I 1111111111111111 11111 lllll 111111111111111 111111111111111 111111111111111111
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`US009194597B2
`
`No.: US 9,194,597 B2
`
`(10)Patent
`c12) United States Patent
`
`(45)Date of Patent:*Nov. 24, 2015
`
`Steinberg et al.
`
`(54)SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`
`
`IDENTIFYING MANUAL INPUTS TO AND
`ADAPTIVE PROGRAMMING OF A
`THERMOSTAT
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`(71) Applicant: EcoFactor, Inc., Millbrae, CA (US)
`
`2011/001; F24F 2011/0012; F24F 2011/0013;
`
`
`
`F24F 2011/006; F24F 2011/0061; F24F
`
`2011/0063; F24F 2011/0075
`
`
`USPC ......... 236/1 C, 51, 94; 700/276, 278; 62/161,
`62/163
`
`
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`
`
`
`
`(56)
`(72) Inventors: John Douglas Steinberg, Millbrae, CA
`
`
`
`
`
`
`(US); Scott Douglas Hublou, Redwood
`
`City, CA (US); Leo Cheung, Sunnyvale,
`CA (US)
`
`
`
`References Cited
`
`
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`(73)
`Assignee: EcoFactor, Inc., Redwood City, CA
`
`
`(US)
`
`et al.
`4,136,732 A 1/1979 Demaray
`
`
`
`4,341,345 A 7/1982 Hammer et al.
`
`(Continued)
`
`( *) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`
`
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 57 days.
`EP
`JP
`
`
`
`This patent is subject to a terminal dis­
`claimer.
`
`
`0415747 3/1991
`
`05-189659 7 /1993
`
`(Continued)
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`(21)Appl. No.: 14/082,675
`
`
`
`(22)Filed: Nov. 18, 2013
`
`
`
`U.S. Appl. No. 13/861,189, filed Apr. 11, 2013, Steinberg, John
`
`
`
`
`
`Douglas et al.
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`(Continued)
`
`
`
`US 2014/0188290Al Jul. 3, 2014
`
`
`
`
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`(74)Attorney, Agent, or Firm - Knobbe, Martens, Olson &
`
`
`
`
`
`
`12, 2009.
`
`(51)
`Int. Cl.
`F24F 11100
`
`Primary Examiner - Marc Norman
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Bear, LLP
`(63) Continuation of application No. 12/778,052, filed on
`
`
`
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`
`May 11, 2010, now Pat. No. 8,596,550.
`Systems and methods are disclosed for incorporating manual
`
`
`
`
`(60) Provisional application No. 61/215,999, filed on May
`
`
`
`
`changes to the setpoint for a thermostatic controller into long­
`
`
`
`term programming of the thermostatic controller. For
`
`
`
`
`example, one or more of the exemplary systems compares the
`
`
`actual setpoint at a given time for the thermostatic controller
`(2006.01)
`
`
`
`
`to an expected setpoint for the thermostatic controller in light
`(2006.01)
`G0SB 191042
`
`
`
`
`
`of the scheduled programming. A determination is then made
`(2006.01)
`G05D23/19
`
`
`
`
`
`as to whether the actual setpoint and the expected setpoint are
`(52)
`U.S. Cl.
`
`
`
`the same or different. Furthermore, a manual change to the
`CPC ........ F24F 1110009 (2013.01); G0SB 1910426
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`actual setpoint for the thermostatic controller is compared to
`
`
`
`(2013.01); G0SD 2311904 (2013.01); G05B
`
`
`
`
`previously recorded setpoint data for the thermostatic con­
`
`
`2219/23199 (2013.01); G05B 2219/2614
`
`
`
`troller. At least one rule is then applied for the interpretation
`(2013.01)
`
`
`of the manual change in light of the previously recorded
`(58)
`Field of Classification Search
`
`setpoint data.
`
`
`CPC . F24F 11/0009; F24F 11/001; F24F 11/0012;
`
`
`F24F 11/006; F24F 2011/0009; F24F
`
`
`
`
`
`24 Claims, 11 Drawing Sheets
`
`UTILITY
`
`ECOBEE Exhibit 1025
`ECOBEE v. ECOFACTOR
`IPR2022-00983
`
`

`

`US 9,194,597 B2
`Page 2
`
`(56)
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`* cited by examiner
`
`

