System and method for scheduling and monitoring electrical device usage

#The present invention generally relates to operation of electrical devices, for example, conventional household appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners and, more particularly, is concerned with a system and method for scheduling and monitoring usage of such electrical devices.

#Consumers are increasingly facing electricity pricing variations based on energy usage demand and/or time of the day energy usage. As a result, it has become desirable to know the quantity of energy usage by various electrical devices, such as conventional household appliances and the levels of energy usage occurring during different periods of the day.

#Residential energy monitoring systems have been proposed for use by utility companies for remotely and automatically monitoring the aggregate household energy usage of a plurality of homes within a given area. These systems are intended to obviate the need for “meter readers” who personally inspect the utility meters of residences and record monthly energy usage. Remote automatic meter reading systems typically transmit power usage information over telephone lines, power lines or by radio communication links. The principal drawback of these proposed systems is that the energy consumption data is extracted solely from utility meters and as such does not provide any information regarding energy consumption of the individual electrical devices within the household.

#The FIGURE is a block diagram of an Internet-connected system for scheduling and monitoring usage of electrical devices such as household appliances.

#As used herein, the term “Computer” means a programmable device that responds to a specific set of instructions. A computer can be electronic or digital. The actual machinery, for example, wires, transistors, and circuits is called hardware and the instructions are called software. Most computers typically comprise: a memory that enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and programs; a mass storage device that allows a computer to permanently retain large amounts of data (common mass storage devices include disk drives and tape drives); an input device, for example, a keyboard or mouse, through which data and instructions enter a computer; an output device for example a display, screen or printer or other device that lets you see what the computer has accomplished; and a central processing unit (CPU), the component that executes instructions. In addition to these components, many other components make it possible for the basic components to work together efficiently. For example, most computers have a bus that transmits data from one part of the computer to another. Some examples of typical computers are a personal computer, a workstation, a minicomputer, multi-user computer, a mainframe, or a supercomputer.

#As used herein, the term “Database” means a collection of organized data. The data is typically organized for rapid search and retrieval by a computer.

#As used herein, the term “Internet” means a global network of computers.