SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING POWER CONSUMPTION IN A RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL BUILDING VIA A WALL SOCKET
First Claim
1. A method to measure power usage within a network having a plurality of electrical circuits electrically connected to an over-current protection device, said method comprising:
- measuring, by a power measurement device electrically connected to one or more of the electrical circuits by which power loads draw power, an electrical parameter of the electrical circuits;
computing a data value representative of power being drawn by the power loads connected to the electrical circuits using the measured electrical parameter; and
displaying an indicia representative of the computed data value representative of the power being drawn on the electrical circuits.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method to measure power usage within a residence having a plurality of electrical circuits electrically connected to an over-current protection device may include measuring, by a power measurement device electrically connected to one of the electrical circuits by which power loads draw power, an electrical parameter of the electrical circuits. The electrical parameter may be modeled as a lumped complex impedance. Alternatively, the electrical parameter may be a complex impedance of individual appliances. The measurement may be of AC voltages that may be utilized to calculate complex impedance. Alternatively, the measurement may be made using a reflectometer technique used to compute complex impedance. A data value representative of power being drawn by the power loads connected to the electrical circuits using the measured electrical parameter may be computed. An indicia representative of the computed data value representative of the power being drawn on the electrical circuits may be displayed.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method to measure power usage within a network having a plurality of electrical circuits electrically connected to an over-current protection device, said method comprising:
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measuring, by a power measurement device electrically connected to one or more of the electrical circuits by which power loads draw power, an electrical parameter of the electrical circuits; computing a data value representative of power being drawn by the power loads connected to the electrical circuits using the measured electrical parameter; and displaying an indicia representative of the computed data value representative of the power being drawn on the electrical circuits. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A device to measure power usage within a residence having a plurality of electrical circuits electrically connected to an over-current protection device, said method comprising:
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a first circuit configured to generate an alternating current (AC) measurement signal; a second circuit configured to apply the AC measurement signal onto one of the electrical circuits; a third circuit configured to measure a plurality of AC voltages in response to said second circuit applying the AC measurement signal onto one of the electrical circuits; a processing unit in communication with said third circuit, and configured to calculate an impedance of appliances connected to the electrical circuits; and an input/output unit in communication with said processing unit and configured to communicate data generated by said processing unit to a remote location via a communications network. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method to advertise electrical appliances to potential customers, said method comprising:
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monitoring electrical resistance of an electrical appliance over time; determining that a projected cost to utilize the electrical appliance over a projected time period based on the monitored electrical resistance will exceed a projected cost to utilize a replacement electrical appliance over the projected time period; generating a notice that indicates that a user of the electrical appliance will save money by replacing the electrical appliance with the replacement electrical appliance over the projected time period, the notice further including a listing of the replacement electrical appliance available for purchase; and communicating the notice to the user. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification