USER INTERFACE AND A METHOD OF IMPLEMENTING A USER INTERFACE OF A CONFIGURABLE LIGHT TIMER

• US 20130093363A1
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cantigny Lighting Control, LLC
• Original Assignee: John Joseph King
• Inventors: King, John Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,901,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/360
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A user interface for implementing a configurable light timer controlling a light is disclosed. The user interface comprises an input portion for receiving timing characterization data, the input portion adapted to receive a portable memory device storing the timing characterization data; an actuator portion enabling a user to enter a current time on the timer; and a display responsive to the actuator portion to indicate the current time. A method of implementing a configurable light timer is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A user interface for implementing a configurable light timer controlling a light, the user interface comprising:

an input portion for receiving timing characterization data, the input portion adapted to receive a portable memory device storing the timing characterization data;

an actuator portion enabling a user to enter a current time on the timer; and

a display responsive to the actuator portion to indicate the current time.

2. The user interface of claim 1 further comprising an actuator enabling the selection of a set of data of a plurality of sets of data of the timing characterization data.

3. The user interface of claim 2 wherein the plurality of sets of data comprises standard time data and a daylight savings time data.

4. The user interface of claim 3 wherein the actuator comprises a daylight savings time actuator which enables the manual selection of the daylight savings time data.

5. The user interface of claim 4 wherein the daylight savings time actuator enables the control circuit to select the daylight savings time data during a daylight savings time period based upon a current date.

6. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the timing characterization data comprises daylight savings time data and standard time data, and the daylight savings time data is automatically selected based upon a current date.

7. The user interface of claim 1 further comprising a daylight savings time actuator enabling the selection of daylight savings time data of the timing characterization data.

8. A user interface for implementing a configurable light timer controlling a light, the user interface comprising:

an input portion for receiving timing characterization data, the input portion adapted to receive a portable memory device storing the timing characterization data;

an actuator portion enabling a user to enter a current time on the timer; and

a display responsive to the actuator portion to indicate the current time, wherein the display indicates a current status of a light attached to the configurable light timer.

9. The user interface of claim 8 wherein the input portion comprises a slot adapted to receive a portable memory device having the timing characterization data.

10. The user interface of claim 8 further comprising an internal memory storing calendar data including dates of a daylight savings time period.

11. The user interface of claim 10 wherein the internal memory comprises a cache memory of a processing circuit.

12. The user interface of claim 8 wherein the actuator portion enables entering a day.

13. The user interface of claim 8 further comprising a daylight savings time actuator, wherein the timing characterization data comprises standard time data and daylight savings time data, and the daylight savings time actuator enables the selection of one of the standard time data and the daylight savings time data.

14. The user interface of claim 13 further comprising a multiple selection actuator enabling the selection of a set of data of the plurality of sets of data, wherein the daylight savings time actuator enables the selection of one of daylight savings time data or standard time data of the selected set of data.

15. A method of implementing a configurable light timer controlling a light, the method comprising:

receiving a portable memory device having timing characterization data;

receiving a current time entered on an actuator portion of a user interface of the configurable light timer;

displaying, responsive to the actuator portion, the current time on a display of the configurable light timer; and

implementing the configurable light timer based upon the current time and the timing characterization data.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising enabling the selection of a set of data of a plurality of sets of data of the timing characterization data by way of the actuator.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the plurality of sets of data comprises daylight savings time data and standard time data, the method further comprising enabling the manual selection of one of the daylight savings time data or standard time data of a selected set of data of the plurality of sets of data.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein enabling the selection of a set of data comprises enabling the selection of one of daylight savings time data and standard time data.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein enabling the selection of a set of data comprises enabling the selection of daylight savings time data during a daylight savings time period based upon a current date.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising automatically selecting the daylight savings time data of the plurality of sets of data based upon a current date.