Patent ID: 8526935

Claim:
A home appliance antenna assembly for communicating between an associated home energy manager and an associated appliance controller to control operation of an associated home appliance comprising: a home appliance including one of a refrigerator, range, microwave oven, clothes washer, dishwasher, hot water heater, and window air conditioner; a microprocessor integral to the appliance for controlling the appliance; a demand response module operatively connected to the home appliance microprocessor; a radio integrated into one of the appliance microprocessor and the demand response module; and an antenna integrated into the home appliance and extending from one of the demand response module and the appliance microprocessor, at least a portion of the antenna located along an external surface of the home appliance adapted for RF communication with the associated home energy manager; and a tuning circuit and matching network operatively associated with the radio to couple the antenna to the radio.