Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24D—DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR
  • F24D19/00—Details
  • F24D19/10—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
  • F24D19/1006—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices for water heating systems
  • F24D19/1009—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices for water heating systems for central heating
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
  • F24F11/62—Control or safety arrangements characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
  • F24F11/63—Electronic processing
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
  • G06Q10/06—Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q30/00—Commerce
  • G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
  • F24F11/30—Control or safety arrangements for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
  • F24F11/50—Control or safety arrangements characterised by user interfaces or communication
  • F24F11/56—Remote control
  • F24F11/58—Remote control using Internet communication
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
  • F24F11/50—Control or safety arrangements characterised by user interfaces or communication
  • F24F11/56—Remote control
  • F24F11/59—Remote control for presetting
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
  • F24F11/50—Control or safety arrangements characterised by user interfaces or communication
  • F24F11/61—Control or safety arrangements characterised by user interfaces or communication using timers

Definitions

• Heating control also commonly referred to as a “heating controller, HVAC controller, A/C controller,” though it may be known by other terms as well: is defined as the electrical and/or electronic components controlling a building's heating and/or air conditioning and/or domestic hot water system.
• Building heating system is defined as a mechanism consisting of various elements connected to a heating control for the purposes of heating and/or cooling a building and/or generating hot water for the use of its occupants.
• These elements can include any or any combination of, but are not limited to, the following: boilers, furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioning units, sensors, thermistors, aquastats, thermostats, differential controllers, and heat collection systems including solar, geothermal, and bio mass.
• the invention pertains generally to heating or HVAC controls. More specifically, the invention relates to heating controls associated with building heating, cooling and hot water systems. In particular, this invention provides a unique ability to automatically suspend operations of the heating control's functions and thereby the building's heating system after a limited (probationary) time unless activated through an interface.
• the primary purpose of the Heating Control Activation Feature is to protect the manufacturer, sellers, and/or installers of a heating control and/or building heating system against fraud and nonpayment situations. It is completely in keeping with any applicable laws in that nothing installed is ever removed or repossessed from a premises if the HCAF is put to use. However, it provides strong incentive for payment to be made.
• the invention is the built-in feature of time-limited (probationary) operation of a heating control's functions (and thereby the building heating system which is connected to it), in which operation automatically ceases after a predetermined time unless activated by means of an input via an interface.
• a heating control containing the invention has an unlimited storage or “shelf-life”. Once it is installed and turned on, however, the Heating Control Activation Feature (HCAF) becomes active and allows the control to operate for the pre-programmed time-limited period (for example, 30 or 60 days), to allow for testing, etc., of the heating control and building heating system. To allow permanent operation of the control and system, an activation code must be entered into the HCAF via an interface; if this is not done, the heating control and thus the building's heating system will cease to function until such a time as the activation code is entered.
• HCAF Heating Control Activation Feature
• the activation code can be held by the initial seller (ie: the manufacturer/wholesaler) of the control/system until he is assured of payment, at which time he gives the activation code to the buyer (ie: the installer). Once that buyer/installer is assured of payment from his customer he activates the HCAF for permanent operation.
• the resultant benefits are far-reaching.
• the invention reduces the costs of credit due to late payment and reduces the risk of high-value delinquent and defaulted payment.
• the reduction of risk benefits the consumer through passed down efficiencies and the costs of delinquent customers being mitigated and not being passed on to the overall customer base.
• An added macroeconomic benefit is that even in less certain economic situations when historically contractors/installers will reduce risk by not installing heating systems, this invention alleviates their fears by ensuring due payment, thus helping to stabilize a part of the housing and building industries to carry on in less than ideal economic conditions.
• the invention can help reduce jobsite theft, since the HCAF will make the heating control of limited use due to its expiry.
• An enclosure which may be fabricated of multiple moldings of insulative materials, or sometimes also of metal.
• the enclosure is defined generally as a box to hold the electrical and electronic components of the invention.
• a mechanical embodiment of this invention functions with the existence of two power paths (for example, path A and path B) from the HCAF to the logic control of the heating controller, utilizing soft switching.
• the first power path (A) runs through a timed switch to the functioning logic of the heating controller (the part that runs the logic of the incoming and outgoing signals).
• This first timed switch (A) latches (closes) upon initial installation and power-up, however, without activation the timed circuit will unlatch (open) at the expiry time and some or all of the heating controller function is discontinued.
• There is a second power path (B) to the functioning logic of the heating controller which is initially unlatched (open). Correct input via the activation interface signals multiple latching switches in path B.
• Method of activation may be through any interface at the controller, for example: keypad, wireless, internet or other current or future technology. Depending upon the specific method, activation may or may not require someone to physically be on site to do it. Activation method may be via any of various means without altering the spirit of the invention.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Strategic Management (AREA)
• Economics (AREA)
• General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Finance (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Development Economics (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
• Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
• Human Resources & Organizations (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Marketing (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mathematical Physics (AREA)
• Tourism & Hospitality (AREA)
• Quality & Reliability (AREA)
• Operations Research (AREA)
• Fuzzy Systems (AREA)
• Game Theory and Decision Science (AREA)
• Educational Administration (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Central Heating Systems (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=44814969

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Citations (2)

• 2010
  • 2010-04-21 CA CA2700827A patent/CA2700827A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2010-12-16 US US12/970,469 patent/US20110259967A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (2)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events