Media and apparatus for controlling usage of utilities

• US 7,711,651 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seismotech IP Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Smart Disaster Response Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Baraty, Mohammad Reza
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustin; Evans J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kamal; Shahid
• Application Number:
  US11/022,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20050105703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,958 Days
• Field of Search: 705/63, 705/50, 705/412
• US Class Current: 705/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/12 Determination or prediction of behaviour, e.g. likely power consumption or unusual usage patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/24 Identification of individual loads, e.g. by analysing current/voltage waveforms
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

Media and apparatus for managing usage of utilities are disclosed. Generally, each involves receiving representation of utility service usage at a load, receiving and storing in a storage device a usage range representation comprising at least one expected value of utility input to the load and/or at least one expected value of output from the load, and producing a control signal for use by a utility service controller when usage is outside of usage range representation. Control signal is operable to cause the utility service controller to regulate or interrupt the supply of the utility service to the load.

Claims

1. An apparatus located at a consumer site for controlling usage of a utility by each one of a plurality of loads at the consumer site, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of different loads located at a consumer site;

an ID chip that communicates information about each of the different loads, wherein each ID chip communicates for its load, a first usage range representation;

a utility usage control device for each of the different loads that communicates with a computer system and controls the utility services used by each of the loads;

at least one input measurement device for each of the different loads that communicates with the computer system and provides a measured input value of at least one utility supplied to each load;

at least one output measurement device that communicates with the computer system and provides a measured output value of at least one product produced by each load;

the computer system at the consumer site having at least one computer processor for accessing computer readable instructions and at least one data storage device for storing computer readable instructions;

a communications device that communicates with the computer system at the consumer site, the utility usage control device of each load, at least one entity not located at the consumer site, and with the ID chip of each load;

wherein the computer system, with respect to each load, stores a response value, wherein the response value indicates whether the utility service used by a load is interruptible;

wherein the computer system, with respect to each load, receives from the ID chip the first usage range representation;

wherein the computer system, with respect to each load, receives from a second source, a second usage range representation, wherein the second usage range representation is different than the first usage range representation for at least one time period;

wherein the computer system, with respect to each load, generates a third usage range representation which comprises a third range of usage of the utility service by that load which falls within both of the first and second usage range representations; and

wherein when the response value indicates that at least one utility service used by a load is interruptible, the computer system, generates a control signal for the load based on a comparison between the measured input value of the load, the measured output value of the product produced by the load, and the third usage range representation for the load, wherein the control signal directs the utility usage control device of the load to regulate the usage of the utility by the load.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first usage range representation comprises values for the usage of the utility service by the load.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first usage range representation comprises value for the output of the utility service to the load.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the output comprises the output of the load.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein user input specifies said first usage range representation.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the produced output of a load comprises a by-product of the load.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said processor extracts said second usage range representation from a message according to a network protocol.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said processor receives a plurality of data representing utility service usage at said load, and receives a plurality of usage range representations.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said data storage device stores said plurality of usage range representations.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said processor produces a resultant representation from said plurality of representations of said utility service usage, and operable to cause said control signal generator to produce said control signal when said resultant representation is outside of said usage range representation.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said processor compares said utility service usage data with respective usage range representations and causes said control signal generator to produce said control signal when a set of data representing said utility service usage is outside of a corresponding set of usage range representations.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data storage device stores said utility service usage.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an annunciation device operable to display said representation of said utility service usage.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said data storage device stores an indication of whether or not said control signal is active.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said processor directs said annunciation device to display said indication.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said communications device communicates said representation of said utility service usage to a remote location.