U.S. patent application number 11/919044 was filed with the patent office on 2009-12-03 for computer implemented systems and methods for improving sales and marketing effectiveness.
This patent application is currently assigned to Fat Spaniel Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to Christiaan Willem Beekhuis.
Application Number | 20090299536 11/919044 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37308293 |
Filed Date | 2009-12-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090299536 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Beekhuis; Christiaan
Willem |
December 3, 2009 |
Computer implemented systems and methods for improving sales and
marketing effectiveness
Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for collecting, aggregating,
and analyzing data associated with the installation and deployment
of systems. Energy systems, (300) specifically renewable energy
generation systems, are used as examples. The aggregated data serve
as the basis for a variety of services that facilitate the adoption
and deployment of these systems. Services are provided that aid in
the sales and marketing of the systems. The services may
demonstrate the monitoring of the systems, detection of a decrease
in performance, implementation of troubleshooting routines, and a
return of proper system performance. The services may convert the
energy generation capabilities for a particular geographic area,
reduced service and management time, fast response time, and
ability to provide system guarantees into a monetary value to the
potential Customer.
Inventors: |
Beekhuis; Christiaan Willem;
(San Jose, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MICHAELSON & ASSOCIATES
P.O. BOX 8489
RED BANK
NJ
07701-8489
US
|
Assignee: |
Fat Spaniel Technologies,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
37308293 |
Appl. No.: |
11/919044 |
Filed: |
April 28, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
April 28, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US06/16451 |
371 Date: |
October 22, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60676390 |
Apr 29, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
700/286 ;
705/305; 705/7.36 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/10 20130101;
G06Q 10/20 20130101; Y04S 10/545 20130101; Y02E 40/70 20130101;
G06Q 10/06393 20130101; G06Q 50/06 20130101; Y02E 40/76 20130101;
Y04S 10/50 20130101; G06Q 10/0637 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
700/286 ;
705/7 |
International
Class: |
G06F 1/28 20060101
G06F001/28; G06Q 10/00 20060101 G06Q010/00; G06Q 50/00 20060101
G06Q050/00 |
Claims
1. A computer implemented method for improving the sales and
marketing process, comprising: connecting an installed System to a
central database via a network (200); collecting original data
comprising at least one of System Identification Data, System
Configuration Data, System Installation Data, System Performance
Data, or System History Data (201); entering said original data
into said central database (202); establishing System Performance
metrics based on said original data (203); aggregating said
original data held within said central database (204); representing
said System Performance metrics as a monetary value (205);
transmitting non-optimum system parameters to said system via said
network (206); detecting the decrease in System Performance metrics
of said system and demonstrating this capability to a potential
Customer (207); representing said decrease in System Performance
metrics as a decrease in said monetary value (208); and
implementing a troubleshooting routine and transmitting system
parameters to said system via said network so that said System
Performance metrics to the previous level and demonstrating this
capability to said potential Customer (209-210).
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said System comprises an energy
system.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein said energy system comprises an
energy usage system an energy storage system, an energy management
system, or an energy generation system.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said energy generation system
comprises a renewable energy generation system.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said renewable energy generation
system comprises a solar energy generation system, a wind turbine
energy generation system, a tidal energy generation system, a
geothermal energy generation system, or a waste-to-energy
system.
6. A system for improving the sales and marketing process,
comprising: one or more Energy Systems (300); benchmark system
performance metrics generated by a model of said Energy Systems;
sensors contained within said Energy Systems to monitor said Energy
Systems settings and performance attributes data; sensors
associated with said Energy Systems to measure environmental
conditions data (302); a local communications device for
communicating said Energy Systems settings and performance
attributes data and said environmental conditions data onto a
network (303); a network capable of transmitting said Energy
Systems settings and performance attributes data and said
environmental conditions data (304); a centralized database capable
of receiving and storing said Energy Systems settings and
performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data
(305); a user interface for interacting with said centralized
database (306-309, 403, 408, 409)); a computer readable medium
containing procedures for acting upon said Energy Systems settings
and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions
data (412-417); and output devices for displaying the results of
said procedure action upon said Energy Systems settings and
performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data
(306-310, 404, 410).
