Apparatus for Reducing Energy Consumption Within an Unoccupied Room

• US 20080223924A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Light Tech, LLC
• Original Assignee: Smart Light Tech, LLC
• Inventors: Egle, Lawrence, Riahi, Thierry, Dickey, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 7,784,677 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

An apparatus for managing energy consumption in an unoccupied room having a keycard actuated card and a plurality of appliance control units interposed between electrical appliances and their power sources such that the card reader wirelessly transmits signals to the appliance control units upon insertion and removal of the keycard and the appliance control units energize the appliances only when the keycard is present in the card reader.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reducing energy consumption within an unoccupied room comprising:

a keycard;

a card reader inside said room dimensioned and configured to receive said keycard and comprising a switch positioned, dimensioned, and configured to be activated substantially upon insertion of said keycard into said card reader and to be deactivated substantially upon removal of said keycard from said card reader;

a battery-powered card reader transceiver configured to wirelessly transmit a first signal and a second signal;

a card reader controller electrically connected to said switch and said card reader transceiver; and

at least one secondary unit comprising

a secondary transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with said card reader transceiver,

a secondary controller electrically connected to said secondary transceiver, and

a secondary appliance power source electrically connected to said secondary controller;

said card reader controller being configured to cause said card reader transceiver to wirelessly transmit said first signal upon activation of said switch and to transmit said second signal upon deactivation of said switch;

said secondary controller being configured to connect said secondary appliance power source to an appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said first signal; and

said secondary controller being further configured to disconnect said secondary appliance power source from said appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said second signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

said secondary controller is further configured to cause said secondary transceiver to wirelessly transmit a third signal upon activation of said secondary appliance power source;

said card reader controller is further configured to cause said card reader transceiver to transmit a fourth signal if said switch is activated when said card reader transceiver receives said third signal; and

said secondary controller is further configured to connect said secondary appliance power source to said appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said fourth signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said secondary controller is configured to delay said disconnection of said secondary appliance power source from said appliance for a predetermined period of time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said secondary unit further comprises a male portion and a female portion, said male portion being configured to receive electrical current from said secondary appliance power source and said female portion being configured to transmit electrical current to said appliance.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein,

said male portion is dimensioned and configured to engage a light fixture and

said female portion is dimensioned and configured to receive a light bulb.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein

said male portion is dimensioned and configured to engage a power outlet and

said female portion is dimensioned and configured to receive a power plug.

7. An apparatus for reducing energy consumption within an unoccupied room comprising:

a keycard;

a card reader inside said room dimensioned and configured to receive said keycard and comprising a switch positioned, dimensioned, and configured to be activated substantially upon the insertion of said keycard into said card reader and to be deactivated substantially upon removal of said keycard from said card reader;

a battery-powered card reader transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit a first signal and a second signal;

a card reader controller electrically connected to said switch and said card reader transmitter;

a primary unit comprising

a primary transceiver configured to wirelessly receive signals from said card reader transmitter,

a primary unit power source;

a primary controller electrically connected to said primary transceiver and said primary unit power source; and

at least one secondary unit comprising;

a secondary transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with said primary transceiver and to receive signals from said card reader transmitter,

a secondary controller electrically connected to said secondary transceiver, and

a secondary appliance power source electrically connected to said secondary controller;

said card reader controller being configured to cause said card reader transmitter to wirelessly transmit said first signal substantially upon activation of said switch and to transmit said second signal substantially upon deactivation of said switch;

said primary controller being configured to enter a first mode substantially upon said primary transceiver receiving said first signal and to enter a second mode substantially upon said primary transceiver receiving said second signal;

said secondary controller being configured to connect said secondary appliance power source to a secondary appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said first signal; and

said secondary controller being further configured to disconnect said secondary appliance power source from said secondary appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said second signal;

said secondary controller being further configured to cause said secondary transceiver to transmit a third signal upon activation of said secondary appliance power source;

said primary controller being further configured to cause said primary transceiver to transmit a fourth signal if said primary controller is in said first mode when said primary transceiver receives said third signal; and

said secondary controller being further configured to connect said secondary appliance power source to said secondary appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said fourth signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said primary unit is further configured to connect said primary unit power source to a primary appliance substantially upon said primary transceiver receiving said first signal;

and

said primary controller is further configured to disconnect said primary unit power source from said primary appliance substantially upon said primary transceiver receiving said second signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said secondary controller is configured to delay said disconnection of said secondary appliance power source from said secondary appliance for a predetermined period of time.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said secondary unit further comprises a male portion and a female portion, said male portion being configured to receive electrical current from said secondary appliance power source and said female portion being configured to transmit electrical current to said secondary appliance.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said male portion is dimensioned and configured to engage a power outlet and said female portion is dimensioned and configured to receive a power plug.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said male portion is dimensioned and configured to engage a light fixture and said female portion is dimensioned and configured to receive a light bulb.

