UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`_____________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`_____________
`
`HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL, INC.
`
`Petitioner
`
`v.
`
`ALLURE ENERGY, INC.
`
`Patent Owner
`_____________
`
`Case No. IPR2016-___
`Patent No. 8,509,954
`
`PETITIONER’S EXHIBIT NO. 1006
`
`

`

`USOO7953518B2
`
`(12) United States Patent
`Kansal et al.
`
`(10) Patent N0.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`May 31, 2011
`
`(54) ENERGY COST REDUCTION AND AD
`DELIVERY
`
`(US);
`(75) Inventors: Arnan Kansal, Issaquah,
`Nissanka Arachchlge B. Prlyantha,
`Redmond, WA (US); Michel Goraczko,
`Seattle, WA (Us); Feng Zhao’ Issaquah’
`WA (Us)
`
`(73) Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
`(US)
`
`( * ) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 296 days.
`
`(21) App1.No.: 12/206,092
`
`(22) Filed;
`
`sep_ 8, 2008
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2010/0063644 A1
`Mar. 11, 2010
`
`(51) Int“ Cl“
`(2006.01)
`G05D 3/12
`(2006.01)
`G05D 5/00
`(2006.01)
`G05D 9/00
`(200601)
`G05D 11/00
`(200601)
`G05D 17/00
`(200601)
`GOIR 21/00
`(200601)
`G01R 21/06
`(52) us CL ______ __ 700/295; 700/286; 700/291; 700/297;
`702/60; 702/61; 323/299
`(58) Field of Classi?cation Search .................. .. 700/22,
`700/286, 291, 2952297; 323/2992303; 705/10;
`702/60262
`See application ?le for complete search history,
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`US. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4/1987 Harmon, JR
`4,655,279 A
`3/1988 Alenduff et al. .............. .. 307/85
`4,731,547 A *
`6/1993 Kasper et al.
`5,219,119 A
`6/1998 Brown, Jr. et al.
`5,761,083 A
`4/2001 Ehlers et 31‘
`6,216,956 B1
`4/2002 Zaloom
`6366339 B 1
`6,671,586 B2 * 12/2003 Davis et a1. ................. .. 700/295
`6,785,620 B2
`8/2004 Kishlock et al.
`6,786,421 B2
`9/2004 Rosen
`6,832,135 B2 * 12/2004 Ying ........................... .. 700/295
`6,975,926 B2 * l2/2005 S h '
`........... ..
`700/296
`7,206,670 132* 4/2007 Picmirlllliar et al‘ ,
`700/291
`2002/0103655 A1* 8/2002 Boies et al. ...... ..
`705/1
`2003/0036810 A1 *
`2/2003 Petite ........... ..
`700/9
`2003/0187550 A1 * 10/2003 Wllson et a1~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ 700/295
`(Continued)
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`_
`_
`_
`Hedding. Electronic Programmable Thermostats. http://phoenix.
`about.com/0d/utilities/a/thermostat.htrn. Last accessed Jul. 14,2008,
`2 pages.
`
`(Continued)
`
`Primary Examiner * Ramesh B Patel
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm * Turocy & Watson, LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`_
`_
`_
`The claimed subject matter provrdes a system and/or a
`methodthat facilitates managing energy consumptionwithan
`energy sink device in order to reduce energy costs. An energy
`sink device can consume a portion of energy. An interface
`component can receive aportion ofdata related to at least one
`of a real time energy rate or a user presence. An energy
`manager can dynamically control the energy sink device for
`ef?cient consumption of the portion of energy for reduced
`energy costs based at least in part upon the evaluation of the
`portion of received data. The energy manager canleverage the
`real time energy rate and the user presence in order to employ
`at least one of a power on the energy sink device, a power off
`the energy sink device, or an adjust a setting for the energy
`sink device.
