Methods, systems, and products for charging batteries

• US 8,515,865 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2012
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marathe, Nikhil S., Baldwin, Christopher F., Barnes, Bruce, Khoshaba, Shadi, Stahulak, Charles, Kenny, Patrick John
• Primary Examiner(s): Havan, Thu Thao
• Application Number:
  US13/481,785
• Time in Patent Office: 451 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 40
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products charge a battery in a vehicle. A charging station selects charging parameters based on a vehicle identification number associated with the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing an initial communication with a charging station;

retrieving from memory a vehicle identification number associated with a vehicle;

sending, during the initial communication, the vehicle identification number and an authentication credential to the charging station;

establishing, during the initial communication, an expected frequency of a subsequent communication based on the vehicle identification number;

terminating the initial communication with the charging station;

establishing the subsequent communication between the charging station and the vehicle;

comparing a transmission frequency of the subsequent communication to the expected frequency established during the initial communication;

determining the transmission frequency matches the expected frequency; and

charging a battery in the vehicle in response to the transmission frequency matching the expected frequency.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising metering electrical power consumed during charging the battery.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising querying for payment of the electrical power.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving financial information associated with the vehicle identification number.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein retrieving the financial information comprises retrieving a credit card number.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising conducting an electronic financial transaction as the payment for charging the battery.

7. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

memory for storing code that when executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving electrical power from a charging station at a first frequency;

receiving a signal at a second frequency superimposed onto the electrical power;

authenticating the signal;

determining an authentication of the signal is successful; and

charging a battery in a vehicle with the electrical power in response to determining the authentication is successful.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a vehicle identification number that uniquely identifies the vehicle.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the second frequency of the signal based on the vehicle identification number.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving financial information associated with the vehicle identification number.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a credit card number associated with the vehicle identification number.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise filtering the signal from the electrical power.

13. The system according to claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise metering the electrical power consumed during charging the battery.

14. The system according to claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise querying for payment for the electrical power.

15. The system according to claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise conducting an electronic financial transaction as payment for charging the battery.

16. A memory storing instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

establishing communication between a vehicle and a charging station;

retrieving a vehicle identification number associated with the vehicle;

selecting a frequency based on the vehicle identification number;

receiving electrical power from an electrical grid;

transforming the electrical power to the frequency based on the vehicle identification number; and

sending transformed electrical power from the charging station to charge a battery in the vehicle.

17. The memory according to claim 16, further comprising instructions for authenticating the vehicle identification number.

18. The memory according to claim 16, further comprising instructions for metering the electrical power consumed during charging the battery.

19. The memory according to claim 16, further comprising instructions for metering the transformed electrical power consumed during charging the battery.

20. The memory according to claim 16, further comprising instructions for querying for payment of the electrical power.