Method and means for programming a programmable electronic thermostat

A programmable electronic thermostat which utilizes time and temperature pairs. This thermostat utilizes a first display which displays the current status information of the thermostat which includes the current time as well as the current temperature. A second display is incorporated in which the programmed information is included. This second display is located near the programming buttons and displays program information including the day, the period, the start time and the temperature setting. By separating the displays, the thermostat is easier to program and read.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to programmable thermostats. Specifically, it 
relates to the method and means by which the operator of the thermostat 
programs the thermostat. 
Programmable thermostats have been widely used since the invention of the 
microprocessor. Early programmable thermostat designs are illustrated in 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,665 issued to Michael R. Levine entitled "Electronic 
Thermostat" and U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,745 issued to B. C. Hall entitled 
"Programmable Time Varying Control System and Method." These patents 
illustrate the use of what is commonly known as "Time and Temperature 
Pairs." The use of time and temperature pairs allowed for programmable 
thermostats to be set to varying temperatures based on the time of day. 
Programmable thermostats are most commonly used to set the temperature to 
a desired temperature while the home or office was occupied and to a 
secondary temperature while the home or office was unoccupied. The second 
temperature would be at a lower or higher temperature than the desired 
temperature and was utilized to conserve energy. These programmable 
thermostats encompass the majority of the market with respect to 
electronic thermostats. 
With the invention of the programmable thermostat, the users were required 
to program these thermostats. Many of these thermostats required the user 
to program numerous time and temperature pairs so that this thermostat 
could adjust to their schedules. Most thermostats of this category 
required four separate time and temperature pairs for each day of the week 
and a second time and temperature pair for the weekend. As an example, in 
a home located in the midwest, in the wintertime, a user may program the 
thermostat to warm the home to a temperature of 68.degree. Fahrenheit by 
6:00 a.m. so that the home is warm when they rise from bed. The user will 
then program the thermostat to drop to 64.degree. at 8:00 a.m. so that the 
furnace does not heat an empty home. The user then sets the thermostat to 
return the temperature to 68.degree. at approximately 4:30 p.m. so that 
the home is at a comfortable temperature when the user returns. Finally, 
the user will set the temperature down to 66.degree. at 11:00 p.m. to 
conserve energy while the users are sleeping. These time and temperature 
pairs are often times grouped into five-day weekday patterns with a 
separate Saturday and a Sunday pattern, requiring the four time and 
temperature pairs to be programmed for the weekday settings and 
reprogrammed again for the weekend settings. On more sophisticated 
thermostats, a separate time and temperature pair for each of the four 
settings may be input for each day of the week. This programming requires 
that a large amount of information be presented to the user in a coherent 
manner. 
Most thermostats currently use a single display in which the day-to-day 
status of the thermostat is displayed and the programming information is 
displayed. By using a single display, users are often confused as to 
whether they are programming the thermostat or the thermostat is running. 
Due to this confusion, users often incorrectly program their thermostats 
or have difficulty programming the thermostat. One of the more common 
errors made by users is due to the thermostat's software. For instance, 
after remaining idle for a period of time while in the programming mode, 
the thermostat will return to the run mode, which leaves many users 
believing they have completed the programming of the thermostat. Further, 
many of the programming functions look similar to the day-to-day functions 
of the thermostat, which may confuse the user. This is because the same 
area of the display is used to show the current time and the program time 
as well as the current temperature and the programmed set point. These 
areas of the display are the most prominent areas. Users will often not 
notice smaller auxiliary labels that differentiate between programming and 
normal operation. The object of this invention is to provide a thermostat 
which is both easy to program and easy to read. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the invention, a programmable thermostat is provided in 
which two separate display screens are utilized to separate the day-to-day 
status information of the thermostat from the programming information on 
the thermostat. The object of the invention is to provide a thermostat 
which is both physically appealing to the eye, while being significantly 
easier to program than the current programmable thermostats available on 
the market today. 
