HOME MONITORING SETTINGS BASED ON WEATHER FORECAST

• US 20130158721A1
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Somasundaram, Poothabalan, Sundaram, Krishnakumar, Ramasamy, Ganesh, Palanivelu, Thamilenthi, Surulinathan, Arunkumar, Felix, Pradeep, Sivaraman, Sundar
• Granted Patent: US 9,201,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means

Abstract

A system may include a set-top box, associated with a customer premises, configured to receive a television signal and provide the television signal to a television and a home monitoring device configured to obtain a weather forecast for a geographic area associated with the customer premises, determine a thermostat setting for the customer premises based on the obtained weather forecast, and provide a recommendation about the determined thermostat setting to the set-top box. The set-top box may be further configured to present the recommendation about the determined thermostat setting via the television; receive a selection of the determined thermostat setting; and provide an indication of the selection to the home monitoring device; and the home monitoring device may be further configured to apply the determined thermostat setting to a thermostat controller associated with the customer premises, in response to receiving the indication from the set-top box.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computer device, the method comprising:

obtaining, by the computer device, a weather forecast for a geographic area associated with a customer premises;

determining, by the computer device, a thermostat setting for the customer premises based on the obtained weather forecast;

providing, by the computer device, a recommendation about the determined thermostat setting to a set-top box associated with the customer premises;

receiving, by the computer device, an indication from the set-top box that the recommendation was accepted; and

applying, by the computer device, the determined thermostat setting to a thermostat controller associated with the customer premises, in response to receiving the indication from the set-top box that the recommendation was accepted.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining information about a type of heating system or cooling system associated with the customer premises; and

modifying the determined thermostat setting based on the obtained information about the type of heating system or cooling system associated with the customer premises.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining data from an energy meter associated with the customer premises, wherein the energy meter records information about energy use associated with a heating system or a cooling system associated with the customer premises; and

modifying the determined thermostat setting based on the obtained data from the energy meter.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a thermostat setting history associated with the thermostat controller; and

modifying the determined thermostat setting based on the obtained thermostat setting history.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained weather forecast includes information about a predicted temperature, and wherein the method further includes:

modifying the determined thermostat setting based on the predicted temperature.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained weather forecast includes information about a predicted humidity level, and wherein the method further includes:

modifying the determined thermostat setting based on the predicted humidity level.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining data associated with a security sensor; and

modifying the determined thermostat setting based on the obtained data, associated with the security sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a setting for a motion detector associated with the customer premises based on the obtained weather forecast; and

applying the determined setting to the motion detector.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a setting for a light controller associated with the customer premises based on the obtained weather forecast; and

applying the determined setting to the light controller.

10. A system comprising:

a set-top box, associated with a customer premises, configured to;

receive a television signal; and

provide the television signal to a television;

a home monitoring device configured to;

obtain a weather forecast for a geographic area associated with the customer premises;

determine a thermostat setting for the customer premises based on the obtained weather forecast; and

provide a recommendation about the determined thermostat setting to the set-top box;

wherein the set-top box is further configured to;

present the recommendation about the determined thermostat setting via the television;

receive a selection of the determined thermostat setting; and

provide an indication of the selection to the home monitoring device; and

wherein the home monitoring device is further configured to;

apply the determined thermostat setting to a thermostat controller associated with the customer premises, in response to receiving the indication from the set-top box.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the home monitoring device is further configured to:

obtain information about a type of heating system or cooling system associated with the customer premises; and

modify the determined thermostat setting based on the obtained information about the type of heating system or cooling system associated with the customer premises.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the home monitoring device is further configured to:

obtain data from an energy meter associated with the customer premises, wherein the energy meter records information about energy use associated with a heating system or a cooling system associated with the customer premises; and

modify the determined thermostat setting based on the obtained data from the energy meter.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the home monitoring device is further configured to:

obtain a thermostat setting history associated with the thermostat controller; and

modify the determined thermostat setting based on the obtained thermostat setting history.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the obtained weather forecast includes information about a predicted temperature, and wherein the home monitoring device is further configured to:

modify the determined thermostat setting based on the predicted temperature.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the obtained weather forecast includes information about a predicted humidity level, and wherein the home monitoring device is further configured to:

modify the determined thermostat setting based on the predicted humidity level.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the home monitoring device is further configured to:

determine a setting for a motion detector associated with the customer premises based on the obtained weather forecast; and

apply the determined setting to the motion detector.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the home monitoring device is further configured to:

determine a setting for a light controller associated with the customer premises based on the obtained weather forecast; and

apply the determined setting to the light controller.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

one or more instructions to obtain a weather forecast for a geographic area associated with a customer premises;

one or more instructions to determine a thermostat setting for the customer premises based on the obtained weather forecast;

one or more instructions to provide a recommendation about the determined thermostat setting to a set-top box associated with the customer premises;

one or more instructions to receive an indication from the set-top box that the recommendation was accepted; and

one or more instructions to apply the determined thermostat setting to a thermostat controller associated with the customer premises, in response to receiving the indication from the set-top box that the recommendation was accepted.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more instructions to obtain data from an energy meter associated with the customer premises, wherein the energy meter records information about energy use associated with a heating system or a cooling system associated with the customer premises; and

one or more instructions to modify the determined thermostat setting based on the obtained data from the energy meter.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more instructions to determine a setting for a motion detector or light controller associated with the customer premises based on the obtained weather forecast; and

one or more instructions to apply the determined setting to the motion detector or light controller.