`
`5/1977 Stevenson ..................... .. 307/38
`4,023,043 A *
`4,360,881 A * 11/1982 Martinson ................... .. 700/298
`
`20 Claims, 10 Drawing Sheets
`
`EXTERNAL
`ENERGY
`DATA
`
`204 H i
`
`rm
`
`INTERNAL
`
`F ENERGY
`
`DATA
`
`‘06
`
`102\
`
`7
`
`INTERFACE
`
`\ ENERGYMANAGER
`
`2“
`
`DATA
`
`m
`ENERGY
`d—b CONTROL
`DEVICE
`
`i
`
`104
`
`ENERGYSINK
`
`COMPUTATION
`
`ENGINE
`
`3
`
`4oz
`
`AD
`COMPONENT
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 1
`
`

`

`US 7,953,518 B2
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`2003/0200473 A1* 10/2003 Fung ........................... .. 713/320
`2004/0153170 A1* 8/2004 Santacatterina et al.
`700/1
`2004/0158360 A1* 8/2004 Garland et al.
`. 700/286
`2004/0252535 A1* 12/2004 Kenny et al.
`. 363/144
`2005/0071092 A1* 3/2005 Farkas et al.
`702/60
`2006/0276938 A1* 12/2006 Miller ....... ..
`. 700/295
`2008/0040296 A1* 2/2008 Bridges et al.
`. 705/412
`2008/0052145 A1* 2/2008 Kaplan et al.
`...... .. 705/8
`2008/0272934 A1* 11/2008 Wang et a1. .
`.. 340/870.11
`2009/0024545 A1* 1/2009 Golden et a1. .
`705/412
`2009/0093916 A1* 4/2009 Parsonnet et al. ........... .. 700/286
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`Programmable Thermostat helps Control Peak Energy Use, Mar. 13,
`2008.
`http://?ndarticles.com/p/articles/miimOPIL/isi2008i
`Marchi13/aiin24920980. Last accessed Jul. 14, 2008, 5 pages.
`
`Thermal Comfort Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality. http://WWW.
`mass. gov/ E le/ doc s/ do s/iaq/iaqi3 89ithermalic omfort.pdf. Last
`accessed Oct. 10, 2008, 1 page.
`Thermal Comfort for Of?ce Work http://WWW.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/
`physiagents/thermalicomfort.htrnl. Last accessed Oct. 10, 2008, 4
`pages.
`Best Working Temperatures http://WWW.time.com/time/magazine/
`article/0,9171,738774,00.html. Last accessed Oct. 10, 2008, 4 pages.
`Steve Lohr. Digital Tools Help Users Save Energy, Study Finds.
`Published online Jan. 10, 2008. http://WWW.nytimes.com/2008/01/
`10/technology/10energy.html. Last accessed Oct. 10, 2008, 6 pages.
`ISO New EnglandleO New England Inc. http://www.iso-ne.com/.
`Last accessed Oct. 10, 2008, 1 page.
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 2
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`May 31, 2011
`
`Sheet 1 0110
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`100 r
`
`DATA
`
`106
`\ INTERFACE
`
`102 \
`
`ENERGY MANAGER
`
`1 0 4
`/_
`
`<—
`ENERGY SINK
`,—>
`
`FIG. 1
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 3
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`May 31, 2011
`
`Sheet 2 0f 10
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`EXTERNAL
`ENERGY
`DATA
`
`204
`
`l
`
`‘
`
`106
`
`.
