AU2005201335A1 - Scheduling and Administering After-Hours Air Conditioning - Google Patents

Description

P00009 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE STANDARD PATENT SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: SCHEDULING AND ADMINISTERING AFTER-HOURS AIR

CONDITIONING

This invention is described in the following statement:- Scheduling and Administering After-Hours Air Conditioning Field of the Invention The invention relates to the scheduling and administration of afterhours air conditioning, and more particularly to methods, apparatus and business methods for the scheduling and administration of after-hours air conditioning.

Backgqround of the Invention This application incorporates the entire content of the Applicant's Australian Provisional Specification 2004901735.

After-hours air conditioning scheduling and management can be a source of dispute and problems for both property managers and tenants, particularly in industrial and commercial property. Other products are known for performing this task but such products have shortcomings when compared to the solution proposed by this specification. In particular, deficiencies have existed with respect to providing comprehensive reporting and auditing features. The present invention is particularly well suited to integrating with existing systems and is specifically suitable for property professionals.

The market has expressed an interest in a control system which can be easily integrated into existing building management systems or can operate as a stand alone device, providing a cost effective upgrade in building functionality for buildings that lack a centralized control system.

Obiects and Summary of the Invention It is an object of the invention to provide a scheduling and administration system for after-hours air conditioning.

It also an object of the invention to provide a wireless solution for remote scheduling and administration of after-hours air conditioning.

It is a further object to provide an Internet based and wireless solution for the scheduling and administration of after-hours air conditioning.

In summary, the invention comprises a controller or building services interface (BSI). The BSI receives a wireless signal from a GSM network (for example). The GSM or other wireless network carries scheduling and dispatch process information that originates in a database. Users interface with the database by a WAP interface or web interface. The BSI effectuates physical changes in a tenant building either as a stand-alone unit or in conjunction with a BMS or building management system.

Best Mode and Other Embodiments of the Invention The invention relates to methods, apparatus and business methods for allowing a user to administer, remotely if required, the operation of an airconditioning system in a building.

Users are generally defined as one of the following types: a building manager, a tenant administrator or a tenant sub-user.

The building manager is the person nominated to administer the usage and operation of the system with respect to a specific building. The building manager has the ability to add users, modify users, delete users, add and modify schedules on behalf of a tenant, delete schedules on behalf of a tenant and view historical records of after-hours usage. The building manager also has the ability to extract usage data for all of the tenancies in the building that they manage, modify tenancy details, modify building details and operating hours and modify holiday schedules.

A tenant administrator has overall control and use of the system within their tenancy. A tenant administrator has the ability to add, modify or delete users, add and modify schedules sent by users and delete schedules including schedules set by users. The tenant administrator also has the ability to view historical records of after-hour usage and receive notification of pending schedules via the system's, e-mail capabilities. As a minimum requirement, a tenancy must nominate one tenant administrator who is responsible for administrating other users and usage activity within a tenancy.

Usually, only one tenant administrator is assigned to a tenancy.

A tenant sub-user ("tenant user") is normally nominated by a tenant administrator. A tenant user has the ability to add, modify and delete their own schedules as well as modify their personal details and password.

All of the above classes of users are able to interface with the system using a web or WAP interface.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a typical user 10 of the present invention might be a tenant in a multi-story strata titled commercial building 11. Such a building may have air handling systems located on every floor with a central cooling and heating plant. Typically, an existing building management system 12 provides daily time scheduling and user programmed over-rides. In the prior art, after-hours requests would have been received by fax or telephone and programmed manually into the BMS (building management system) by the building superintendent. After hours air conditioning programming was only available during the superintendents' working hours. Outside of these hours, it would not have been possible to request after-hours air conditioning service. As well as manual activation of the system, logging usage and billing were also manual processes. Billing errors and disputes over usage were common.

The present invention provides building management with a fixed contract that covers all aspects of the after-hours air conditioning interface.

The contract provides the supply and installation of the required hardware and interfacing to the existing plant, creation of a building database and the addition of tenant administrators, user training, comprehensive support and strata manager access to billing and administrative features.

A controller 13 according to the present invention is installable in an existing switchboard in a central location. Interfacing cabling is installed between the controller and the mechanical switchboards and interposing relays are installed to activate the existing fan contactors. A signal is supplied to the BMS to activate the cooling and heating plant as required. The controller is then installed in parallel to the existing BMS after-hours system to allow for a smooth transition to the system of the present invention.

Eventually this allows for total redundancy of the existing after-hours system.

Each tenant may supply the operator with details of an employee who is to be the system administrator for a particular entity. Once issued with a user name and password, the administrators are then able to add, modify or delete users within their organizations, at their convenience.

A property manager may be supplied with an "Administration" password that allows control over all aspects of the after-hours air conditioning system from any location with Internet access. New tenants can be added to the system in minutes and existing tenants may be modified or deleted, as required. Usage and billing information is available either as raw data, a pro forma invoice or as a text file that can be saved and imported directly into a spreadsheet or accounting package. The property manager can then pass on the invoice (with or without a mark-up inclusive of profit or costs) or use the billing information to generate an invoice for individual users.

