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US6553418B1
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Energy information and control system
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1999-01-02
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Granted: 2003-04-22
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Expires: 2019-01-02
Abstract
Abstract An energy management system for monitoring and analyzing the power consumption at a plurality of locations. The energy management system includes a primary server connected to at least one building server or other device through a computer network. Each of the building servers are connected to one or more energy meters contained in a building. The primary server sends out a data request and receives energy usage information from each of the individual building servers. The primary server stores the energy usage information in a power database such that the information can be processed in a variety of manners, such as aggregating the energy usage information from multiple locations into a single energy consumption statistic. The primary server can be accessed by remote monitoring stations to view and analyze the energy usage information stored in the power database.
Inventors
- 👤 Daniel J. Collins
- 👤 Jeffrey S. Zingsheim
- 👤 Scott E. Coursin
- 👤 Thomas P. Gasper
- 👤 Ilya Basin
- 👤 James P. Conigliaro
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 12:13
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L67/00; H04L67/01; H04L67/12; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; H04L69/00; H04L69/30; H04L69/32; H04L69/322; H04L69/329
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
210 words
An energy information and control system for monitoring and analyzing the power consumption at a plurality of locations, the system comprising: a non-deterministic publicly accessible computer network for allowing the passage of electronic information across the network; a plurality of energy meters coupled to the network and each having a unique network address, the energy meters transmitting energy usage information across the network; a primary server coupled to the computer network for receiving the energy usage information transmitted across the network from the energy meters, the primary server combining the energy usage information from the plurality of energy meters into energy consumption statistics for the plurality of locations, wherein the primary server has a unique network address and communicates with each energy meter across the network utilizing the network address of the energy meter; at least one monitoring station coupled to the computer network to access the energy consumption statistics from the primary server utilizing the primary server network address; and a generator connected to the network, the generator having a unique network address for receiving commands from the primary server and transmitting energy usage information across the network, wherein the primary server generates an indicator signal to activate the generator when the energy consumption statistics exceed an upper limit.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
210 words
An energy information and control system for monitoring and analyzing the power consumption at a plurality of locations, the system comprising: a non-deterministic publicly accessible computer network for allowing the passage of electronic information across the network; a plurality of energy meters coupled to the network and each having a unique network address, the energy meters transmitting energy usage information across the network; a primary server coupled to the computer network for receiving the energy usage information transmitted across the network from the energy meters, the primary server combining the energy usage information from the plurality of energy meters into energy consumption statistics for the plurality of locations, wherein the primary server has a unique network address and communicates with each energy meter across the network utilizing the network address of the energy meter; at least one monitoring station coupled to the computer network to access the energy consumption statistics from the primary server utilizing the primary server network address; and a generator connected to the network, the generator having a unique network address for receiving commands from the primary server and transmitting energy usage information across the network, wherein the primary server generates an indicator signal to activate the generator when the energy consumption statistics exceed an upper limit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
138 words
An energy information and control system for monitoring and analyzing the power consumption at a plurality of locations, the system comprising: a non-deterministic computer network for allowing the passage of electronic information across the network; at least one energy meter coupled to the network, the energy meter transmitting energy usage information across the network; a primary server coupled to the network for receiving the energy usage information transmitted across the network, the primary server compiling the energy usage information into energy consumption statistics; and an energy generator coupled to the network and having a unique network address for receiving commands from the primary server and transmitting energy usage information across the network, wherein the primary server generates an indicator signal when the energy consumption statistics reach an upper limit to activate the energy generator to generate supplemental energy.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
138 words
An energy information and control system for monitoring and analyzing the power consumption at a plurality of locations, the system comprising: a non-deterministic computer network for allowing the passage of electronic information across the network; at least one energy meter coupled to the network, the energy meter transmitting energy usage information across the network; a primary server coupled to the network for receiving the energy usage information transmitted across the network, the primary server compiling the energy usage information into energy consumption statistics; and an energy generator coupled to the network and having a unique network address for receiving commands from the primary server and transmitting energy usage information across the network, wherein the primary server generates an indicator signal when the energy consumption statistics reach an upper limit to activate the energy generator to generate supplemental energy.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
The energy information and control system of claim 2 wherein the energy generator is configured such that the energy generator can be activated by the primary server when the energy consumption statistics reach the upper limit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
The energy information and control system of claim 2 further comprising at least one building server connected to the network, the building server being coupled to at least one energy meter for converting a signal from the energy meter into energy usage information that can be transmitted across the computer network.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
The energy information and control system of claim 2 wherein the energy meter and the generator have a distinct address such that the primary server can communicate with the energy meter and generator across the network by the distinct address.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The energy information and control system of claim 2 further comprising at least one monitoring station coupled to the network such that the monitoring station can access the energy consumption statistics from the primary server.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-04-21 | 2006-10-21 | 2007-04-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-04-21 | 2010-10-21 | 2011-04-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-04-21 | 2014-10-21 | 2015-04-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |