Facilitating scheduling of comfort controllers
View Patent ↗Disclosed are exemplary embodiments of systems and methods for facilitating scheduling of comfort controllers such as thermostats. In an exemplary embodiment, a comfort controller is operable to control one or more configurations of a climate control system for providing climate control in a structure. The comfort controller is operable in accordance with a user-selected one of a plurality of stored weekly schedules for operation of the one or more configurations, where each of the plurality of stored weekly schedules provides a plurality of daily time slots and temperature set points, and is based on user-specifications, and where the user-selected weekly schedule is wirelessly received by and completely replaces a current operating weekly schedule on the comfort controller.
1. A comfort controller operable to control one or more configurations of a climate control system for providing climate control in a structure in accordance with a user-selected one of a plurality of stored weekly schedules for operation of the one or more configurations, where each of the plurality of stored weekly schedules provides a plurality of daily time slots and temperature set points and is based on user-specifications, and where the user-selected weekly schedule is wirelessly received by and completely replaces a current operating weekly schedule on the comfort controller; wherein the comfort controller is operable to receive the user-selected weekly schedule from a computing device configured to:
retrieve a previously stored weekly schedule;
receive a user specification modifying the retrieved previously stored weekly schedule; and
store the modified weekly schedule as the previously stored weekly schedule or as a third weekly schedule.
2. The comfort controller of claim 1 , operable to receive the user-selected weekly schedule from a computing device remote from the structure.
3. The comfort controller of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the user-selected weekly schedule is displayable on at least the comfort controller and/or modifiable via a user interface of a computing device.
4. The comfort controller of claim 1 , comprising a thermostat.
5. The comfort controller of claim 1 , selectively operable to control one of the following in accordance with the user-selected one of the stored weekly schedules: a heating configuration, a cooling configuration, and an automatic mode including heating and cooling configurations.
6. The comfort controller of claim 1 , further comprising a network interface through which the comfort controller is selectively operable to control the one or more configurations using a first weekly schedule user-selected for operating the one or more configurations from among the plurality of stored weekly schedules, where the first weekly schedule is received by the comfort controller via the network interface;
the comfort controller further selectively operable to completely replace the first weekly schedule with a second weekly schedule user-selected from among the plurality of stored weekly schedules and control the same one or more configurations using the second weekly schedule, independent of a season.
7. The comfort controller of claim 6 , where each of the plurality stored weekly schedules is stored in the form of a schedule file and where the weekly schedule file for the user-selected weekly schedule is wirelessly received by the comfort controller and is used in place of a schedule file for a current operating weekly schedule on the comfort controller.
8. An apparatus for providing climate control in a structure, the apparatus comprising:
a wireless-capable comfort controller operable to control at least a first configuration of a climate control system; and
a computing device capable of wireless communication with the comfort controller and having a user interface for receiving user specifications in relation to operation of the comfort controller to control the first configuration;
wherein the computing device is operable to store the received user specifications in relation to first and second weekly schedules for operation of at least the first configuration, each schedule including a plurality of daily time slots and temperature set points and selectively retrievable and wirelessly transmissible to the comfort controller to completely replace a weekly schedule currently in use by the comfort controller to control at least the first configuration, whereby the comfort controller is selectively configurable to control at least the first configuration of the climate control system using either the first weekly schedule or the second weekly schedule;
wherein the computing device is further configured to:
retrieve a previously stored weekly schedule;
receive a user specification modifying the retrieved previously stored weekly schedule; and
store the modified weekly schedule as the previously stored weekly schedule or as a third weekly schedule.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a second comfort controller, and wherein the computing device is configured to store user specifications in relation to at least one weekly schedule selectively transmissible to the second comfort controller whereby the second comfort controller is selectively configurable to perform climate control system control using the at least one weekly schedule.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the comfort controller comprises a thermostat, and/or at least one of the first and second weekly schedules is selectively retrievable and wirelessly transmissible to the comfort controller based on a distance and/or location of a location reporting device relative to the structure.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the computing device is configured to store the first and second weekly schedules in one or more of the following: the computing device, a remote server, the comfort controller, and a component of a network accessible in the structure.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the computing device comprises one or more of the following: a smart phone, a laptop computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet, and a server.
13. The apparatus of claim 8 , where the user specifications include one or more of the following: a schedule, a time setting, a set-point setting, a configuration, and a mode.
14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the previously stored weekly schedule comprises a weekly schedule provided as a factory preset.
15. A computer-performed method of providing climate control in a structure, the method comprising:
receiving, via a user interface of a computing device, user specifications for control by a comfort controller of a climate control system of the structure, the user specifications including a plurality of daily time slots and temperature set points;
storing first and second sets of user specifications in relation to first and second weekly schedules for operation by the comfort controller of at least a first configuration of the climate control system, each of the first and second weekly schedules associated with a name, and the first and second weekly schedules including the plurality of daily time slots and temperature set points received via the user interface; and
in response to a user selection of one of the stored first and second weekly schedules, retrieving the selected weekly schedule based on the name associated with the selected schedule and transmitting the selected weekly schedule to the comfort controller to completely replace a weekly schedule currently in use by the comfort controller to control at least the first configuration, whereby the comfort controller uses the selected weekly schedule in place of a weekly schedule currently in use by the comfort controller to control at least the first configuration;
wherein the method further comprises:
retrieving a previously stored weekly schedule;
receiving a user specification modifying the retrieved previously stored weekly schedule; and
storing the modified weekly schedule as the previously stored weekly schedule or as a third weekly schedule.
16. The method of claim 15 , performed at least in part by one or more of the following: a smart phone, a laptop computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet, and a server.
17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising retrieving and sending a schedule to the comfort controller via one or more of the following: the Internet, a website, a server remote from the comfort controller, a component of a network accessible in the structure, and the computing device.
18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
receiving, via the user interface, user input associating the one or more received specifications with the first and/or second weekly schedules; and
displaying, via the user interface, at least one or more portions of the first and/or second weekly schedules.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the comfort controller includes a thermostat; and/or
at least one of the first and second schedules is independent of a season, whereby the comfort controller uses the selected weekly schedule in place of the weekly schedule currently in use by the comfort controller to control at least the first configuration independent of the season.