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`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
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`Nov. 24, 2015
`Nov. 24, 2015
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`Sheet 1 of 11
`Sheet 1 of 11
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`US 9,194,597 B2
`US 9,194,597 B2
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` BSE
`oy,
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
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`Nov. 24, 2015
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`Sheet 2 of 11
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`US 9,194,597 B2
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`
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`EEE
`UTILITY
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`FIG 2
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
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`Nov. 24, 2015
`
`Sheet 3 of 11
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`US 9,194,597 B2
`US 9,194,597 B2
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`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 24, 2015
`
`Sheet 4 of 11
`
`US 9,194,597 B2
`US 9,194,597 B2
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 24, 2015
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`Sheet 5 of 11
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`US 9,194,597 B2
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`
`
`322
`
`4/22
`TEMPERATURE C 7) 52/7
`THERMOSTATSETTINGs C. Zd 222
`
`CBERoyals Crs727
`HVAC HARDWARE C Zd 522
`C WEATHER C is 2/22
`C user Crs f(2/22
`TRANSACTION C Zd
`PRODUCT & SERVICE C 7
`
`f/22
`
`FIG. 5
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
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`Nov. 24, 2015
`Nov. 24, 2015
`
`Sheet 6 of 11
`Sheet 6 of 11
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`US 9,194,597 B2
`US 9,194,597 B2
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 24, 2015
`
`Sheet 7 of 11
`
`US 9,194,597 B2
`
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 24, 2015
`
`Sheet 8 of 11
`
`US 9,194,597 B2
`
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`
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`algorithmic
`changes (SC)
`
`Set M=
`dA - dS - SC
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 24, 2015
`
`Sheet 9 of 11
`
`US 9,194,597 B2
`
`7/72
`
`Revise
`Current
`settings?
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`
`Retrieve
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`
`Retrieve recent
`historical
`Override data
`
`Interpret
`Override
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 24, 2015
`
`Sheet 10 of 11
`
`US 9,194,597 B2
`
`f2/22
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`
`
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`FIG. O
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 24, 2015
`
`Sheet 11 of 11
`
`US 9,194,597 B2
`
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`

`US 9,194,597 B2
`
`1.
`SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`IDENTIFYING MANUAL INPUTS TO AND
`ADAPTIVE PROGRAMMING OFA
`THERMOSTAT
`
`INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO
`RELATED APPLICATIONS
`
`This application hereby incorporates herein by reference
`under 37 C.F.R. S1.57 the entirety of the disclosure of each
`application set forth in the foreign and domestic priority
`sections of the Application Data Sheet filed herewith.
`
`10
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Field of the Invention
`
`15
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`25
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`30
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`40
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`45
`
`Programmable thermostats have been available for more
`than 20 years. Programmable thermostats offer two types of
`advantages as compared to non-programmable devices. On
`the one hand, programmable thermostats can save energy in
`large part because they automate the process of reducing
`conditioning during times when the space is unoccupied, or
`while occupants are sleeping, and thus reduce energy con
`Sumption.
`On the other hand, programmable thermostats can also
`enhance comfort as compared to manually changing setpoints
`using a non-programmable thermostat. For example, during
`the winter, a homeowner might manually turn down the ther
`mostat from 70 degrees F. to 64 degrees when going to sleep
`and back to 70 degrees in the morning. The drawback to this
`approach is that there can be considerable delay between the
`adjustment of the thermostat and the achieving of the desired
`change in ambient temperature, and many people find getting
`out of bed, showering, etc. in a cold house unpleasant. A
`35
`programmable thermostat allows homeowners to anticipate
`the desired result by programming a pre-conditioning of the
`home. So, for example, if the homeowner gets out of bed at 7
`AM, setting the thermostat to change from the overnight
