Remotely controllable electrical sockets with plugged appliance detection and identification

• US 9,501,134 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laith A. Naaman
• Original Assignee: Laith A. Naaman
• Inventors: Naaman, Laith A
• Primary Examiner(s): PEYTON, TAMMARA R
• Application Number:
  US15/078,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20160224101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 244 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0005 the elements or equipment being or involving power plugs or sockets
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• 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: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide for a remotely controllable electrical socket. Such sockets may include an electrical conductor for receiving a plug of an electrical device. The plug may be associated with a tag for receiving identifying information that corresponds to the electrical device. Exemplary sockets may further include a tag reader for obtaining identifying information from the tag, a sensor for detecting if the plug is inserted in the outlet, and a communications interface for wirelessly sending information to a computing device regarding the identifying information and whether the plug is inserted in the outlet. The communications interface may also receive operational instructions from the computing device (e.g., to turn the power to the plug/electrical device ON or OFF).

Claims

1. A remotely controllable electrical socket, comprising:

an electrical conductor that receives a plug of an electrical device and that provides power to the electrical device, the plug associated with a tag that provides identifying information that corresponds to the electrical device, wherein the identifying information includes a type of appliance associated with the electrical device;

a tag reader;

that obtains the identifying information from the tag associated with the plug of the electrical device, the tag reader including one or more electrical contacts that electrically connect the tag to the tag reader when the electrical conductor receives the plug of the electrical device, and

that detects that the plug is inserted in the socket via a sensor, wherein the sensor further identifies a power state of the electrical device when the sensor detects that the plug of the electrical device is inserted in the socket, the power state identifying whether the electrical device is currently in a powered ON state or is currently in a powered OFF state; and

a switch coupling the electrical conductor to a power supply, the switch being selectively controllable from the computing device based on the information received at the computing device, wherein the computing device generates a periodic alarm based on the information received from the communications interface and user preferences, the user preferences indicating a maximum time duration that the electrical device is specified to remain in the powered ON state, wherein the periodic alarm begins to be generated when the electrical device is identified to have been in the powered ON state past the maximum time duration specified by the user preferences.

3. The remotely controllable electrical socket of claim 1, further comprising one or more electrical power protection devices.

4. The remotely controllable electrical socket of claim 1, wherein a location of the electrical device is identified by identifying that the socket is located at a permanent structural location that corresponds to the identified location.

5. The remotely controllable electrical socket of claim 1, wherein the remotely controllable electrical socket is electrically coupled to a base station that is communicatively coupled to a computer.

6. The remotely controllable electrical socket of claim 5, wherein the computer communicates with the base station over a computer network and controls the power state of the electrical device.

7. The remotely controllable electrical socket of claim 5, wherein the computer communicates with the base station over the internet.

8. The remotely controllable electrical socket of claim 5, wherein the base station controls the power state of the electrical device.

9. The remotely controllable electrical socket of claim 5, wherein a user accessing the computer views the power state of the electrical device on a display associated with the computer.

10. The remotely controllable electrical socket of claim 9, wherein the user sets a turn on time over a user interface associated with the computer.

2. The remotely controllable electrical socket further comprising:

a memory; and

a microprocessor that executes instructions out of the memory.