`
`\ INTERFACE
`\ ENERGY MANAGER
`
`208
`
`INTERNAL
`ENERGY
`
`DATA
`
`/_ 202
`
`ENERGY
`ngwc‘;
`TR L
`I
`
`104
`/_
`
`<—>
`
`COMPUTATION
`ENGINE
`206
`
`ENERGY SINK
`
`FIG. 2
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 4
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`May 31, 2011
`
`Sheet 3 0f 10
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`300 f
`
`102 \
`
`ENERGY MANAGER
`
`302
`\
`
`202
`/—
`<—>
`ENERGY
`ENERGY/COST
`OPTIMIZATION <_> CONTROL
`ALGORITHM
`DEVICE
`i
`
`4—D
`
`308
`/
`310 CONTROLLED
`/_
`DEVICE
`
`304 \
`
`ENERGY
`INFORMATION
`
`306
`\
`USER STATE
`INFORMATION
`
`CONTROL
`SPECIFICATION
`
`FIG. 3
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 5
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`May 31, 2011
`
`Sheet 4 0f 10
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`400 ’
`
`EXTERNAL
`ENERGY
`DATA
`
`204
`
`l
`
`‘
`
`INTERNAL
`ENERGY
`
`DATA
`
`/- 202
`ENERGY
`<—> CONTROL
`DEVICE
`
`I
`
`104
`/_
`
`ENERGY SINK
`
`INTERFACE
`ENERGY MANAGER
`
`COMPUTATION
`
`ENGINE
`
`A
`
`i /
`
`402
`
`AD
`COMPONENT
`
`FIG. 4
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 6
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`May 31, 2011
`
`Sheet 5 0f 10
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`500 f
`
`204
`
`106
`
`,
`
`.
`
`\ INTERFACE
`102
`\
`ENERGY MANAGER
`
`104
`f
`
`<—
`ENERGY SINK
`,—>
`
`I
`
`/- 502
`
`SECURITY
`COMPONENT
`
`FIG. 5
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 7
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`May 31, 2011
`
`Sheet 6 0f 10
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`,- 600
`
`DATA
`
`106
`102 \ INTERFACE
`402 \ \
`
`/ 104
`
`AD
`
`<-> ENERGY MANAGER
`COMPONENT
`
`‘
`
`ENERGY SINK
`
`602 -\
`
`I
`
`I
`
`/- 604
`
`INTELLIGENT
`COMPONENT
`
`PRESENTATION
`COMPONENT
`
`FIG. 6
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 8
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`May 31, 2011
`
`Sheet 7 0f 10
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`700
`’—
`
`COLLECT A PORTION OF
`DATA RELATED TO AT
`702 \ LEAST ONE OF A USER
`LOCATION, WEATHER,
`OR A PRICE FOR
`ENERGY CONSUMPTION
`
`l
`
`ANALYZE THE PORTION
`704 \ OF DATA TO DETERMINE
`A CONTROL SETTING FOR
`AN ENERGY SINK WITHIN
`A LOCATION
`
`l
`
`ADJUST THE ENERGY SINK
`706 \ IN ACCORDANCE WITH
`THE ANALYSIS FOR COST
`REDUCTION OF UTILIZING
`THE ENERGY SINK
`
`FIG. 7
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 9
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`May 31, 2011
`
`Sheet 8 0f 10
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`800
`’—
`
`GATHER A PORTION OF
`DATA RELATED TO AT
`802 \
`LEAST ONE OF
`INTERNAL ENERGY
`DATA OR EXTERNAL
`ENERGY DATA
`
`l
`
`IMPLEMENT A CONTROL
`SETTING FOR AN ENERGY
`SINK DEVICE BASED UPON
`804 \
`EMPLOYMENT OF
`ENERGY/COST
`ALGORITHM WITH THE
`PORTION OF DATA
`
`1
`
`IDENTIFY AT LEAST ONE
`OF AN ADVERTISEMENT
`OR A PORTION OF
`806 \
`INFORMATION FOR A
`USER BASED UPON THE
`GATHERED PORTION OF
`DATA
`
`COMMUNICATE AT LEAST
`ONE OF THE
`808 \
`ADVERTISEMENT OR THE
`PORTION OF
`INFORMATION TO THE
`USER
`
`FIG. 8
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 10
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`May 31, 2011
`
`Sheet 9 0f 10
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`910
`
`CLIENT(S)
`44
`
`CLIENT
`DATA
`STORE(S)
`
`920 w
`
`SERVER(S)
`
`I
`
`SERVER
`DATA
`STORE(S)
`
`940
`
`[— 900
`
`COMMUNICATION
`FRAMEWORK
`
`FIG. 9
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 11
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`May 31, 2011
`
`Sheet 10 0f 10
`
`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`1000
`\ , ......................................... ..(....t...,1028
`| gOPERATING SYSTEM;
`
`......................................................... ..
`
`I
`
`| -------------- -": _________________
`
`1032
`
`i
`
`___________________________ __
`
`1030
`
`
`
`
`
`| ZAPPLICATIONS I '- ......................................... “r
`
`: iMODULES;
`i
`___________
`1034
`|
`|
`2.13%.;
`
`______________________________ __
`
`E
`
`1014
`
`f. 1012
`K
`
`OUTPUT
`DEVICE(S)
`k
`1040
`
`INPUT
`DEVICE(S)
`\ 1036
`
`NET“KHU§
`INTERFACE
`k
`
`\\ 1048
`
`y
`REMOTE
`COMPUTER(S)
`
`MEMORY
`STORAGE
`
`I
`
`i
`:
`i
`I
`i
`'
`l
`l
`:
`1016
`I
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`:
`MEMORY
`
`1042
`f
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`
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`
`PORT(S)
`
`1
`
`INTERFACE -.2
`<
`VOLATILE \ —
`J
`1020
`VOIEJZ¥ILE \
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`
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`
`l
`
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`:
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`:
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`
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`
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`
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`
`FIG. 10
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 12
`
`

`

`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`1
`ENERGY COST REDUCTION AND AD
`DELIVERY
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`Saving energy in homes and buildings has increasingly
`been a concern in light of deplenishing resources as well as
`management of income and/or costs. Energy consuming
`devices such as heaters and air-conditioners are consume
`large amounts of energy. Typically, the above discussed
`advances in computer technology have enhanced control of
`devices with the use of schedules, timers, etc. For instance,
`energy saving thermostats typically employ static schedules
`that attempt to assign a ?xed schedule of a user’s home
`occupancy and/or sleep times. For example, a heater or air
`conditioning unit can be controlled by an electronic thermo
`stat which can follow daily schedules (e.g., air set at 72
`degrees on Mondays and Fridays, etc.). Yet, such electronic
`thermostats do not provide the amount of granularity of con
`trol over such high-energy consuming devices to which con
`sumers demand. On the other hand, computers with signi?
`cant computational capability are available in most buildings
`including homes and of?ces.
`
`SUMMARY
`
`The following presents a simpli?ed summary of the inno
`vation in order to provide a basic understanding of some
`aspects described herein. This summary is not an extensive
`overview of the claimed subject matter. It is intended to
`neither identify key or critical elements of the claimed subject
`matter nor delineate the scope of the subject innovation. Its
`sole purpose is to present some concepts of the claimed sub
`ject matter in a simpli?ed form as a prelude to the more
`detailed description that is presented later.
`The subject innovation relates to systems and/or methods
`that facilitate automatically controlling an energy consuming
`appliance (e.g., energy sink device, etc.) based at least in part
`upon an evaluation of data related to energy prices. An energy
`manager can ef?ciently control and/or manage energy con
`suming appliances (e. g., heaters, air-conditioners, etc.). In
`particular, the energy manager can ensure the heaters are used
`in an ef?cient manner taking into account various factors such
`as weather, energy costs, user location, user anticipated loca
`tion, etc. The energy manager improves the automated con
`trollers in order to spend less energy to provide the desired
`levels of comfort. In one example, the energy manager can
`leverage connectivity to external sources of information to
`improve the control and reduce energy cost. Moreover, the
`subject innovation can utilize an information delivery com
`ponent that can deliver relevant information including adver
`tisements to users in a manner that requires least user effort to
`view it (e.g., the component can deliver relevant advertise
`ment even without the user having to type any search term).
