CN113661508A

CN113661508A - Charging system for electric equipment

Info

Publication number: CN113661508A
Application number: CN201980095176.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 瓦伦·莱
Original assignee: Kaipai Innovation Pte Ltd
Current assignee: Kaipai Innovation Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-14
Filing date: 2019-08-22
Publication date: 2021-11-16
Also published as: WO2020183483A9; WO2020183483A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a recharging system for an electric device, which is operated in an off-line mode through an SMS and in an on-line mode through a website, wherein a user inputs a bank certificate and a recharging amount in a designated SMS format, and recharges the electric device in an on-line mode. The system is designed so that both the powered device and its online server store a complete log of the reseller or customer's recharge amount. The system also includes a removable keyboard to enter digits into the powered device using a top-up code or by other input methods such as IR remote control, Wi-Fi, DTMF, bluetooth, keyboard, GSM, Zigbee, etc. The powered device may be configured as a pay-per-use (PPU) device, a pay-per-time (PPT) device, or a pay-per-amp (PPA) device.

Description

Charging system for electric equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to powered devices, and more particularly to systems and methods for charging powered devices based on pay-per-time (PPT)/pay-per-use (PPU)/pay-per-amp (PPA) charging.

Background

In some developing countries, centralized power production does not exist, and obtaining autonomous power production capacity and appliances utilizing the generated power are very expensive items. Billions of people currently need to obtain electricity, which they use mostly for low quality, hazardous fuel light sources, such as lamp fuel, to meet their living needs. Many homes go out for hours to the nearest power source to charge the cell phone or purchase batteries. Also, there is a need for a protected and graceful method to provide light and vitality to the primary home unit. Moreover, the price of purchasing alternative energy devices (such as electrical appliances) is a more expensive proposition for these people.

Efforts are underway in the art to develop strategies and frameworks for performing electronic transactions utilizing the state of the quotation tools (offers gadgets). Therefore, there is a system that accumulates people with limited budgets on top-up based electricity systems to improve the duality of health and life. These systems enable a customer to make an installment in the quoted state, thereby utilizing the customer's communication device, such as a cell phone, feature phone, or smart phone. However, existing systems do not depict techniques and tools for monitoring energy usage and enable customers to pay for such management on an incremental basis. Furthermore, existing systems fail to provide various top-up options to the user through a single device, such as "pay-per-use (PPU)" or "pay-per-time (PPT)" or "pay-per-amp (PPA)", among others. Additionally, existing systems and devices fail to provide multiple input methods to enter recharge codes on powered devices, such as IR remote, Wi-Fi, DTMF, bluetooth, keyboard, GSM, Zigbee, and the like.

Accordingly, there is a need for an electrical device recharging system that overcomes all of the disadvantages of the prior art by providing various recharging options to a user through a single device, such as "Pay Per Use (PPU)" or "Pay Per Time (PPT)" or "Pay Per Amp (PPA)".

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a recharging system for electric equipment, which is convenient for a plurality of users to interact through the system so as to recharge the electric equipment. The powered device recharging system includes a powered device unit configured to be positioned within a powered device. The powered device unit receives input from an input device selected from the group consisting of IR, keypad, bluetooth, DTMF receiver, etc. The electric equipment unit comprises a Microcontroller (MCU), a semiconductor switch and a battery. The electric equipment recharging system comprises a server for sending instructions to the electric equipment unit. The server integrates with a local SMS and payment gateway to facilitate both internet and non-internet (using SMS and USSD codes) based payments. The server is in communication with the registered user database and the top-up code database. The system comprises a microcontroller unit with an input buffer module, a comparison logic unit, a timer module with a current measurement sub-module, an output pin, a recharge code generation module, a sleep mode control unit and a serial port.

The charging system of the electric equipment is deployed on an online server and comprises a login and personal data module, a user management module, an equipment management module, an online payment management module, an equipment registration management module, an equipment charging management module and a report management module. The login and profile module is configured to manage profiles and passwords for a plurality of users. The login and profile module includes a super administrator submodule, a manufacturer submodule, an enterprise owner submodule, a distributor submodule, and a customer submodule. The user management module is configured to manage credentials of a plurality of users. The super manager submodule comprises a management control panel, a data analysis module and a recharging code generation algorithm. The manufacturer sub-module includes a manufacturer control panel, a data analysis module, and a manufacturer tool configured with a seed point generation algorithm.

