Apple files Patents for Controlling Home Energy

 January 15, 2010 10:18 AM PST

Apple helps you manage your music and video files. Why not your home energy, too?

Apple has applied for two patents that would give people a way to lower their electricity bills by optimizing how power is supplied to various electronics, such as computers, peripherals, and iPods. The patents, which were filed in May of last year, were spotted and explained by Patently Apple on Thursday.

The two patent applications describe a hardware device that controls the amount of power supplied to different electronics. Data between devices would be shared over a building's existing wiring, using the HomePlug Powerline Alliance's communications protocol. The patent applications also include drawings of outlets and junction boxes that incorporate "power-enabled data ports."

A diagram from an Apple patent application describes an electronics controller that can optimize how power is delivered to multiple home devices using home wiring to send power and data.

(Credit: Patently Apple)

One patent application called "Intelligent Power Monitoring" says that the system would allow people to reduce energy use by giving them tools to better control how connected devices are powered.

Consumers could get recommendations on when to schedule gadget charging to take advantage of off-peak rates, for example. Or the electronics controller could put devices in hibernate mode after a set amount of time.

Users could have a display, such as an LCD screen, or a movable projector to control these tasks and monitor electricity use. With people increasingly reliant on computers and mobile devices, the issue of power management and costs is becoming more acute, Apple argues in its patent:

"Some personal computers sometimes are being left on simply to serve as power supplies for the charging of the aforementioned portable devices via connections, such as Universal Serial Bus ("USB") connections, that provide power in addition to data (rather than charging those devices from the household electric service using their dedicated chargers), even though the power supply of a personal computer is much larger than is needed for such a function, and as such draws much more power than such a function would otherwise demand. As the price of electricity increases, such uses of power can cost users more."

The second patent application, titled an "Intelligent Power-enabled Communications Port," describes a system that would parse out the amount of power to different electronics in an efficient manner.

It calls for using the wiring of buildings to run direct current devices without the need for the AC-to-DC adapters that come with all electronic gear. The port will also be able to deliver data over home wires and store it:

"Rather than continually upgrade standards such as the USB or FireWire standards, a variable power supply may be provided for the power conductor of a port."

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