DISTRIBUTED ENERGY CONTRIBUTION-BASED COMMUTING

• US 20130054312A1
• Filed: 08/24/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lection, David B., Masselle, Eric L.
• Application Number:
  US13/216,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20130054312A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management

Abstract

Providing distributed energy contribution-based commuting services includes receiving transportation schedules from a community of transportation service providers and receiving capacity information and energy contribution data from the community of transportation service providers. The energy contribution data specifies a number of docking stations, per vehicle, configured to receive energy sources from passengers. The distributed energy contribution-based commuting services also include receiving criteria from a user, the criteria specifying trip information including pick up location, destination, time of trip and available energy source. The user is a prospective passenger. The distributed energy contribution-based commuting services also includes searching a database of the transportation schedules for the criteria, and presenting a schedule from the database of transportation schedules that matches the criteria. The criteria are considered matched when at least one docking station in a vehicle is available.

Claims

1. A method for providing distributed energy contribution-based commuting services, the method comprising:

receiving transportation schedules from a community of transportation service providers;

receiving capacity information and energy contribution data from the community of transportation service providers, the energy contribution data specifying a number of docking stations, per vehicle, configured to receive energy sources from passengers;

receiving criteria from a user, the criteria specifying trip information including pick up location, destination, time of trip and available energy source, wherein the user is a prospective passenger;

searching a database of the transportation schedules for the criteria;

presenting a schedule from the database of transportation schedules that matches the criteria, the criteria matched when at least one docking station in a vehicle is available.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the capacity information specifies a maximum amount of passengers capable of being transported by the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transportation schedules include defined segments of the transportation schedules, the defined segments collectively specifying a route, and the defined segments classified by pick up and drop off locations along the route.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving transportation service provider vehicle types, the transportation service provider vehicle types including buses, trains, and subways;

wherein the criteria from the user includes one of the transportation service provider vehicle types.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring an amount of energy contributed by the user as a passenger; and

reducing an amount of fare for a commute by a value of the amount of energy contributed by the energy source provided by the passenger.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy source is a renewable energy source comprising one of a battery and a fuel cell, the energy contributed by the user is electrical power, and the electrical power is provided through the docking station to charge the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy source is a renewable energy source comprising at least one of a:

battery;

a fuel cell;

portable fossil fuel; and

nuclear energy.

8. A system for providing distributed energy contribution-based commuting services, the system comprising:

a host system computer; and

logic executable by the host system computer, the logic configured to implement a method, the method comprising;

receiving transportation schedules from a community of transportation service providers;

receiving capacity information and energy contribution data from the community of transportation service providers, the energy contribution data specifying a number of docking stations, per vehicle, configured to receive energy sources from passengers;

receiving criteria from a user, the criteria specifying trip information including pick up location, destination, time of trip and available energy source, wherein the user is a prospective passenger;

searching a database of the transportation schedules for the criteria;

presenting a schedule from the database of transportation schedules that matches the criteria, the criteria matched when at least one docking station in a vehicle is available.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the capacity information specifies a maximum amount of passengers capable of being transported by the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the transportation schedules include defined segments of the transportation schedules, the defined segments collectively specifying a route, and the defined segments classified by pick up and drop off locations along the route.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the logic is further configured to implement:

receiving transportation service provider vehicle types, the transportation service provider vehicle types including buses, trains, and subways;

wherein the criteria from the user includes one of the transportation service provider vehicle types.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the logic is further configured to implement:

monitoring an amount of energy contributed by the user as a passenger; and

reducing an amount of fare for a commute by a value of the amount of energy contributed by the energy source provided by the passenger.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the energy source is a renewable energy source comprising one of a battery and a fuel cell, the energy contributed by the user is electrical power, and the electrical power is provided through the docking station to charge the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the energy source is a renewable energy source comprising at least one of a:

battery;

a fuel cell;

portable fossil fuel; and

nuclear energy.

15. A computer program product for providing distributed energy contribution-based commuting services, computer program product comprises a storage medium embodied with machine-readable program instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to implement a method, the method comprising:

receiving transportation schedules from a community of transportation service providers;

receiving capacity information and energy contribution data from the community of transportation service providers, the energy contribution data specifying a number of docking stations, per vehicle, configured to receive energy sources from passengers;

receiving criteria from a user, the criteria specifying trip information including pick up location, destination, time of trip and available energy source, wherein the user is a prospective passenger;

searching a database of the transportation schedules for the criteria;

presenting a schedule from the database of transportation schedules that matches the criteria, the criteria matched when at least one docking station in a vehicle is available.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the capacity information specifies a maximum amount of passengers capable of being transported by the vehicle.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the transportation schedules include defined segments of the transportation schedules, the defined segments collectively specifying a route, and the defined segments classified by pick up and drop off locations along the route.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the program instructions further implement:

receiving transportation service provider vehicle types, the transportation service provider vehicle types including buses, trains, and subways;

wherein the criteria from the user includes one of the transportation service provider vehicle types.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the program instructions further implement:

monitoring an amount of energy contributed by the user as a passenger; and

reducing an amount of fare for a commute by a value of the amount of energy contributed by the energy source provided by the passenger.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the energy source is a renewable energy source comprising at least one of a:

battery;

a fuel cell;

portable fossil fuel; and

nuclear energy.