Wireless wall thermostat

• US 9,677,776 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adrian Chernoff, Eric Douglass Clifton
• Original Assignee: Eric Douglass Clifton
• Inventors: Clifton, Eric Douglass, Chernoff, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): Crenshaw, Henry
• Application Number:
  US14/269,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20150316285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 236 1 C, 236 51, 700276, 700278, 700277
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/00 Control or safety arrangements
• 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 11/526 giving audible indications
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/57 using telephone networks
• 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 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature

Abstract

The wireless wall thermostat of the present invention utilizes a push-contact mechanical system that allows a user to raise or lower the temperature within a space by applying a force on the top or bottom center of the front of the thermostat. The perpendicular force applied by the user generates a moment arm around pivot connectors, which rotates the thermostat clockwise or counter-clockwise. When rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise, contact buttons attached to the back of the thermostat come into contact with the trigger tabs of a stationary trigger plate mounted to a wall through use of an electromagnetic attraction between a steel disc and a magnet. When the trigger tabs press the contact buttons, the contact buttons send a signal to the central processing unit of the thermostat'"'"'s internal circuit board to modulate the temperature setting. In addition, the wireless wall thermostat can be detachable by utilizing a magnetic release smart mount.

Claims

1. A removable wireless thermostat assembly that utilizes a push-contact mechanical system to modulate temperature settings comprising:

a thermostat, comprising an interface, an internal circuit board, two contact buttons, and two pivotal connectors, and a front plate configured to have a top portion and a bottom portion facing a user when the thermostat is installed, wherein the top portion is adjacent an upper edge of the interface, and the bottom portion is adjacent a lower edge of the interface,

a removable wireless platform, comprising a wall mount having an adhesive and a magnet;

said push-contact mechanical system comprising a trigger plate having a steel disc, two trigger sockets and two trigger tabs, wherein the trigger sockets and trigger tabs take the shape of a cross with a central axis and an ellipse superimposed on the center of the cross where the steel disc is affixed;

wherein each trigger socket is positioned to receive a pivot connector, allowing the thermostat to rotate along the central axis of the trigger plate;

wherein the front plate and trigger plate are configured to rotate in a first direction when a force is applied to the top portion, and is further configured to rotate in a second direction when a force is applied to the bottom portion;

wherein when the front plate and trigger plate rotate in the first direction, a first one of said contact buttons and a first one of said trigger tabs make contact to cause the thermostat to adjust the temperature setting to a higher value,

wherein when the front plate and trigger plate rotate in the second direction, a second one of said contact buttons and a second one of said trigger tabs make contact to cause the thermostat to adjust the temperature setting to a lower value,

wherein the steel disc provides an electromagnetic attraction to attach to the magnet of the wall mount.

2. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 1, wherein a user can detach the thermostat from the wall mount by pulling the thermostat away from the wall mount, overcoming the attractive force between the magnet and steel disc.

3. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises an electronic ink Graphical User Interface (GUI).

4. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a material selected from a group comprising glass and plastic.

5. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 1, wherein the adhesive enables the wall mount to be affixed to a wall.

6. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 5, wherein the adhesive is an adhesive sticker having an adhesive portion and a cover that peels from the adhesive portion.

7. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 1, wherein the internal circuit board comprises a USB power and charging port, a battery, a central processing unit, an LED driver and indicator, a temperature senor, a humidity sensor, a calibration module, and a transceiver.

8. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 7, wherein the central processing unit is a microcontroller having an onboard program and dynamic storage memory.

9. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 7, wherein the transceiver acts as a transponder to provide real time system information to a local communication server.

10. The wireless wall thermostat of claim 7, wherein the transceiver is a ZigBee communication module which can establish a bidirectional mesh communication network when multiple thermostats are utilized.

11. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 1, further comprising a static memory unit incorporated in the internal circuit board.

12. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 1, further comprising a front plate and a back plate that provide a housing for the interface and internal circuit board.

13. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 12, wherein the front plate is rectangular shaped.

14. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 12, wherein the front plate comprises rigid aluminum textured plastic in a metallic style finish.

15. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 12, wherein the front and back plates comprise plastic.

16. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 12, further comprising an air gap layer, located between the back plate and the internal circuit board.

17. The removable wireless thermostat of claims 9 and 12, wherein the two contact buttons, LED indicator, and USB power port are fabricated into the back plate and mounted into the internal circuit board.

18. The removable wireless thermostat of claims 7 and 12, wherein the USB power port is centered on the bottom side of the back plate.

19. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 1, wherein the magnet is a neodymium magnet.

20. The removable wireless thermostat of claim 1, wherein the wall mount comprises plastic.