7. The system of claim 6 wherein said one or more Energy Systems
comprise at least one Energy System selected from the group
consisting of an energy usage system, an energy storage system, an
energy management system, and an energy generation system.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein said energy generation system
comprises a renewable energy generation system.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein said renewable energy generation
system comprises a solar energy generation system, a wind turbine
energy generation system, a tidal energy generation system, a
geothermal energy generation system, or a waste-to-energy
generation system.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein said procedures comprise:
procedures for establishing system performance metrics; procedures
for comparing said system performance metrics to said benchmark
system performance metrics generated by said model; procedures for
representing said system performance metrics as a monetary value;
procedures for transmitting non-optimum settings to said Energy
System via said network; procedures for detecting a decrease in
system performance metrics; procedures for representing said
decrease in system performance metrics as a decrease in said
monetary value; procedures for initiating a troubleshooting
routine; and procedures for transmitting proper settings to said
Energy System via said network.
11. The system of claim 9 wherein said procedures comprise:
procedures for establishing system performance metrics in a
potential Customer's geographic area; and procedures for
representing said system performance metrics as a monetary value.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] In general, the present invention relates to computer
implemented systems and methods for providing services to a network
of customers, more specifically to services enabled by methods
comprising the collection, aggregation, and analysis of data in a
central database from a plurality of systems that are not otherwise
associated with one another to provide performance metrics and most
particularly to the establishment and improvement of various
performance metrics related to the execution of customer activities
and the initiation of specific actions related to performance in
comparison with such metrics. More specifically, the present
invention relates to computer implemented services enabled by
systems and methods comprising the collection, aggregation, and
analysis of data related to the installation and operation of
renewable energy systems comprising solar energy, wind turbine
energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy, and the like, or to
distributed energy generation systems comprising waste-to-energy
generation systems, fuel cells, microturbines, diesel generators,
and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] There is increased interest in the development and
deployment of renewable energy systems comprising solar energy,
wind turbine energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy, and the like,
or to distributed energy generation systems comprising
waste-to-energy generation systems, fuel cells, microturbines,
diesel generators, and the like. This interest is being driven by a
number of factors including a limited supply of fossil fuels,
increased pollution from the acquisition and use of fossil fuels,
global warming considerations, rising costs of fossil fuels, the
loss of natural lands due to the construction of fossil fuel power
plants, continued utility grid degradation and blackouts,
unpredictable energy prices, the need for local power generation in
disaster recovery situations, the need to move away from
centralized power plants to distributed energy systems for homeland
security, and the like. Advancements in the development of
renewable energy and distributed energy generation technologies
have overcome earlier impediments such as poor efficiency,
installation difficulty, high cost, high maintenance, and the like
and are presently offering increasingly attractive alternatives to
fossil fuel power systems in the generation and delivery of
electric power.
[0003] One of the issues faced by the renewable energy and
distributed energy generation industries is that the adoption and
deployment of such systems is often sporadic and not well
coordinated. The decision to invest in and install a renewable
energy or distributed energy generation system is typically made at
the individual entity level rather than as a planned activity for
an entire community. For economy of language, in this context, an
"entity" may comprise an individual, a company, an office building,
a shopping mall, a shopping center, a sports complex, or other such
organization, business, or group investing collectively in a source
of energy. Consequently, the renewable energy and distributed
energy generation industries often lack the coordinated, integrated
infrastructure that is typically common in other industries. The
lack of infrastructure inhibits the adoption and installation of
new renewable energy and distributed energy generation systems and
does not allow these industries to gain advantages due to
cooperation or economies of scale to lower costs, increase
acceptance and deployment, and attract additional investment
capital.
