# US 2013/0278384 A1 · Appliance, device, and system for home energy management > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0278384 A1 - Document ID: US20130278384A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/452,866 - Filed: 2012-04-21 - Published: 2013-10-24 - Earliest claimed: 2012-04-21 - Inventors: Irena Jozic MCDOWELL; Chad Michael HELMS - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130278384A1 ## CPC - G05B 15/02: electric - G05B 2219/2642: Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house - H02J 2105/42: Home appliances - Y02B 70/30: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level - Y02B 70/3225: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y02B 90/20: Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector (smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00) - Y04S 20/00: Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof - Y04S 20/222: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y04S 20/242: Home appliances - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract A home energy management system is configured to alert a homeowner based on information from an appliance. In one embodiment, the system comprises an appliance and an apparatus that communicates, e.g., via wireless technology. The appliance comprises circuitry to generate a data packet, which comprises information to identify the appliance as well as the status of one or more features and functions of the appliance. Exemplary functions can monitor movement proximate the appliance and/or entry or access to the interior of the appliance. The remote apparatus receives the data packet and, in one example, generates an output to an end user that conveys information in the data packet to the end user. The output can comprise an electronic message (e.g., an email or text message) that identifies from the data packet one or more appliance functions that exhibit a change in status. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A appliance, comprising: a control circuit comprising a processor and a memory; one or more executable instructions stored on the memory and executed by the processor, the one or more executable instructions comprising instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to: detect an input; generate a data packet in response to the input, the data packet comprising an appliance identifier identifying said appliance, a function identifier identifying an appliance function that generates the input, and a function status indicating a change in status of the appliance function; and generate an output comprising the data packet, wherein the output indicates a change in the status of the appliance function. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The appliance of claim 1, further comprising a sensor coupled to the control circuit, wherein the sensor generates the input. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The appliance of claim 1, further comprising a proximity sensor, wherein the appliance function monitors movement proximate said appliance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The appliance of claim 1, wherein the appliance function monitors a door on said appliance. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The appliance of claim 1, wherein the appliance identifier identifies said appliance by type. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The appliance of claim 1, further comprising assigning the function identifier and the function status in response to the input. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The appliance of claim 1, further comprising: a radio coupled to the control circuit; and an executable instruction for transmitting the output via the wireless radio. ### Claim 8 A device for use in a home energy management system, comprising a processor; memory coupled to the processor; and one or more executable instructions stored on the memory and are configured to be executed by the processor, the one or more executable instructions comprising instructions for: receiving an input from an appliance, the input comprising a data packet comprising an appliance identifier identifying the appliance, a function identifier identifying an appliance function, and a function status indicating a status of the appliance function; and determining an output in accordance with the data packet, wherein the output indicates a change in the status of the appliance function. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, further comprising instructions for identifying the appliance function as an enabled appliance function. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, further comprising instructions for identifying the appliance as an enabled appliance. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The device of claim 10, further comprising instructions for identifying the appliance from among a plurality of appliance. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, further comprising a wireless radio, wherein the instructions comprise instructions for transmitting the output via the wireless radio. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the output can be read on a mobile device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the output comprises an electronic message. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the output comprises an audible alert. ### Claim 16 An appliance, comprising a sensor; a circuit coupled to the sensor, the circuit comprising a processor and memory coupled to the processor; and one or more executable instructions that can be stored on the memory and are configured to be executed by the processor, the one or more executable instructions comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to: detect an input from the sensor; generate a data packet in response to the input, the data packet comprising an appliance identifier identifying said appliance, a function identifier identifying an appliance function that generates the input, and a status identifier indicating a change in status of the appliance function; and determine an output in accordance with the data packet, wherein the output indicates a change in the status of the appliance function. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The appliance of claim 16, further comprising: a radio coupled to the circuit; and an executable instruction for transmitting the output via the radio. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The appliance of claim 16, wherein the input originates from outside of the appliance. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The appliance of claim 16, further comprising: comparing the status identifier to a threshold value; and generating the output if the identifier deviates from the threshold value. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The appliance of claim 16, further comprising broadcasting the output from said appliance.