ALLOCATION ENGINE FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY RELEVANT ITEMS

• US 20080306860A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: APX, Inc. (Xpansiv Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: APX, Inc. (Xpansiv Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shults, Robert B., Musier, Reiner F.H., Asteriadis, Sakis L., Heyeck, Michael, Chau, Hung A., Melby, John M.
• Application Number:
  US12/062,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20080306860A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/845 Inventory and reporting systems for greenhouse gases [GHG]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/90 Financial instruments for climate change mitigation, e.g. environmental taxes, subsidies or financing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• 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

Methods and systems for facilitating exchange of rights associated with environmentally relevant items are provided. The methods and systems may include identifying a first environmentally relevant item, identifying a second environmentally relevant item and providing a software-based module for an allocation engine allowing at least one user to allocate at least one environmentally relevant item.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating exchange of rights associated with environmentally relevant items, comprising

identifying a first environmentally relevant item;

identifying a second environmentally relevant item; and

providing a software-based module for an allocation engine allowing at least one user to allocate at least one environmentally relevant item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second environmentally relevant items relate to the same jurisdiction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second environmentally relevant items relate to different jurisdictions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second environmentally relevant items are of different types.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second environmentally relevant items are of the same type.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second environmentally relevant items relate to different underlying environmental attributes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second environmentally relevant items relate to the same underlying environmental attribute.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one user is a regulator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one user is a governmental user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one user uses the allocation engine to allocated environmentally relevant items among groups.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmentally relevant items reside in a single depository.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the module is a subcomponent of a software platform for managing environmentally relevant items.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the platform is for a voluntary market.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the platform is for a mandatory market.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmentally relevant items are entered in a single registry.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the registry is a web-based carbon registry.

36. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a software-based jurisdictional complexity manager.

38. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a software-based module for determining compliance.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein compliance is determined with respect to at least one law, rule or regulation.

42. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a software-based module for market oversight.

43. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a software-based module for reporting.

45. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a software-based module for auditing.

46. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a software-based module for auctioning at least one environmentally relevant item.

47. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a software-based module for trading at least one environmentally relevant item.

51. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a credit and clearing engine.

57. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a market data facility.

60. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an environmentally relevant item serialization facility.

347. The method of claim 11, wherein the groups are determined based on sectors of economic activity within a jurisdiction.

348. The method of claim 347, wherein a sector is an industrial sector.

349. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocation engine specifies at least one of the amount of emission allowances to be distributed using an auction mechanism, the amount of emission allowances to be distributed at a specified cost and the amount of emission allowances to be distributed at no cost.

10. (canceled)

12-22. -22. (canceled)

24-25. -25. (canceled)

29-30. -30. (canceled)

32-33. -33. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

37. (canceled)

40-41. -41. (canceled)

44. (canceled)

48-50. -50. (canceled)

52-56. -56. (canceled)

58-59. -59. (canceled)

61-70. -70. (canceled)

71. A method for facilitating exchange of rights associated with environmentally relevant items, comprising

providing a module for allocating environmentally relevant items associated with environmentally relevant actions, the module operating on a computer platform.

78. The method of claim 71, wherein the module considers an exchange rate between the environmentally relevant items.

79. The method of claim 71, wherein the module considers a derivative environmentally relevant item based on the environmentally relevant items.

80. The method of claim 71, wherein the module allocates through a standing sale.

81. The method of claim 71, wherein the module allocates through a standing order.

108. The method of claim 71 further comprising providing a software-based module for reporting.

112. The method of claim 71 further comprising providing a software-based module for trading at least one environmentally relevant item.

350. The method of claim 71, wherein the module allocates environmentally relevant items among groups and the groups are determined based on sectors of economic activity within a jurisdiction.

351. The method of claim 350, wherein a sector is an industrial sector.

352. The method of claim 71, wherein the module specifies at least one of the amount of emission allowances to be distributed using an auction mechanism, the amount of emission allowances to be distributed at a specified cost and the amount of emission allowances to be distributed at no cost.

72-77. -77. (canceled)

82-107. -107. (canceled)

109-111. -111. (canceled)

113-135. -135. (canceled)

136. A method for facilitating exchange of rights associated with environmentally relevant items, comprising

identifying a type of environmentally relevant item recognized by a first market associated with an environmentally relevant action;

identifying a type of environmentally relevant item recognized by a second market associated with an environmentally relevant action; and

in a common platform, providing an allocation engine for allowing users to allocate credits with respect to the two markets.

146. The method of claim 136, wherein a user uses the allocation engine to allocated environmentally relevant items among groups.

152. The method of claim 136, wherein the allocation engine provides a user interface.

153. The method of claim 152, wherein the user interface contains a dashboard that display information relating to at least one environmentally relevant item.

154. The method of claim 152, wherein the user interface facilitates applying an environmentally relevant item to offset an activity.

155. The method of claim 152, wherein the user interface facilitates tracking the application of environmentally relevant items relating to an activity.

156. The method of claim 152, wherein the user interface facilitates presentation of alternative options for obtaining environmentally relevant items in different jurisdictions.

157. The method of claim 152, wherein the user interface is a dashboard allowing for tracking the impact of various environmentally relevant actions.

353. The method of claim 146, wherein the groups are determined based on sectors of economic activity within a jurisdiction.

354. The method of claim 353, wherein a sector is an industrial sector.

355. The method of claim 136, wherein the allocation engine specifies at least one of the amount of emission allowances to be distributed using an auction mechanism, the amount of emission allowances to be distributed at a specified cost and the amount of emission allowances to be distributed at no cost.

137-145. -145. (canceled)

147-151. -151. (canceled)

158-205. -205. (canceled)

206. A method for facilitating exchange of rights associated with environmentally relevant items, comprising

identifying a type of credit as an environmentally relevant item recognized by a first market associated with an environmentally relevant action;

identifying a type of credit as an environmentally relevant item recognized by a second market associated with an environmentally relevant action;

identifying a type of credit as an environmentally relevant item recognized by a third market associated with an environmentally relevant action;

identifying a type of credit as an environmentally relevant item recognized by a fourth market associated with an environmentally relevant action; and

in a common platform, providing an allocation engine for allowing users to allocate credits with respect to the four markets.

207. The method of claim 206, wherein at least two of the environmentally relevant items relate to the same jurisdiction.

208. The method of claim 206, wherein at least two of the environmentally relevant items relate to different jurisdictions.

209. The method of claim 206, wherein at least two of the environmentally relevant items are of different types.

210. The method of claim 206, wherein at least two of the environmentally relevant items are of the same type.

211. The method of claim 206, wherein at least two of the environmentally relevant items relate to different underlying environmental attributes.

212. The method of claim 206, wherein at least two of the environmentally relevant items relate to the same underlying environmental attribute.

216. The method of claim 206, wherein a user uses the allocation engine to allocated environmentally relevant items among groups.

356. The method of claim 216, wherein the groups are determined based on sectors of economic activity within a jurisdiction.

357. The method of claim 356, wherein a sector is an industrial sector.

358. The method of claim 206, wherein the allocation engine specifies at least one of the amount of emission allowances to be distributed using an auction mechanism, the amount of emission allowances to be distributed at a specified cost and the amount of emission allowances to be distributed at no cost.

213-215. -215. (canceled)

217-346. -346. (canceled)