[0004] Accordingly, there is a need for further developments in
methods and systems to facilitate the connection and cooperation of
the wide variety of entities and individual implementations of
renewable energy or distributed energy generation systems to
improve efficiencies, lower costs, facilitate new services,
facilitate management and improvement of the energy production and
distribution system as a whole, facilitate and improve training and
education, facilitate energy commerce, and the like. In particular,
there is a need for improved systems and methods to improve the
effectiveness of sales and marketing activities by demonstrating
actual system performance with real-time data selected from the
potential customer's region or other factors.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Advancements in the development of renewable energy and
distributed energy generation systems have overcome, to a large
extent, earlier impediments such as poor efficiency, installation
difficulty, high cost, high maintenance, and the like.
Specifically, advancements in the technology associated with the
capture and conversion of solar energy into useable electricity has
led to an increased adoption and deployment rate of solar energy
generation systems. However, the infrastructure associated with
collecting and analyzing data associated with the distribution
infrastructure, system performance, system response, system
efficiency, costs, savings associated with the system, and the like
has not grown at the same pace as the implementation of solar
energy generation systems. Systems and methods for the collection,
aggregation, and analyzing of this data and providing services
based on the results of the analysis have been developed as part of
some embodiments of the present invention.
[0006] In some embodiments of the present invention, the data
collection systems and methods cited above may use a local
communications device installed at the site of the renewable energy
generation or distributed energy generation system to collect data
on the system comprising system ID, location, performance,
calibration, ambient conditions, efficiency, temperature, wind
speed, wind direction, solar irradiance, energy generation, device
status flags, and the like. Typical data collection systems
comprise embedded sensors, external sensors, embedded computers,
and the like. Typical local communications devices comprise modems,
routers, switches, embedded computers, wireless transmitters, and
the like. The data may be transmitted via a wireless or hardwired
network or other communication means to a secure, central database
where the data is aggregated with data from other systems and
analyzed to provide value added services to the members of the
renewable energy or distributed energy generation supply chain.
Examples of suitable networks comprise the Internet, a Local Area
Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wireless network,
cellular networks (e.g. GSM, GPRS, etc.), combinations thereof, and
the like. Various embodiments of the present invention include
security features such that proprietary or business-sensitive data
is not accessible among different business entities, thereby
providing all entities access to aggregated information while
compromising the security of none.
[0007] Various embodiments of the present invention relate
generally to systems and methods that utilize the secure, centrally
collected, aggregated, and analyzed data to provide a number of
beneficial services. The services may be desirable and useful to
many "Supply Chain Entities" within the renewable energy or
distributed energy generation system supply chain. For economy of
language, we use the term, Supply Chain Entity or Entities to refer
to one or more of the "Installation Technician", the "Value Added
Reseller (VAR)", the "System Integrator", the "Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM)" component supplier, the "local energy utility",
various local government agencies, the Project Financier or
Investor, the Distributed Utility provider, among others. These
labels have been used for convenience in the context of the present
teaching. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that those
entities or parties that provide similar functions and services
within the supply chain may use a wide variety of names and labels.
These labels do not limit the scope of the present invention in any
way.
[0008] In some embodiments of the present invention, the aggregated
data may be used to offer services to Supply Chain Entities that
improve the sales and marketing process using real time data. One
or more systems may be configured as demonstration tools. The
System Performance metrics of the systems may be compared to the
database as mentioned previously and demonstrated to a potential
Customer. In the context of the present teaching, the term
"Customer" may be understood to comprise the End User as well as
other Supply Chain Entities that may be customers of the higher
level within the supply chain. The System Parameters of one of the
systems may be purposefully altered to degrade the performance. The
services immediately detect the decrease in System Performance
metrics and perform a troubleshooting and corrective action
routine, thus illustrating this capability to the potential
Customer. The proper System Parameters are transmitted to the
system and the potential Customer may observe the System
Performance metrics returning to the previous baseline. Finally,
the potential Customer may be allowed to interactively select their
own geographic region to illustrate the energy generation potential
for their location. The energy generation potential is represented
as a cash value for the potential Customer based on an average
energy price.