`The energy manager can leverage information from exter
`nal sources such as the Internet and user carried devices to
`reduce the co st of energy to provide a desired level of comfort.
`The energy manager can employ an algorithm that uses infor
`mation such as energy price variation (e.g., demand response
`pricing), weather changes, and user’s presence-absence at
`home to control the energy expenditure in a manner such that
`the desired comfort levels are achieved with minimum cost.
`Additionally, we use the information channels used to send
`energy saving information to also send other relevant data to
`users, such as for display on their thermostat screens. In other
`aspects of the claimed subject matter, methods are provided
`
`2
`that facilitate leveraging internal and/ or external data for ef?
`cient control of an energy sink.
`The following description and the annexed drawings set
`forth in detail certain illustrative aspects of the claimed sub
`ject matter. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few
`of the various ways in which the principles of the innovation
`may be employed and the claimed subject matter is intended
`to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advan
`tages and novel features of the claimed subject matter will
`become apparent from the following detailed description of
`the innovation when considered in conjunction with the draw
`1ngs.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system
`that facilitates automatically controlling an energy sink based
`at least in part upon an evaluation of data related to energy
`prices.
`FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system
`that facilitates leveraging internal and/ or external data for
`ef?cient control of an energy sink.
`FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system
`that facilitates utilizing an algorithm for power management
`for improved co st-performance.
`FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system
`that facilitates directly communicating advertisements based
`at least in part upon data evaluated for energy sink power
`management.
`FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system
`that facilitates enhancing security with personalized options
`in relation to data collection for energy sink power manage
`ment.
`FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system
`that facilitates automatically collecting data for implementa
`tion of energy sink control and advertisement display.
`FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary methodology for automati
`cally controlling an energy sink based at least in part upon an
`evaluation of data related to energy prices.
`FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary methodology that facili
`tates directly communicating advertisements based at least in
`part upon data evaluated for energy sink device management.
`FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary networking environment,
`wherein the novel aspects of the claimed subject matter can be
`employed.
`FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary operating environment
`that can be employed in accordance with the claimed subject
`matter.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`The claimed subject matter is described with reference to
`the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to
`refer to like elements throughout. In the following descrip
`tion, for purposes of explanation, numerous speci?c details
`are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of
`the subject innovation. It may be evident, however, that the
`claimed subject matter may be practiced without these spe
`ci?c details. In other instances, well-known structures and
`devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate
`describing the subject innovation.
`As utilized herein, terms “component, system,” “data
`store,” “manager,” “sink,” “device,” “network,” “engine,”
`“speci?cation,” and the like are intended to refer to a com
`puter-related entity, either hardware, software (e.g., in execu
`tion), and/or ?rmware. For example, a component can be a
`process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 13
`
`

`

`US 7,953,518 B2
`
`3
`executable, a program, a function, a library, a subroutine,
`and/or a computer or a combination of software and hard
`ware. By way of illustration, both an application running on a
`server and the server can be a component. One or more
`components can reside within a process and a component can
`be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two
`or more computers. However, alternative forms such as a
`mechanical implementation of one or more components may
`be used as well.
`Furthermore, the claimed subject matter may be imple
`mented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture
`using standard programming and/or engineering techniques
`to produce software, ?rmware, hardware, or any combination
`thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed
`subject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as used
`herein is intended to encompass a computer program acces
`sible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media.
`For example, computer readable media can include but are
`not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk,
`?oppy disk, magnetic strips .
`. .), optical disks (e.g., compact
`disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) .
`.
`. ), smart cards, and
`?ash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive .
`.
`. ).
`Additionally it should be appreciated that a carrier wave can
`be employed to carry computer-readable electronic data such
`as those used in transmitting and receiving electronic mail or
`in accessing a network such as the Internet or a local area
`network (LAN). Of course, those skilled in the art will rec
`ognize many modi?cations may be made to this con?guration
`without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimed
`subject matter. Moreover, the word “exemplary” is used
`herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustra
`tion. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is
`not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous
`over other aspects or designs.
