Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090140065 | HVAC CONTROLLER WITH SAVE A WIRE TERMINAL - A HVAC controller for controlling the comfort level of at least a portion of a building is described. In one illustrative embodiment, an HVAC controller for controlling the comfort level of at least a portion of a building by activating and deactivating one or more HVAC components is provided. The HVAC controller may include a special purpose save a wire terminal that provides a multiplexed or otherwise encoded control signal. The HVAC controller may be configured to multiplex, for example, two or more of a call for heat (W) signal, a call for cool (Y) signal, and/or a call for fan (G) signal onto the special purpose save a wire terminal of the HVAC controller. This may free up a wire in a four wire installation to carry, for example, a common (C) signal. A demultiplexer module may be provided adjacent to the one or more HVAC components to demultiplex the multiplexed control signal. This may substantially reduce the cost and complexity of, for example, retrofitting a four wire installation with a 24 VAC powered HVAC controller. | 06-04-2009 |
20090143918 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFIGURING AN HVAC CONTROLLER - An HVAC controller is described that is configured to be more intuitive and user friendly to program and operate than convention HVAC controllers. In some instances, the HVAC controller may include a touch screen interface that provides greater flexibility in displaying information to the user and/or soliciting information from the user. | 06-04-2009 |
20140025209 | THERMOSTAT WITH ELECTRONIC IMAGE DISPLAY - A programmable controller for homes and/or buildings and their related grounds, such as thermostat, that has a display and an external interface. The external interface may be use for uploading electronic images and/or other information from an external data source, and may use the uploaded electronic images and/or other information for programming and/or updating the controller and/or for viewing the electronic images and/or other information on the display of the controller. | 01-23-2014 |
20150053781 | DEVICES AND METHODS FOR INTERACTING WITH AN HVAC CONTROLLER - An HVAC controller may be controlled in response to a natural language audio message that is not recognizable by the HVAC controller as a command, where the natural language audio message is translated into a command recognizable by the HVAC controller. The HVAC controller may be a thermostat including a housing that houses a temperature sensor, a microphone, and a controller. The controller may identify a trigger phrase in an audio stream provided by the microphone. In response to identifying the trigger phrase, the controller initiates processing of the audio stream to identify a command following the trigger phrase and to generate a command understandable by the thermostat that instructs the controller to perform the identified command. The controller then executes the generated command understandable by the thermostat. A user may communicate with the thermostat via the microphone of the thermostat and/or a remote device having a microphone. | 02-26-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090301036 | UNITARY TRANSPORTER BASE AND SHAPER AND SLIP FRAME FORMER FOR FORMING A TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINER - The present invention relates to a method of producing a transportable container for bulk goods. A bag is placed through a former opening of a slip frame former which surrounds a portion of the bag. The bag receives the bulk goods from a feed source. A stretch wrap is disposed radially about a bottom support and a portion of the slip frame former to initially form the transportable container. At least one of the slip frame former and the bottom support moves relative to other in response to the fill level of the bulk goods in the bag. During filling, the slip frame former is maintained at a position surrounding the fill level of the bulk goods in the bag. As the fill level increases in the bag, previously disposed portions of stretch wrap are disengaged from the slip frame former to squeeze the filled portions of the bag and lock together the bulk goods as additional portions of stretch wrap are disposed around the slip frame former. | 12-10-2009 |
20090308486 | GENTLE HANDLING HOPPER AND SCRUNCHED BAG FOR FILLING AND FORMING A TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINER - A method of forming a transportable container of bulk goods begins by placing the distributing end of a hopper over the open top of a bunched bag. Bulk goods are dispensed from the distributing end of the hopper through the open top of the bag to establish a level of bulk goods in the bag. The hopper moves vertically relative to the closed base of the bag during the dispensing of bulk goods from the distributing end of the hopper to maintain vertical spacing between the distributing end of the hopper and the level of bulk goods in the bag. A hopper fill level is maintained in the hopper during the dispensing of bulk goods from the hopper. An outer wrap is spirally wrapped around the bag while filling the bag to form the transportable container. The outer wrap is maintained near the level of bulk goods in the bag. | 12-17-2009 |
20100025192 | LIFTING ARM SYSTEM FOR CONVEYOR - The lifting system includes a lifting portion and a hinging portion for lifting a conveyor The lifting portion is fixed to a structure and extends from the structure to mate with the conveyor at a lifting point. The lifting portion moves the conveyor vertically upward and downward at the lifting point with no horizontal movement at the lifting point. The hinging portion is pivotally connected to the conveyor at a conveyor pivot and extends from the conveyor to engage the structure. The hinging portion is further pivotally connected to the structure to allow for controlled movement in an arced path at the conveyor pivot of the conveyor. The controlled movement of the conveyor along the arced path at the conveyor pivot varies the angular position of the conveyor and maintains the position of the conveyor over the transportable container as the lifting portion moves the conveyor vertically at the lifting point. | 02-04-2010 |
20100051618 | TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINER FOR BULK GOODS AND METHOD FOR FORMING THE SAME - A transportable container for flowable bulk goods is formed by vertically spacing a slip frame former from a bottom support. An outer wrap is disposed around the bottom support and a portion of at least one former wall to initially form the transportable container prior to the addition of the bulk goods into the transportable container. At least one of the slip frame former and the bottom support moves vertically relative to other in response to the fill level of the bulk goods. As the fill level increases in the transportable container, previously disposed portions of outer wrap are disengaged from the slip frame former to squeeze the filled portions of the transportable container and lock together the bulk goods disposed in the transportable container. Additional portions of outer wrap are disposed around a portion of the at least one wall of the slip frame former to maintain the transportable container for receiving bulk goods as the previously disposed portions of outer wrap are disengaged from the at least one wall of the slip frame former. | 03-04-2010 |
20120217185 | TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINER FOR BULK GOODS AND METHOD FOR FORMING THE SAME - A transportable container for flowable bulk goods is formed by disposing an outer wrap around a bottom support and a portion of a vertically spaced slip frame former. One of the slip frame former and the bottom support moves vertically relative to other in response to the fill level of the bulk goods. As bulk goods are added to the transportable container, the position of the slip frame former is radially adjusted to modify the shape of the transportable container. As the fill level increases in the transportable container, previously disposed portions of outer wrap are disengaged from the slip frame former to squeeze the filled portions of the transportable container. Additional portions of outer wrap are disposed around a portion of the slip frame former to maintain the transportable container for receiving bulk goods as the previously disposed portions of outer wrap are disengaged. | 08-30-2012 |
20120318790 | TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINER FOR BULK GOODS - A transportable container for flowable bulk goods includes a bottom support and a stretch wrap spirally wrapped around the bottom support and extending vertically in relationship to the bottom support. Bulk goods are disposed within the stretch wrap and at least of portion of the bulk goods are disposed in direct contact with the stretch wrap to squeeze the bulk goods together and generate hoop forces for stabilizing the bulk goods in the transportable container. The transportable container has a shape that varies radially in vertical relationship to the bottom support for adjusting the hoop forces vertically along the transportable container. The varied shape of the transportable container can be, for example, tapered, hour-glass shaped, or pumpkin shaped. | 12-20-2012 |