Electric vehicle charging arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12565113-B2
Application number	US-202217938458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2022
Priority date	Oct 6, 2022
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

This disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods related to an electric vehicle charging arrangement. An example method executed by a first computer can include evaluating an agreement between a first party associated with an electric vehicle and a second party associated with a property in which the first computer can be located. The method can further include granting to a second computer of the electric vehicle, an authorization to permit the electric vehicle to enter the property of the second party during a time slot defined in the agreement; and granting, to the electric vehicle, access to an electric vehicle charging station on the property during the time slot defined in the agreement. The time slot, which is available for use on a repetitive basis over a stipulated period of time, can be outside of business hours of an activity performed by the second party on the property.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
determining, by a computer, located on a property, a presence of an electric vehicle outside the property at a first time; determining, by the computer and based on an agreement between a first party associated with the electric vehicle and a second party associated with the property, that the electric vehicle is authorized to enter the property; determining, by the computer, that the first time is within a time slot during which the electric vehicle is authorized to enter the property; granting, by the computer, to the electric vehicle, an authorization to enter the property; providing, by the computer to a driver of the electric vehicle, information about an electrical vehicle charging station location on the property; granting, by the computer, to the electric vehicle, access to the electric vehicle charging station during the time slot; transmitting, by the computer and based on granting, to the electric vehicle, access to the electric vehicle charging station, a gate code to a gate activation system that is configured to open a gate upon verification of the gate code; opening, by the gate activation system, the gate in response to receiving and verifying the gate code; providing, by the computer, assistance to the electric vehicle to enable the electric vehicle to reach the electric vehicle charging station, wherein the assistance comprises visual cues such as spotlights, floodlights, directional arrow lights, flashing lights, or colored lights; determining, by the computer and based on at least one of: a signal received by the computer or an image captured by a camera, that a different electric vehicle is parked in a parking space associated with the electric vehicle charging station; and instructing, by the computer and based on the determination that the different electric vehicle is parked in the parking space, the different electric vehicle to vacate the parking space.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second party is a business entity, and wherein the time slot is outside of business hours of an activity performed by the business entity on the property.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the agreement stipulates that the time slot is available for use on a repetitive basis over a stipulated period of time.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the time slot exists during at least one of a partial day period or an overnight period, and wherein the method further comprises:
granting permission to park a second vehicle of the driver of the electric vehicle at the property of the second party during at least a part of a day.

5 . A method comprising:
detecting, by a computer associated with a property, presence of an electric vehicle at a first location outside the property, the first location corresponding to an entrance to the property; determining, by the computer, a current time; determining, by the computer, that the current time is within a time slot during which the electric vehicle is allowed to enter the property; determining, by the computer, that the electric vehicle is enrolled in a vehicle charging agreement associated with the property; granting, by the computer, access to the electric vehicle to enter the property for charging the electric vehicle at an electric vehicle charging station located on the property; and transmitting, by the computer and based on granting, to the electric vehicle, access to the electric vehicle charging station, a gate code to a gate activation system that is configured to open a gate upon verification of the gate code; opening, by the gate activation system, the gate in response to receiving and verifying the gate code; providing, by the computer, assistance to the electric vehicle to enable the electric vehicle to reach the electric vehicle charging station, wherein the assistance comprises visual cues such as spotlights, floodlights, directional arrow lights, flashing lights, or colored lights; determining, by the computer and based on at least one of: a signal received by the computer or an image captured by a camera, that a different electric vehicle is parked in a parking space associated with the electric vehicle charging station; and instructing, by the computer and based on the determination that the different electric vehicle is parked in the parking space, the different electric vehicle to vacate the parking space.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the time slot is outside of business hours of a second party associated with the property.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the time slot is available for use of the electric vehicle on a repetitive basis over a stipulated period of time.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the stipulated period of time is defined as one of a number of hours, number of days, a number of months, or a number of years.

9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the property is one of a business establishment or a commercial establishment, and wherein a second party associated with the property is one of an individual having an ownership right to the property, a group of individuals having the ownership right to the property, a business entity having the ownership right to the property, or a commercial entity having the ownership right to the property.

10 . A system comprising:
a first computer comprising:
a first memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and
a first processor configured to access the first memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:
determining a presence of an electric vehicle outside a property at a first time, the first computer being associated with the property;
determining, based on an agreement between a first party associated with an electric vehicle and a second party associated with the property, that the electric vehicle is authorized to enter the property at the first time;
granting access to the electric vehicle to enter the property;
determining that the first time is within a time slot in which the electric vehicle is authorized to use a charging station on the property;
granting, to the electric vehicle, access to the charging station on the property during a time slot;
transmitting, based on granting, to the electric vehicle, access to the electric vehicle charging station, a gate code to a gate activation system that is configured to open a gate upon verification of the gate code; and
opening, by the gate activation system, the gate in response to receiving and verifying the gate code;
providing assistance to the electric vehicle to enable the electric vehicle to reach the charging station, wherein the assistance comprises visual cues such as spotlights, floodlights, directional arrow lights, flashing lights, or colored lights;
determining, based on at least one of: a signal received by the computer or an image captured by a camera, that a different electric vehicle is parked in a parking space associated with the electric vehicle charging station; and
instructing, based on the determination that the different electric vehicle is parked in the parking space, the different electric vehicle to vacate the parking space.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the time slot is outside of business hours of an activity performed by the second party on the property and wherein the agreement stipulates that the time slot is available for use on a repetitive basis over a stipulated period of time.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the stipulated period of time is defined as one of a number of hours, number of days, a number of months, or a number of years.

13 . The syste

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Salter Stuart C
• O'Gorman Ryan
• Hanson Ryan Edwin
• Phung Peter
• Van Wiemeersch John

Classifications

• G06Q10/028

  for seating or spaces in a venue · CPC title

• B60L53/305 Primary

  Communication interfaces · CPC title

• G07C9/00182

  operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks · CPC title

• B60L53/12

  Inductive energy transfer · CPC title

• B60W60/001

  Planning or execution of driving tasks · CPC title