Remote control of a smart home device

• US 9,920,946 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gourlay, Alastair R., Bruck, Timo, Fadell, Anthony M., Rogers, Matthew L., Sloo, David, Plitkins, Michael, Honjo, Shigefumi, Filson, John B., Matas, Michael J., Bould, Fred, Huppi, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradford, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US14/868,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20160018127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 62157-158, 62231, 62264, 700276, 700278
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/54 using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/07 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A system including a thermostat user interface for a network-connected thermostat is described. The system includes a thermostat including a frustum-shaped shell body having a circular cross-section and a circular rotatable ring, which is user rotatable for adjusting a setting of the thermostat. The system further includes a client application that is operable on a touch-screen device separate from the thermostat, that displays a graphical representation of a circular dial, that detects a user-input motion proximate the graphical representation, that determines a user-selected setpoint temperature value based on the user-input motion, that displays a numerical representation of the user-selected setpoint temperature value, and that wirelessly transmits to the thermostat data representative of the user-selected setpoint temperature.

Claims

1. A method of interfacing with a user for controlling a home system, the method comprising:

displaying, on a touch-screen display of a remote electronic device, a movable graphical symbol indicative of a first value implemented by a smart-home controller that controls the home system, wherein;

the remote electronic device is remote from the smart-home controller and the home system;

detecting, by the remote electronic device on the touch-screen display, a touch-and-drag gesture representative of user manipulation of the movable graphical symbol;

determining, by the remote electronic device, a second value based on the detected touch-and-drag gesture;

displaying, on the touch-screen display of the remote electronic device, the movable graphical symbol in a position indicative of the second value;

altering, by the remote electronic device, a defined amount of time for waiting in response to detecting more than a threshold number of changes to the first value within a threshold period of time;

in response to the touch-and-drag gesture, waiting, by the remote electronic device, for the defined amount of time such that there is a relatively high likelihood that the second value is desired by the user, wherein the defined amount of time is between 0.5 seconds and 5 seconds; and

after waiting for the defined amount of time, wirelessly transmitting, by the remote electronic device, data representative of the second value for implementation by the smart-home controller.

2. The method of interfacing with the user for controlling the home system of claim 1, wherein the moveable graphical symbol is presented on a disk-like circular object on the touch-screen display of the remote electronic device.

3. The method of interfacing with the user for controlling the home system of claim 1, wherein the home system is a resource-consuming system.

4. The method of interfacing with the user for controlling the home system of claim 3, wherein the smart-home controller is a thermostat and the resource-consuming system is an HVAC system.

5. The method for interfacing with the user for controlling the home system of claim 1, wherein the moveable graphical symbol is presented by the touch-screen display concurrently with a numerical value corresponding to a position of the moveable graphical symbol.