How Smart Home Devices Automatically Connect to Utility Energy Programs
A system that lets smart home devices like thermostats enroll in energy-saving programs without the user needing to manually provide their utility account number.
Original patent title: “Streamlined utility portals for managing demand-response events”
A system that lets smart home devices like thermostats enroll in energy-saving programs without the user needing to manually provide their utility account number. Granted to Google LLC in 2018 with 21 claims and 7 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent describes a digital handshake between a smart home device management server (like Google Nest) and a utility company's computer system. Instead of forcing a user to hunt down a physical utility bill to find an account number, the system sends identifying information, such as a name and address, to the utility's API. The utility's system checks if that information matches an existing customer account. If it matches and the device is eligible, the system automatically triggers the enrollment process for demand-response programs, which help manage power grid load during peak usage.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover manual enrollment processes where a user must input a utility account number.
- Does not cover systems that do not use an API to communicate between the device server and the utility provider.
- Does not cover the actual hardware design or internal sensors of the smart home device itself.
- Does not cover methods for controlling the device once enrolled, only the enrollment authorization process.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The system bypasses the need for the user to know or provide their utility account number by using the device's existing registration data to perform a 'fuzzy' match against the utility's database.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Google Nest thermostat enrollment in utility energy-saving programs
Smart home energy management platforms
Utility demand-response portals
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This technology simplifies participation in demand-response programs, which pay homeowners to reduce energy use during peak grid stress. By removing the friction of account verification, it increases the number of devices contributing to grid stability, which is essential for modern smart grid management.
Filed
June 17, 2015
Granted
June 12, 2018
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Google (via its Nest division) is the primary developer of this technology. Other major players in the smart home energy space, such as Ecobee and Honeywell, also maintain similar automated enrollment systems to integrate their devices with regional utility providers.
Market impact
This patent helped standardize the 'one-click' enrollment experience for smart thermostats. It reduced the administrative burden on utility companies and increased the adoption rate of demand-response programs, turning smart thermostats from simple comfort devices into active participants in power grid management.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent describes a digital handshake between a smart home device management server (like Google Nest) and a utility company's computer system. Instead of forcing a user to hunt down a physical utility bill to find an account number, the system sends identifying information, such as a name and address, to the utility's API. The utility's system checks if that information matches an existing customer account. If it matches and the device is eligible, the system automatically triggers the enrollment process for demand-response programs, which help manage power grid load during peak usage.
The clever bit
The system bypasses the need for the user to know or provide their utility account number by using the device's existing registration data to perform a 'fuzzy' match against the utility's database.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover manual enrollment processes where a user must input a utility account number.
- Does not cover systems that do not use an API to communicate between the device server and the utility provider.
- Does not cover the actual hardware design or internal sensors of the smart home device itself.
- Does not cover methods for controlling the device once enrolled, only the enrollment authorization process.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Strong
Citation count
18/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
14/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
20/20
Major company or institution
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$125K – $399K
Midpoint $250K · 9.0 yr remaining · industry ×1.6
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
21 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Crimins, J., Greene, W., McGaraghan, S., Ruffner, S., & Luxenberg, J. (2018). How Smart Home Devices Automatically Connect to Utility Energy Programs (U.S. Patent No. 9,998,475). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9998475/azure-iot-hub
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Smart Home Devices Automatically Connect to Utility Energy Programs cover?
A system that lets smart home devices like thermostats enroll in energy-saving programs without the user needing to manually provide their utility account number.
Who owns patent US 9998475?
Google LLC owns this patent, granted in 2018.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on June 12, 2038, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 9998475 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 7 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This technology simplifies participation in demand-response programs, which pay homeowners to reduce energy use during peak grid stress. By removing the friction of account verification, it increases the number of devices contributing to grid stability, which is essential for modern smart grid management.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover manual enrollment processes where a user must input a utility account number.
Same assignee
More from Google LLC
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