Method or system for management of a device for energy consumption by applying blockchain protocol

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11150271-B2
Application number	US-201815980087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2018
Priority date	May 15, 2018
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

Devices that consume power may be individually and uniquely associated with a blockchain wallet into which funds may be transferred. The device can be provided with a client application that executes within the device to determine an energy provider and the cost rate of energy supply. The client application calculates a value of energy consumption by the device and creates a blockchain transaction to transfer a funds value for the energy consumption from the device's blockchain wallet to a wallet of the energy provider. By providing devices that can self-manage their electricity supply and the accounting thereof, billing of power can be decentralized from a meter that meters all supply to a premises to individual devices. The requirement for a central billing entity, billing address, etc. can also be removed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining, by a device, a power consumption for power through the device
and a value for the power consumption; and
creating, by the device, a blockchain transaction which transfers the value from a device blockchain wallet associated with the device to a provider blockchain wallet of an energy provider and submitting the blockchain transaction to a blockchain peer,
wherein a program on the device limits the power consumption by the device and allows a partial amount of the power to be consumed by the device for managing the device blockchain wallet until the transfer of the value from the device blockchain wallet is performed.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising determining, by the device, the energy provider and a cost rate of energy supplied by the energy provider.

3. The method of claim 2 comprising selecting, by the device, a lowest cost energy provider for the power consumption.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the device blockchain wallet is uniquely associated to the device.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising receiving a value into the device blockchain wallet from a user blockchain wallet of a purchaser of the device.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising generating, by the device, a smart contract for the blockchain, wherein the smart contract indicates the device blockchain wallet, the blockchain wallet of the energy provider, and the value.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising measuring the power consumption of one or more power consuming components of the device.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising measuring the power consumption of one or more power components connected through the device.

9. A device, comprising:
one or more power meters that measure power consumption through the device;
one or more processors configured to:
determine a value of power consumption for the device,
create a blockchain transaction which transfers the value of power consumption for the device from a device blockchain wallet associated with the device to a provider blockchain wallet of an energy provider, and
submit the blockchain transaction to a blockchain peer,
wherein a program on the device limits the power consumption by the device and allows a partial amount of the power to be consumed by the device for managing the device blockchain wallet until the transfer of the value from the device blockchain wallet is performed.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the one or more processors are configured to select the energy provider and a cost rate of energy supplied by the energy provider.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the one or more processors are configured to select a lowest cost energy provider for the power consumption.

12. The device of claim 9 comprising the blockchain wallet, wherein the blockchain wallet is uniquely associated with the device.

13. The device of claim 9 comprising one or more power consuming components wherein the one or more power meters measure power consumption of the one or more power consuming components.

14. The device of claim 9 wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate a smart contract for the blockchain, wherein the smart contract indicates the device blockchain wallet, the blockchain wallet of the energy provider, and the value.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause the processor to perform:
calculating a cost of power consumption for a device associated with a blockchain wallet; and
creating, by the device, a blockchain transaction which transfers the value for the cost of power consumption for the device from the blockchain wallet associated with the device to a blockchain wallet of an energy provider and submitting the blockchain transaction to a blockchain peer,
wherein a program on the device limits the power consumption by the device and allows a partial amount of the power to be consumed by the device for managing the device blockchain wallet until the transfer of the value from the device blockchain wallet is performed.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform selecting the energy provider and a cost rate of energy supplied by the energy provider.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the device blockchain wallet is uniquely associated to the device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the device blockchain wallet is programmed to receive a value from a blockchain wallet of a purchaser of the device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform generating a smart contract for the blockchain, wherein the smart contract indicates the device blockchain wallet, the blockchain wallet of the energy provider, and the value.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Almeida Cavoto Paulo Henrique
• De Lima Argemiro Jose
• Braz Alan
• Candello Heloisa Caroline De Souza Pereira
• Nascimento Caldas Fabrizio

Classifications

• H02J2105/42

  Home appliances · CPC title

• H04L9/50

  using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees · CPC title

• H04L67/1042

  using topology management mechanisms · CPC title

• H04L2209/56

  Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash · CPC title

• Y02B70/30

  Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level · CPC title