Smart Grid Patent Lawsuit
Law360 reports that "Sipco LLC, a Georgia-based developer of wireless mesh technology, has filed a suit accusing Florida Power & Light Co. of infringing three patents for smart grid technology."
The relevant patents are U.S. Patent Nos. 6,437,692; 7,053,767; and 7,468,661.
The '692 patent is directed to "monitoring a variety of environmental and/or other conditions within a defined remotely located region." Its first claim recites:
1. A system for remote data collection, assembly, and storage comprising:
- a computer configured to execute at least one computer program that formats and stores select information for retrieval upon demand from a remotely located device, said computer integrated with a wide area network (WAN);
- at least one wireless transmitter configured to transmit select information and transmitter identification information;
- a plurality of relatively low-power radio-frequency (RF) transceivers dispersed geographically at defined locations configured to receive select information transmitted from at least one nearby wireless transmitter and further configured to transmit the select information, the transmitter identification information and transceiver identification information;and
- at least one gateway connected to the wide area network configured to receive and translate the select information, the transmitter identification information, and transceiver identification information, said gateway further configured to farther transmit the translated information to the computer over the WAN.
The '767 patent is directed to the same area. Its first claim recites:
1. A method for controlling a system comprising:
- remotely collecting data from at least one originating transmitter coupled to a sensor;
- processing the data into a RF signal;
- transmitting the RF signal to another nearby transmitter coupled to a sensor;
- retransmitting the RF signal to a gateway, wherein the RF signal may be further retransmitted by additional transmitters coupled to a sensor prior to being transmitted to the gateway;
- translating the data in the RF signal into a network transfer protocol;
- sending the translated data to a computer, wherein the computer is configured to appropriately respond to the data generated by the at least one sensor by generating an appropriate control signal; sending the control signal via the network to the gateway;
- translating the control signal from a network transfer protocol into a RF control signal; transmitting the RF control signal to one or more of another nearby transmitters coupled to a sensor;
- retransmitting the RF control signal, wherein the RF control signal may be further retransmitted by the additional transmitters coupled to a sensor;
- receiving the RF control signal; translating the received RF control signal into an analog signal; and
- applying the analog signal to an actuator to effect the desired system response.
The '661 patent is directed to the same area. Its first claim recites:
1. A system for remote data collection, assembly, storage, and event detection and reporting, comprising:
- a computer configured to execute at least one computer program that formats and stores select information for retrieval upon demand from a remotely located device, said computer integrated with a wide area network (WAN);
- a plurality of transceivers dispersed geographically at defined locations, each transceiver electrically interfaced with a sensor and configured to receive select information and identification information transmitted from another nearby wireless transceiver electrically interfaced with a sensor in a predetermined signal type and further configured to wirelessly retransmit in the predetermined signal type the select information, the identification information associated with the nearby wireless transceiver, and transceiver identification information associated with the transceiver making retransmission; and
- at least one gateway connected to the wide area network configured to receive and translate the select information, the identification information associated with the nearby wireless transceiver, and transceiver identification information associated with one or more retransmitting transceivers, said gateway further configured to further transmit the translated information to the computer over the WAN.
There appear to be other patents in the patent family that are (at least presently) not being asserted.
(See earlier blog posting about smart grid patent landscape.)