`Now turning to the ?gures, FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100
`that facilitates automatically controlling an energy sink based
`at least in part upon an evaluation of data related to energy
`rates. The system 100 can include an energy manager 102 that
`can increase cost-e?iciency of an energy sink 104 based at
`least in part upon analysis of data received via an interface
`106. In particular, the energy manager 102 can evaluate
`received data (internal energy data, external energy data, etc.
`which is discussed in more detail below) in order to operate or
`control the energy sink 104. For instance, based upon the
`analysis of the received data (e.g., energy prices, user pres
`ence, energy rates, etc.), the energy manager 102 can ascer
`tain whether to power on the energy sink 104, power off the
`energy sink 104, adjust a setting associated with the energy
`sink 104, and/or any other suitable adjustment or manipula
`tion of the energy sink 104. It is to be appreciated that the
`energy manager 1 02 can provide e?icient power management
`of at least one energy sink 104 within a location, wherein a
`location can be a home, a building, a room, a dwelling, an
`o?ice building, a commercial building, a residential building,
`a structure, any suitable location that can be served by the
`energy sink 104, etc.
`The energy manager 102 can further leverage data in order
`to identify advertisements or information. Generally, based
`upon the evaluation or gathering of various information for
`power management control, the system 100 can glean insight
`in regards to locating relevant information (e.g., sales infor
`mation, advertisements, specials, events, news, etc.). Upon
`identi?cation of such information, the system 100 can com
`municate and/or deliver such information to a user via any
`suitable device or display (e.g., television, monitor, computer,
`smartphone, plasma display, liquid crystal display (LCD),
`gaming device, portable media player, etc.). Such advertise
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`ment identi?cation and communication techniques of the
`subject innovation are described in more detail below.
`In addition, the system 100 can include any suitable and/or
`necessary interface component 106 (herein referenced to as
`“the interface 106”), which provides various adapters, con
`nectors, channels, communication paths, etc. to integrate the
`energy manager 102 into virtually any operating and/or data
`base system(s) and/or with one another. In addition, the inter
`face 106 can provide various adapters, connectors, channels,
`communication paths, etc., that provide for interaction with
`the energy manager 102, the energy sink 104, and any other
`device and/or component associated with the system 100.
`FIG. 2 illustrates a system 200 that facilitates leveraging
`internal and/ or external data for e?icient control of an energy
`sink device. The system 200 can include the energy manager
`102 that can control the energy sink 104 in order to optimize
`costs associated therewith based at least in part upon analysis
`of a portion of received data. The interface 106 can receive a
`portion of data (e.g., external energy data, internal energy
`data, etc.) which the energy manager 102 can utilize to man
`age the energy sink via an energy control device 202. For
`example, a portion of external energy data can be communi
`cated and/ or received via a network 204, which the energy
`manager can evaluate for energy sink 104 control. The inter
`face 106 can also receive internal energy data that the energy
`manager 102 can leverage in order to provide optimized con
`trol of the energy sink 104. The energy manager 102 can
`include a computation engine 206 that can employ an energy
`cost reduction algorithm (discussed in more detail below) in
`order to facilitate controlling the energy sink 104.
`It is to be appreciated that the energy sink 104 (e.g., also
`referred to as an energy sink device, energy consuming appli
`ance, etc.) can be, but is not limited to being, a central heating
`unit, a portable heater, an HVAC system, an air conditioner, a
`light, a refrigerator, a household appliance, a freezer, an elec
`tronic unit (e. g., cable box, tuner, receiver, stereo, etc.), photo
`copy machine, a fax machine, a computer, a washing
`machine, a display (e.g., a monitor, a television, a plasma
`display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc.), and/or any other
`suitable device that consumes power and can be managed in
`order to conserve energy. Moreover, the energy control device
`202 can be any suitable component that can control the energy
`sink 104 such as, but not limited to, a switch, a thermostat, a
`power switch, a digital switch, a mode, a setting on a device,
`etc.
