UNIVERSALTHERMOSTAT EXPANSION PORT
First Claim
1. A configurable thermostat comprising:
- a thermostat core including a user interface, said user interface having a plurality of user interface keys, a display, a temperature sensor, and a temperature control; and
a universal thermostat expansion port, said universal thermostat expansion port disposed on said thermostat core, said universal thermostat expansion port including at least one electrical connector, said electrical connector to electrically couple a daughter board to said thermostat core, wherein said daughter board is communicately coupled to said thermostat core by an ASCII communications protocol.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In one aspect, the invention relates to a configurable thermostat including a thermostat core having a user interface. The user interface includes a plurality of user interface keys, a display, a temperature sensor, and a temperature control. The configurable thermostat also includes a universal thermostat expansion port. The universal thermostat expansion port is disposed on the thermostat core. The universal thermostat expansion port includes at least one electrical connector. The electrical connector electrically couples a daughter board to the thermostat core, wherein the daughter board is communicately coupled to the thermostat core by an ASCII communications protocol. According to another aspect of the invention, a method for configuring a thermostat uses a personal computer with a thermostat having a user removable memory. Yet another aspect of the invention is a method for rapidly producing a thermostat having new features without needing to redesign the entire thermostat.
145 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A configurable thermostat comprising:
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a thermostat core including a user interface, said user interface having a plurality of user interface keys, a display, a temperature sensor, and a temperature control; and a universal thermostat expansion port, said universal thermostat expansion port disposed on said thermostat core, said universal thermostat expansion port including at least one electrical connector, said electrical connector to electrically couple a daughter board to said thermostat core, wherein said daughter board is communicately coupled to said thermostat core by an ASCII communications protocol. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for configuring a thermostat using a personal computer comprising the steps of:
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providing a thermostat having a user removable memory; providing a personal computer; removing said user removable memory from said thermostat; connecting said user removable memory to said personal computer; communicating with said user removable memory using said personal computer; removing said user removable memory from said personal computer; reinstalling said user removable memory into said thermostat; and operating said thermostat in conjunction with said user removable memory to perform thermostat operational functions. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for rapidly producing a thermostat having new features without needing to redesign the entire thermostat comprising the steps of:
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providing a thermostat core comprising a plurality of user interface keys, a display, an HVAC interface circuit, and a universal thermostat expansion port; providing a requirement for a new thermostat feature that is not available in said thermostat core; designing a daughter board suitable for plugging into said universal thermostat expansion port having said new thermostat feature; producing said daughter board suitable for plugging into said universal thermostat expansion port; and plugging said daughter board into said universal thermostat expansion port to create a thermostat comprising said thermostat core and said daughter board and causing said thermostat to have said new thermostat feature. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification