Power strip with control and monitoring functionality

• US 7,274,303 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Hayes, Patrick H., Dresti, Mauro, Klein, Sandro D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NAM V
• Application Number:
  US11/083,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20050162282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 340/825.71, 398/115
• US Class Current: 340/12.3
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/33 Remote control using macros, scripts
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers

Abstract

A power strip adapted to support power status reporting as well as the issuing of commands to control functional operations of the appliances. The power strip may receive a command from a remote control (for example transmitted via radio frequency or wired connection) and, in turn, issue a corresponding command (for example transmitted via infrared) to one or more appliances to cause the one or more appliances to perform a functional operation.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a plurality of appliances, comprising:

receiving at a power monitor, which is associated with the plurality of appliances and which determines a power state of each of the plurality of appliances, a transmission from a controlling device;

transmitting from the power monitor to the controlling device the determined power state of the one or more of the plurality of appliances if the transmission received from the controlling device comprises a request for a power state of one or more of the plurality of appliances and, if the transmission received from the controlling device comprises a controlling device issued command to control an operational function of one or more of the plurality of the appliances, using the controlling device issued command at the power monitor to discern which one or more of the plurality of appliances are intended to be controlled and to cause the power monitor to transmit to the one or more of the plurality of appliances discerned as intended to be controlled one or more power monitor issued commands that correspond to the controlling device issued command; and

accepting input into the power monitor to configure the power monitor to communicate power monitor issued commands to each of the plurality of appliances wherein the input comprises a sensed change in state of at least one of the plurality of appliances that functions to identify those power monitor commands within a library of power monitor commands accessible to the power monitor that are to be used to communicate with the at least one of the plurality of appliances.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmission from the controlling device to the power monitor comprises an RF transmission.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the transmission from the controlling device to the one or more of the plurality of appliances discerned as intended to be controlled comprises an IR transmission.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the power monitor transmits power monitor issued commands to the at least one of the plurality of appliances for the purpose of changing the state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmission received from the controlling device comprises an abstract command language transmission.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein using the controlling device issued command at the power monitor to discern which one or more of the plurality of appliances are intended to be controlled comprises using the functional operation associated with the controlling device issued command to infer which one or more of the plurality of appliances are intended to be controlled.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein using the controlling device issued command at the power monitor to discern which one or more of the plurality of appliances are intended to be controlled comprises using one or more target identifiers within the controlling device issued command to determine which one or more of the plurality of appliances are intended to be controlled.

8. A system for controlling a plurality of appliances, comprising:

a controlling device; and

a power monitor, associated with the plurality of appliances and which determines a current power state of each of the plurality of appliances, having a first communication module which bi-directionally communicates with the controlling device and a second communication module which transmits communications to each of the plurality of appliances;

wherein the power monitor has programming which functions to respond to a transmission received by means of the first communication module which is indicative of a command to control an operational function of one or more of the plurality of appliances to cause the second communication module to transmit a communication to one or more of the plurality of appliances and which functions to respond to a transmission received by means of the first communication module which is indicative of a request for a power state of one or more of the plurality of appliances to return to the controlling device by means of the first communication module a power state of one or more of the plurality of appliances, wherein the power monitor is responsive to input used to configure the power monitor communicate with each of the plurality of appliances, and wherein the input comprises a sensed change in state of at least one of the plurality of appliances that functions to identify commands within a library of commands accessible to the power monitor that are to be used to communicate with the at least one of the plurality of appliances.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the first communication module comprises an RF transceiver.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the second communication module comprises an IR transmitter.

11. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein, upon receipt of the transmission which is indicative of a request for a power state of one or more of the plurality of appliances by the power monitor, the programming functions to inhibit the second communication module from transmitting a communication to any of the plurality of appliances.

12. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the power monitor comprises a component part of a power strip.

13. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the power monitor transmits communications to the at least one of the plurality of appliances to the purpose of changing the state of the at least one of the plurality of appliances.

14. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the power monitor comprises circuitry which determines a current power state of each of the plurality of appliances.

15. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the power monitor comprises a plurality of second communication modules each being associated with one of the plurality of appliances and wherein the power monitor uses the transmission received by means of the first communication module to discern which one or more of the plurality of appliances are intended to be controlled to thereby transmit to the one or more of the plurality of appliances discerned as intended to be controlled via their corresponding second communication module one or more power monitor issued commands that correspond to the transmission received by means of the first communication module.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the power monitor comprises a plurality of IR dongles each being associated with one of the plurality of second communication modules.

17. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the power monitor discerns which one or more of the plurality of appliances are intended to be controlled by using a functional operation associated with the transmission received by means of the first communication module to infer which one or more of the plurality of appliances are intended to be controlled.

18. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the power monitor discerns which one or more of the plurality of appliances are intended to be controlled by using one or more target identifiers included with the transmission received by means of the first communication module to determine which one or more of the plurality of appliances are intended to be controlled.