System and method for transferring images to multiple programmable smart thermostats

• US 10,599,294 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2017
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lennox Industries Incorporated (Lennox International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lennox Industries Incorporated (Lennox International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Khiani, Sunil K., Shanmugam, Sridharan
• Primary Examiner(s): Casillas, Roland J
• Application Number:
  US15/634,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20180373401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/54 using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/414 Specialised client platforms, e.g. receiver in car or embedded in a mobile appliance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A system includes a plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats positioned within at least one of a first home environment and a second home environment, a plurality of communication devices configured to operate an electronic media sharing application, and at least one server configured to communicate with the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats and the plurality of communication devices via a wireless network. A user initiates the electronic media sharing application on at least one of the plurality of communication devices. A touch-screen display of the at least one communication device demonstrates the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats positioned within the first and second home environments and at least one user-selected electronic media is simultaneously uploaded to at least one of the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats responsive to a user selection of a region on the touch-screen display.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats positioned within at least one of a first home environment and a second home environment;

a plurality of communication devices configured to operate an electronic media sharing application;

at least one server configured to communicate with the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats and the plurality of communication devices via a wireless network;

wherein a user initiates the electronic media sharing application on at least one of the plurality of communication devices and is provided options for uploading at least one user-selected electronic media;

wherein a touch-screen display of at least one communication device demonstrates the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats positioned within the first and second home environments;

wherein the at least one user-selected electronic media is simultaneously uploaded to the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats responsive to a user selection of at least one region of a plurality of regions on the touch-screen display, wherein the user selection comprises a singular tap on the touch-screen display;

wherein each region of the plurality of regions designates the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats where the at least one user-selected electronic media is uploaded.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the first home environment comprises two programmable intelligent thermostats; and

the second home environment comprises two programmable intelligent thermostats.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein:

responsive to the user selection of the at least one region that is outside of the first and second home environments, the at least one user-selected electronic media is simultaneously uploaded to all the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats registered with a user account.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein:

responsive to the user selection of the at least one region that is inside the first home environment and outside the two programmable intelligent thermostats, the at least one user-selected electronic media is simultaneously uploaded to the two programmable intelligent thermostats within the first home environment.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one user-selected electronic media comprises at least one of a textual file, a graphical file, an audio file, and a video file.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one user-selected electronic media comprises an electronic image.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one user-selected electronic media is displayed on a display of at least one of the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats as a background image.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one user-selected electronic media is stored in an image repository.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the image repository is network accessible.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the network accessible image repository comprises social media websites.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one user-selected electronic media comprises electronic images tagged by the user on the social media websites.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server is configured to transmit information received from a contractor to at least one of the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats.

13. A method for comprising:

positioning a plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats within a first home environment and a second home environment;

operating an electronic media sharing application on at least one of a plurality of communication devices;

initiating by a user, the electronic media sharing application on at least one of the plurality of communication devices, wherein the electronic media sharing application provides options to the user for uploading at least one user-selected electronic media;

demonstrating, on a touch-screen display of the at least one of the plurality of communication devices, the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats positioned within the first and second home environments;

simultaneously uploading the at least one user-selected electronic media to the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats responsive to a user selection of at least one region of a plurality of regions on the touch-screen display, wherein the user selection comprises a singular tap on the touch-screen display; and

wherein each region of the plurality of regions designates the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats where the at least one user-selected electronic media is uploaded.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein:

responsive to the user selection of the at least one region that is outside of the first and second home environments, the at least one user-selected electronic media is simultaneously uploaded to all the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats registered with a user account.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein:

responsive to the user selection of the at least one region that is inside the first home environment and outside the two programmable intelligent thermostats, the at least one user-selected electronic media is simultaneously uploaded to the two programmable intelligent thermostats within the first home environment.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one user-selected electronic media comprises at least one of a textual file, a graphical file, an audio file, and a video file.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one user-selected electronic media comprises an electronic image.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one user-selected electronic media is displayed on a display of at least one of the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats as a background image.

19. A system comprising:

a plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats positioned within at least one of a first home environment and a second home environment;

a plurality of communication devices configured to operate an electronic media sharing application;

at least one server configured to communicate with the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats and the plurality of communication devices via a wireless network;

wherein a user initiates the electronic media sharing application on at least one of the plurality of communication devices and is provided options for uploading at least one user-selected electronic media;

wherein a touch-screen display of at least one communication device demonstrates the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats positioned within the first and second home environments;

wherein the at least one electronic image tagged by the user on social media websites is simultaneously uploaded to the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats responsive to a user selection of at least one region of a plurality of regions on the touch-screen display, wherein the user selection comprises a singular tap on the touch-screen display; and

wherein each region of the plurality of regions designates the plurality of programmable intelligent thermostats where the at least one electronic image tagged by the user is uploaded.