System and method to monitor datamining power usage

• US 20020120369A1
• Filed: 02/20/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yu, Philip Shi-Lung, Moskowitz, Paul Andrew, Boies, Stephen J., Greene, David Perry, Dinkin, Samuel H.
• Granted Patent: US 6,631,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for a datamining service vendor to provide subscribing power customers with electrical consumption data services. The system and method provide a mechanism by which electrical consumption is measured at the point of consumption over incremental periods of time. Customers can subscribe to a datamining service vendor which monitors and collects customer electrical consumption data at each addressed location within the customer'"'"'s electrical network and provides the customer with a detailed report of power consumption statistics and trends. This allows the customer to make informed consumption choices resulting in cost savings to the customer and conservation of power generation resources.

Claims

1. A method for datamining the energy consumption of a customer subscriber comprising:

subscribing to a datamining service vendor;

measuring the power supplied and consumed by a customer electrical network; and

,

analyzing the power supply and consumption characteristics of the customer electrical network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising recording the power supplied and consumed by the customer electrical network.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising classifying the power supplied and consumed by a device connected to the customer electrical network.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting the power supply and consumption data of the customer electrical network to the datamining service vendor.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising reporting the power supply and consumption data to the customer.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising selling the power supply and consumption data between the datamining service vendor, a utility service and the customer.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising purchasing the power supply and consumption data between the datamining service vendor, a utility service and the customer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the datamining service vendor is connected to the customer electrical system via a local area network, the Internet or a Bluetooth connection.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the datamining service vendor is connected to the customer electrical system via a wireless computing device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the datamining service vendor is connected to the customer electrical system via a broadband cable network.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the datamining service vendor creates an XML record of the power supplied and consumed by the device connected to the customer electrical system.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the datamining service vendor provides an alert of potential device malfunctions to the customer.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the customer specifies conditions that should cause an alert to be generated by the datamining service vendor.

14. The method of claim 2 wherein the datamining service vendor records the time each electrical device is activated.

15. The method of claim 2 wherein the datamining service vendor records the time each electrical device is deactivated.

16. The method of claim 2 wherein the datamining service vendor records the amount of power supplied during the time period each electrical device is operating.

17. The method of claim 3 wherein the classification is based on the power consumed by a device connected to the customer electrical network during operation of the service.

18. The method of claim 3 wherein the classification step is based on the power consumed by the device connected to the customer electrical network per unit of time.

19. The method of claim 3 wherein the classification step is based on the noise characteristics of the device connected to the customer electrical network.

20. The method of claim 3 wherein the classification step is based on the powerup characteristics of the device connected to the customer electrical network.

21. The method of claim 3 wherein the classification step is based on a digital signature emitted by the device connected to the customer electrical network.

22. The method of claim 4 wherein the customer electrical system uploads the power supply and consumption characteristics of the device connected to the customer electrical system to the datamining service vendor.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein said alerts are transmitted to the customer'"'"'s residence via a telephone connection, the Internet, or a Blutooth connection.

24. The method of claim 13 wherein said alerts are transmitted to the customer via a wireless network.

25. The method of claim 13 wherein said alerts are transmitted to a device repair vendor.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprising fourth instructions for recording the power supplied and consumed by the customer electrical network.

28. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprising fifth instructions for classifying the power supplied and consumed by a device connected to the customer electrical network.

29. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprising sixth instructions for transmitting the power supply and consumption data of the customer electrical network to the datamining service vendor.

30. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprising seventh instructions for reporting the power supply and consumption data to the customer.

31. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprising eighth instructions for selling the power supply and consumption data between the datamining service vendor, a utility service and the customer.

32. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprising ninth instructions for purchasing the power supply and consumption data between the datamining service vendor, a utility service and the customer.

33. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein said third instructions further comprises recording the power consumed by a device.

34. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein said third instructions further comprises recording the power supplied to the electrical network.

35. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein said fifth instructions further comprises classifying the power consumed by a device per unit of time.

36. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein said fifth instructions further comprises classifying the power consumed by a device on the noise characteristics of the device.

37. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein said fifth instructions further comprises classifying the power consumed by a device on the startup characteristics of the device.

38. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein said fifth instructions further comprises classifying the power consumed by a device on the digital signature emitted by the device.

39. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprising tenth instructions for the generation of an alert by the datamining service vendor.

40. The computer program product of claim 39 wherein said tenth instructions further comprises the generation of an alert as specified by the customer.

26. A computer program product for datamining the energy consumption of a customer subscriber comprising:

first instructions for subscribing to a datamining service vendor;

second instructions for measuring the power supplied and consumed by a customer electrical network; and

,

third instructions for analyzing the power supply and consumption characteristics of the customer electrical network.