The invention incorporates a standard thermostat display for the status of 
the thermostat. The standard display shows the time and current desired 
temperature. A second display area is provided in which the time and 
temperature programming information is provided. Specifically four 
separate display areas are provided in which the day of the week, the 
desired temperature, the period and the start time for the time and 
temperature pairs is displayed. The programming buttons are located 
directly adjacent to each display, utilizing simple up and down arrows in 
order to scroll to the desired programming input. By using two separate 
displays, the programming becomes much less complex and a programmer is 
able to confirm his program with less effort. 
This invention separates the physical location of the thermostat 
programming from the balance of thermostat functions, such as manual set 
point control. This physical separation improves its ease-of-use. 
Programmable thermostats, to date, merge the display and controls for the 
programming with all other functions, creating the need for the user to 
recognize the "mode" of the device before taking an action. This design 
creates a "modeless" user interface with operations that are better 
understood and more readily learned. This advantage of a separate display 
is reinforced because its allows placing the thermostat keys adjacent to 
each of the four display areas, allowing the user to directly associate 
the position of the display with the respective keys.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Thermostat 1, during normal use, will appear as shown in FIGS. 1-5. 
Referring to FIG. 1, thermostat 1 is divided into two halves by vertical 
line 5, right half 10 and left half 20. Left half 20 incorporates door 25 
which is better illustrated in FIG. 7. Door 25 has a recess 27 which 
allows a first display 30 to be visible to the user. First display 30 
displays the current time 35 and the current temperature 36. This 
information shall be defined as the current status information of the 
thermostat. The current status information of a thermostat is that 
information which is normally displayed by the programmable electronic 
thermostat 1 during its normal day-to-day use. This information may also 
include, but is not limited to, outside temperature and the current set 
point temperature. 
Door 25 opens to reveal programming area 40, as illustrated in FIG. 7. 
Programming area 40 has a second display which is made up of displays 41, 
42, 43 and 44. Display 41 displays the programming day. This is the day of 
the week in which the user wishes to program time and temperature pairs. 
Display 42 displays the set point temperature for that specific time and 
temperature pair. Display 43 displays the specific period, generally wake, 
leave, return, and sleep, or morning, afternoon, evening, night, for which 
that time and temperature pair is set. Display 44 displays the start time 
for that specific period. 
In order to make programming easier, programming buttons 50, 51, 52, 53, 
54, 55, 56 and 57 are located in close proximity to displays 41, 42, 43 
and 44. Programming buttons 50 and 51 are located adjacent to display 41 
and are utilized to scroll up and down through the days of the week so the 
user can select for which day they wish to modify or monitor their time 
and temperature pairs. Programming buttons 54 and 55 are located adjacent 
to display 42 in order to allow the user to increase or decrease the set 
point temperature accordingly. Programming buttons 52 and 53 are located 
adjacent to display 43. Programming button 52 allows the user to scroll 
through the different periods for which time and temperature pairs are 
set. Programming button 53 allows the user to skip a specific period by 
canceling that period in the program. Programming buttons 56 and 57 are 
located adjacent to display 44 and are utilized in setting the time for 
the time and temperature pairs. 
As programming buttons 50 through 53 are depressed, displays 41 through 44 
change accordingly. As an example, when programming button 50 is 
depressed, the day will increase on display 41, and displays 42 through 44 
will indicate the correct information for the indicated time and 
temperature pair. 
By locating the programming buttons with a specific function near the 
programmed display, the thermostat is markedly easier to use than a single 
display thermostat. 
For the preferred embodiment, two LCD displays are utilized in creating the 
separate display areas. Display 30 is located near the top of the 
thermostat and is generally positioned in a manner which is commonly used 
by programmable thermostats, making it easy for the user to understand its 
function. Displays 41, 42, 43 and 44 are located on a separate LCD from 
display 30, this display being located in a generally center area of the 
area exposed when door 25 is open. In order to clarify even further the 
programming displays, a center divider 45 divides displays 41, 42, 43 and 
44. 
Although a single LCD display is illustrated in the preferred embodiment, a 
single LCD display could be utilized and, in a similar manner as divider 
45 is utilized, dividers could be placed over the face of the LCD in order 
to separate the first display from the second display. 
In order to further delineate the programming functions, shading on the 
housing around the displays and programming buttons can be utilized to 
increase the ease of use.