Power management system for a plurality of at least partially rechargeable vehicles

• US 7,869,576 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TechRadium, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TechRadium, Inc.
• Inventors: Rodkey, John Frank, Ramsey, Ronald F., Ross, Darren Lynn, Hickey, David Lynn, Ledder, Mark Stephen, Rodkey, Ryan Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/746,509
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320/108, 320/109, 320/124, 320/134, 320/137, 340/507, 362/200, 379/37, 379/40, 379/88.12, 385/137, 455/412.2, 607/57
• US Class Current: 379/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A power management system for a plurality of rechargeable vehicles comprising an administrator interface for transmitting messages to a rechargeable station network using a processor in communication with data storage; a dynamic information database comprising a classification for at least one user, a rechargeable station identification, a user contact device information, discretionary power consumption information, and at least one dispatchable or non-dispatchable power source; and computer instructions in the data storage for instructing the processor to provide at least one message to the rechargeable station network. An administrator initiates distribution of the at least one message, which is transmitted through at least one industry standard protocol, and the administrator manages distribution and usage of the dispatchable power and non-dispatchable power to the rechargeable station network.

Claims

1. A power management system for a plurality of at least partially rechargeable vehicles comprising:

a. an administrator interface for transmitting at least one message from an administrator to a rechargeable station network using at least one processor wherein the at least one processor is in communication with data storage;

b. a dynamic information database in the data storage, comprising;

i. a classification for at least one user;

ii. at least one rechargeable station identification for at least one rechargeable station, a user contact device information for at least one user contact device, or combinations thereof;

iii. discretionary power consumption information of the at least one user, discretionary power consumption information of the at least one rechargeable station, or combinations thereof;

iv. at least one dispatchable power source information, at least one non-dispatchable power source information, or combinations thereof;

c. computer instructions in the data storage for instructing the at least one processor to provide at least one message to the rechargeable station network; and

wherein an administrator initiates distribution of the at least one message to the rechargeable station network providing non-dispatchable power information or dispatchable power information to the rechargeable station network through at least one industry standard protocol and wherein a member of the group consisting of;

at least one user contact device, at least one rechargeable station, and combinations thereof provides at least one response.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the message is received by the at least one user contact device and the at least one user contact device transmits a response through the at least one industry standard protocol to the dynamic information database.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising computer instructions in data storage for instructing the at least one processor to monitor the rechargeable station network and manage use of a member consisting of:

the at least one dispatchable power source, at least one non-dispatchable power source, or combinations thereof;

to track power usage by classification of the at least one user, by rechargeable station identification, or combinations thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic information database further comprises:

a response code from the at least one rechargeable station, a response code from the at last one user contact device, an “

error in response”

code that indicates insufficient user contact device information existed to contact the at least one user contact device, an error in response code that indicates insufficient rechargeable station information existed to contact the at least one rechargeable station, or combinations thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least partially rechargeable vehicles comprise a partially or fully rechargeable member of the group consisting of:

cars, trucks, boats, helicopters, snowmobiles, jet skis, motorcycles, and combinations thereof.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer instructions for instructing the processor to provide at least one message to the rechargeable station network is a member of the group consisting of:

at least one predefined message, at least one custom message, or combinations thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one user is a police department, a school, a fire department, a hospital, a government agency, a consumer, a business, an association, or combinations thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-dispatchable power source is a wind power facility, a solar powered facility, ocean powered facility using wave height, currents or combinations thereof, or an intermittent water supply hydroelectric facility.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one dispatchable power source is a member of the group consisting of:

a hydroelectric power plant, a hydrocarbon based electrical production facility, a nuclear power plant, a geothermal power generation facility, a bank of batteries, at least one capacitor, at least one fuel cell, an ocean powered facility using tidal power, or combinations thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the discretionary power consumption information of the at least one user comprises an amount of power that the at least one user requires during a time interval that can be determined by the administrator.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the discretionary power consumption information is assigned a priority code based on power rates, a classification of the at least one user, a quantity of power needed by the at least one user, or combinations thereof.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic information database further comprises a user contact device information is associated with each rechargeable station identification.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic information database further comprises a rechargeable station location for each rechargeable station identification.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic information database further comprises grouping information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the grouping information is a member of the group consisting of:

a geographic zone, a quantity of power consumption needed by at least one user, a transmission capacity of the rechargeable station network, and combinations thereof.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one rechargeable station comprises:

a controller, a controller identification code and a member of the group;

a stored energy device, at least one fuel cell, or combinations thereof.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the administrator is a member of the group consisting of:

a dispatchable power supplier, a non-dispatchable power supplier, a government agency, a entity responsible for coordinating dispatchable and non-dispatchable power to the rechargeable station network, a processor associated with the dynamic information database, another digital notification and response system, an analog notification system, and combinations thereof.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one industry standard protocol is selected from the group consisting of:

a Megaco/H.248 protocol, simple message transfer protocol (SMTP), a short message service (SMS) protocol, a multimedia message service (MMS) protocol, an enhanced message service (EMS) protocol, a media gateway control protocol (MGCP), a SIP protocol, a H.323 protocol, an ISDN protocol, a PSTN protocol, and combinations thereof.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises computer instructions enabling the administrator to cancel messages in progress and for the administrator to cancel messages scheduled for delivery at a future date and time.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises computer instructions for notifying the administrator when the at least one message has been delivered to the rechargeable station network.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises computer instructions for broadcasting the at least one message to a member of the group:

at least one user at periodic intervals, at least one user in a defined geographic area, at least one user in a designated disaster zone, at least one user at a specific date and time, or combinations thereof.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the administrator interface further comprises at least one security feature to control access to the administrator interface.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the administrator interface comprises a “

call me”

feature for enabling the administrator to compose at least one individual message to send to the at least one user.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the administrator interface further comprises a responder module comprising a receiver function for receiving responses from a member of the group:

at least one user, at least one rechargeable station or combinations thereof.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the responder module comprising an opt-in feature, an opt-out feature, or combinations thereof.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the responder module collects response data from the rechargeable station network that indicates when at least one user contact device has received at least one message.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one message is an audio file, an image file, a video file, a text file, an electronic signal, or a combination thereof.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the audio file is transmitted by email, phone, a link on a website, or combinations thereof.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the audio file comprises an MP3 file, MP4 file, WAV file, AIFF file, AVI file, ACC file, or combinations thereof.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the video file comprises an H.264 Mpeg.

31. The system of claim 1, further comprising computer instructions for instructing the at least one processor to generate at least one report using content in the dynamic information database.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises a text-to-sound file converter for translating the at least one message from text to a sound file.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic information database further comprises at least one priority code associated with the at least one rechargeable station.

34. The system of claim 22, wherein the security feature comprises encryption of the administrator interface and the dynamic information database.