Echelon Awarded Its 100th U.S. Patent, Fortifying History of Innovative Energy Control Technology

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently granted Echelon its 100th patent, Echelon ELON announced today. The most recent patent covers an innovative new way to construct a communications transformer that enables Echelon to provide the high reliability required in energy control network applications at significantly lower cost points than previously possible. “Our 100th patent is the latest in a string of Echelon patents providing innovations that help companies build control network devices and systems that operate more reliably and cost-effectively,” Echelon Chief Technology Officer Bob Dolin said. “Increasing system reliability, affordability and scalability while driving down cost points and speeding time to market for our customers has been the focus of our innovation throughout our company history.” Echelon was founded in 1988 with a vision of enabling networks to extend beyond computers into control systems to enable smart utility networks, buildings, factories and homes to run more efficiently, lower costs and improve quality, productivity and comfort. The firm's energy control networking technology has a three-tier architecture: intelligence at the field level within smart devices; intelligence in control nodes at the edge, where control networks connect into data networks and the Internet, and intelligence at the enterprise. The firm's patent portfolio addresses the key requirements of control networking that enable that hierarchy to deliver reliable, survivable, large scale and low cost solutions with open interfaces that support an ecosystem of partners.