# US 12,601,525 B2 · Water heater with electronic mixing valve and automatic tank set point > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,601,525 B2 - Document ID: US12601525B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/698,127 - Filed: 2022-03-18 - Published: 2023-09-21 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-18 - Assignees: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. - Applicants: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. - Inventors: Sukumar Arrojula; Joseph Mark Brian - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12601525B2 ## CPC - F24H 9/2021: {Storage heaters} - G05D 23/1902: {characterised by the use of a variable reference value} - G05D 23/1905: {associated with tele control} - H04L 12/2814: {Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network (arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08)} - H04L 12/2816: {Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities (arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00)} - H04L 2012/2847: {characterised by the type of home appliance used} - F24H: FLUID HEATERS, e.g. WATER OR AIR HEATERS, HAVING HEAT-GENERATING MEANS, e.g. HEAT PUMPS, IN GENERAL (steam generation F22) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Methods of operating a water heater appliance are provided. The water heater appliance includes a tank, a cold water inlet conduit extending into the tank, a heating element within the tank, a hot water conduit extending from the tank to a mixing valve, a mixed water conduit downstream of the mixing valve, and a user interface. The method includes receiving a user input, determining a tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input, and adjusting a tank temperature setpoint to the determined tank temperature setpoint value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating a water heater appliance, the water heater appliance comprising a tank, a cold water inlet conduit extending into the tank, a heating element within the tank, a hot water conduit extending from the tank to a mixing valve, a mixed water conduit downstream of the mixing valve, and a user interface, the method comprising: receiving a user input from a remote user interface device via a cloud computing system, wherein the user input does not include a tank temperature setpoint value; determining a first tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input, wherein determining the first tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input comprises converting, by the cloud computing system, the user input into the first tank temperature setpoint value using a conversion algorithm; transmitting sensor data from the water heater appliance to the cloud computing system; building, by the cloud computing system, an updated conversion algorithm using the transmitted sensor data; determining a second tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input, wherein determining the second tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input comprises converting, by the cloud computing system, the user input into the second tank temperature setpoint value using the updated conversion algorithm; adjusting a tank temperature setpoint to the determined second tank temperature setpoint value; and activating the heating element based on the adjusted tank temperature setpoint, whereby water within the tank is heated to the adjusted tank temperature setpoint. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user input comprises a start time and an end time. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the user input further comprises an end-use temperature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the user input further comprises a volume of water and an end-use temperature. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the user input further comprises a number of water-use events and a time frame of the number of water-use events. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising downloading, by the water heater appliance, the updated conversion algorithm from the cloud computing system. ### Claim 7 A method of operating a water heater appliance, the water heater appliance comprising a tank, a cold water inlet conduit extending into the tank, a heating element within the tank, a hot water conduit extending from the tank to a mixing valve, a mixed water conduit downstream of the mixing valve, and a user interface, the method comprising: receiving a user input other than a tank temperature setpoint value via the user interface; determining a first tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input, wherein determining the first tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input comprises converting, by the cloud computing system, the user input into the first tank temperature setpoint value using a conversion algorithm; transmitting sensor data from the water heater appliance to the cloud computing system; building, by the cloud computing system, an updated conversion algorithm using the transmitted sensor data; determining a second tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input, wherein determining the second tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input comprises converting, by the cloud computing system, the user input into the second tank temperature setpoint value using the updated conversion algorithm; adjusting a tank temperature setpoint to the determined second tank temperature setpoint value; and activating the heating element based on the adjusted tank temperature setpoint, whereby water within the tank is heated to the adjusted tank temperature setpoint. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the user input comprises a start time and an end time. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the user input further comprises an end-use temperature. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the user input further comprises a volume of water and an end-use temperature. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the user input further comprises a number of water-use events and a time frame of the number of water-use events. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising downloading, by the water heater appliance, the updated conversion algorithm from the cloud computing system. ### Claim 13 A method of operating a water heater appliance, the water heater appliance comprising a tank, a cold water inlet conduit extending into the tank, a heating element within the tank, a hot water conduit extending from the tank to a mixing valve, a mixed water conduit downstream of the mixing valve, and a user interface, the method comprising: receiving a user input from a remote user interface device via a cloud computing system, wherein the user input consists of a start time, an end time, and no more than two additional parameters; determining a first tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input wherein determining the first tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input comprises converting, by the cloud computing system, the user input into the first tank temperature setpoint value using a conversion algorithm; transmitting sensor data from the water heater appliance to the cloud computing system; building, by the cloud computing system, an updated conversion algorithm using the transmitted sensor data; determining a second tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input, wherein determining the second tank temperature setpoint value based on the received user input comprises converting, by the cloud computing system, the user input into the second tank temperature setpoint value using the updated conversion algorithm; adjusting a tank temperature setpoint to the determined second tank temperature setpoint value; activating the heating element based on the adjusted tank temperature setpoint, whereby water within the tank is heated to the adjusted tank temperature setpoint; and adjusting a position of the mixing valve based on the adjusted tank temperature setpoint. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the user input consists of only one additional parameter, and the one additional parameter is an end-use temperature. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the no more than two additional parameters consist of a volume of water and an end-use temperature. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the no more than two additional parameters consist of a number of water-use events and a time frame of the number of water-use events. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising downloading, by the water heater appliance, the updated conversion algorithm from the cloud computing system.