Power outlet and method of use

• US 9,648,448 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Feit Electric Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LiFi Labs, Inc. (Buddy Technologies Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bosua, Phillip, Alexander, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Washburn, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAILEGIORGIS, FITWI Y
• Application Number:
  US14/843,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20160066130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 375257, 324 7611, 307140
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/12 wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is ac G05F1/625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5454 Adapter and plugs
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A power outlet for controlling power to an external device and transmitting data to the external device, the power outlet including: a housing containing at least one alternating-current power input connection; a power output connection; a data connector; a sensor module; a wireless communication module, including an antenna; a processing unit configured to receive data and control an electrically connected device through the power output connection and/or data connector based on the received data.

Claims

1. A method for performing power management and data transfer among multiple devices connected to wirelessly networked power outlets, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of data from a first device connected to a first power outlet;

collecting contextual data local to the first power outlet;

determining an endpoint address based on the first set of data in combination with the contextual data;

transmitting the first set of data to a second power outlet corresponding to the endpoint address;

receiving the first set of data at the second power outlet over a wireless connection;

computing a set of instructions based on the first set of data received by the second power outlet;

managing the power consumption of a second device connected to the second power outlet based on the computed set of instructions;

receiving a second set of data from the second device connected to the second power outlet; and

transmitting the second set of data to the first power outlet over the wireless connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting contextual data local to the second power outlet, wherein computing a set of instructions additionally comprises computing a set of instructions based on the first set of data in combination with the contextual data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the first set of data and transmitting the modified first set of data via the second power outlet to the second device connected to the second power outlet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an endpoint address comprises determining the endpoint address based on an identifier for the first device.

5. A method for performing power management and data transfer to devices connected to a wirelessly-connected power outlet, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of data from a first device connected wirelessly to the power outlet;

collecting contextual data local to the power outlet;

computing a set of instructions based on the first set of data received by the power outlet in combination with the contextual data;

managing the power consumption of a second device connected to the power outlet, based on the computed set of instructions;

receiving a second set of data from the second device; and

transmitting the second set of data to a third device which is wirelessly connected to the power outlet.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising modifying the first set of data, and transmitting the first set of data to the second device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein managing the power consumption comprises modulating an electrical current waveform supplied to the second device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein modulating an electrical current waveform comprises disabling and enabling current supplied to the second device.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein collecting contextual data comprises collecting contextual data from a sensor coupled to the power outlet.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing the first set of data, storing the contextual data in association with the first set of data, computing a pattern from the stored first set of data and the contextual data to produce a record, receiving a third set of data via the power outlet, and wherein computing a set of instructions further comprises computing a set of instructions based on the third set of data in combination with the record.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the third device is a server.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the first device is a mobile phone with wireless connectivity capability.