System and method for providing interconnected and secure mobile device charging stations

• US 10,070,250 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ChargeItSpot, LLC
• Original Assignee: Beth Pondo, Colin Nolan, Douglas Baldasare, Jens U. Horstmann, Robert Kay, Sheri Tate
• Inventors: Baldasare, Douglas, Tate, Sheri, Kay, Robert, Horstmann, Jens, Nolan, Colin, Pondo, Beth
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US15/362,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20170150304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/08 with current supply sources at the substations generating ringing current H04M19/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Systems and methods for locating and providing public mobile device charging stations are disclosed. One or more charging stations may be configured to charge a battery of a mobile device. A database may be configured to store location information of the one or more charging stations as well as mobile device location and security credential information of the one or more respective mobile devices. A server communicatively coupled with the one or more charging stations and the database, may be configured to determine a proximity of the one or more charging stations to a location of the mobile device. This determination may be based on the station location information and the mobile device location information. Based on the determined proximity, provide the station location information of the respective one or more charging stations to the mobile device. The charging station further provides photo and/or video surveillance security to verify a user.

Claims

1. A publicly available mobile device charging system, comprising:

one or more charging kiosks having a plurality of secure lockers sized and shaped to accommodate a mobile telephonic device therein, each secure locker configured to hold therewithin and charge a battery of a single mobile device at a time;

computing memory having associated therewith code configured to provide;

kiosk location and associated information for one of the charging kiosks;

charging profile information of a plurality of different prospective ones of the mobile device to be charged in one of the secure lockers; and

a processor communicatively coupled with the computing memory, configured to execute the code to;

based on the kiosk location and associated information, allow a networked server to determine a proximity of the one or more charging kiosks to a location of one of the mobile devices, and to provide the proximity and directions to the proximate one or more charging kiosks the one of the mobile devices; and

once one of the mobile devices is physically associated with the locker of the one of the charging kiosks, optimally charging the one of the mobile devices by causing the charging kiosk to cycle through the charging profile information to arrive at an optimal one of the charging profile information for the mobile device within the locker, wherein device data on the mobile device is maintained as inaccessible to the code.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the code further configures the one or more charging kiosks to:

display to a user of the mobile device a prompt to receive security credentials.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the security credentials verify the user of the mobile device using video or photo data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the video or photo data is requested from the user in response to prior incorrect entry security credentials.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the proximity and the directions are requested by the mobile device based on the battery level of the mobile device reaching a predetermined threshold.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk location information comprises availability status of the lockers associated with the one or more charging kiosks.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the code is further configured to:

receive entity information associated with entities sponsoring one or more of the charging kiosks.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the code is further configured to provide the entity information to the respective one or more mobile devices.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the entity information provided to the mobile device is based on a prioritization algorithm.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the code is further configured to:

cause the storage of user information associated with the user of the mobile device, wherein the user information consists of the user'"'"'s security credentials and video or photo data associated with the user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the code is further configured to:

compare photo or video taken to the video or photo data associated with the user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the code is further configured to:

grant access to the locker in response to a match being made in the comparison.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the code is further configured to:

place the locker into a locked state in response to a match not being made in the comparison.