13. An apparatus for reducing energy consumption within an unoccupied room comprising:

a keycard;

a card reader inside said room dimensioned and configured to receive said keycard and comprising a switch positioned, dimensioned, and configured to be activated substantially upon the insertion of said keycard into said card reader and to be deactivated substantially upon removal of said keycard from said card reader;

a battery-powered, card reader transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit a first signal and a second signal;

a card reader controller electrically connected to said switch and said card reader transmitter;

a primary unit comprising

a primary receiver configured to wirelessly receive signals from said card reader transmitter,

a primary appliance power source,

a primary controller electrically connected to said primary receiver and said primary appliance power source; and

said cord reader controller being configured to cause said card reader transmitter to wirelessly transmit said first signal substantially upon activation of said switch and to transmit said second signal substantially upon deactivation of said switch;

said primary controller being configured to connect said primary appliance power source to an appliance substantially upon said primary receiver receiving said first signal; and

said primary controller being further configured to disconnect said primary appliance power source from said primary appliance substantially upon said primary receiver receiving said second signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said primary controller is further configured to delay said disconnection of said primary appliance power source from said primary appliance for a predetermined period of time.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said primary unit further comprises a male portion and a female portion, said male portion being configured to receive electrical current from said primary appliance power source and said female portion being configured to transmit electrical current to said primary appliance.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said male portion is dimensioned and configured to engage a power outlet and said female portion is dimensioned and configured to receive a power plug.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein, said male portion is dimensioned and configured to engage a light fixture and said female portion is dimensioned and configured to receive a light bulb.

18. An apparatus for reducing energy consumption within an unoccupied room comprising:

a keycard;

a card reader inside said room dimensioned and configured to receive said keycard and comprising a switch positioned, dimensioned, and configured to be activated substantially upon the insertion of said keycard into said card reader and to be deactivated substantially upon removal of said keycard from said card reader;

a battery-powered card reader transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit a first signal and a second signal;

a card reader controller electrically connected to said switch and said card reader transmitter;

a primary unit comprising

a primary transceiver configured to wirelessly receive signals from said card reader transmitter, and

a primary controller electrically connected to said primary transceiver; and

at least one secondary unit comprising;

a secondary transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with said primary transceiver,

a secondary controller electrically connected to said secondary transceiver, and

a secondary appliance power source electrically connected to said secondary controller;

said card reader controller being configured to cause said card reader transmitter to wirelessly transmit said first signal substantially upon activation of said switch and to transmit said second signal substantially upon deactivation of said switch;

said primary controller being configured to enter a first mode upon receipt of said first signal and to enter a second mode upon receipt of said second signal;

said primary controller being further configured to cause said primary transceiver to transmit a third signal substantially upon entering said first mode and to transmit a fourth signal substantially upon entering said second mode;

said secondary controller being configured to connect said secondary appliance power source to a secondary appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said third signal; and

said secondary controller being further configured to disconnect said secondary appliance power source from said secondary appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said fourth signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said secondary controller is further configured to cause said secondary transceiver to transmit a fifth signal upon activation of said secondary appliance power source;

said primary controller is further configured to cause said primary transceiver to transmit a sixth signal if said primary controller is in said first mode when said primary transceiver receives said fifth signal; and

said secondary controller being further configured to connect said secondary appliance power source to said secondary appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said sixth signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said primary unit further comprises a primary appliance power source and said primary controller is further configured to connect said primary appliance power source to a primary appliance substantially upon entry of said first mode and to disconnect said primary appliance power source from said primary appliance substantially upon entry of said second mode.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said secondary controller is configured to delay said disconnection of said secondary appliance power source from said secondary appliance for a predetermined period of time.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said secondary unit further comprises a male portion and a female portion, said male portion being configured to receive electrical current from said secondary appliance power source and said female portion being configured to transmit electrical current to said secondary appliance.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said male portion is dimensioned and configured to engage a power outlet and said female portion is dimensioned and configured to receive a power plug.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said male portion is dimensioned and configured to engage a light fixture and said female portion is dimensioned and configured to receive a light bulb.

25. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said primary unit further comprises a male portion dimensioned and configured to engage a power outlet and a female portion dimensioned and configured to receive a power plug.