Tamper resistant battery and battery warranty and performance tracking system

• US 7,598,700 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Reserve Power Cell LLC
• Original Assignee: Reserve Power Cell LLC
• Inventors: Elder, David, Bruno, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah; Akm E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muralidar; Richard V
• Application Number:
  US11/392,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20070028020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/127, 324/425, 324/426, 324/429, 324/433, 324/434, 340/636.1, 340/636.12, 340/636.13, 340/636.15, 340/636.18, 340/636.2
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery warranty and metrics tracking network with a programmable battery product for storing, sending and receiving data from a battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking network, having an at least one onboard electronics module and storage media on the battery product, an at least one point of sale/point of maintenance device providing communication with the battery product and communicating data from the battery product and to the battery product, an at least one network communicating data from the programmable battery product and to the programmable battery product and an at least one product warranty and features database in communication with the network, the database including storage of data from the programmable battery product and communication of stored data to the battery product to enable or disable the programmable battery product or enable or disable features on the battery product based on the information communicated to or from the programmable battery product or the at least one point of sale/point of maintenance device.

Claims

1. A battery warranty, enablement and metrics tracking system operable to communicate over a network, the system comprising:

a programmable battery product including at least one onboard electronics module and storage media;

at least one point of sale/point of maintenance device communicating data to and from the programmable battery product and providing communication with the network; and

at least one product warranty and features database in communication with the network, the database storing data from the programmable battery product and communicating stored data to the programmable battery product over the network to enable or disable the programmable battery product or to enable or disable features on the programmable battery product based on information communicated to or from at least one of the programmable battery product and the at least one point of sale/point of maintenance device wherein the programmable battery product is initialized for use after initial communication with the at least one point of sale/point of maintenance device.

2. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 1, wherein the initial communication with the at least one point of sale/point of maintenance device activates the programmable battery product only after software is pushed from the network onto the programmable battery product.

3. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 2, wherein the software pushed from the network enables specific programmable features of the programmable battery product.

4. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 2, wherein the software pushed from the network enables at least one hardware feature on the programmable battery product.

5. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 1, wherein the at least one product warranty and features database further stores warranty data for the programmable battery product.

6. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 5, wherein the storage media of the programmable battery product further stores the warranty data.

7. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 5, wherein the warranty data includes at least one of:

data specific to a purchaser of the programmable battery product, data information regarding a vehicle, data identifying information for the programmable battery product, information related to a point of purchase of the programmable battery product, information related to a date of purchase of the programmable battery product, information regarding a level of warranty for the programmable battery product, information regarding a time period of warranty for the programmable battery product, vehicle identifying information, a VIN number, vehicle make and model information, geographic information, and vehicle specific/manufacturer specific information.

8. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 1, wherein the at least one point of sale/point of maintenance device is further used to enter data into the programmable battery product.

9. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 1, wherein the point of sale/point of maintenance device is further used during at least one of maintenance and processing of a return of the programmable battery product to interrogate the data stored in the at least one product warranty and features database or data stored in the programmable battery product.

10. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 9, wherein the storage media further stores performance data for the programmable battery product, and wherein the performance data is retrieved and transmitted via the network to the at least one product warranty and features database.

11. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 10, wherein the performance data includes voltage, current, temperature, vehicle data communicated from a vehicle containing the programmable battery product to the programmable battery product, and event specific data.

12. The battery warranty, enablement, and metrics tracking system of claim 11, wherein the event specific data is based on event parameter data previously stored in the storage media.