Apparatus and method for transmitting operating cycle alerts

• US 8,947,245 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2011
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Finch, Michael, Pepe, Peter, Venkatakrishnan, Natarajan, McCalpin, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghayour, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): TUN, NAY L
• Application Number:
  US13/221,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20130049970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 340/635, 340/309.16, 3403092-3099
• US Class Current: 340/635
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

An apparatus includes a memory device configured to store computer-readable instructions and data representative of at least an alert trigger time that represents a time before an end of an operating cycle of an appliance communicatively coupled to a home energy manager. The apparatus further includes a processor coupled to the memory device and configured to execute the computer-readable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine a remaining cycle time for the operating cycle of the appliance, compare the remaining cycle time to the alert trigger time stored in the memory device, generate an alert when the remaining cycle time is equal to the alert trigger time, and transmit the generated alert to at least one remote device.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory device configured to store computer-readable instructions and data representative of at least an alert trigger time that represents a time before an end of an operating cycle of an appliance communicatively coupled to a home energy manager; and

a processor coupled to said memory device and configured to execute the computer-readable instructions, which when executed by said processor, cause said processor to;

determine a remaining cycle time for the operating cycle of the appliance;

compare the remaining cycle time to the alert trigger time stored in said memory device;

generate an alert when the remaining cycle time is equal to the alert trigger time;

transmit the generated alert to at least one remote device; and

receive data comprising a user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the advance alert trigger identifying the appliance, the alert trigger time, and the at least one remote device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to receive the user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the computer-readable instructions cause said processor to:

receive a user input that selects at least one of a plurality of preset advance alert triggers; and

store the selected advance alert trigger in said memory device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to receive the user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the computer-readable instructions cause said processor to:

receive a user input that creates a custom advance alert trigger; and

store the custom advance alert trigger in said memory device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a user interface coupled to said processor, wherein to receive the user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the computer-readable instructions cause said processor to receive the user input from said user input interface.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to receive the user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the computer-readable instructions cause said processor to receive the user input from the at least one remote device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to transmit the generated alert, the computer-readable instructions cause said processor to transmit the generated alert as at least one of an email and a text message.

7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-readable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by a processor, the computer-readable instructions cause the processor to:

determine a remaining cycle time for an operating cycle of an appliance communicatively coupled to a home energy manager;

compare the remaining cycle time to an alert trigger time that represents a time before the end of the operating cycle;

generate an alert when the remaining cycle time is equal to the alert trigger time;

transmit the generated alert to at least one remote device; and

receive a user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the advance alert trigger identifying the appliance, the alert trigger time, and the at least one remote device.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 7, wherein to receive the user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the computer-readable instructions cause the processor to receive a user input that selects at least one of a plurality of preset advance alert triggers.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 7, wherein to receive the user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the computer-readable instructions cause the processor to receive a user input that creates a custom advance alert trigger.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 7, wherein to receive the user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the computer-readable instructions cause the processor to receive the user input from a user interface of the home energy manager.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 7, wherein to receive the user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the computer-readable instructions cause the processor to receive the user input from the at least one remote device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 7, wherein to transmit the alert, the computer-readable instructions cause the processor to transmit the generated alert as at least one of an email and a text message.

13. A method for transmitting an operating cycle alert for an appliance communicatively coupled to a home energy manager, said method comprising:

determining, using a processor, a remaining cycle time for an operating cycle of the appliance;

comparing, using the processor, the remaining cycle time to an alert trigger time that represents a time before the end of the operating cycle;

generating, using the processor, the operating cycle alert when the remaining cycle time is equal to the alert trigger time;

transmitting the generated operating cycle alert to at least one remote device; and

receiving a user input that sets an advance alert trigger, the advance alert trigger identifying the appliance, the alert trigger time, and the at least one remote device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving a user input that sets an advance alert trigger comprises receiving a user input that selects at least one of a plurality of preset advance alert triggers.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting the alert trigger time to the appliance, and

wherein comparing the remaining cycle time to an alert trigger time comprises comparing the remaining cycle time to the alert trigger time at the appliance.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving a user input that sets an advance alert trigger comprises receiving the user input from at least one of the at least one remote device and a user interface of the home energy manager.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting the generated operating cycle alert comprises transmitting the generated operating cycle alert as at least one of an email and a text message.