Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090140062 | HVAC CONTROLLER THAT SELECTIVELY REPLACES OPERATING INFORMATION ON A DISPLAY WITH SYSTEM STATUS INFORMATION - An HVAC controller is described that is configured to be more intuitive and user friendly to program and operate than convention HVAC controllers. In some instances, the HVAC controller may include a touch screen interface that provides greater flexibility in displaying information to the user and/or soliciting information from the user. | 06-04-2009 |
20090143879 | HVAC CONTROLLER WITH PARAMETER CLUSTERING - An HVAC controller is described that is configured to be more intuitive and user friendly to program and operate than convention HVAC controllers. In some instances, the HVAC controller may include a touch screen interface that provides greater flexibility in displaying information to the user and/or soliciting information from the user. | 06-04-2009 |
20090143880 | HVAC CONTROLLER WITH CONTEXT SENSITIVE HELP SCREENS - An HVAC controller is described that is configured to be more intuitive and user friendly to program and operate than convention HVAC controllers. In some instances, the HVAC controller may include a touch screen interface that provides greater flexibility in displaying information to the user and/or soliciting information from the user. | 06-04-2009 |
20090143916 | HVAC CONTROLLER HAVING A PARAMETER ADJUSTMENT ELEMENT WITH A QUALITATIVE INDICATOR - An HVAC controller is described that is configured to be more intuitive and user friendly to program and operate than convention HVAC controllers. In some instances, the HVAC controller may include a touch screen interface that provides greater flexibility in displaying information to the user and/or soliciting information from the user. | 06-04-2009 |
20110184562 | HVAC CONTROL WITH UTILITY TIME OF DAY PRICING SUPPORT - The present disclosure provides a method for operating a utility-powered HVAC system for conditioning inside air of a building. In an illustrative but non-limiting example, a nominal schedule is maintained by a local HVAC controller, where the nominal schedule has a number of days and one or more time periods for each of at least some of the days. The nominal schedule also has at least one setpoint associated with each of the time periods. The local HVAC controller is configured to accept manual input from a user via a user interface. The manual input may include accepting entry of a utility pricing schedule that corresponds to scheduled price changes of a utility. The utility pricing schedule may include at least one enhanced pricing time period. Entry of at least one utility price level setpoint offset may also be accepted to correspond to each of the enhanced pricing time periods. The nominal schedule may then be modified or overridden to include the utility pricing schedule, resulting in a utility pricing operating schedule. One or more HVAC units may then be controlled by the local HVAC controller in accordance with the utility pricing operating schedule. | 07-28-2011 |
20110184564 | HVAC CONTROL WITH UTILITY TIME OF DAY PRICING SUPPORT - The present disclosure provides a method for operating a utility-powered HVAC system for conditioning inside air of a building. In an illustrative but non-limiting example, a nominal schedule is maintained by a local HVAC controller, where the nominal schedule has a number of days and one or more time periods for each of at least some of the days. The nominal schedule also has at least one setpoint associated with each of the time periods. The local HVAC controller is configured to accept manual input from a user via a user interface. The manual input may include accepting entry of a utility pricing schedule that corresponds to scheduled price changes of a utility. The utility pricing schedule may include at least one enhanced pricing time period. Entry of at least one utility price level setpoint may also be accepted to correspond to each of the enhanced pricing time periods. The nominal schedule may then be modified or overridden to include the utility pricing schedule, resulting in a utility pricing operating schedule. One or more HVAC units may then be controlled by the local HVAC controller in accordance with the utility pricing operating schedule. | 07-28-2011 |
20120116593 | HVAC CONTROLLER THAT SELECTIVELY REPLACES OPERATING INFORMATION ON A DISPLAY WITH SYSTEM STATUS INFORMATION - An HVAC controller is described that is configured to be more intuitive and user friendly to program and operate than convention HVAC controllers. In some instances, the HVAC controller may include a touch screen interface that provides greater flexibility in displaying information to the user and/or soliciting information from the user. | 05-10-2012 |
20130090768 | HVAC CONTROLLER WITH PARAMETER CLUSTERING - An HVAC controller is described that is configured to be more intuitive and user friendly to program and operate than convention HVAC controllers. In some instances, the HVAC controller may include a touch screen interface that provides greater flexibility in displaying information to the user and/or soliciting information from the user. | 04-11-2013 |
20130238142 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ASSOCIATING WIRELESS DEVICES OF AN HVAC SYSTEM - A building control network may have a first central device, a second central device and one or more peripheral devices. An illustrative method may include placing the second central device into an associate mode, and sending an associate command from a perimeter device to associate the perimeter device with the second central device. The associate command may be received by the first central device. The first central device may send one or more commands to the second central device, where the one or more commands may cause the second central device to be taken out of its associate mode and to reconfigure the second central device to a perimeter device. The first central device may then be put in an associate mode, and both the second central device and the perimeter device may be associated as perimeter devices with the first central device. | 09-12-2013 |
20130245838 | HVAC CONTROLLER AND REMOTE CONTROL UNIT - A remote control unit for interacting with one or more thermostats controlling an HVAC system may be mounted on wall near a point of entry to a building. The remote control unit may wirelessly send one or more commends to a thermostat to operate in one or more modes at a predetermined temperature associated with that mode. | 09-19-2013 |
20140222221 | HVAC CONTROLLER HAVING A PARAMETER ADJUSTMENT ELEMENT WITH A QUALITATIVE INDICATOR - An HVAC controller is described that is configured to be more intuitive and user friendly to program and operate than convention HVAC controllers. In some instances, the HVAC controller may include a touch screen interface that provides greater flexibility in displaying information to the user and/or soliciting information from the user. | 08-07-2014 |
20140324227 | HVAC CONTROLLER HAVING A FIXED SEGMENT DISPLAY WITH AN INTERACTIVE MESSAGE CENTER - An HVAC controller may include a controller and a display operatively coupled to the controller. A first region of the display may have an array of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns for displaying an image in a dot matrix format. A second region of the display may have a plurality of predefined fixed segment graphical icons. The controller may be configured to display a list of one or more programmable options of the HVAC controller in the first region of the display for selection by a user. At least one of the one or more programmable options may be used to set settings that are used for controlling subsequent operations and/or functionality of the HVAC controller. The first region of the display may simultaneously display in a vertical direction an integer number of programmable options plus a fraction of a programmable option. | 10-30-2014 |