[0009] The methods of some embodiments of the present invention may
be implemented on a plurality of systems. The systems may comprise
one or more energy systems, sensors contained within the energy
systems to monitor various settings and performance attributes of
the energy systems, sensors associated with the energy systems to
measure various environmental conditions, a communications device
for managing two-way communications between the sensors, the energy
systems, and a network, a network for transmitting the data to a
centralized database, a centralized database for receiving and
storing data from a plurality of systems, user interfaces for
interacting with the centralized database, procedures for acting
upon the data, and a plurality of output means for displaying the
results of the procedure treatments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Other aspects, embodiments and advantages of the invention
may become apparent upon reading of the detailed description of the
invention and the appended claims provided below, and upon
reference to the drawings in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a portion of a
typical renewable energy or distributed energy generation system
supply chain.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of steps in some embodiments of the
present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a system pertaining
to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative computer system pertaining to
various embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] In general, various embodiments of the present invention
relate to systems and methods that utilize secure, centrally
collected, aggregated, and analyzed data to provide a number of
beneficial services. The services may be desirable and useful to
many Supply Chain Entities within the renewable energy or
distributed energy generation system supply chain.
[0016] In some embodiments of the present invention, the systems
and methods provide services to the various Supply Chain Entities
in the renewable energy or distributed energy generation system
supply chain. As an illustration, consider the supply chain
structure illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein, large national Systems
Integrators, 101, market and sell the renewable energy or
distributed energy generation systems to End Users, 104. Typically,
the System Integrators may design and oversee the installation and
commissioning of the renewable energy or distributed energy
generation systems. The System Integrators may contract with VARs,
102, who are local to the End Users and who may perform services
comprising installation, service, upgrades, retrofits, and the like
on behalf of the System Integrators. Furthermore, the VARs may
employ a plurality of Installation Technicians, 103, who may
perform services comprising installation, service, upgrades,
retrofits, and the like on behalf of the VARs. OEM component
suppliers, 100, may supply components to the System Integrators,
101, or the VARs, 102. These labels have been used for convenience
in the context of the present teaching. It will be clear to those
skilled in the art that those entities or parties that provide
similar functions and services within the supply chain may use a
wide variety of names and labels. These labels do not limit the
scope of the present invention in any way.
[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
systems and methods may be applied to a solar energy generation
system. However, the solar energy example does not limit the scope
of the present invention in any way. The systems and methods
described herein may be applied to any general system.
Specifically, the systems and methods described herein may be
applied to any general energy system such as an energy consumption
system, an energy generation system, an energy storage system,
combinations thereof, and the like. More specifically, the systems
and methods described herein may be applied to any renewable energy
generation comprising solar energy, wind turbine energy, tidal
energy, geothermal energy, and the like, or distributed energy
generation technology comprising waste-to-energy generation
technologies, fuel cells, microturbines, diesel generators, and the
like or any combination thereof. In the context of the present
teaching, a system comprising more than one type of system as
listed above will be designated a "hybrid" system.
[0018] Typically, the solar energy system may be installed by an
Installation Technician following an established installation
checklist. The system may be connected to a central database via a
network. Examples of suitable networks comprise the Internet, a
Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wireless
network, cellular networks (e.g. GSM, GPRS, etc.), combinations
thereof, and the like. In this exemplary embodiment, System
Identification Data are collected at the point of sale by the
System Integrator or the VAR, said System Identification Data
comprising, End User identification, system warranty information,
system performance guarantee commitment information, expected
system power output, and the like. The System Identification Data
are static in time meaning that they may not generally change once
established. The System Identification Data may be entered into the
central database and serve as a unique identifier for the system.
System Configuration Data are collected during the manufacture and
testing of the system, said System Configuration Data comprising,
system configuration with OEM component identification, system
wiring details, system tracking features, system tracking
capabilities and the like. The System Configuration Data are
generally static in time meaning that they may not generally change
once established. However, the System Configuration Data may change
during periods of service, upgrades, or enhancements to the system.
The System Configuration Data may be entered into the central
database and associated with the unique System Identification Data
previously entered. System Installation Data are collected at the
time of installation, said System Installation Data comprising, VAR
identity, Installation Technician identity, installation region,
system orientation, system tilt angle, expected shading, time to
complete the system installation, number of errors during the
system installation, an End User satisfaction index (EUSI),
firmware revision, system parameter settings, and the like. In the
context of the present teaching, "expected shading" may be
associated with the area and time that the system is covered by
shadows due to neighboring trees, building, structures, etc. It may
be expressed in units of % coverage per hour for each time period
of interest comprising months, seasons, years, billing periods, and
the like. This quantity may be useful in estimating the performance
of the system. The System Installation Data are static in time
meaning that they may not generally change once established. The
System Installation Data may be entered into the central database
and associated with the unique System Identification Data
previously entered. System Performance Data and ambient condition
data are collected and continuously at a predefined interval after
start-up of the system, said System Performance Data comprising,
system response, system performance, ambient temperature, solar
irradiance, conversion efficiency, current tilt angle, system
energy output, current firmware revision, current system parameter
settings, device fault and error codes, power, voltage, cumulative
energy generated, and the like. The System Performance Data change
with time and are entered into the central database as a time
series with associated date and time stamps. The temporal System
Performance Data are associated with the unique System
Identification Data previously entered. The data correlated to the
installation region may be aggregated to several levels of
granularity, said levels comprising country, time zone, state or
province, county, postal code, Global Positioning System (GPS)
coordinates, and the like. Additionally, System History Data may be
associated with each unique System Identification Data record. The
System History Data captures changes in the System Configuration
Data over time. Examples of System History Data comprise
time-to-first-service-call, details of the service calls, steps
taken to resolve the issues in the service calls, upgrades to the
system configuration, new firmware revisions, new parameter
settings, and the like. Entries in the System History Data
typically contain date and time stamps so that changes may be
tracked over the life of the system.
[0019] In some embodiments of the present invention, the systems
and methods may be applied to a solar energy generation system as
an example. The aggregated data may be used to offer services to
Supply Chain Entities that improves the sales and marketing process
using real time data. One or more systems may be configured as
demonstration tools. The System Performance metrics of the systems
may be compared to the benchmark metrics established from the
collected, aggregated, and analyzed data from a plurality of
systems and demonstrated to the potential Customer. The services
may represent the System Performance metrics of the systems as a
monetary value for the potential Customer. The System Parameters of
one of the systems may then be purposefully altered to degrade the
System Performance metrics by transmitting non-optimum system
settings and parameters to the system. The services may represent
the decrease in the System Performance metrics of the system as a
decrease in monetary value for the potential Customer. Typically,
the services may detect the decrease in System Performance metrics
and may perform a troubleshooting and corrective action routine as
previously described, thus illustrating this capability to the
potential Customer. The proper System Parameters may then be
transmitted to the system and the Customer may observe the System
Performance metrics returning to the previous baseline. Finally,
the potential Customer may be allowed to interactively select their
own geographic region to illustrate the energy generation potential
for their location. The potential Customer may be allowed to view
the System Performance metrics and energy generation of exemplary
systems in their region. The energy generation potential may be
represented as a monetary value for the potential Customer based on
an average energy price. The Return-on-Investment (ROI) may be
calculated for the potential Customer based on real time data from
his region.
[0020] In some embodiments of the present invention, the methods
and procedures for connecting an installed system to a central
database via a network, collecting original data on the system,
entering the data into the database, establishing System
Performance metrics based on the original data, aggregating the
original data into the database, representing the System
Performance metrics as a monetary value to the potential customer,
transmitting non-optimum system parameters to the system, detecting
a decrease in System Performance metrics, representing the decrease
in System Performance metrics as a decrease in monetary value to
the potential customer, implementing a remote troubleshooting
routine and returning the system to the previous level of
performance may follow the steps, 200-210, as outlined in FIG. 2.
These exemplary steps are not meant to limit the scope of the
present invention.
[0021] Through the services provided, the data may be manipulated
and parsed by the various Supply Chain Entities subject to various
security measures as discussed below. A plurality of standard
procedures exists to aid in the manipulation of the data. Examples
of suitable procedures comprise methods for calculating typical
statistical values such as mean, median, average, standard
deviation, maximum value, minimum value, variance, and the like.
