Systems and Methods for Modifying Power Usage
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of lights, each light representing a different status of an electrical grid;
an FM radio receiver, wherein said FM radio receiver is configured to obtain electrical grid data provided by an FM subcarrier channel; and
a processor in electrical communication with said FM radio receiver and said plurality of lights, wherein said processor is configured to light a selected one of said plurality of lights in response to said electrical grid data received by said FM radio receiver.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for providing energy management utilize wireless wide-area network broadcast signals and a decentralized receiver architecture to allow customers to make informed choices with regard to energy consumption and load shedding for particular appliances. A receiver assembly embedded within an appliance receives a broadcast signal, e.g., an FM subcarrier signal, including tariff data and other electrical grid data. A processor coupled with the receiver controls the appliance in accordance with the received data and in accordance with user-defined preferences. In some embodiments, a transceiver assembly is embedded in one or more appliances in a household. Each transceiver is configured to receive broadcast signals regarding grid data, and to communicate with other appliances and/or a usage meter over a wireless personal area network. Meter data from one or more households may be aggregated and uplinked back to the energy provider or other entities.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of lights, each light representing a different status of an electrical grid; an FM radio receiver, wherein said FM radio receiver is configured to obtain electrical grid data provided by an FM subcarrier channel; and a processor in electrical communication with said FM radio receiver and said plurality of lights, wherein said processor is configured to light a selected one of said plurality of lights in response to said electrical grid data received by said FM radio receiver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An apparatus comprising:
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a message outputting device; an FM radio receiver, wherein said FM radio receiver is configured to obtain electrical grid data provided by an FM subcarrier channel; and a processor in electrical communication with said FM radio receiver and said message outputting device, wherein said processor is configured to process said electrical grid data and communicate a message in said electrical grid data via said message outputting device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for managing energy usage of an appliance, comprising:
a wide-area wireless communication system comprising a plurality of transmitters configured to redundantly broadcast one or more wireless signals, wherein said each wireless signal in said one or more wireless signals comprises energy tariff information. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A receiver assembly for managing energy usage of an appliance, comprising:
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a receiver configured to receive a signal from a wide-area wireless communication system comprising a plurality of transmitters configured to redundantly broadcast one or more wireless signals, wherein said each wireless signal in said one or more wireless signals comprises energy tariff information; and a processor in electrical communication with said receiver and an appliance, said processor configured to control the appliance as a function of the energy tariff information. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A household electrical apparatus comprising:
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(a) a transceiver wherein the transceiver comprises (i) a receiver; and (ii) a transmitter; and (b) a microprocessor, wherein the microprocessor comprises instructions for receiving, via the receiver, broadcasted radio signals that include electrical grid data; and instructions for communication, via the transmitter, information about an electrical load of the household electrical apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. An uplink backhaul apparatus comprising:
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a wireless local area network connection for receiving household electrical load data from a plurality of nodes over a wireless connection; and a wide area network uplink connection for transmitting pooled household electrical load data from said plurality of nodes. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
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Specification