SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MARKETING SPONSORED ENERGY SERVICES

• US 20140025475A1
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bluenet Holdings, LLC (Vistra Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Ambit Holdings, LLC (Vistra Corp.)
• Inventors: Burke, John
• Granted Patent: US 10,108,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0237 at kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/16 Energy services, e.g. dispersed generation or demand or load or energy savings aggregation

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for a retail energy marketing system including a server interacting with a remote display device, a sponsor, an energy market organization, and a set of financial services companies. The server executes an application for servicing customers while interacting with the remote display device and a sponsor application for sponsors to set up advertising and incentives for the retail energy marketing system. The server also executes a database, an ESI ID lookup application for validating customer eligibility for services and an accounting application for EMO energy usage transactions, EMO invoice transactions, customer bills, customer payments, treatment operations, customer incentives and sponsor commissions. A remote display device is placed at a retail location where customers can sign-up for energy services, view and print their billing and payment histories, and pay their bills. In return for using the remote display device, customers may receive incentives from the sponsor.

Claims

1. A system for sponsoring energy services from an energy provider at a remote display device comprising:

a server;

the remote display device, in communication with the server;

the server causing the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving a set of sponsor information;

receiving a set of energy usage information related to an energy customer;

sending the set of sponsor information to the remote display device;

sending the energy usage information to the remote display device;

receiving a set of payment information from the remote display device; and

,

deriving a sponsor commission from one or more of the group of the energy usage information, the payment information, and the set of sponsor information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote display device further comprises a kiosk and wherein the sponsor information includes an advertisement that is displayed on the kiosk.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote display device further comprises a handheld communication device and wherein the energy usage information is displayed on the handheld communication device.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the energy usage information includes a usage transaction and an invoice transaction.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the server causes the system to perform the further operation of:

matching the usage transaction and the invoice transaction.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote display device performs the operations of:

sending a payment request; and

,

receiving a payment confirmation.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the server causes the system to perform the further operations of:

receiving an energy customer address;

determining the meter identifier for an energy meter at the energy customer address; and

,

determining if the address is within an authorized geographic territory.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a call center and wherein the server causes the system to perform the further operations of connecting the remote display device to the call center.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the server causes the system to perform the further operations of:

enabling transmission of a content communication between the remote display device and the energy provider.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the content communication is a written message.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the set of sponsor information includes at least one of the group of:

branding information, incentive information and advertising information.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the server causes the system to perform the further operation of:

providing an incentive to an energy customer.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the incentive is related to the sponsor.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote display device is configured to receive a payment.

15. A method for providing sponsored energy services, through a workstation, from an energy provider to an energy customer, comprising the steps of:

uploading a set of sponsor information to the workstation from a server;

determining a sponsor rate for energy usage;

deriving a set of bill information, for the energy customer, based on the sponsor rate;

sending the bill information to the workstation;

receiving a payment at the workstation related to the bill information; and

,

determining a sponsor payment, related to the sponsor rate.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

communicating an energy services agreement at the remote display device; and

,

receiving the energy services agreement in an executed form from the remote display device.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

enabling a content communication channel between the energy provider and the energy customer.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of providing a sponsor incentive to the energy customer at the remote display device.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

displaying an advertisement, related to the sponsor, at the remote display device.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

associating a set of energy customers with the sponsor;

tabulating a set of energy bills for the set of energy customers;

tabulating a set of payments received from the set of energy customers; and

,

deriving a set of commissions for the sponsor based on the set of energy bills, the set of payments and a commission rate.

21. A system for distributing a set of energy usage information comprising:

a server;

a remote display device, in communication with the server;

the server causing the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving the set of energy usage information related to the energy customer;

displaying the energy usage information at the remote display device,

receiving a set of payment information related to the energy usage information; and

,

deriving a sponsor commission from the payment information.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the remote display device further comprises a kiosk and wherein a set of advertising information is displayed at the kiosk.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the remote display device further comprises a handheld communication device and wherein a set of billing information is displayed at the handheld communication device.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the remote display device performs the operations of:

sending a payment request; and

,

receiving a payment confirmation.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the server further causes the system to perform the operation of:

calculating a consultant commission based on the payment information.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the server causes the system to further perform the operation of:

deriving a set of upline commissions based on the payment information.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the server causes the system to perform the further operation of:

providing an incentive for the energy customer.