Method and system for unusual usage reporting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11455666-B2
Application number	US-202017062686-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2020
Priority date	Jun 27, 2012
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

Illustrative embodiments are directed to methods and computer systems for reporting unusual or anomalous usage a commodity by consumers. A computer system retrieves a set of usage-information datasets corresponding to a set of consumers, each dataset including past usage of the commodity during at least one of a completed billing period and a current usage of the commodity during the current billing period. The computer system establishes a set of report-trigger conditions for the current billing period, each of the report-trigger conditions corresponding to a consumer. The computer system may monitor usage or spending of the set of consumers to determine, for each consumer, whether an estimated usage established for each consumer fulfills the consumer's report-trigger condition. Once the report-trigger condition is fulfilled, the computer system outputs a report to the consumer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
retrieving, using one or more processors, a plurality of usage-information datasets, each usage-information dataset corresponding to usage of the commodity by a consumer including past usage of the commodity;
generating, using the one or more processors, a distribution of predicted alert occurrences across a plurality of potential threshold levels using a set of historical customer usage data for the commodity from the plurality of usage-information datasets;
analyzing, using the one or more processors, the distribution of predicted alert occurrences to select a first threshold level from amongst the plurality of potential threshold levels based at least in part on a determination that the first threshold level is predicted to, upon implementation as a report-trigger condition for a set of consumers, provide for at least one alert being sent to a maximum number of consumers of the set of consumers;
establishing, using the one or more processors, a plurality of report-trigger conditions, each report-trigger condition corresponding to a consumer and based at least in part on a specified percentage of a baseline of the past usage, the specified percentage corresponding to the first threshold level; and
in response to determining, using the one or more processors, that an estimated usage established for a first consumer fulfills a first report-trigger condition, of the plurality of report-trigger conditions:
generating an electronic message including information indicating that an unusual usage of the commodity has been detected; and
controlling transmission of the electronic message, via a network connection, to an electronic device associated with the first consumer to provide the information indicating the unusual usage of the commodity.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting the first threshold level is based at least in part on a determination that the first threshold level is predicted to be associated with less than a threshold number of alerts to be sent on average to each consumer.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting the first threshold level is based at least in part on a determination that the first threshold level is predicted to be associated with more than a threshold number of consumers receiving at least one alert.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the past usage is defined as during a period in a season that corresponds to a season of a current billing period.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of report-trigger conditions comprise, for each consumer, the estimated usage for the remaining portion of the current billing period exceeding 130 percent of the past usage during a corresponding period.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device includes a meter or a cell phone.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic message includes at least one of or a combination of messages:
an electronic mail message, a short message service (SMS) message, an automated voice message, or an electronic signal.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first report-trigger condition is based at least in part on at least one of:
usage of the commodity by the first consumer, or
a present cost of the commodity.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the estimated usage fulfills the first report-trigger condition is performed after half of a current billing period has transpired, wherein the current billing period is at least four weeks in duration.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the estimated usage fulfills the first report-trigger condition is performed after a pre-defined time within a current billing period.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the unusual usage is during a current billing period, wherein the current billing period has a duration based at least in part on at least one of:
an average of durations between three billing periods and twelve completed billing periods, or a default period.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold number is three or more.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of report-trigger conditions includes, for each consumer, a data-value representing the consumer consenting to receiving the electronic message.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic message displays the unusual usage of the commodity as indicia of at least one of high cost, high usage, high environmental impact, or high carbon footprint.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising program code stored thereon for execution by one or more processors, the program code configured to, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
retrieve a plurality of usage-information datasets, each usage-information dataset corresponding to usage of the commodity by a consumer including past usage of the commodity;
generate a distribution of predicted alert occurrences across a plurality of potential threshold levels using a set of historical customer usage data for the commodity from the plurality of usage-information datasets;
analyze the distribution of predicted alert occurrences to select a first threshold level from amongst the plurality of potential threshold levels based at least in part on a determination that the first threshold level is predicted to, upon implementation as a report-trigger condition for a set of consumers, provide for at least one alert being sent to a maximum number of consumers of the set of consumers;
establish a plurality of report-trigger conditions, each report-trigger condition corresponding to a consumer and based at least in part on a specified percentage of a baseline of the past usage, the specified percentage corresponding to the first threshold level; and
in response to determining that an estimated usage established for a first consumer fulfills a first report-trigger condition, of the plurality of report-trigger conditions:
generate an electronic message including information indicating that an unusual usage of the commodity has been detected; and
control transmission of the electronic message, via a network connection, to an electronic device associated with the first consumer to provide the information indicating the unusual usage of the commodity.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein each of the report-trigger conditions is based at least in part on a forecast usage of the commodity by a consumer exceeding a pre-defined cost threshold.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein determining whether the estimated usage fulfills the first report-trigger condition is performed after half of a current billing period has transpired, wherein the current billing period is at least four weeks in duration.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein determining whether the estimated usage fulfills the first report-trigger condition is performed after a pre-defined time within a current billing period.

19. A system comprising:
a memory configured to store data;
one or more processors coupled to the memory;
a communication port coupled to the one or more processors; and
a control program configured to:
control, using the one or more processors, the

Assignees

• Opower Inc

Inventors

• Yu Janet
• Mercer Tom
• Chang Eric
• Curtis Richard Tyler
• Yates Daniel J

Classifications

• G06Q30/0283 Primary

  Price estimation or determination · CPC title

• G06Q30/02 Primary

  Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising · CPC title