The manufacturer tool includes a server in communication with a communication device of the manufacturer. The manufacturer's tool includes a desktop terminal connected to a bar code scanner and a USB to serial converter module. The bar code scanner scans the serial number in the form of a bar code affixed to the device being manufactured, sends the scanned bar code to the server using the desktop terminal (the server has a list of serial number-seed pairs), and the server then sends back the corresponding seed point, which is sent into the device using the serial to USB port. The business owner sub-module includes a business owner control panel and a data analysis module. The distributor submodule comprises a distributor control panel and a data analysis module. The client sub-module comprises a client control panel and a data analysis module. The device management module is configured to maintain information related to the powered device. The device management module manages a predefined and configurable commission (commission) percentage for the reseller based on the type of powered device. The equipment management module tracks a commission change log for the electrical equipment with the distributor. The equipment management module manages the calculation of the distributor balance according to the predefined commission percentage of the electric equipment. The online payment management module is configured to manage online payments for a plurality of users through the integrated payment gateway. The online payment management module displays the current balance of the distributor through the portal and generates invoices for each payment by the user. The device registration management module is configured to issue an activation code and display the activation code, and then send the activation request to the user via SMS. The equipment recharging management module is configured to facilitate selection of the electric equipment and the amount to be recharged. The device recharge management module is configured to release the selected credit corresponding to the recharge/unlock code, and then display the recharge/unlock code on a screen and transmit it through an SMS. The device recharging management module calculates credit balance according to the type of the electric equipment and the commission percentage value and records the transaction history of the user. The report management module has a filter whereby people can access data analysis to view reports showing historical data on the distributor side (wise), geographical area side, equipment type side in the form of charts and written text.

The powered device of the present invention may be configured as a pay-per-use (PPU) device, a pay-per-time (PPT) device, or a pay-per-amp (PPA) device. PPU devices are designed such that they are based on usage only, wherein the effectiveness of the device usage is dependent on usage only, and the device remains effective even after several days/months of non-usage. The PPT device is designed such that it has some fixed duration validity and its validity credit is decremented according to time, since it is completely independent of usage or power consumption. The PPA device is designed such that its effectiveness depends on the current consumed by the load. The more current a device consumes, the faster its validity credit decreases. Alternatively, the less current the device consumes, the slower the validity credit decreases and the device can be used for a longer time.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is an environmental diagram of a powered device recharging system according to the present invention;

FIG. 1A illustrates a five-level hierarchy of login and personal data modules of the powered device recharging system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating various components of the login and profile module of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a block diagram showing components of a manufacturer tool of the login and profile module of FIG. 1B;

FIG. 2 is a system architecture diagram of the powered device refill system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating component details of an electrical consumer used in conjunction with the electrical consumer refill system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is an embodiment of a tamper-resistant function of the powered device of FIG. 3 having a master-slave communication platform to facilitate the powered device refill system of FIG. 1;

fig. 3B is a flow chart illustrating an operational flow of a master-slave communication platform of the powered device recharging system of fig. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating services provided for the powered device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a process of generating/obtaining a top-up code according to the powered device top-up system of FIG. 1; and

fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a process of entering a top-up code into the powered device top-up system of fig. 1.

Detailed Description

Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

Reference in the specification to "preferred embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function is described in detail so that known configurations and functions are omitted for clarity of description of the invention.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

The invention discloses a charging system for electric equipment, which works in an online mode through SMS/USSD and works in an online mode through a webpage and an android application program, wherein in the online mode, a user inputs a serial number and a charging amount of the equipment in a specified SMS format to request a charging code. The offline (non-internet based) payment may also be accomplished using USSD codes. Online payments may be made by accessing an online portal or using an android application. The system is designed so that both the powered device and its on-line server store a complete log of the reseller's or customer's recharge amount for future reference and analysis. The system also includes a keypad for entering the recharge code into the powered device. Alternatively, other input methods for inputting the recharge code into the device may be IR remote control, Wi-Fi, DTMF, bluetooth, GSM, Zigbee, etc. In accordance with the present invention, the powered device of the present invention may be configured as a pay-per-use (PPU) device, a pay-per-time (PPT) device, or a pay-per-amp (PPA) device.