`As discussed, the energy manager 102 can leverage exter
`nal energy data and/ or internal energy data in order to e?i
`ciently control the energy sink 104. It is to be appreciated that
`the external energy data can be, but is not limited to being,
`energy pricing data (e. g., co st per unit, inferred rates, real time
`quotes, etc.), weather data, peak load warnings, grid instabil
`ity data, discounts for energy reduction (e.g., reduction of
`costs if energy is not used at a particular time, etc.), social
`networking services, calendar data (e.g., appointments, meet
`ings, birthdays, events, location of events, locations of
`appointments, location of meetings, etc.), email information
`(e.g., inferred meetings, inferred or identi?ed events, etc.),
`global positioning service (GPS) device, group information,
`forum information (e. g., postings, web forum memberships,
`etc.), purchases (e. g., online purchases, of?ine purchases,
`etc.), monetary information (e.g., income, expenses, pro?t,
`investment portfolio information, etc.), medical information
`(e.g., medical status, diagnostics, medical history, current
`condition, etc.), sensors (e.g., automobile information, tem
`perature control information within a location, motion sen
`sors, light sensing, heat sensing, temperature sensors, etc.),
`user state information external to the location, etc. Moreover,
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 14
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`US 7,953,518 B2
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`5
`the internal energy data can be, but is not limited to being,
`energy sink data (e.g., make, model, year, type, e?iciency
`rating, consumption rate, etc.), network resources within the
`home, motion sensors (e.g., to infer occupancy of various
`rooms within a location, frequency of activity, etc.), heat
`sensors, security data, lighting use, thermostat data, a portion
`of user state information internal to a location related to the
`energy sink, user’s explicit information (e.g., preferences,
`priorities, etc.), etc.
`For example, a home with at least one energy sink having
`at least one room can employ the system 200. Information
`such as the following can be gleaned: a ?rst room is occupied
`by children Jane andAlice, while John is expected to be home
`from work in the next half an hour, while Mary will be back
`after one hour. Mary and John may use the spa after 2 hours.
`Suppose at this time, the energy availability information
`available (e.g., based on the external energy data regarding
`weather and utility company’s energy price, internal energy
`data, etc.) is that a cold front is expected to hit the area in 20
`to 30 minutes which will cause a peak heating energy demand
`and a peak premium of 25% will be charged for energy used
`during peak hours by the utility company. The system 200 can
`then pre-heat John’s room at off-peak price before the cold
`front arrives, to a temperature slightly above John’ s preferred
`setting so that when he arrives the room has cooled down to
`his preferred level and no heating energy is used during the
`peak demand period. In addition, the peak period information
`regarding the 25% premium on energy could be sent to the spa
`(that is also an energy sink). The spa control switch may place
`this information on its local display, or announce it using a
`speaker in the audio entertainment system near the spa when
`the spa control switch is touched. In addition, the display or
`audio could also serve context sensitive advertisements, such
`as a coupon-code for a discount on movie downloads pro
`vided by information providers on the Internet, along with
`supplemental content such as celebrity gossip, movie trailers,
`etc. that allows Mary and John to entertain themselves using
`lesser energy than would be used by the spa. Such an energy
`savings scenario along with many others is enabled by the
`system 200. The proposed system thus helps reduce energy
`bills, helps utilities to reduce peak provisioning costs, and
`helps protect the environment by reducing energy usage and
`production. In addition, the system 200 can also help deliver
`their services and products to relevant customers with
`increased ef?ciency.
