Apple Places Patents for Eco-Friendly Energy Management

By Dena Cassella January 18, 2010

apple-patent1 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple is truly tantalizing the press this month with mysterious press conference, tablet speculation and partnership news. Here’s another patent hinting at Apple’s future plans: It looks like Apple has applied for two patents that would give people a way to lower their electricity bills by optimizing and tracking how power is supplied to various household and mobile electronics.

According to CNET, the patents were filed in May of last year and were thoroughly explained by Patently Apple last week Thursday. The two patents are both devices to help control and manage the energy-output of a home. One pending patent application called “Intelligent Power Monitoring” says its system allows users to reduce home energy use by giving them tools to “better control” how they’re powered. The second patent application, similarly titled as an “Intelligent Power-enabled Communications Port,” is a system that analyzes and directs the required amount of power to different electronics in an “efficient manner.”

We think it’s safe to assume the company is forming an entrance—one patent at a time—into the home automation and energy tracking markets. The tech industry has been trying to infuse more insight into the consumer market about how to use energy efficiently for the past year and it may be Apple’s grand influence to truly make a statement. After all, Apple is a preferred company by Greenpeace.

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