GRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHT FOR PROGRAMMING A CONTROL

• US 20160154576A1
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Published: 06/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Braeburn Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Braeburn Systems LLC
• Inventors: Moore, Glenn A, Poplawski, Daniel S
• Granted Patent: US 10,761,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

The invention provides a thermostat control display having a programming function button, day of the week icons, a table for displaying time and temperature parameters and a graphical highlight pattern that links the table and the day of the week icons. The button, icons and table comprise touch sensitive areas adapted to activate a predetermined display response. Upon selection of a day of the week icon the graphical highlight pattern will be extended to surround the selected day of the week icon so that the table depicting temperature and time parameters to be assigned to the selected day of the week are visually linked to the selected day of the week.

Claims

1. A building environment control display comprising:

a programming function button;

day of a week icons;

a table for displaying time and temperature parameters; and

a graphical highlight pattern that links the table and the day of the week icons.

2. The control of claim 1 wherein the button, icons and table comprise touch sensitive areas adapted to activate a predetermined display response.

3. The control of claim 1 wherein upon selection of a day of the week icon the graphical highlight pattern will be extended to surround the selected day of the week icon so that the table depicting temperature and time parameters to be assigned to the selected day of the week are visually linked to the selected day of the week.

4. The control of claim 1 wherein the day of the week icon is displayed having an indicia that is the same or similar to an indicia of the graphical highlight pattern.

5. The control of claim 1 wherein the table has a generally rectangular shape and the day of the week icons are aligned generally adjacent to a side of the table and the graphical highlight pattern is disposed between the side of the table and the selected day of the week icon.

6. The control of claim 1 wherein the day of the week icon has a geometric shape and upon selection of the day of the week icon the graphical highlight pattern is modified to surround at least on one side, the day of the week icon in order to provide a bubble.

7. The control of claim 1 wherein the geometric shape is a circle and a portion of the geometric shape and a portion of the bubble forming concentric radiuses.

8. The control of claim 6 wherein a group of day of the week icons arranged side-by-side may be paired together by the graphical highlight pattern and surrounds each of the day of the week icons within the bubble.

9. The control of claim 6 wherein the bubble encompasses the table and the selected day of the week icon(s).

10. The control of claim 6 wherein data displayed on the table may be modified while the bubble remains static.

11. The control of claim 10 wherein the data displayed on the table alternates between time and temperature parameters while the graphical highlight pattern remains static and surrounds the selected days of week icons, so that the settings for time and temperature may be programmed simultaneously for the selected days of week by sequentially selecting set-points for a time duration followed by a set point for temperature, or vice versa.

12. The control of claim 1 further comprising a regrouping button for regrouping a first and second group of day of the week icons, whereby a display having the first group denoted by a first indicia and the second group denoted by a second indicia is regrouped to a third group of day of the week icons denoted by a third indicia and the table having a modified graphical highlight pattern linked to the third group of day of the week icons that were regrouped.

13. The control of claim 1 further comprising a help button that is synchronized with a mode setting of the control, whereby a predetermined help screen based on the mode setting is automatically selected at the time the help button is selected.

14. The control of claim 1 wherein upon selection of a Fan Mode a first help screen is displayed;

upon selection of a Home Mode a second help screen is displayed;

upon selecting a Programming Mode a third help screen is displayed; and

upon selection of a System Mode a fourth help screen is displayed.

15. The control of claim 1 further comprising an a graphical highlight pattern that alters the display indicia of an icon in order to provide a graphical feature denoting the activation of the icon so that a user can be prompted to touch the icon in order to progress through a programming routine.

16. The control of claim 15 wherein the graphical highlight pattern includes an outline circumscribing the pertinent icon, the outline begin displayed when a previous programming function is selected on the display.

17. The control of claim 16 wherein the outline circumscribes an increment and decrement button and the outline is displayed as a result of selection of either a time or temperature icon on the table and the outline continues to be displayed around the icon until the incrementing or decrementing for the particular time of temperature icon is complete.

18. The control of claim 15 wherein dual graphical highlight patterns are displayed simultaneously and includes a contrasting background displayed behind or adjacent to the particular segment of the time or temperature icon from the table and an outline circumscribing the increment or decrement button, or both.

19. The control of claim 18 wherein the table includes time of day segments including Morning, Day, Evening or Night segments, each segment including an icon for time, heat temperature and cool temperature and the contrasting background displayed behind or adjacent the time, heat temperature and cool temperature alphanumeric icons for the selected segment when any one of the time, heat temperature, cool temperature or time of day segments are selected.

20. The control of claim 1 wherein the display is provided by at least one of a smartphone, a thermostat, a humidifier, an HVAC control, a television, a PC, a computer, a MAC, a watch, a climate controller, a home appliance control, a home remote control, a kiosk, a security panel and a tablet.

21. The control of claim 19 wherein the table is arranged having rows that designate the time of day segments and the table is arranged having columns that designate time, heat temperature and cool temperature.

22. A method of programming a climate controller comprising the steps of:

selecting a programming function via activation of a graphical interface;

selecting at least one day of a week icon as a first group of day of the week icons;

selecting from a table either a time or temperature icon in order to set either the time or temperature set-point for the selected day of the week icon that is displayed having a first graphical highlight pattern that automatically links the table with the selected day of the week icons.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising the steps of:

selecting a second group of day of the week icons; and

selecting either a time or temperature setting for the selected second group of day of the week icons that are linked to the table by a second graphical highlight pattern having a different pattern than the first graphical highlight pattern.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising the steps of:

regrouping the first and second group of day of the week icons whereby a display having the first group denoted by a first indicia and the second group denoted by a second indicia;

selecting a regrouped set of day of the week icons denoted by a third indicia;

selecting a regroup button; and

displaying the table having a modified graphical highlight pattern linked to the regrouped set of day of the week icons.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the first and second indicia comprise the color of the geometric shape surrounding the alphanumeric symbol for each day of the week and the third indicia comprises the color of the alphanumeric symbol for each day of the week.

26. A method of presenting input icons on a thermostat display comprising the steps of:

displaying a programming function button;

displaying a plurality of day icons to be selected for establishing set-points;

displaying a table adjacent to the selected group of day icons, the table displaying temperature and time parameters;

displaying a first graphical highlight pattern that links the table to the first group of day icons.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising the steps of:

displaying a second group of day icons to be selected for establishing set-points; and

displaying a second graphical highlight pattern to link the table to the second group of day icons.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising the steps of:

displaying the graphical highlight pattern based on a geometric shape of the day of the week icons; and

modifying the graphical highlight pattern to surround at least on one side, the day of the week icon, and the surrounding portion of the graphical highlight pattern contiguous with the geometric shape at that portion based upon selection of the day of the week icons.