Systems and methods for using alternate power sources to manage the power draw on a power grid
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for using alternate power sources to manage power draw on a power grid, the method comprising:
- maintaining, by a management device managed by an entity that supplies power via the power grid, a database that identifies a plurality computing devices drawing power from the power grid and a plurality of corresponding battery units currently capable of providing power to the plurality of computing devices;
storing customer information for each of a plurality of customers in the database, the customer information comprising;
a description of a customer'"'"'s computing device;
a description of a corresponding battery unit;
a time when the customer'"'"'s computing device draws power;
an amount of power required by the customer'"'"'s computing device;
identifying, at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, a need to reduce the power draw on the power grid;
identifying, by analyzing the customer information at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, that at least one of the plurality of computing devices is drawing power from the power grid;
determining, by analyzing the customer information at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, that the at least one of the plurality of computing devices is capable of, but is not currently, drawing power from at least one of the plurality of corresponding of battery units;
determining, based at least in part on the customer information at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, at least one ratio for the at least one of the plurality of computing devices to draw power simultaneously from both the power grid and the at least one of the plurality of corresponding battery units; and
transmitting, from the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid to a module installed on the at least one of the plurality of computing devices, at least one command that, when executed, causes the at least one of the plurality of computing devices to reduce the drawing of power from the power grid by simultaneously drawing power from both the power grid and the at least one of the plurality of corresponding battery units at the ratio.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer-implemented method for using alternate power sources to manage the power draw on a power grid may comprise: 1) identifying a need to reduce power draw on the power grid, 2) identifying an electrical device that draws power from the power grid, 3) determining that the electrical device is capable of drawing power from an alternate power source, and 4) transmitting a command that, when executed, causes the electrical device to draw power from the alternate power source. A corresponding device-side method for reducing power draw on a power grid may comprise: 1) drawing power from a power grid, 2) receiving a command to draw power from an alternate power source, and then 3) drawing power from the alternate power source. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for using alternate power sources to manage power draw on a power grid, the method comprising:
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maintaining, by a management device managed by an entity that supplies power via the power grid, a database that identifies a plurality computing devices drawing power from the power grid and a plurality of corresponding battery units currently capable of providing power to the plurality of computing devices; storing customer information for each of a plurality of customers in the database, the customer information comprising; a description of a customer'"'"'s computing device; a description of a corresponding battery unit; a time when the customer'"'"'s computing device draws power; an amount of power required by the customer'"'"'s computing device; identifying, at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, a need to reduce the power draw on the power grid; identifying, by analyzing the customer information at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, that at least one of the plurality of computing devices is drawing power from the power grid; determining, by analyzing the customer information at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, that the at least one of the plurality of computing devices is capable of, but is not currently, drawing power from at least one of the plurality of corresponding of battery units; determining, based at least in part on the customer information at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, at least one ratio for the at least one of the plurality of computing devices to draw power simultaneously from both the power grid and the at least one of the plurality of corresponding battery units; and transmitting, from the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid to a module installed on the at least one of the plurality of computing devices, at least one command that, when executed, causes the at least one of the plurality of computing devices to reduce the drawing of power from the power grid by simultaneously drawing power from both the power grid and the at least one of the plurality of corresponding battery units at the ratio. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer-implemented method for reducing power draw on a power grid by drawing power from alternate power sources, the method comprising:
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identifying, at a module installed on a computing device, a power grid from which the computing device is currently drawing power; notifying, via the module installed on the computing device, a management device managed by an entity that supplies power via the power grid that the computing device is capable of, but is not currently, drawing power from at least one battery unit to enable the management device to maintain a database that identifies the computing device drawing power from the power grid and the battery unit currently capable of providing power to the computing device; providing, via the module installed on the computing device, the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid with customer information to store in the database, the customer information comprising; a description of the computing device; a description of the battery unit; a time when the computing device draws power; an amount of power required by the computing device; receiving, at the module installed on the computing device, a command from the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid to reduce the computing device'"'"'s draw on the power supplied by the entity via the power grid by simultaneously drawing power from the power grid and the battery unit at a ratio based on an analysis of the customer information by the management device; in response to the command received from the management device; identifying, at the module installed on the computing device, the battery unit; causing, at the module installed on the computing device, the computing device to reduce the computing device'"'"'s draw on the power supplied by the entity via the power grid by simultaneously drawing power from the power grid and the battery unit at the ratio based on the management device'"'"'s analysis of the customer information. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for using alternate power sources to manage power draw on a power grid, the system comprising:
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a power-management module programmed to; maintain, at a management device managed by an entity that supplies power via the power grid, a database that identifies a plurality of computing devices drawing power from the power grid and a plurality of corresponding battery units currently capable of providing power to the plurality of computing devices; store customer information for each of a plurality of customers in the database, the customer information comprising; a description of a customer'"'"'s computing device; a description of a corresponding battery unit; a time when the customer'"'"'s computing device draws power; an amount of power required by the customer'"'"'s computing device; identify, at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, a need to reduce the power draw on the power grid; identify, by analyzing the customer information at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, that at least one of the plurality of computing devices is drawing power from the power grid; determine, by analyzing the customer information at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, that the at least one of the plurality of computing devices is capable of, but is not currently, drawing power from at least one of the plurality of corresponding battery units; determine, based at least in part on the customer information at the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid, at least one ratio for the at least one of the plurality of computing devices to draw power simultaneously from both the power grid and the at least one of the plurality of corresponding battery units; and a communication module programmed to transmit, from the management device managed by the entity that supplies power via the power grid to a module installed on the at least one of the plurality of computing devices, at least one command that, when executed, causes the at least one of the plurality of computing devices to reduce the drawing of power from the power grid by simultaneously drawing power from both the power grid and the at least one of the plurality of corresponding battery units at the ratio; and at least one processor configured to execute the power-management module and the communication module. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification