ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,316,111, issued on May 27.

"System and method for facilitating autonomous operation of a smart energy device" was invented by Katherine Killen Palumbo (San Diego), Gordon Ming Lum (San Diego) and Christine Canamo Leclercq (San Diego).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A smart energy device performs a method which includes executing, during a first time period, a first control event wherein an operational parameter of the smart energy device is controlled by the first control event during a first time period. A second control event is then executed, during a second time period, wherein the operational parameter of the smart energy device is co...