Disposal mode ecological impact monitoring

• US 20120185304A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Belady, Christian L., Bernard, Rob, Calvo, Angel Sarmento, Cochrane, Larry, Garms, Jason, Hyde, Roderick A., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Pollard, Jennifer Mame, Rinaldo, John D. Jr., Tegreene, Clarence T., Vega, Rene A., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Zhao, Feng
• Application Number:
  US13/200,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185304A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

Systems, methods, computer-readable storage mediums including computer-readable instructions and/or circuitry for monitoring ecological impact of disposal of a product by a user may implement operations including, but not limited to: determining a disposal mode of at least a portion of a physical product associated with a user; and associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

means for determining a disposal mode of at least a portion of a physical product associated with a user; and

means for associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user;

2. The system of claim 1, wherein determining a disposal mode of at least a portion of a physical product associated with a user comprises:

means for receiving a device-readable indicator associated with the physical product.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein receiving a device-readable indicator associated with the physical product comprises:

means for obtaining an image associated with the physical product.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein receiving a device-readable indicator associated with the physical product comprises:

means for scanning a barcode associated with the physical product.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein receiving a device-readable indicator associated with the physical product comprises:

means for detecting a radio frequency identification device associated with the physical product.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user comprises:

means for associating an ecological impact quantification with a user account according to a resale disposal mode of at least a portion of the physical product.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user comprises:

means for associating an ecological impact quantification with a user account according to a recycling disposal mode of the physical product.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user comprises:

means for associating an ecological impact quantification with a user account according to a composting disposal mode of at least a portion of the physical product.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user comprises:

means for associating an ecological impact quantification with a user account according to an incineration disposal mode of at least a portion of the physical product.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user comprises:

means for associating an ecological impact quantification with a user account according to a landfilling disposal mode of at least a portion of the physical product.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user comprises:

means for associating an ecological impact quantification with a user account according to an ocean floor disposal mode of at least a portion of the physical product.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode comprises:

means for computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a resale disposal mode.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode comprises:

means for computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a recycling disposal mode.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode comprises:

means for computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a composting disposal mode.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode comprises:

means for computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to an incineration disposal mode.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode comprises:

means for computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a landfilling disposal mode.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode comprises:

means for computing an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to an ocean floor disposal mode.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for associating an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with a device-readable indicator.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for associating an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with a device-readable indicator comprises:

means for associating the ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with a barcode.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for associating an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with a device-readable indicator comprises:

means for associating the ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with an RFID chip.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for associating an ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with a device-readable indicator comprises:

means for associating the ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with a printed label.

23. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a device-readable indicator corresponding to the ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with the product.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for associating a device-readable indicator corresponding to the ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with the product comprise:

means for operably coupling the device-readable indicator corresponding to the ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode to the product.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for associating a device-readable indicator corresponding to the ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with the product comprise:

means for storing the device-readable indicator corresponding to the ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode in a memory associated with the product.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for associating a device-readable indicator corresponding to the ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode with the product comprise:

means for printing the device-readable indicator corresponding to the ecological impact quantification associated with disposal of at least a portion of the product according to a disposal mode to a surface of the product.

27. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for associating a physical product with a user account associated with a user in response to a signal indicating that the user has control of the physical product;

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the means for associating a physical product with a user account associated with a user in response to a signal indicating that the user has control of the physical product comprises:

means for associating the physical product with a user account associated with the user in response to receiving a device-readable indicator associated with the physical product.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the means for associating a physical product with a user account associated with a user in response to a signal indicating that the user has control of the physical product comprises:

means for associating the physical product with a user account associated with the user in response to a user-input.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the means for associating a physical product with a user account associated with a user in response to a signal indicating that the user has control of the physical product comprises:

means for associating the physical product with a user in response to a signal indicative of a user.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the means for associating the physical product with a user in response to a signal indicative of a user comprises:

means for associating the physical product with a user account associated with the user in response to a signal indicative of a presence of a user in proximity to the product.

32. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for dissociating the physical product from a user account associated with the user in response to a signal indicating that the user has relinquished control of the physical product.

33. The system of claim 32, dissociating the physical product from a user account associated with the user in response to a signal indicating that the user has relinquished control of the physical product comprises:

means for dissociating the physical product from a user account associated with the user in response to a signal indicating reception of the physical product within a receptacle associated with a disposal mode.

34. The system of claim 32, further comprising:

means for providing a notification of a dissociation of the physical product from a user account associated with the user.

35. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for publishing the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the publishing the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode comprises:

means for generating a webpage that includes information based at least in part on the environmental impact quantification associated with the disposal mode.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the publishing the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode comprises:

means for providing an e-mail notification that includes information based at least in part on the environmental impact quantification associated with the disposal mode to one or more e-mail accounts associated with one or more users of the product.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the publishing the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode comprises:

means for providing a text messaging notification that includes information based at least in part on the environmental impact quantification associated with the disposal mode to one or more devices associated with one or more users of the product.

39. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for assigning at least one of a reward or a penalty to the user account according to the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the assigning at least one of a reward or a penalty to the user account according to the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode comprises:

means for charging a fee to the user account according to the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the assigning at least one of a reward or a penalty to the user account according to the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode comprises:

means for crediting a user account according to the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the assigning at least one of a reward or a penalty to the user account according to the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode comprises:

means for generating a webpage including an icon indicative of a reward associated with the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein the assigning at least one of a reward or a penalty to the user account according to the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode comprises:

means for generating a webpage including an icon indicative of a penalty associated with the ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode.

44. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining a disposal mode of at least a portion of a physical product associated with a user; and

associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user.

45. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer-readable instructions for executing a process, the process comprising:

determining a disposal mode of at least a portion of a physical product associated with a user; and

associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user.

46. A system comprising:

circuitry for determining a disposal mode of at least a portion of a physical product associated with a user; and

circuitry for associating an ecological impact quantification associated with the disposal mode with a user account associated with the user.