Patent Document ID: 9234668
Application ID: 13656189
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A programmable device for controlling an HVAC system, the device comprising: power stealing circuitry adapted to harvest up to a first power from an HVAC call relay for turning on and off an HVAC system function, the first power being less than a power level at which the call relay will turn on the HVAC system function; a power storage medium adapted to store power harvested by the power stealing circuitry; low-power consuming circuitry adapted and programmed to perform one or more low-power activities, wherein: a power required to perform the one or more low-power activities and to charge the power storage medium is less than the first power; and the one or more low-power activities include one or more activities selected from a group consisting of: causing the high-power consuming circuitry to transition from the inactive to active states; polling a temperature sensor; polling an occupancy sensor; switching on or off an HVAC function; and power stealing; and high-power consuming circuitry adapted and programmed to operate in an active state and an inactive state, wherein: while operating in the inactive state, the high-power consuming circuitry uses a power that is less than the first power, and the power storage medium is charged; and while operating in the active state, the high-power consuming circuitry performs one or more high-power activities, uses a power that is higher than the first power, and the high-power consuming circuitry uses power from the power storage medium such that the high-power consuming circuitry can temporarily operate in the active state while using more power than can be safely harvested by the power stealing circuitry without inadvertently switching the HVAC function.