US2010293241A1PendingUtilityA1

Internet/intranet-connected apparatus

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Assignee: BISHEL RICHARD ANTHONYPriority: Aug 6, 2002Filed: Jul 15, 2010Published: Nov 18, 2010
Est. expiryAug 6, 2022(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Richard Anthony Bishel
Y02B70/30H04L 12/2816H04L 67/125H04L 67/02H04L 12/2818H04L 51/046Y04S40/18H04L 69/161Y04S20/20H04L 12/2814G05B 15/02H02J 3/00H04L 2012/2843H04L 67/06
49
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Claims

Abstract

A method and apparatus that uses the Internet protocol, TCP/IP, for a home control network. The invention also provides embedded servers, email clients at the electrical boxes. The invention integrates the Internet to the electrical outlet, switch, or appliance boxes using a low cost embedded web server.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . An apparatus for selectively energizing an electrical load, the apparatus comprising:
 a relay coupled between current leads for controlling a flow of current from the relay to the electrical load;   a controller programmed to enable the relay;   a standard Internet/Intranet network interface coupled with the controller to allow Internet/Intranet access; and   a housing having a form conforming to an electrical box, wherein the housing contains the controller and the Internet network interface.   
     
     
         2 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the relay comprises a thyristor. 
     
     
         3 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the standard Internet/Intranet network interface operates according to a TCP/IP protocol. 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the standard Internet/Intranet network interface operates according to an UDP/IP protocol. 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is selected from the group consisting of an embedded controller, an embedded computer, a microcontroller, and a microcomputer. 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller executes one or more programs. 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said one or more programs comprises a web server. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said one or more programs comprises a Simple Transport Mail Protocol program [. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said one or more programs comprises a File Transport Protocol program. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said one or more programs comprises an instant messaging program. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the housing is selected from a group consisting of an outlet box, a switch box, a ceiling box, a wiring junction box, an electrical junction box, a wall box, and a receptacle box. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the standard Internet/Intranet network interface communicates using a wired technology. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the standard Internet/Intranet network interface communicates using a wireless technology. 
     
     
         14 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrical load is an AC electrical load. 
     
     
         15 . An apparatus for selectively analyzing one or more sensors, the apparatus comprising:
 a sensor to detect an environmental or user condition;   a computer programmed to receive information from the sensor;   a standard Internet/Intranet network interface coupled to the computer to allow Internet/Intranet access; and   a housing mountable within an electrical junction box, wherein the housing contains the sensor, the computer, and the standard Internet/Intranet network interface.   
     
     
         16 . An apparatus according to  claim 15 , where the sensor is selected from a group consisting of a current sensor, temperature sensor, motion sensor, switch, smoke detector, camera, microphone and an environmental sensor. 
     
     
         17 . An apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the standard Internet/Intranet network interface operates according to a TCP/IP protocol. 
     
     
         18 . An apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the standard Internet/Intranet network interface operates according to an UDP/IP protocol. 
     
     
         19 . An apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein computer is selected from the group consisting of an embedded controller, an embedded computer, a microcontroller, and a microcomputer. 
     
     
         20 . An apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the computer has one or more programs. 
     
     
         21 . An apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein said one or more programs comprises a web server. 
     
     
         22 . An apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein said one or more programs comprises a Simple Transport Mail Protocol program. 
     
     
         23 . An apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein said one or more programs comprises a File Transport Protocol program. 
     
     
         24 . An apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein said one or more programs comprises an instant messaging program. 
     
     
         25 . An apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the housing is selected from the group consisting of electrical junction box is selected from a group comprising an outlet box, a switch box, a ceiling box, a wiring junction box, a wall box, and a receptacle box. 
     
     
         26 . An apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the standard Internet/Intranet network interface communicates using a wired technology. 
     
     
         27 . An apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the standard Internet/Intranet network interface communicates using a wireless technology. 
     
     
         28 . An apparatus for controlling one or more electrical loads, the apparatus comprising:
 a controller;   a driver to control one or more electrical loads;   a standard Internet/Intranet network interface coupled with said controller to allow Internet/Intranet access; and   a housing mountable within an electrical box, wherein the housing contains the controller and the standard Internet/Intranet network interface.   
     
     
         29 . An apparatus according to  claim 28 , wherein the controller is selected from the group consisting of an embedded controller, an embedded computer, a microcontroller, and a microcomputer. 
     
     
         30 . An apparatus according to  claim 28 , wherein the driver is selected from the group consisting of a relay driver, a triac driver, a transistor driver, and an integrated circuit driver. 
     
     
         31 . An apparatus according to  claim 28 , wherein said one or more electrical loads are selected from the group consisting of a motor, an appliance, a heater, and a light. 
     
     
         32 . An apparatus according to  claim 28 , wherein the standard Internet/Intranet network interface operates according to a TCP/IP protocol. 
     
     
         33 . An apparatus according to  claim 28 , wherein the standard Internet/Intranet network interface operates according to an UDP/IP protocol. 
     
     
         34 . An apparatus according to  claim 28 , wherein the housing is selected from a group consisting of an outlet box, a switch box, a ceiling box, a wiring junction box, a wall box, an electrical junction box, and a receptacle box. 
     
     
         35 . An apparatus according to  claim 28 , wherein said one or more electrical loads are AC electrical loads.

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