Thermostat facilitating user-friendly installation thereof
First Claim
1. A thermostat for controlling an operation of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the HVAC system having a plurality of HVAC wires for connection to the thermostat, each of the plurality of HVAC wires being associated with unique HVAC signal types, the thermostat comprising:
- a control unit comprising at least one processor;
a plurality of connection ports, each of the plurality of connection ports being associated with a predetermined one of the unique HVAC signal types, each of the plurality of connection ports being configured to receive one of the plurality of HVAC wires, and each of the plurality of connection ports having an associated wire insertion sensing circuit that identifies to the control unit a presence or absence of an inserted wire therein; and
a user interface operatively coupled to the control unit, the user interface comprising an electronic display;
wherein the control unit is configured and programmed to;
operate the wire insertion sensing circuits to identify a set of the plurality of connection ports into which corresponding ones of the plurality of HVAC wires have been inserted;
cause the electronic display to display a photograph of the plurality of connection ports as they actually appear to a user; and
cause the electronic display to visually highlight the set of the plurality of connection ports into which the corresponding ones of the plurality of HVAC wires have been inserted.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A thermostat includes a control unit, a plurality of connection ports, and a user interface operatively coupled to the control unit an having an electronic display. The control unit may be configured and programmed to operate the wire insertion sensing circuits to identify a set of the plurality of connection ports into which corresponding ones of the plurality of HVAC wires have been inserted; cause the electronic display to display a photograph of the plurality of connection ports as they actually appear to a user; and cause the electronic display to visually highlight the set of the plurality of connection ports into which the corresponding ones of the plurality of HVAC wires have been inserted.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A thermostat for controlling an operation of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the HVAC system having a plurality of HVAC wires for connection to the thermostat, each of the plurality of HVAC wires being associated with unique HVAC signal types, the thermostat comprising:
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a control unit comprising at least one processor; a plurality of connection ports, each of the plurality of connection ports being associated with a predetermined one of the unique HVAC signal types, each of the plurality of connection ports being configured to receive one of the plurality of HVAC wires, and each of the plurality of connection ports having an associated wire insertion sensing circuit that identifies to the control unit a presence or absence of an inserted wire therein; and a user interface operatively coupled to the control unit, the user interface comprising an electronic display; wherein the control unit is configured and programmed to; operate the wire insertion sensing circuits to identify a set of the plurality of connection ports into which corresponding ones of the plurality of HVAC wires have been inserted; cause the electronic display to display a photograph of the plurality of connection ports as they actually appear to a user; and cause the electronic display to visually highlight the set of the plurality of connection ports into which the corresponding ones of the plurality of HVAC wires have been inserted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for controlling an operation of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the HVAC system having a plurality of HVAC wires for connection to a thermostat, each of the plurality of HVAC wires being associated with unique HVAC signal types, the method comprising:
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operating a thermostat to control the HVAC system, wherein the thermostat comprises; a control unit comprising at least one processor; a plurality of connection ports, each of the plurality of connection ports being associated with a predetermined one of the unique HVAC signal types, each of the plurality of connection ports being configured to receive one of the plurality of HVAC wires, and each of the plurality of connection ports having an associated wire insertion sensing circuit that identifies to the control unit a presence or absence of an inserted wire therein; and a user interface operatively coupled to the control unit, the user interface comprising an electronic display; detecting, by the wire insertion sensing circuit, a set of the plurality of connection ports into which corresponding ones of the plurality of HVAC wires have been inserted; causing, by the control unit, the electronic display to display a photograph of the plurality of connection ports as they actually appear to a user; and causing, by the control unit, the electronic display to visually highlight the set of the plurality of connection ports into which the corresponding ones of the plurality of HVAC wires have been inserted. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification