Method of providing lumens and tracking of lumen consumption

• US 8,751,390 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2013
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal Law Enforcement Development Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Federal Law Enforcement Development Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Pederson, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shrestha, Bijendra K
• Application Number:
  US13/972,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 293 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40, 362/23.07, 362/612
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/003 for electricity
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/175 by remote control

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for compensating an LED light fixture/light source provider for generation of photons by one or more LED light fixtures used by a customer. In one example, a method comprises receiving a monetary amount as compensation for photons generated by the LED light fixtures/light sources, maintaining a contractual relationship with the customer in exchange for the monetary amount, the contractual relationship including a requirement that the provider pay an electricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources, determining, with a meter associated with each respective LED light fixture/light source, the amount of electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources used by the customer over a period of time, and in response to the determination and on behalf of the customer, submitting payment to the customer'"'"'s electricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources used by the customer.

Claims

1. A method of tracking lumen generation and payment for lumen generation from at least one light emitting diode light fixture used by a customer, the method comprising:

providing at least one light emitting diode light fixture, the provider of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture receiving payment of a pre-determined monetary amount as compensation for photons generated by the at least one light emitting diode light fixture for a period of time;

metering the electricity entering the at least one light emitting diode light fixture over the period of time and storing the metered amount of electricity entering the at least one light emitting diode light fixture over the period of time in memory on at least one processor;

measuring the light exiting the at least one light emitting diode light fixture over the period of time and storing in said memory the measured light exiting the at least one light emitting diode light fixture over the period of time on the at least one processor;

automatically comparing at the at least one processor the measured amount of light at each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture for the period of time to data representative of a desired lumen illumination level wherein the at least one processor automatically adjusts the electricity to be provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture to achieve the desired lumen illumination level;

storing in said memory the adjusted electricity provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture for the period of time;

retrieving from memory and compiling on a computing device the metered electricity and the adjusted electricity provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture for the period of time;

determining at the computing device the amount of compensation to be paid to the customer'"'"'s supplier of electricity for the compiled electricity at least one light emitting diode light fixture for the period of time; and

submitting payment from the provider of the at least one light fixture to the customer'"'"'s electricity supplier for the electricity entering the at least one light emitting diode light fixture for the period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the metered amount of electricity to a computing device on a weekly basis.

3. The method claim 1, further comprising communicating the metered amount of electricity to the computing device, the communication comprising a unique identifier associated with the at least one light emitting diode light fixture.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the unique identifier comprises global positioning system information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the metered amount of electricity to the computing device without user intervention.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the metered amount of electricity to the computing device upon a user or provider request.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

Identifying the total amount of electricity associated with each respective light emitting diode light fixture, and the amount of lumens generated by the at least one light emitting diode light fixture over a period of time.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

increasing an amount of current applied to at least one light emitting diode of the light emitting diode light fixture if the amount of lumen generated by the at least one light emitting diode light fixture is determined to be below a pre-determined level.

9. A method for tracking lumen illumination and payment for lumen illumination, said method comprising:

authorizing a provider of at least one light emitting diode light fixture to submit payment to a preexisting customer electrical account with an electricity provider for electricity used in generating lumen illumination over a billing cycle;

installing at least one light emitting diode light fixture at a customer location;

the at least one light emitting diode light fixture provider receiving payment of a pre-determined monetary amount as compensation for photons generated by each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture for said billing cycle;

metering electricity provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture for a period of time and storing the metered electricity provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture on at least one processor having memory;

measuring the amount of lumens generated by each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture for the period of time and storing the measured amount of lumens within said at least one processor having memory;

automatically comparing the measured amount of lumens at each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture for the period of time to data representative of a desired lumen illumination level as stored in the memory of the at least one processor;

automatically adjusting the electricity to be provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture to achieve a desired lumen illumination level said adjusting being implemented by said at least one processor;

calculating within a computing device an electrical payment to be made by the provider of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture to the preexisting customer electrical account with the electricity provider; and

making a payment from the provider of at least one light emitting diode light fixture to the preexisting customer electrical account with the electricity provider for the billing cycle.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing on said at least one processor having memory the adjusted amount of electricity provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture for the period of time to achieve the desired lumen illumination level prior to said calculating of said electrical payment.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising retrieving the metered electricity and the adjusted electricity provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture from the memory of the at least one processor according to a communication schedule.

12. The method of claim 9, each light emitting diode light fixture comprising a unique identifier.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said period of time is a week.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said period of time is a day.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the unique identifier comprises global positioning system information.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising retrieving the metered electricity and the adjusted electricity provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture without user intervention.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising retrieving the metered electricity and the adjusted electricity provided to each of the at least one light emitting diode light fixture upon a user or provider request.