`The system 200 can deliver external and/or internal infor
`mation to energy manager 102 which can utilize an energy
`control algorithm. The energy manager 102 can leverage
`multiple sources of information (e.g., external energy data,
`internal energy data, etc.). For instance, external energy data
`can be provided via the network 204 (e.g., the Internet, a
`website, a network, a business, a device, a machine, etc.). In
`one example, such information can include a utility company
`providing energy price variations, peak load warnings, grid
`instability data or discounts offered for energy usage reduc
`tion at speci?ed times, etc. These sources can also include
`weather data (e.g., a weather data service, a website, a web
`feed, etc.) that provides weather forecasts. In another
`example, the energy manager 102 can utilize a social net
`working service that provides information (e.g., where
`abouts, expected trajectories of the home residents (such as
`whether they are on their way home), etc.). Another informa
`tion source type can be internal energy data (e.g., providers
`within the location to which the system 200 is implemented).
`Examples of such sources can include network resources
`within the location (e.g., home, business, etc.) that infer a
`user’ s location based on where the resource is accessed from,
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`motion sensors within the location that detect which rooms
`are occupied if any, a security system that can determine when
`the users leave or enter the location, etc.
`The energy manager 102 can further include the computa
`tion engine 206. The computation engine 206 can utilize the
`external energy data and/ or the internal energy data to control
`the energy sink 104. The computation engine 206 can com
`municate with the external energy data and/or the internal
`energy data using, for example, one or more of several pos
`sible communication technologies including local area net
`works, Internet, cellular links, wireless networks, etc. The
`computation engine 206 can be a separate device, part of
`existing devices in the location such as a Home Server, a
`network access point, a portion of software executed on a
`home computer, a portion of software, and/or any suitable
`combination thereof. The energy control device 202 can be
`connected to the energy sink 1 04 in order to control the energy
`supplied to such energy sink 104.
`The system 200 can further include a data store 208 that can
`include any suitable data utilized and/or accessed by the
`energy manager 102, the energy sink 104, the interface 106,
`the energy control device 202, the network 204, the compu
`tation engine 206, etc. For example, the data store 208 can
`include, but not limited to including, external energy data,
`internal energy data, energy sink device characteristics (e. g.,
`makes, models, settings, con?gurations, types, number, etc.),
`user preferences (e.g., temperature settings, lighting levels,
`room preferences, schedule, personal tastes, etc.), location
`data (e.g., home, of?ce, building, number of rooms, venting
`con?guration, devices available, lighting information, etc.),
`remote control settings (e.g., passwords, usernames, device
`availability, etc.), security (e.g., opting in information, secu
`rity preferences, opting out settings, restrictions on data col
`lection, etc.), algorithm data, control speci?cation data,
`advertisements, user-generated ad pro?les, communication
`preference for advertisements, etc. Moreover, although the
`data store 208 is depicted as a stand-alone component, it is to
`be appreciated that the data store 208 can be a stand-alone
`component, incorporated into the energy manager 102, the
`energy sink 104, the interface 106, the network 204, the
`energy control device 202, and/or any suitable combination
`thereof.
`It is to be appreciated that the data store 208 can be, for
`example, either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or
`can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. By way of
`illustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory can
`include read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM
`(PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), elec
`trically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or ?ash
`memory. Volatile memory can include random access
`memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By
`way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in
`many forms such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM
`(DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate
`SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM),
`Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), Rambus direct RAM
`(RDRAM), direct Rambus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and
`Rambus dynamic RAM (RDRAM). The data store 208 of the
`subject systems and methods is intended to comprise, without
`being limited to, these and any other suitable types of
`memory. In addition, it is to be appreciated that the data store
`208 can be a server, a database, a hard drive, a pen drive, an
`external hard drive, a portable hard drive, and the like.
`FIG. 3 illustrates a system 300 that facilitates utilizing an
`algorithm for power management for improved cost-perfor
`mance. The system 300 can include the energy manager 102
`that can utilize various energy control algorithms. The energy
`
`Honeywell Exhibit 1006, Page 15
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`US 7,953,518 B2
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`7
`manager 102 can evaluate data (e.g., internal data, external
`data, etc.) to ef?ciently manage energy sinks in order to
`redu