Appliance payment system

• US 20060108417A1
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Payment Protection Systems, Inc. (Sekurus, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Payment Protection Systems, Inc. (Sekurus, Inc.)
• Inventors: Simon, Michael P., Simon, Franklin C.
• Application Number:
  US11/257,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20060108417A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/003 for electricity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/04 in which the quantity mechanism is set forward automatically by the insertion of a coin
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

An exemplary appliance control system for controlling an appliance includes a controller located inside the appliance, wherein the controller comprises a switch arranged between the electric power source and the appliance power supply and a receiver, a payment control center, and a payment control module comprising a transmitter for communicating with the controller receiver and a modem for communicating with the payment control center via a communication network. Another exemplary appliance control system includes a switch located between an electrical power source and an electrical power socket that provides electrical power to the appliance, a payment control center, and a payment control module that communicates with the switch and the payment control center, wherein the payment control module instructs the switch to open when the payment control center indicates that a finance payment for the appliance is past due.

Claims

1. An appliance control system for controlling an appliance, comprising:

a controller located inside the appliance, wherein the controller comprises a switch arranged between the electric power source and the appliance power supply and a receiver;

a payment control center; and

a payment control module comprising a transmitter for communicating with the controller receiver and a modem for communicating with the payment control center via a communication network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication network is a public switched telephone network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the payment control module communicates periodically with the payment control center and with the controller, and wherein the payment control module instructs the controller to open the switch to disconnect the appliance power supply from the electric power source when the payment control module is unable to communicate with the payment control center within a predetermined time interval or the payment control center indicates to the payment control module that a finance payment for the appliance is delinquent.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the controller comprises a Radio Frequency IDentification reader; and

the controller keeps the switch closed for a time interval corresponding to a balance value on a Radio Frequency IDentification card read by the reader.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller permanently closes the switch when the reader receives a predetermined code from a Radio Frequency IDentification card.

6. An appliance control system for controlling an appliance, comprising:

a switch located between an electrical power source and an electrical power socket that provides electrical power to the appliance;

a payment control center; and

a payment control module that communicates with the switch and the payment control center, wherein the payment control module instructs the switch to open when the payment control center indicates that a finance payment for the appliance is past due.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the payment control module sends control signals to the switch via an alternating current electrical power network connected to both the payment control module and the switch.