As we have profiled here, Nest Labs has come up with a clean and classy look for their new energy saving and “auto-learning” thermostat. They will now have to come up with a team of lawyers to defend allegations from Honeywell International that Nest infringes on several (seven to be precise) patents that Honeywell has for thermostat technology. Filed in a district court in Minnesota, the patents are related to simplified methods for operating and programming a thermostat. These include controlling it with information stored in a remote location and user interfaces that facilitate programming and energy saving.
A former Apple executive and developer of the original iPod, Tony Fadell, recently launched Nest Labs with Apple’s penchant for clean, user-friendly interfaces, and a simple but technologically advanced style.
Honeywell is a maker of aerospace products as well as building-control and safety products. With the lawsuit, “they are trying to stop Nest Labs and retailer Best Buy Co., which sells the Nest Labs thermostat, from using Honeywell’s patented technology and to recover damages” according to the Wall Street Journal.
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