• AOP Code: DEV 1892
• Exp: 12/21/12
• Categories: TECHNOLOGY
• 
• Industry: Manufacturing & Engineering

PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT DISPLAY AND NAVIGATION SEARCH

This Study relates to displays in thermostats used in households and commercial spaces, and is particularly relevant to thermostats of the type with programmable touchscreen displays, where, during programming of the thermostat, the user navigates through sequential screens which 1) give information, 2) present choices, and 3) present virtual buttons which are touched by the user to make those choices thereby saving selected time and temperature setpoints in the thermostat.

This Study is a request for a collection of patents, patent applications and/or non-patent literature. References of interest will have as many of the elements and limitations below. 

Of particular interest are references that describe thermostat screens or the navigation through thermostat screens that include ALL of the following features:

- a programmable thermostat with a touch screen display;

- a plurality of available selection options (including such options as a day of the week, a weekend, or a period of the day) simultaneously displayed on the touch screen, wherein:

                 a. the options are independently selectable by a user;

b. more than one selection option may be selected at the same time (i.e. without deselecting previously selected options);

c. one of the options is a quick select touch button (simultaneously displayed with the other options) which when touched permits a user to select two or more of the other options by simply pressing the quick select touch button (for example a weekday and/or a weekend quick select button, which in a single touch would respectively select Monday through Friday, or Saturday and Sunday);

d. the display indicates which options (or quick select multiple options) have been selected; and

e. means to adjust setpoints for the selected options (e.g. days).

Subsidiary Points: References describing thermostats with touch screens or associated methods that also include AT LEAST ONE of the following are also of interest:

- when a time period (wake, morn, return, sleep) is selected only parameter values associated with that time period are displayed.

- time and temperature displayed at the same time during setpoint change.

- an image on the thermostat, such as a screensaver or wallpaper.

- display of the word “saving” or the like during a programming change.

- multiple language operation.

- remote programming using a mobile device such as a smartphone.

The Latest Date for Prior Art is November 30, 2007. However, collections dated as early in the development of the technology as possible are strongly preferred over later-dated publications, particularly with respect to the Subsidiary Points above.