Auto-programmable electronic thermostat

• US 5,782,296 A
• Filed: 06/14/1996
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hunter Fan Company
• Original Assignee: Hunter Fan Company
• Inventors: Mehta, Vinay
• Primary Examiner(s): Wayner, William E.
• Application Number:
  US08/665,206
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 62/231, 236/46 R, 165/268, 364/557
• US Class Current: 165/268
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 15/006 for operating at a number of different times cigar or cigarette receptacles or boxes with means for limiting the frequency of smoking A24F15/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1904 variable in time

Abstract

The invention is a method for programming a programmable thermostat having a default program set and one or more pre-programmed program sets, wherein each pre-programmed program set has a plurality of times and a plurality of temperatures. The method includes the steps of selecting one of the plurality of pre-programmed program sets; programming the programmable thermostat with the times and temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set; and altering the times and temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set to create a tailored program set. An auto-programmable thermostat may include a first memory having a default program set which receives at least one of a plurality of pre-programmed program sets, wherein each pre-programmed program set includes a plurality of times and at least a plurality of temperatures. The thermostat also may have a plurality of alphanumeric identifiers, each identifier corresponding to one of the plurality of pre-programmed program sets; selection keys for selecting one of a plurality of the alphanumeric identifiers; a processor responsive to the selection keys for replacing the default program set on the first memory with the selected pre-programmed program set; and keys for altering the times and temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set.

Claims

1. A method of programming a programmable thermostat having a default program set and one or more pre-programmed program sets stored in a long-term memory and loadable into a working memory, the default program set being loaded into the working memory upon power-up of the programmable thermostat, wherein each pre-programmed program set comprises a plurality of times and a plurality of temperatures, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting one of said one or more pre-programmed program sets stored in long-term memory;

programming the programmable thermostat with the times and temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set by loading the selected pre-programmed program set into the working memory; and

altering the times and temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set within the working memory to create a tailored program set within the working memory which may remain within the working memory until further alteration by a user of the programmable thermostat.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of deriving the selected program set from one of a plurality of standard program sets.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

initializing the thermostat by applying power to the thermostat that is in a non-powered state;

loading the default program set from the long-term memory into the working memory automatically upon initializing the thermostat; and

altering the default program set within working memory to create a tailored program set within the working memory.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said default program set includes not more than one time and not more than one temperature of each of a heating and cooling operation.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the altering of the default program set includes the step of loading the pre-programmed program set from the long-term memory to replace the default program set in the working memory.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said not more than one time is a zero value.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein said default program set includes not more than one default time value, and not more than one default temperature value for each of a heating and cooling operation.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the altering of the default program set includes the steps of displaying the default time and temperature values for a plurality of time periods and then altering or selecting the displayed default time and temperature values for one or more of the plurality of time periods on a consecutive time period by time period basis.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said not more than one default time value is a zero value and wherein the step of altering the default program set includes the step of loading the pre-programmed program set from the long-term memory to replace the default program set in the working memory.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of altering the times and temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set within the working memory takes place without altering the selected pre-programmed program set within the long-term memory.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said long-term memory is a read-only memory.

20. The thermostat of claim 6 wherein said first memory is a working memory and said second memory is a long-term memory.

12. An auto-programmable thermostat comprising:

a first memory having a default program set stored therein and which receives at least a selected one of one or more pre-programmed program sets, wherein each pre-programmed program set comprises a plurality of times and a plurality of temperatures;

a second memory for storing one or more pre-programmed program sets, each of which comprises a plurality of times and a plurality of temperatures;

a plurality of alphanumeric identifiers, each identifier corresponding to one of the one or more pre-programmed program sets;

selection means for selecting one of a plurality of the alphanumeric identifiers;

means responsive to the selection means for replacing the default program set in the first memory with the selected pre-programmed program set from the second memory; and

means for altering the times and temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set within said first memory and retaining the selected pre-programmed set within said second memory without alteration.

13. The thermostat of claim 12, wherein the default program set is loaded from said second memory to said first memory upon first application of power to the thermostat.

14. An auto-programmable thermostat comprising:

a first memory having a default program set stored therein and which receives and stores one of at least one pre-programmed program set, wherein said pre-programmed program set comprises a plurality of times and at least one set of a corresponding number of temperatures;

selection means for selecting one of the at least one pre-programmed program set;

means responsive to the selection means for replacing the default program set with the times and temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set in the first memory; and

means for altering the times and temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set within said first memory to create a tailored program set within said first memory which remains within said first memory until further alteration.

15. The thermostat of claim 14, further comprising a second memory and wherein the default program set is loaded from said second memory and stored in the first memory upon first application of power to the thermostat.

16. The thermostat of claim 15 further comprising means for altering the default program set within said first memory.

17. The thermostat of claim 16 wherein said default program set include a zero time value, a first plurality of temperatures for controlling a heating operation, and a second plurality of temperatures for controlling a cooling operation.

18. The thermostat of claim 16 wherein said default program set includes a zero time value, a first temperature for controlling a heating operation, a second temperature for controlling a cooling operation, means for displaying the zero time value and one of said first and second temperatures for each of a plurality of time periods, and means for altering the zero time value to an actual time value, and for altering said one of said first and second temperatures, for each of the plurality of time periods.

19. The thermostat of claim 18 wherein said pre-programmed program set is stored within said second memory and is loadable into said first memory in response to said selection means.

21. The programmable thermostat of claim 14, wherein the selected pre-programmed program set comprises a plurality of times and a corresponding plurality of temperatures and the thermostat further comprises a second memory means for storing at least one standard program set having a plurality of times and at least a corresponding plurality of temperatures and wherein the plurality of times of the selected program set has a predetermined relationship with respect to the plurality of times of the standard program set.

22. The programmable thermostat of claim 14, further comprising a second memory for storing a plurality of pre-programmed program sets and wherein the selection means is used to select one of the plurality of pre-programmed program sets stored in the second memory.

23. The programmable thermostat of claim 14, wherein each pre-programmed program set comprises a plurality of times and a first corresponding plurality of temperatures and a second corresponding plurality of temperatures.

24. The programmable thermostat of claim 23, wherein the first plurality of temperatures are temperatures for controlling a heating system.

25. The programmable thermostat of claim 24, wherein the second plurality to temperatures are temperatures for controlling a cooling system.

26. An auto-programmable thermostat comprising:

a first memory having a default program set which is programmable;

a second memory for storing a plurality of pre-programmed program sets, where each pre-programmed program set comprises a plurality of times and at least a corresponding number of temperatures;

selection means for selecting one of the stored pre-programmed program sets;

means responsive to the selection means for loading the times and corresponding temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set from said second memory into said first memory to replace the default program set; and

means for altering the times and temperatures of the selected pre-programmed program set within said first memory.

27. The thermostat of claim 26, wherein the default program set is loaded from a second memory to the first memory upon first application of power to the thermostat.

28. An auto-programmable thermostat comprising:

a first memory which is programmable and has a default program set;

a second memory for storing at least one standard program set, wherein the standard program set comprises a plurality of times and at least a corresponding number of temperatures;

selection means for selecting a program set for loading in the first memory, wherein at least one of the times and temperatures of the selected program set has a predetermined relationship with the time and temperatures of the standard pre-programmed program set within said second memory, so that the selected program set is derived from the standard pre-programmed program set;

means responsive to the selection means for replacing the default program set in the first memory with the times and temperatures of the selected program set; and

means for altering the times and temperatures of the selected program set within said first memory.

29. The thermostat of claim 28, wherein the default program set is loaded from a second memory to the first memory upon first application of power to the thermostat.

30. The programmable thermostat of claim 28, wherein the second memory comprises a plurality of standard program sets, and wherein the selection means further comprises means for selecting one of the plurality of standard program sets and wherein the selected program set is derived from the selected standard program set.

31. The programmable thermostat of claim 28 wherein each program set comprises a plurality of times and a first corresponding plurality of temperatures and a second corresponding plurality of temperatures.

32. The programmable thermostat of claim 31, wherein the first plurality of temperatures is used for controlling a heating system.

33. The programmable thermostat of claim 31, wherein the second plurality of temperatures is used for controlling a cooling system.

34. A programmable thermostat comprising:

a long-term memory having a default program set stored therein, said default program set including not more than one time value and not more than one temperature value for each of a heating and cooling operation, and further having a pre-programmed program set stored therein, said pre-programmed program set including a plurality of times and a plurality of corresponding temperatures for each of a heating and cooling operation;

a working memory for automatically receiving and storing the default program set from said long-term memory upon initial power-up of the thermostat whereby the thermostat is initially programmed to be set at said one temperature value for each of said heating and cooling operations, and for receiving and storing said pre-programmed program set from said long-term memory whereby the thermostat is programmed to be set in accordance with said plurality of times and temperatures for each of a heating and cooling operation;

means for displaying the default program set stored within said working memory for a plurality of time periods;

means for altering the displayed default program set stored within said working memory for each of said plurality of time periods to set one or more of the time and temperature values so that the thermostat is programmed to operate at the set time and temperature values;

means for selecting said pre-programmed program set within long-term memory and, responsive to said selecting means, loading the pre-programmed program set into said working memory to replace the program set then residing in said working memory; and

means for altering the selected pre-programmed program set within said working memory to change one or more of the pre-programmed time and temperature values.

35. The programmable thermostat of claim 34 wherein said not more than one time value of said default program set is a zero value.

36. A method of programming a programmable thermostat having a display, a long-term memory, and a working memory, and including a default program set and a pre-programmed program set, each of which are stored in the long-term memory and loadable into the working memory, wherein the default program set includes not more than one time value, and not more than one temperature value for each of a heating and cooling operation, and wherein the pre-programmed program set includes a plurality of starting time values and a plurality of set-point temperature values corresponding to the starting times for each of a heating and cooling operation, the method comprising the steps of:

initializing the thermostat by applying power to the thermostat;

automatically loading the default program set from the long-term memory to the working memory upon initializing the thermostat whereby the thermostat is initially programmed to be set at the default temperature value for one of the heating and cooling operations;

displaying the not more than one time and temperature values of the default program set for each of a plurality of time periods;

altering the default program set by at least one of the following steps

(a) selecting a time value and a temperature value for the not more than one time value and not more than one temperature value of the displayed default program set for at least one of said plurality of time periods on a time period by time period basis;

(b) selecting the pre-programmed program set from long-term memory and, in response thereto, loading the entire pre-programmed program set into said working memory in place of the default program set;

altering a program set that resides within working memory by at least one of the following steps

(c) changing one or more of the time and temperature values that resides within working memory for one or more of the time periods;

(d) loading the entire pre-programmed program set from long-term memory into said working memory to replace the program set within working memory.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein said not more than one time value of said default program set is a zero value.