Patent ID: 8195313

Claim:
A thermostat comprising: a power source; a housing; one or more temperature sensors positioned within the housing to measure an ambient air temperature; a ring-shaped user-interface component configured to track a rotational input motion of a user; a processing system disposed within the housing and coupled to the one or more temperature sensors and to the ring-shaped user interface component, the processing system being configured to dynamically identify a setpoint temperature value based on the tracked rotational input motion; an electronic display coupled to the processing system and configured to dynamically display a digital numerical value representative of the identified setpoint temperature value; and a plurality of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) wire connectors coupled to the processing system, the processing system being configured to send at least one control signal through the HVAC wire connectors to an HVAC system based at least in part on a comparison of the measured ambient temperature and the setpoint temperature value; wherein said ring-shaped user-interface component is further configured to be inwardly pressable by the user along a direction of an axis of rotation of the rotational input motion; wherein said processing system, said electronic display, and said ring-shaped user interface component are collectively configured such that (i) an interactive thermostat menuing system is accessible to the user by an inward pressing of the ring-shaped user interface component, and (ii) a user navigation within the interactive thermostat menuing system is achievable by virtue of respective rotational input motions and inward pressings of the ring-shaped user interface component.