Monitoring and controlling of appliances

Abstract

An appliance may be controlled remotely, such as from a mobile device of a person. For example, a person may use their mobile device to cause an appliance to be disconnected from a power source or to be connected to a power source. In some instances, remote connection of an appliance to a power source may create an unsafe situation, such as when a stove that has been left on (e.g., via a control or switch of the stove) is connected to a power source. To improve safety after remotely connecting an appliance to a power source, the appliance may be monitored for an unsafe situation (e.g., the appliance generating heat, emitting gas, or consuming electricity), and if an unsafe situation is determined, the appliance may be disconnected from the power source.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for controlling remote enablement of an appliance, comprising:
 receiving a request from a remote device to enable functionality of the appliance;   connecting the appliance to a source of power;   determining a state of operation of the appliance; and   based at least in part on the state of operation of the appliance, disconnecting the appliance from the source of power.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the state of operation of the appliance comprises measuring electricity usage with a sensor. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the appliance is a stove and determining the state of the appliance comprises measuring temperature with a sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the state of the appliance comprises measuring a flow of fuel with a sensor. 
     
     
         5 . A system for controlling remote enablement of an appliance comprising:
 a relay, wherein the relay is operable to be controlled by a remote user;   a switch, wherein the switch is operable to be controlled by a user local to the appliance;   a sensor;   one or more modules configured to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a request from a remote device to enable functionality of the appliance; 
 causing the relay to be closed; 
 determining a state of operation of the appliance using the sensor; 
 based at least in part on the state of operation of the appliance, causing the relay to be opened. 
   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the sensor measures temperature, a flow of electricity, or gas flow. 
     
     
         7 . A circuit for controlling power to an appliance, the circuit comprising:
 a relay, wherein a first contact of the relay is electrically connected to a hot wire of a power source and a second contact of the relay is electrically connected to a hot wire of an appliance;   a first switch; and   a second switch;   wherein, the circuit is configured so that:
 a coil of the relay is electrically connected to the hot wire of the power source when the first switch is closed or the first contact of the relay is in contact with the second contact of the relay; 
 the coil of the relay is not electrically connected to a second wire of the power source when the second switch is open. 
   
     
     
         8 . The circuit of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the circuit comprises a second relay, wherein a first contact of the second relay is electrically connected to a second hot wire of a power source and a second contact of the second relay is electrically connected to a second hot wire of an appliance;   the first switch is a single throw double pole switch; and   the second wire is the second hot wire of the power source.   
     
     
         9 . A method for controlling power to an appliance using a circuit comprising a first switch, a second switch, and a relay, the method comprising:
 receiving a request to connect the appliance to a power source;   in response to receiving the request to connect the appliance to the power source, closing and then opening the first switch, wherein closing the first switch creates an electrical connection between a hot wire of the power source and (i) a coil of the relay and (ii) the appliance;   receiving a request to disconnect the appliance from the power source;   in response to receiving the request to disconnect the appliance from the power source, opening and then closing the second switch, wherein opening the second switch causes an electrical connection between the coil of the relay and a second wire of the power source to be broken.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein closing the first switch causes contacts of the relay to close only if the appliance is off. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the circuit comprises a second relay;   closing the first switch creates an electrical connection between a second hot wire of the power source and a coil of the second relay;   
       opening the second switch causes an electrical connection between the coil of the second relay and the hot wire of the power source to be broken.