Power outlet and method for use

• US 10,136,292 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Feit Electric Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LiFi Labs, Inc. (Buddy Technologies Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bosua, Phillip, Alexander, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Chieh M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailegiorgis, Fitwi
• Application Number:
  US15/681,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20170346527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 375257, 455 661
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/12 wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is ac G05F1/625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5454 Adapter and plugs
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A power outlet for controlling power to an external device and transmitting data to the external device, the power outlet including: a housing containing at least one alternating-current power input connection; a power output connection; a data connector; a sensor module; a wireless communication module, including an antenna; a processing unit configured to receive data and control an electrically connected device through the power output connection and/or data connector based on the received data.

Claims

1. A networkable power outlet for controlling an external device, the power outlet comprising:

a housing containing at least one alternating-current power input connection;

a power output connection coupled to the housing;

a wireless communication module, including an antenna, the wireless communication module coupled to the housing and communicatively coupled to a second device;

a sensor coupled to the housing, wherein the sensor is configured to gather contextual data local to the power outlet;

a processor contained within the housing and electrically connected to the wireless communication module, the power output connection, and the alternating-current input connection, wherein the processor regulates the electrical power delivered by the power output connection, the processor operable between;

a first mode, wherein the processor transmits data to the external device based on a signal received from the second device via the wireless communication module;

a second mode, wherein the processor transmits data to the second device via the wireless communication module based on a signal received from the external device; and

a third mode, wherein the processor transmits data to the second device via the wireless communication module based on contextual data received from the sensor.

2. The power outlet of claim 1, wherein the second device comprises a remote computing system.

3. The power outlet of claim 1, wherein the external device is physically connected to the power output connection, and wherein the processor us operable between the first mode, the second mode, the third mode, and

a fourth mode, wherein the processor processing unit modulates power delivery to the connected external device via the power output connection based on the signal received from the second device.

4. The power outlet of claim 3, further comprising a data connector coupled to the housing, wherein the external device is physically coupled to the housing at the data connector, and wherein in the first mode, the processor transmits data to the external device via the data connector.

5. The power outlet of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a microphone of the power outlet.

6. The power outlet of claim 1, wherein the external device comprises a microphone, wherein the signal received from the external device in the second mode is based on audio data detected by the microphone of the external device.