US 2,002,011,923 · Filed 2000-01-13

The Patent That Dreamed Up a Smart Home Before WiFi

Imagine your toaster, refrigerator, and dishwasher all talking to each other through your home's electrical wiring or wireless signals, and you being able to control them from anywhere via the internet. This patent from 2000 describes exactly that kind of connected appliance network, years before Alexa or Google Home existed.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a system where multiple household appliances are linked together through either power lines or wireless connections, with one appliance acting as a central controller. That controller can also connect to external networks like the telephone network or Internet to send and receive commands and data. What's protected is the overall architecture of this networked appliance ecosystem—the way the devices communicate with each other and how they interface with outside services.

Why it matters

This patent captures an early vision of the smart home concept from the year 2000, before it became mainstream. At the time, connecting appliances wirelessly or through power lines was technically ambitious and not yet proven in consumer products. The patent's scope—including remote access via the internet and centralized control—anticipated the exact infrastructure that later companies like LG, Samsung, and Amazon would build into their smart appliance ecosystems decades later.

Real-world use

Today, when you use an app to preheat your oven or check if your refrigerator door is open from your phone, you're interacting with the exact concept this patent described: appliances networked together and accessible remotely.

Original USPTO abstract

A system of intelligent appliances coupled by common household power lines or wireless links. One or more of the appliances serves as a system controller and may include a further communications interface for coupling to an external communications network, such as the telephone network. The system can thus be accessed and controlled remotely. The system can also communicate with and obtain information from remote sources such as Internet-based facilities.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,002,011,923
Filing date: 2000-01-13
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Thalia Products, Inc.
Inventor(s): CUNNINGHAM GLEN, PARKER KEN, WOODS TIM E., ZWONITZER STEPHEN J., WARD EVAN T., CARROLL MAUREEN E., HAMANN JOHN, LALA JOANNE, KUNZ LILY, SWIEBODA MIKE, DEVINE MARK, MONTAGNINO JIM
CPC class: H04L12/282

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