The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 08, 1993
Filed:
Jul. 30, 1990
Gary L Stirk, Grasonville, MD (US);
John M Jamieson, III, Severna Park, MD (US);
Rob L Cowden, Washington, DC (US);
Susan M Prothro, West River, MD (US);
John S Owens, West River, MD (US);
Krishna P Mikkilineni, New Hope, MN (US);
Philip J Zumsteg, Minneapolis, MN (US);
Kenneth P Wacks, Stoneham, MA (US);
Smart House, L.P., Upper Marlboro, MD (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides a controller that operates using two different processors. Each processor performs certain predetermined functions. A control processor is responsible for switching AC power distribution and control, while a message processor is responsible for messaging. A polling scheme and arbitration logic prevent data transfers relating to these two processors from interfering with each other. A configurable interface allows many different types of appliances to attach to the system, and a serial multimode interface further enhances the configurability of the system.