These procedures are listed as illustrations only and do not limit
the scope of the present invention in any way. Alternatively, the
Supply Chain Entities may develop and generate a custom procedure
to extract and manipulate the data for their specific purpose.
[0022] The systems and methods may include a number of security
measures to protect the intellectual property and confidential
information for the various Supply Chain Entities of the renewable
energy system supply chain. The security measures comprise software
passwords, tokens, smart cards, biometric identification means, and
the like. The security measures ensure that any specific System
Integrator, VAR, or OEM manufacturer is only allowed access to the
detailed data generated by systems under their specific
responsibility. However, the System Integrators, VARs, or OEM
manufacturers may request results based on the analysis of the
aggregated data across the database so that they may compare their
data to the larger population of systems.
[0023] The database may contain data from systems installed
worldwide by a large number of Supply Chain Entities. The different
pattern fill of the circles representing systems, 300, illustrated
in FIG. 3 is meant to convey that these systems are associated with
different Supply Chain Entities. Comparisons and analyses may be
completed by aggregating data from systems with similar features
comprising System Integrator ID, VAR ID, Installation Technician
ID, expected system power output, system configuration with OEM
component identification, system wiring details, system tracking
features, system tracking capabilities, expected shading,
installation region, system orientation, system tilt angle,
firmware revision, system parameter settings, system response,
system performance, ambient temperature, solar irradiance,
conversion efficiency, current tilt angle, system energy output,
device fault and error codes, power, voltage, cumulative energy
generated, and the like. Advantageously, the database enables the
Supply Chain Entities to compare detailed data across systems under
their responsibility or to compare their data to benchmark or
aggregated data across the entire database. For example, a System
Integrator may compare detailed data for his systems installed
across a large region such as North America. Alternatively, the
same System Integrator may compare data for one or more of his
systems with benchmark or aggregated data for systems installed in
a completely different region such as Europe.
[0024] In some embodiments of the present invention, the services
provided may allow various Supply Chain Entities to advantageously
demonstrate or illustrate their capabilities to their Customers.
Examples of these capabilities may comprise short time for
installation, low cost of installation, rapid response to system
failure, remote troubleshooting and corrective action, high
reliability of parts, improved conversion efficiency, proactive
alert capabilities, and the like. The demonstration and
illustration is advantageously enhanced by the services of some
embodiments of the present invention through the use of real time
data from operating systems.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 3, the methods of some embodiments of
the present invention may be implemented on a plurality of systems.
The systems may comprise one or more energy systems, 300, sensors
contained within the energy system to monitor various settings and
performance attributes of the energy system, sensors associated
with the energy system to measure various environmental conditions,
302, a local communications device for managing two-way
communications between the sensors, the energy systems, and a
network, 303, a network for transmitting the data to a centralized
database, 304, a centralized database for receiving and storing
data from the plurality of systems, 305, user interfaces for
interacting with the centralized database, 306-309, procedures for
acting upon the data, and a plurality of output devices for
displaying the results of the procedure action, 306-310.
[0026] Continuing to refer to FIG. 3, in some exemplary embodiments
comprising solar energy generation systems, the sensors contained
within the system may monitor various settings and performance
attributes comprising, system response, system performance,
conversion efficiency, current tilt angle, system energy output,
current firmware revision, current system parameter settings,
device fault and error codes, power, voltage, cumulative energy
generated, and the like. Sensors associated with the system, 302,
may measure various environmental conditions comprising ambient
temperature, solar irradiance, and the like. The data may be
communicated onto a network, 304, by a local communications device,
303. Examples of suitable networks comprise the Internet, a Local
Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wireless network,
cellular networks (e.g. GSM, GPRS, etc.), combinations thereof, and
the like. The data may be received and stored on a centralized
database, 305. The data in the centralized database may be accessed
by a plurality of user interfaces comprising computer terminals,
307, personal computers (PCs), 306, personal digital assistants
(PDAs), 308, cellular phones, 309, interactive displays, and the
like. This allows the user to be located remotely from the
centralized database. As mentioned previously, the centralized
database contains a variety of security features to prevent
sensitive detailed data from being viewed or accessed by users
without the proper security clearance. Procedures may be used to
act on the data to generate results of various inquires. The
procedures may be part of a standard set of calculations or may be
developed and generated by the user. The results of the action by
the procedures may be displayed to the user on a number of output
means. Examples of suitable output means comprise computer
terminals, 307, personal computers (PCs), 306, printers, 310, LED
displays, personal digital assistants (PDAs), 308, cellular phones,
309, interactive displays, and the like.