`setpoint of 64 degrees to 70 at 6 AM can make the house
`comfortable when the consumergets up. The drawback to this
`approach is that the higher temperature will cost more to
`maintain, so the increase in comfort is purchased at the cost of
`higher energy usage.
`But all of the advantages of a programmable thermostat
`depend on the match between the preferences of the occu
`pants and the actual settings employed. If, for example, the
`thermostat is set to warm up the house on winter mornings at
`7AM, but the homeowner gets up at 5:30, the homeowner is
`likely to be dissatisfied. If a homeowner has programmed her
`thermostat to cool down the house at 5 PM each afternoon
`based on the assumption that she will come home at 6 PM, but
`her schedule changes and she begins to arrive home at 4:30
`each day, she is likely to be uncomfortable and either make
`frequent manual changes or go through the generally non
`intuitive process of reprogramming the thermostat to match
`her new schedule. Because the limited interface on most
`thermostats, that process may take considerable effort, which
`leads many users to avoid reprogramming their thermostats
`for long periods or even to skip doing so entirely.
`But even if a homeowner is able to align her schedule with
`the programming of her thermostat, there are additional dif
`ficulties associated with choosing proper temperatures at
`those times. If the temperatures programmed into a thermo
`stat do not accurately reflect the preferences of the occupants,
`those occupants are likely to resort to manual overrides of the
`programmed settings. The need to correct the “mistakes of
`
`50
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`65
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`2
`the thermostat is likely to annoy many users. And because
`people tend to overshoot the desired temperature when they
`make Such manual changes, these overrides are likely to result
`in excessive heating and cooling, and thus unnecessary
`energy use. That is, if a person feels uncomfortable on a
`Summer afternoon when the setting is 73 degrees, they are
`likely to change it to 68 or 69 rather than 71 or 72 degrees,
`even if 72 degrees might have made enough of a difference.
`It would therefore be advantageous to have a means for
`adapting to signaling from occupants in the form of manual
`temperature changes and incorporating the information con
`tained in Such gestures into long-term programming. It would
`also be desirable to take into account both outside weather
`conditions and the thermal characteristics of individual
`homes in order to improve the ability to dynamically achieve
`the best possible balance between comfort and energy sav
`1ngS.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 shows an example of an overall environment in
`which an embodiment of the invention may be used.
`FIG. 2 shows a high-level illustration of the architecture of
`a network showing the relationship between the major ele
`ments of one embodiment of the subject invention.
`FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the website to be used as
`part of the subject invention.
`FIG. 4 shows a high-level schematic of the thermostat used
`as part of the Subject invention.
`FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of the database structure
`used as part of the Subject invention.
`FIGS. 6A and 6B show how comparing inside temperature
`against outside temperature and other variables permits cal
`culation of dynamic signatures.
`FIG. 7 shows how manual inputs can be recognized and
`recorded by the subject invention.
`FIG. 8 shows how the subject invention uses manual inputs
`to interpret manual overrides and make short-term changes in
`response thereto.
`FIG.9 shows how the subject invention uses manual inputs
`to alter long-term changes to interpretive rules and to setpoint
`scheduling.
`FIG. 10 shows an example of some of the contextual data
`that may be used by the server in order to interpret manual
`overrides.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENT
`
`FIG. 1 shows an example of an overall environment 100 in
`which an embodiment of the invention may be used. The
`environment 100 includes an interactive communication net
`work 102 with computers 104 connected thereto. Also con
`nected to network 102 are one or more server computers 106,
`which store information and make the information available
`to computers 104. The network 102 allows communication
`between and among the computers 104 and 106.
`Presently preferred network 102 comprises a collection of
`interconnected public and/or private networks that are linked
`to together by a set of standard protocols to form a distributed
`network. While network 102 is intended to refer to what is
`now commonly referred to as the Internet, it is also intended
`to encompass variations which may be made in the future,
`including changes additions to existing standard protocols.
`One popular part of the Internet is the World Wide Web.
`The World WideWeb contains a large number of computers
`104 and servers 106, which store HyperText Markup Lan
`
`

