Electronic leakage reduction techniques

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10777375-B2
Application number	US-201615219135-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2016
Priority date	May 27, 2006
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

Electronic leakage reduction techniques are provided, whereby a device is configured to detect characteristics of an appliance and its power supply when the appliance is off or otherwise placed in a mode for reduced power use by said appliance, and whereby voltage and power provided to the appliance are then substantially reduced. In other aspects of the disclosed technology, user behavior may also manually control power delivered to the appliance, for example, with a switch. In still other aspects of the disclosed technology, a device is configured to detect characteristics of an appliance and its power supply when the appliance is on or otherwise placed in a mode for higher power use by said appliance, and increases power to the appliance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a power source for supplying power to an appliance;
a user interface to determine that the appliance is in a power saving mode according to a power saving routine;
circuitry configured to record, in a memory device, data about a level or pattern of electrical power, resistance, or current delivered to the appliance during a time that the appliance is in the power saving mode according to the power saving routine;
the circuitry further configured to compare a currently detected level or pattern of electrical power, resistance, or current delivered to the appliance to the recorded data;
the circuitry further configured to, following the comparison, increase an amount of power delivered to the appliance using the power source relative to power delivered during the time the appliance is in the power saving mode if the currently detected level or pattern differs from the recorded data by greater than a threshold amount.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a relay, wherein the circuitry is configured to use the relay to switch the apparatus from a power saving routine voltage to an original operational voltage to increase the amount of power delivered to the appliance.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor to obtain the currently detected level or pattern of electrical power, resistance, or current delivered to the appliance.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a selector to select a confidence level or a power saving routine voltage, wherein the threshold amount is based on an input to the selector.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data are recorded for a preset duration.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a finger-actuated control.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a depressible button, wherein circuitry is further configured to monitor the appliance while the depressible button is in in one of a depressed state or a released state, wherein the compare the currently detected level or pattern to the recorded data in the memory device is in response to the depressible button being switched from the one of the depressed state or the released state.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the power source comprises an outlet arranged to receive a plug of the appliance.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the power source provides alternating current (AC) power to the appliance.

10. A method, comprising:
storing a power saving routine;
determining that an appliance is in a power saving mode according to the power saving routine;
recording data about a level or pattern of electrical power, resistance, or current delivered to the appliance during a time that the appliance is in the power saving mode according to the power saving routine;
comparing a currently detected level or pattern of electrical power, resistance, or current delivered to the appliance to recorded data;
increasing an amount of power delivered to the appliance using a power source relative to the power delivered during the time that the appliance is in the power saving mode if the currently detected level or pattern differs from the recorded data by greater than a threshold amount.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
switching, using a relay, from a power saving routine voltage to a operational voltage to increase the amount of power delivered to the appliance.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
using a sensor to obtain the currently detected level or pattern of electrical power, resistance, or current delivered to the appliance.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
selecting a confidence level or a power saving routine voltage, wherein the threshold amount is based on at least one of the confidence level and the power saving routine voltage.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
recording the data for a preset duration.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
delivering alternating current (AC) power to the appliance.

Assignees

• Gula Consulting Llc

Inventors

• Beckman Christopher V

Classifications

• H02J9/005 Primary

  using a power saving mode (for copiers G03G15/5004) · CPC title

• Y02B70/30

  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 · CPC title

• H01H35/00 Primary

  Switches operated by change of a physical condition (operated by change of magnetic or electric field H01H36/00; thermally-actuated switches H01H37/00) · CPC title

• Y04S20/20

  End-user application control systems · CPC title

• Y10T307/918

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic