SYSTEM, METHOD, MOBILE TERMINAL AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE FOR PROVIDING ELECTRIC ENERGY TO USERS

• US 20170131733A1
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Epspot AB
• Original Assignee: Epspot AB
• Inventors: OLIN, Jan Christian
• Granted Patent: US 10,379,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A system for providing electric energy to users includes a server node, a set of supply nodes and a set of mobile terminals. One or more communication networks connect the server node to the supply nodes. Each supply node provides output energy via a remote-controlled outlet. Each mobile terminal communicates with the server node over a wireless interface. The supply nodes repeatedly send respective instruction inquiries to the server node, which also receives activation requests from the mobile terminals specifying a particular outlet and an identity of a mobile-terminal user. In response to an activation request, the server node checks if the user identity is authorized to activate the outlet, and if so; in response to an instruction inquiry from a first supply node associated with the outlet, sends an activation accept to the first supply node enabling output of electric energy from the outlet.

Claims

1. A system for providing electric energy to users, the system comprising:

a server node;

a set of supply nodes, each of which is configured to receive electric energy from an external power source and based thereon provide output energy via at least one remote-controlled outlet associated with the node;

at least one communication network connecting the server node to each of said supply nodes; and

a set of mobile terminals, each of which is configured to communicate with the server node over a wireless interface, wherein characterized in that each node of said supply nodes is configured to repeatedly send instruction inquiries to the server node, and

the server node is configured to;

receive activation requests from said mobile terminals each activation request specifying a particular one of said outlets and a user identity designating a user of one of said mobile terminals;

check, in response to a received activation request, if the user identity is authorized to activate the specified outlet, and provided that said user identity is found to be authorized; and

send, in response to an instruction inquiry from a first supply node in which the specified outlet is included, an activation accept to the first supply node, the activation accept being configured to upon receipt in the first supply node cause the first supply node to enable output of electric energy from the specified outlet.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said activation request comprises an identity string uniquely identifying the specified outlet and adapted to be included therein in connection with generating said activation request, the first supply node containing data representing the identity string in the form of at least one of:

alphanumerical information adapted to be read by a user and fed manually into the mobile terminal;

an optical code adapted to be automatically read into the mobile terminal via a scanner means; and

an amount of data configured to be transferred to the mobile terminal via a short-range radio interface.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the activation request specifies a future point in time at which the user wishes to gain access to electric energy via the specified outlet, the activation request further specifying a time period during which the user wishes to consume electric energy from the specified outlet.

4. The system according claim 3, wherein the server node, in response to said activation request specifying a future point in time at which the user wishes to gain access to electric energy via the specified outlet, is configured to:

check whether the specified outlet is available for the user identity associated with said activation request at said future point in time; and

if so

make a reservation for said user identity with the specified outlet at said future point in time.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first supply node comprises:

circuitry configured to register an impedance measure in respect of each of its associated outlets; and

a first trigger module configured to generate an inquiry in response to a registered impedance measure indicative of an electric plug being inserted into a particular one of said associated outlets, the inquiry specifying said particular outlet.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first supply node comprises:

a short-range radio interface configured to detect the presence of a mobile terminal in proximity to one of said outlets of one of said supply nodes via electromagnetic-field fluctuations; and

a second trigger module configured to generate an inquiry in response to a mobile terminal being detected by the short-range radio interface, the inquiry specifying said particular outlet.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein:

the inquiry comprises said activation request; and

in response to the inquiry, the server node is configured to establish communication with the user terminal via said short-range radio interface.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein before sending the activation accept to the first supply node, the server node is configured to prompt the user of the mobile terminal to accept a tariff for consuming electric energy via the specified outlet.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein, in connection with electric energy being output of from the specified outlet, the first supply node is configured to send at least one status report to the server node, the at least one status report comprising data concerning the specified outlet and amount of energy consumed during a specific time period.

10. A method of delivering electric energy to users via a set of supply nodes, each supply node being configured to receive electric energy from an external power source and based thereon provide output energy via at least one remote-controlled outlet associated with the node, the method comprising characterized by:

repeatedly sending instruction inquiries from each of said supply nodes to a server node;

receiving in the server node an activation request from a mobile terminal, the activation request specifying a particular one of said outlets and a user identity designating a user of the mobile terminal;

checking, in response to the activation request, if the user identity is authorized to activate the specified outlet, and provided that said user identity is found to be authorized; and

sending, in response to an instruction inquiry from a first supply node in which the specified outlet is included, an activation accept to the first supply node, the activation accept being configured to upon receipt in the first supply node cause the first supply node to enable output of electric energy from the specified outlet.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the activation request specifies a future point in time at which the user wishes to gain access to electric energy via the specified outlet, the activation request further specifying a time period during which the user wishes to consume electric energy from the specified outlet.

12. The method according claim 11, wherein in response to said activation request specifying a future point in time at which the user wishes to gain access to electric energy via the specified outlet, the method further comprising:

checking in the server node whether the specified outlet is available for the user identity associated with said activation request at said future point in time; and

if so

making a reservation for said user identity with the specified outlet in the server node at said future point in time.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein before sending the activation accept to the first supply node, the method comprising:

prompting the user of the mobile terminal to accept a tariff for consuming electric energy via the specified outlet.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, in connection with electric energy being output the specified outlet, the method comprises:

sending from the first supply node at least one status report to the server node, the at least one status report comprising data concerning the specified outlet and an amount of energy consumed during a specific time period.

15. A mobile terminal for communication with a server node over a wireless interface, characterized in that the mobile terminal is configured to:

receive user input specifying a particular remote-controlled outlet being associated with a supply node, which supply node is configured to receive electric energy from an external power source and based thereon provide output energy via said outlet, the supply node being connected to the server node via at least one communication network; and

send an activation request to the server node based on said user input, the activation request specifying said outlet and a user identity designating a user of one of the mobile terminals, and the activation request being configured to cause the server node to check if the user identity is authorized to activate the specified outlet, and provided that the user identity is found to be authorized send an activation accept to the supply node, the activation accept being configured to upon receipt in the first supply node cause the supply node to enable output of electric energy from the specified outlet.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, further configured to:

receive prompting from the server node, said prompting pertaining to an accept of a tariff for consuming electric energy via the specified outlet;

present visual and/or acoustic information describing said tariff to the user; and

generate the activation accept in response to input from the user involving accepting said tariff.

17. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium associated with a mobile terminal, said computer program product is used for providing electric energy to users, said computer program code comprising computer instructions to cause one or more computer processors to perform the operations of:

presenting a user interface configured to receive user input specifying a particular remote-controlled outlet being associated with a supply node, which supply node is configured to receive electric energy from an external power source and based thereon provide output energy via said outlet, the supply node being connected to the server node via at least one communication network; and

sending, in response to user input entered via said user interface, an activation request to the server node over a wireless interface, the activation request specifying said outlet and a user identity designating a user of one of the mobile terminal, and the activation request being configured to cause the server node to check if the user identity is authorized to activate the specified outlet, and provided that the user identity is found to be authorized send an activation accept to the first supply node, the activation accept being configured to upon receipt in the first supply node cause the first supply node to enable output of electric energy from the specified outlet.