NETWORKED ELECTRICAL INTERFACE

• US 20080221737A1
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kurt Josephson, Marc Josephson
• Original Assignee: Kurt Josephson, Marc Josephson
• Inventors: Josephson, Kurt, Josephson, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 7,983,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• 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. An electrical interface comprising:

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

a control module coupled to the switching mechanism to generate a query for information from a web server and to control the switching mechanism based on a response to the query.

2. The electrical interface of claim 1, wherein the control module is to transmit the query to a gateway.

3. The electrical interface of claim 1, wherein the control module is to generate the query according to scheduling information stored at the electrical interface.

4. The electrical interface of claim 1, wherein the query is to include a unique identifier of the electrical interface.

5. The electrical interface of claim 4, wherein the query is to further include data having at least one of a thermostat setting, a price threshold and a power mode, and an indication of whether the data has changed.

6. The electrical interface of claim 4, wherein the query is to further include a load type identifier.

7. The electrical interface of claim 1, wherein the response is to include data having 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.

8. The electrical interface of claim 1, wherein the switching mechanism includes at least one of a relay, a circuit breaker and a thermostat.

9. The electrical interface of claim 1, further including a user interface to enable user control of the switching mechanism, the user interface having a display and an input device.

10. The electrical interface of claim 1, 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.

11. A gateway comprising:

a first interface to receive a query for information, the query to include a unique identifier of an electrical interface to a load and first data having at least one of a thermostat setting, power mode and a price threshold;

a processing module to convert the query into a web request; and

a second interface to transmit the web request to a web server.

12. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the query is to further include an indication of whether the first data has changed.

13. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the query is to further include a load type identifier and the processing module is to convert the query into the web request based on the load type identifier.

14. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the second interface is to receive a response from the web server to the web request in a first format, the processing module is to convert the response into a second format, and the first interface is to transmit the response in the second format to the electrical interface.

15. The gateway of claim 14, wherein the response is to include second data having at least one of a thermostat setting, power mode, a current price of electricity, a price threshold and scheduling information.

16. The gateway of claim 11, wherein the first interface includes a local transmission link having at least one of a wireless, power line communication and Ethernet component, and the second interface includes an Ethernet port.

17. A computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions which, if executed by a processor, cause a web server to:

receive a first web request for information, the first web request to include a unique identifier of an electrical interface to a load and first data having at least one of a thermostat setting, a price threshold and a power mode;

retrieve a record associated with the unique identifier; and

generate a response to the first web request based on the record.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the response is to include data having at least one of a thermostat setting, a current price of electricity a price threshold, a power mode and scheduling information.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions, if executed by a processor, further cause the web server to query a pricing source for the current price of electricity.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions, if executed by a processor, further cause the web server to establish at least one of the thermostat setting, the price threshold and the power mode of the response based on the scheduling information.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the response is to include a reboot instruction.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first web request further includes an indication of whether the first data has changed, the web server to update the record based on the first data if the first data has changed.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions, if executed by a processor, further cause the web server to:

receive a login request from a web-enabled device, the login request to include a user identifier and a password;

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

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

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

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions, if executed by a processor, further cause the web server to:

receive a second web request to modify at least one of a thermostat setting, a price threshold, a power mode and a schedule associated with one or more of the set of unique identifiers; and

update a record associated with the one or more of the set of unique identifiers in response to the second web request.

25. An electrical interface comprising:

a thermostat to selectively couple a source of electricity to an air conditioner;

a control module coupled to the thermostat to generate a query for information from a web server, to transmit the query wirelessly to a gateway and to control the thermostat based on a response to the query, the query to include a unique identifier of the electrical interface and first data having at least one of a thermostat setting, a price threshold and a power mode, and an indication of whether the first data has changed, the response to include second data having at least one of a thermostat setting, a current price of electricity, a price threshold, a power mode and scheduling information;

a memory to store the first and second data; and

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

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

27. The electrical interface of claim 25, further including a socket coupled to the thermostat, the socket to mate with a power plug associated with the air conditioner.

28. The electrical interface of claim 25, wherein the query is to further include a load type identifier.