From the user's and administrator's perspective the entire system is operated by a WAP interface 14 or www interface 15. Data collected from user inputs, commands, forms etc. is collected in a database 16. The database 16 is interrogated by a scheduling and dispatch process server ("SDPS") 17. The SDPS interprets the data in the database and generates command strings that are transmitted by the SDPS to a GSM gateway 19.

The GSM gateway transmits the information to a GSM modem 20 that transmits the appropriate message, for example a simple text message to the appropriate controller 13. In this example a public GSM wireless network 21 is used to explain the operation of the system. It will be understood that practically any network connection can be used between the SDPS and the controller 13, but that a wireless public network has advantages that relate to ease of installation and cost. Back channel communication is possible over the wireless (GSM) network so that the controller 13 can be interrogated and can send data of various kinds back to the SDPS 17.

The invention allows tenants to control and administer their own usage of after-hours air conditioning. Scheduling an operation is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by phone or Internet. Program schedules are forwarded to the tenant administrator by e-mail. The administrator has the ability to delete any scheduled events within the tenancy before activation.

Usage costs can easily be allocated to departments or cost centers as required.

From the strata manager's perspective, the implementation of the invention streamlines the administration process and fixes the costs of providing after-hours air conditioning for the building. The building superintendent is no longer involved in the activation or administration of afterhours air conditioning. Usage disputes are minimized and schedules are set by the tenants, each entry being logged with a date, time, duration and user name. The strata manager is able to create tax invoices directly from data exported from the central website. The manager can add profit and/or costs to the invoice, above the actual operational cost to management, so that use of the system results in additional profit for the management. In some embodiments the system is provided to a building management at a fixed cost, that includes all maintenance and software/hardware upgrades for the term of the contract.

The system has a number of practical, technical and business advantages. The system insures that after-hours operating costs are passed onto tenants and easily accounted for by the SDPS, which can generate exportable reports and exportable billing information as required. The system will operate in any building because control is delivered to the BMS via a wireless connection. The system reduces human time, labor and management requirements when compared to other systems. Disputes over usage are reduced because all relevant information is logged and made available, on demand, to tenants and property professionals. The system operates at the user's convenience, around the clock, every day and can be pre-programmed, even remotely, up to one year in advance. It can support a number of users, without physical keys or access cards. The system also makes it possible for a building management to derive a profit it would not otherwise receive.

While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to particular details of construction, these should be understood as having been provided by way of example and not as limitations as to the scope or spirit of the invention as described in this specification and the accompanying documents.

Claims (19)

1. A business method comprising the steps of: providing an air conditioning controller in a building, the controller having operational control over the building's air conditioning, the controller being responsive to commands sent to it over a wireless network; providing remote access to a user that is a tenant of the building, the tenant's access further comprising the ability to schedule the operation of the air conditioning controller, with regard to the controller's effect on the air conditioning in a tenancy occupied by the tenant; providing remote access to a building manager, the manager's access further comprising access to a record of the tenant's usage of the controller and access to software that can generate billing information based on the tenant's usage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the building manager derives a profit by invoicing the tenant an amount that includes an actual operational cost to the management, plus a mark-up.

3. The method of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein: the tenant's access is by Internet or WAP.

4. The method of any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein: the wireless network is a public telephonic network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein: the tenant's access is recorded to a database that is interrogated by a scheduling and dispatch process server that communicates with a wireless network gateway.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein: the tenant can operate and obtain reports from the system using the www.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein: the software that can generate billing information based on the tenant's usage is located on a scheduling and dispatch process server that stores data relating to usage by the tenant.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein: the scheduling and dispatch process server transmits commands to a gateway that relays the commands to a wireless network for transmission to the controller.

9. A hardware device for controlling an air conditioning system in a building, comprising: an air conditioning controller, the controller having operational control over the building's air conditioning, the controller being responsive to commands sent to it over a first network; a scheduling and dispatch server that interrogates a database containing user-generated data transmitted to the server by a second WAP or an Internet network; the server having control over the controller.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein: the controller communicates with a building management system to which a building's air conditioning is connected.

11. The device of either of claims 9 or 10, wherein: the first network is a public wireless network.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein: the first network is a GSM network.

13. A method of operating a building's air conditioning comprising the steps of: installing an air conditioning controller in a building, the controller having operational control over the building's air conditioning, the controller being responsive to commands sent to it over a wireless network; providing Internet or WAP remote access to a user that is a tenant of the building, the tenant's access further comprising the ability to schedule and review the operation of the air conditioning controller, with regard to the controller's action on the air conditioning in a tenancy occupied by the tenant; providing remote access to a building manager, the manager's access further comprising access to a record of the tenant's usage.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein: the user is provided with forms over the Internet for scheduling the action of the controller.

The method of either of claims 13 or 14, wherein: the controller operates by communicating with an existing building management system.

16. The method of any one of claims 13, 14 or 15, wherein: the wireless network is a public telephonic network.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein: the tenant's access is recorded to a database that is interrogated by a scheduling and dispatch process server that communicates with a wireless network gateway.

18. The method of any one of claims 13-17, wherein: software that can generate billing information based on the tenant's usage is located on a scheduling and dispatch process server that stores data relating to usage by the tenant.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein: the scheduling and dispatch process server transmits commands to a gateway that relays the commands to a wireless network for transmission to the controller.