[0027] FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative computer system using various
embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, the
computer system comprises a server 401, display, 402, one or more
input interfaces, 403, communications interface, 406, and one or
more output interfaces, 404, all conventionally coupled by one or
more buses, 405. The server, 401, comprises one or more processors
(not shown) and one or more memory modules, 412. The input
interfaces, 403, may comprise a keyboard, 408, and a mouse, 409.
The output interface, 404, may comprise a printer, 410. The
communications interface, 406, is a network interface that allows
the computer system to communicate via a wireless or hardwired
network, 407, as previously described. The communications
interface, 407, may be coupled to a transmission medium, 411, such
as a network transmission line, for example, twisted pair, coaxial
cable, fiber optic cable, and the like. In another embodiment, the
communications interface, 411, provides a wireless interface, that
is, the communication interface, 411 uses a wireless transmission
medium. Examples of other devices that may be used to access the
computer system via communications interface, 406, comprise cell
phones, PDAs, personal computers, and the like (not shown).
[0028] The memory modules, 412, generally comprises different
modalities, illustratively semiconductor memory, such as random
access memory (RAM), and disk drives as well as others. In various
embodiments, the memory modules, 412, store an operating system,
413, collected and aggregated data, 414, instructions, 415,
applications, 416, and procedures, 417.
[0029] In various embodiments, the specific software instructions,
data structures and data that implement various embodiments of the
present invention are typically incorporated in the server, 401.
Generally, an embodiment of the present invention is tangibly
embodied in a computer readable medium, for example, the memory and
is comprised of instructions, applications, and procedures which,
when executed by the processor, causes the computer system to
utilize the present invention, for example, the collection,
aggregation, and analysis of data, establishing benchmark metrics
for performance, comparing performance data to the benchmark
metrics, allowing the potential customer to evaluate energy
generation potential in his geographic region, displaying the
results of the analyses, and the like. The memory may store the
software instructions, data structures, and data for any of the
operating system, the data collection application, the data
aggregation application, the data analysis procedures, and the like
in semiconductor memory, in disk memory, or a combination
thereof.
[0030] The operating system may be implemented by any conventional
operating system comprising Windows.RTM. (Registered trademark of
Microsoft Corporation), Unix.RTM. (Registered trademark of the Open
Group in the United States and other countries), Mac OS.RTM.
(Registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.), Linux.RTM.
(Registered trademark of Linus Torvalds), as well as others not
explicitly listed herein.
[0031] In various embodiments, the present invention may be
implemented as a method, system, or article of manufacture using
standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce
software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. The term
"article of manufacture" (or alternatively, "computer program
product") as used herein is intended to encompass a computer
program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier or
media. In addition, the software in which various embodiments are
implemented may be accessible through the transmission medium, for
example, from a server over the network. The article of manufacture
in which the code is implemented also encompasses transmission
media, such as the network transmission line and wireless
transmission media. Thus the article of manufacture also comprises
the medium in which the code is embedded. Those skilled in the art
will recognize that many modifications may be made to this
configuration without departing from the scope of the present
invention.
[0032] The exemplary computer system illustrated in FIG. 4 is not
intended to limit the present invention. Other alternative hardware
environments may be used without departing from the scope of the
present invention.
[0033] The foregoing descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the
present invention have been presented for the purpose of
illustration and description. They are not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms
disclosed, and obviously many modifications, embodiments, and
variations are possible in light of the above teaching.
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