`

`3
`guage (HTML) and other documents capable of displaying
`graphical and textual information. HTML is a standard cod
`ing convention and set of codes for attaching presentation and
`linking attributes to informational content within documents.
`The servers 106 that provide offerings on the World Wide
`Web are typically called websites. A website is often defined
`by an Internet address that has an associated electronic page.
`Generally, an electronic page is a document that organizes the
`presentation of text graphical images, audio and video.
`In addition to the Internet, the network 102 can comprise a
`wide variety of interactive communication media. For
`example, network 102 can include local area networks, inter
`active television networks, telephone networks, wireless data
`systems, two-way cable systems, and the like.
`Network 102 can also comprise servers 106 that provide
`services other than HTML documents. Such services may
`include the exchange of data with a wide variety of "edge'
`devices, some of which may not be capable of displaying web
`pages, but that can record, transmit and receive information.
`In one embodiment, computers 104 and servers 106 are
`conventional computers that are equipped with communica
`tions hardware such as modem or a network interface card.
`The computers include processors such as those sold by Intel
`and AMD. Other processors may also be used, including
`general-purpose processors, multi-chip processors, embed
`ded processors and the like.
`Computers 104 can also be handheld and wireless devices
`Such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular telephones
`and other devices capable of accessing the network.
`Computers 104 may utilize a browser configured to interact
`with the World Wide Web. Such browsers may include
`Microsoft Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Opera or Safari. They
`may also include browsers used on handheld and wireless
`devices.
`The storage medium may comprise any method of storing
`information. It may comprise random access memory
`(RAM), electronically erasable programmable read only
`memory (EEPROM), read only memory (ROM), hard disk,
`floppy disk, CD-ROM, optical memory, or other method of
`storing data.
`40
`Computers 104 and 106 may use an operating system such
`as Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS, Linux, Unix or the
`like.
`Computers 106 may include a range of devices that provide
`information, Sound, graphics and text, and may use a variety
`of operating systems and software optimized for distribution
`of content via networks.
`FIG. 2 illustrates in further detail the architecture of the
`specific components connected to network 102 showing the
`relationship between the major elements of one embodiment
`of the subject invention. Attached to the network are thermo
`stats 108 and computers 104 of various users. Connected to
`thermostats 108 are HVAC units 110. The HVAC units may be
`conventional air conditioners, heat pumps, or other devices
`for transferring heat into or out of a building. Each user may
`be connected to server 106 via wired or wireless connection
`such as Ethernet or a wireless protocol such as IEEE 802.11,
`and router and/or gateway or wireless access point 112 that
`connects the computer and thermostat to the Internet via a
`broadband connection such as a digital subscriber line (DSL)
`or other form of broadband connection to the World Wide
`Web. In one embodiment, thermostat management server 106
`is in communication with the network 102. Server 106 con
`tains the content to be served as web pages and viewed by
`computers 104, as well as databases containing information
`65
`used by the servers, and applications used to remotely man
`age thermostats 108.
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`US 9,194,597 B2
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`In the currently preferred embodiment, the website 200
`includes a number of components accessible to the user, as
`shown in FIG. 3. Those components may include a means to
`store temperature settings 202, a means to enter information
`about the user's home 204, a means to enter the user's elec
`tricity bills 206, and means to elect to enable the subject
`invention 208.
`FIG. 4 shows a high-level block diagram of thermostat 108
`used as part of the subject invention. Thermostat 108 includes
`temperature sensing means 252, which may be a thermistor,
`thermal diode or other means commonly used in the design of
`electronic thermostats. It includes a microprocessor 254,
`memory 256, a display 258, a power source 260, and at least
`one relay 262, which turns the HVAC system on and off in
`response to a signal from the microprocessor, and contacts by
`which the relay is connected to the wires that lead to the
`HVAC system. To allow the thermostat to communicate bi
`directionally with the computer network, the thermostat also
`includes means 264 to connect the thermostatto a local com
`puter or to a wired or wireless network. Such means could be
`in the form of Ethernet, wireless protocols such as IEEE
`802.11, IEEE 802.15.4, Bluetooth, or other wireless proto
`cols. The thermostat may be connected to the computer net
`work directly via wired or wireless Internet Protocol connec
`tion. Alternatively, the thermostat may connect wirelessly to
`a gateway Such as an IP-to-Zigbee gateway, an IP-to-Z-wave
`gateway, or the like. Where the communications means
`enabled include wireless communication, antenna 266 will
`also be included. The thermostat 250 may also include con
`trols 268 allowing users to change settings directly at the
`thermostat, but such controls are not necessary to allow the
`thermostatto function.
`The data used to generate the content delivered in the form
`of the website and to automate control of thermostat 108 is
`stored on one or more servers 106 within one or more data
`bases. As shown in FIG. 5, the overall database structure 300
`may include temperature database 400, thermostat settings
`database 500, energy bill database 600, HVAC hardware data
`base 700, weather database 800, user database 900, transac
`tion database 1000, product and service database 1100 and
`Such other databases as may be needed to Support these and
`additional features.
`The website will allow users of connected thermostats 108
`to create personal accounts. Each user's account will store
`information in database 900, which tracks various attributes
`relative to users. Such attributes may include the make and
`model of the specific HVAC equipment in the user's home;
`the age and square footage of the home, the Solar orientation
`of the home, the location of the thermostat in the home, the
`user's preferred temperature settings, etc.
`As shown in FIG.3, the website 200 will permit thermostat
`users to perform through the web browser substantially all of
`the programming functions traditionally performed directly
`at the physical thermostat, such as temperature set points, the
`time at which the thermostat should be at each set point, etc.
`Preferably the website will also allow users to accomplish
`more advanced tasks Such as allow users to program in Vaca
`tion settings for times when the HVAC system may be turned
`off or run at more economical settings, and set macros that
`will allow changing the settings of the temperature for all
`periods with a single gesture Such as a mouse click.
`In addition to using the system to allow better signaling and
`control of the HVAC system, which relies primarily on com
`munication running from the server to the thermostat, the
`bi-directional communication will also allow the thermostat
`108 to regularly measure and send to the server information
`about the temperature in the building. By comparing outside
`
`

`

`5
`temperature, inside temperature, thermostat settings, cycling
`behavior of the HVAC system, and other variables, the system
`will be capable of numerous diagnostic and controlling func
`tions beyond those of a standard thermostat.
`For example, FIG. 6a shows a graph of inside temperature,
`outside temperature and HVAC activity for a 24-hour period.
`When outside temperature 302 increases, inside temperature
`304 follows, but with some delay because of the thermal mass
`of the building, unless the air conditioning 306 operates to
`counteract this effect. When the air conditioning turns on, the
`inside temperature stays constant (or rises at a much lower
`rate or even falls) despite the rising outside temperature. In
`this example, frequent and heavy use of the air conditioning
`results in only a very slight temperature increase inside the
`house of 4 degrees, from 72 to 76 degrees, despite the in