configured to modify control of the HVAC system based at least in part on the energy-saving program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computing device for energy usage alerts, the computing device comprising:
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at least one processor; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to perform operations of; determining whether residents of a property are outside of a first geo-fence by at least a first distance away from the property for a threshold period of time, wherein the property has a thermostat controlling at least one heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system for the property; responsive to determining that the residents of the property are outside of the first geo-fence for the threshold period of time; determining that the residents are likely on vacation; and sending, to a user device of at least one of the residents, a notification requesting confirmation that the residents are on vacation; in response to receiving, from the user device, the confirmation, adjusting operation of the thermostat from a first mode to a second mode based at least in part on the confirmation; maintaining the operation of the thermostat in the second mode until determining that at least one condition for adjusting the operation of the thermostat of the property from the second mode to the first mode is satisfied; and in response to determining that at least one condition for adjusting the operation of the thermostat from the second mode to the first mode is satisfied based at least in part on a determination that at least one of the residents have entered a second geo-fence by at least a second distance away from the property, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance, modifying the operation of the thermostat from the second mode to the first mode. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer-implemented method performed by a computer comprising at least a processor, the method comprising:
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maintaining an operation of a thermostat of a property in a first mode until determining that at least one condition for adjusting the operation of the thermostat of the property from the first mode to a second mode is satisfied; in response to determining, by at least the processor, that the at least one condition for adjusting the operation of the thermostat of the property from the first mode to the second mode is satisfied based at least in part on a determination that a user has exited a first geo-fence by at least a first distance away from the property, wherein the thermostat controls at least one heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system for the property, modifying the operation of the thermostat from the first mode to the second mode; maintaining the operation of the thermostat in the second mode until determining that at least one condition for adjusting the operation of the thermostat of the property from the second mode to the first mode is satisfied; and in response to determining that the at least one condition for adjusting the operation of the thermostat of the property from the second mode to the first mode is satisfied based at least in part on a determination that the user has entered a second geo-fence by at least a second distance away from the property, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance, modifying the operation of the thermostat from the second mode to the first mode, wherein the thermostat is configured to modify control of the HVAC system based at least in part on at least one of the second mode or the first mode. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification