SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRANSFERRING ELECTRICAL ENERGY BETWEEN VEHICLES

• US 20140089206A1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Tegreene, Clarence T., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Wood, Victoria Y.H.
• Application Number:
  US13/625,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20140089206A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A central location may facilitate negotiation and exchange of electrical energy between motor vehicles that need to exchange electrical energy. The central location may identify vehicles to exchange electrical energy and may determine exchange terms. The central location may store member information from which it determines exchange terms. The central location may update the member information based on data reported from the exchange. The central location may also authorize transactions, which may comprise confirming identities of one or both vehicles, validating payment information, and/or the like. The vehicles may be members of an affinity group or common fleet. The central location may manage the affinity group or common fleet, such as by prequalifying vehicles to join the group, ensuring vehicles have sufficient energy to reach a destination, and/or the like.

Claims

1. A system for negotiating exchange of electrical energy between motor vehicles, the system comprising:

a communication subsystem configured to receive a request for electrical energy from a first vehicle;

a source identification subsystem configured to identify a second vehicle with excess electrical energy; and

a negotiation subsystem configured to determine exchange terms for transferring electrical energy from the second vehicle to the first vehicle.

96. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication subsystem is further configured to receive a first post-exchange report from one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

97. The system of claim 96, further comprising an accounting subsystem configured to update member information in an information storage subsystem for at least one of the first and second vehicles based on the first post-exchange report.

100. The system of claim 97, wherein the accounting subsystem is configured to update the member information by updating an indication of average transfer efficiency for at least one of the first and second vehicles.

101. The system of claim 97, wherein the accounting subsystem is configured to update the member information by updating an indication of average transfer rate for at least one of the first and second vehicles.

106. The system of claim 97, wherein the first post-exchange report comprises a transaction rating indication, and wherein the accounting subsystem is configured to update an average rating indication of at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle with the transaction rating indication.

107. The system of claim 97, wherein the communication subsystem is further configured to receive a second post-exchange report from the other of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and wherein the accounting subsystem is configured to verify that vehicle transaction data from the first post-exchange report matches vehicle transaction data from the second post-exchange report.

108. The system of claim 1, further comprising an adjudication subsystem configured to save a complaint from at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

110. The system of claim 1, further comprising a prequalification system configured to:

determine whether an applicant vehicle satisfies predetermined admittance criteria; and

add the applicant vehicle to an affinity group if the applicant vehicle satisfies the predetermined admittance criteria.

111. The system of claim 110, wherein the prequalification system is configured to perform a credit check.

112. The system of claim 110, wherein the prequalification system is configured to verify validity of a credit card number.

2-95. -95. (canceled)

98-99. -99. (canceled)

102-105. -105. (canceled)

109. (canceled)

113. (canceled)

114. A system for authorizing exchange of electrical energy between motor vehicles, the system comprising:

a communication subsystem configured to;

receive a first authorization request from a first vehicle to exchange electrical energy with a second vehicle; and

transmit a response to the request, the response comprising an indication of whether the request is approved; and

an authorization subsystem configured to determine whether the requested exchange of electrical energy between the first and second vehicles meets predetermined exchange criteria.

117. The system of claim 114, wherein the authorization subsystem is further configured to confirm an identity of the first vehicle.

118. The system of claim 117, wherein the first authorization request comprises a username and password, and wherein the authorization subsystem is configured to verify the username and password.

119. The system of claim 114, wherein the authorization subsystem is further configured to confirm an identity of the second vehicle.

120. The system of claim 119, wherein the first authorization request comprises an identification indicator for the second vehicle.

121. The system of claim 114, wherein the first authorization request comprises a digital signature.

122. The system of claim 121, wherein the first authorization request comprises a signed message, and wherein the signed message comprises a timestamp and an identification indicator for the first vehicle.

123. The system of claim 119, wherein the communication subsystem is further configured to receive a second authorization request from the second vehicle to exchange electrical energy with the first vehicle, and wherein the authorization subsystem is configured to match the first request to the second request.

124. The system of claim 119, wherein the communication subsystem is further configured to transmit a transaction confirmation request to the second vehicle.

125. The system of claim 114, wherein the authorization subsystem is configured to determine whether the second vehicle is associated with an affinity group.

126. The system of claim 125, wherein the authorization subsystem is configured to determine whether the second vehicle is associated with the affinity group by determining whether the second vehicle is in a member database.

127. The system of claim 125, wherein the first authorization request comprises a digital signature for the second vehicle, and wherein the authorization subsystem is configured to determine whether the second vehicle is associated with the affinity group by verifying the digital signature.

137. The system of claim 114, wherein the authorization subsystem is configured to determine whether a member rating exceeds a predetermined threshold.

138. The system of claim 114, wherein the authorization subsystem is configured to determine whether an indication of a number of serious complaints is less than a predetermined threshold.

115-116. -116. (canceled)

128-136. -136. (canceled)

139-212. -212. (canceled)

213. A method for negotiating exchange of electrical energy between motor vehicles, the method comprising:

receiving a request for electrical energy from a first vehicle;

identifying a second vehicle with excess electrical energy; and

determining exchange terms for transferring electrical energy from the second vehicle to the first vehicle.

234. The method of claim 213, further comprising transmitting an indication of a rendezvous location to the first vehicle.

235. The method of claim 213, further comprising transmitting transfer parameters to the first vehicle.

261. The method of claim 213, wherein identifying the second vehicle comprises receiving availability information from possible exchange partners.

262. The method of claim 261, wherein receiving availability information comprises receiving an indication of an urgency of a task being performed.

265. The method of claim 261, wherein receiving availability information comprises receiving an indication of a charge state.

266. The method of claim 261, wherein receiving availability information comprises receiving an indication of a required deviation from a predetermined route.

301. The method of claim 213, further comprising storing information about a plurality of member vehicles.

302. The method of claim 301, wherein storing information comprises storing electrical characteristics for each member vehicle.

306. The method of claim 301, wherein storing information comprises storing one or more addresses for each member vehicle.

214-233. -233. (canceled)

236-260. -260. (canceled)

263-264. -264. (canceled)

267-300. -300. (canceled)

303-305. -305. (canceled)

307-376. -376. (canceled)

377. A method for identifying motor vehicles able to exchange electrical energy, the method comprising:

receiving a request for electrical energy from a first vehicle; and

identifying, according to predetermined criteria, possible exchange partners with excess electrical energy available for transfer to the first vehicle.

402. The method of claim 377, wherein identifying possible exchange partners comprises selecting possible exchange partners with one or more transfer mechanisms that are compatible with the first vehicle.

403. The method of claim 377, wherein identifying possible exchange partners comprises selecting possible exchange partners with rating indications greater than a predetermined threshold.

408. The method of claim 377, wherein receiving a request comprises receiving the predetermined criteria from the first vehicle.

409. The method of claim 377, wherein identifying the second vehicle comprises identifying the second vehicle according to predetermined criteria stored in an information storage subsystem.

378-401. -401. (canceled)

404-407. -407. (canceled)

410-424. -424. (canceled)