Networked electrical interface

• US 8,467,885 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2011
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kurt Josephson, Marc Josephson
• Original Assignee: Kurt Josephson, Marc Josephson
• Inventors: Josephson, Kurt, Josephson, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Padmanabhan, Kavita
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rapp, Chad
• Application Number:
  US13/183,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20110282497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 700/11, 700/275, 700/276, 700/278, 700/286, 700/296, 700/299, 700/300
• US Class Current: 700/11
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/18 Remote displaying of utility meter readings
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

An electrical interface may include a switching mechanism and a control module. The switching mechanism can selectively couple a source of electricity to a load and the control module can be coupled to the switching mechanism. The control module may generate a query for information from a web server and control the switching mechanism based on a response to the query.

Claims

1. A method of a web server for controlling an electrical device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the web server and from a remote web-enabled device, user-input control instructions;

updating, by the web server and based on the user-input control instructions, a record associated with a unique identifier of an electrical interface to a load; and

on a set periodic basis;

receiving, at the web server, a webpage request, the webpage request including the unique identifier;

retrieving, by the web server, the record associated with the unique identifier; and

generating, by the web server, a response to the webpage request based on the record and the user-input control instructions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes updated control data that includes at least one of a thermostat setting, a current price of electricity, a price threshold, a power mode and scheduling information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

querying a pricing source for the current price of electricity to be included in the updated control data.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising

establishing at least one of the thermostat setting, the price threshold and the power mode of the response based on the scheduling information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes a reboot instruction.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether data included in the webpage request has changed based on an indication in the webpage request, and

updating, by the web server, the record based on the data included in the webpage request if the data in the webpage request has changed.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a login request from the remote web-enabled device, the login request including a user identifier and a password;

validating a user of the web-enabled device based on the login request;

retrieving a set of unique identifiers of electrical interfaces to loads associated with the user identifier; and

generating a web response to the login request based on the set of unique identifiers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user-input control instructions are provided to the web server as a request to modify at least one of a thermostat setting, a price threshold, a power mode and a schedule associated with the unique identifier with which the record is associated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes at least one of a thermostat setting, a price threshold and a power mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the webpage request includes control data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the response includes an update to the control data included in the webpage request.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical interface initiates a query from which the webpage request is generated.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier uniquely identifies a switching mechanism in the electrical interface, which switching mechanism provides a source of electricity to the load.

14. An electrical interface comprising:

a switching mechanism configured to selectively couple a source of electricity to a load; and

a control module coupled to the switching mechanism and configured to;

on a periodic basis;

generate a query for requesting a webpage from a web server; and

receive, from the web server and in response to the webpage request, control information based on control instructions provided to the web server by a user via a remote web-enabled device; and

control the switching mechanism based on the received control information.

15. The electrical interface of claim 14, wherein the control module is configured to transmit the query to a gateway.

16. The electrical interface of claim 14, wherein the control module obtains control information from the web server only in response to the generated queries.

17. The electrical interface of claim 14, wherein the query includes a unique identifier of the electrical interface.

18. The electrical interface of claim 17, wherein the query further includes data including at least one of a thermostat setting, a price threshold and a power mode, and an indication of whether the data has changed.

19. The electrical interface of claim 17, wherein the query further includes a load type identifier.

20. The electrical interface of claim 14, wherein the control information includes data including at least one of a thermostat setting, a current price of electricity, a price threshold, a power mode and scheduling information, the interface further including memory to store the data.

21. The electrical interface of claim 14, wherein the switching mechanism includes at least one of a relay, a circuit breaker and a thermostat.

22. The electrical interface of claim 14, further including a user interface configured to enable user control of the switching mechanism, the user interface including a display and an input device for adjusting at least one of a thermostat setting, a power mode, and a price threshold.

23. The electrical interface of claim 14, wherein the electrical interface further includes a socket coupled to the switching mechanism, the socket to mate with a power plug associated with the load.

24. The electrical interface of claim 14, wherein:

the switching mechanism is a thermostat and the load is an air conditioner;

the query is transmitted wirelessly by the control module to a gateway;

the control information from the web server is received by the control module from the gateway;

the query includes a unique identifier of the electrical interface;

the control information includes at least one of a thermostat setting, a current price of electricity, a price threshold, a power mode and scheduling information; and

the electrical interface further includes;

a memory to store the control information; and

a user interface to enable user control of the thermostat, the user interface having a display and an input device.

25. The electrical interface of claim 24, wherein the control module is configured to generate the query according to scheduling information stored in the memory.

26. The electrical interface of claim 24, further including a socket coupled to the thermostat, the socket configured to mate with a power plug associated with the air conditioner.

27. The electrical interface of claim 24, wherein the query further includes a load type identifier.

28. The electrical interface of claim 24, wherein the query includes data that includes at least one of a thermostat setting, a price threshold and a power mode, and an indication of whether the data has changed.

29. A gateway comprising:

a first interface;

a processing module; and

a second interface;

wherein;

on a set periodic basis;

the processing module generates a request for a webpage, the request including a unique identifier of an electrical interface to a load; and

the second interface transmits the webpage request to a web server;

the second interface receives, from the web server and in response to each of the webpage requests, control information based on control instructions provided to the web server by a user via a web-enabled device; and

the first interface is configured to transmit data based on the received control information to the electrical interface for controlling the load.

30. The gateway of claim 29, wherein the query includes data, the data including at least one of a thermostat setting, a power mode and a price threshold, and the query further includes an indication of whether the first data has changed.

31. The gateway of claim 29, wherein the first interface receives an information query from the electrical interface on the periodic basis, the information query including the unique identifier, and the processing module converts the received queries into the webpage requests.

32. The gateway of claim 31, wherein the query further includes a load type identifier and the processing module is configured to convert the query into the web request based on the load type identifier.

33. The gateway of claim 29, wherein the second interface receives the control information in a response from the web server in a first format, the processing module is configured to convert the response into a second format, and the data transmitted by the first interface is in the second format and is transmitted by the first interface to the electrical interface.

34. The gateway of claim 33, wherein the response includes at least one of a thermostat setting, a power mode, a current price of electricity, a price threshold, and scheduling information.

35. The gateway of claim 29, wherein the first interface includes a local transmission link including at least one of a wireless, power line communication and Ethernet component, and the second interface includes an Ethernet port.

36. A web server configured to control an electrical device, the web server comprising:

a memory device; and

a processor;

wherein;

the web server is configured to receive from a remote web-enabled device user-input control instructions and update a record associated with a unique identifier of an electrical interface to a load; and

on a periodic basis, the web server;

receives a webpage request that includes the unique identifier;

retrieves from the memory device the record associated with the unique identifier; and

generates a response to the webpage request based on the record and the user-input control instructions, the electrical device being controlled based on the response.

37. The web server of claim 36, wherein the user-input control instructions includes at least one of a thermostat setting, a price threshold, and a power mode.