Referring now to fig. 1, a powered device top-up system 100 in accordance with the present invention is shown. The powered refill system 100 is configured to accommodate advanced initial methods in which the distribution of the powered is facilitated only by the distributor linked to the system 100, thereby obtaining payment facilitation through the distributor network. The powered device recharging system 100 includes a login and profile module 110, a user management module 120, a device management module 130, an online payment management module 140, a device registration management module 150, a device recharge management module 160, and a report management module 170.

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the system 100 creates accounts and credentials for all users registered with the system 100. The login and profile module 110 facilitates a user to login through the system 100 using pre-approved credentials. It should be understood here that a user in the context of the present invention is a super administrator or manufacturer or owner or distributor or customer. The login and profile module 110 also helps manage the user's 10 profile and password. The login and personal data module 110 of the powered device recharging system 100 includes a five-level hierarchy including a super-administrator sub-module 110A, a manufacturer sub-module 110B, an enterprise owner sub-module 110C, a distributor sub-module 110D, and a customer sub-module 110E.

The super Administrator sub-module 110A includes an Administrator control panel 110A1 that facilitates the creation of a super Administrator for the system 100. The hypervisor facilitates the manufacturer's technology. The super-administrator sub-module 110A includes a data analysis module 110A2 that facilitates data analysis for itself, manufacturers, owners, distributors, and end-customers. The hypervisor sub-module 110A also includes a top-up code generation algorithm 110A3, which generates top-up codes. The super-administrator sub-module 110A has a separate login platform to view data such as manufacturer details, device details, transaction history, different reports, etc. The access of the super-administrator sub-module 110A to the business owner sub-module 110C, the distributor sub-module 110D and the customer sub-module 110E is limited to reading data belonging to the owner, distributor and customer, respectively.

The manufacturer sub-module 110B includes a manufacturer control panel 110B1 that helps the manufacturer integrate technology into the device at the time of manufacture. The manufacturer sub-module 110B includes a data analysis module 110B2 that facilitates data analysis for itself, owners, distributors, and customers. The manufacturer sub-module 110B facilitates a separate login platform where the manufacturer can view data such as owner details, device details, transaction history, different reports, etc.

However, it should be understood that the manufacturer's access to the data is limited and only similar data for the distributor and customer can be viewed in read-only format through the manufacturer sub-module 110B. The manufacturer sub-module 110B includes a manufacturer tool 110B3 configured with a seed point generation algorithm 110B 4.

The business owner sub-module 110C includes a business owner control panel 110C1 that facilitates the owner's distribution/sale of equipment to the distributor. The business owner sub-module 110C has a separate login platform where it facilitates the user to view data such as distributor details, equipment details, transaction history, different reports, etc. However, it should be understood that the owner can only view similar data of the customer in a read-only format through the enterprise owner sub-module 110C. The business owner sub-module 110C includes a data analysis module 110C2 that facilitates data analysis for itself, distributors, and users.

The distributor sub-module 110D includes a distributor's control panel 110D1 that facilitates access to the distributor for distribution of the device to the customer. The distributor sub-module 110D includes a data analysis module 110D2 that allows data analysis to be performed on itself and on the user. The distributor sub-module 110D has a separate login platform where the distributor is facilitated to view all data such as customer details, equipment details, transaction history, different reports, etc.

The client sub-module 110E includes a client/end user control panel 110E1 that facilitates access to view data. The customer sub-module 110E includes a data analysis module 110E2 that facilitates self-data analysis of the customer. The customer sub-module 110E has a separate login platform that allows the customer to view all data such as device details, transaction history, different reports, etc.

Referring to fig. 1B and 1C, the manufacturer tool 110B3 of the manufacturer sub-module 110B comprises a server MT1 in communication with a manufacturer's communication device MT 2. Manufacturer tool 110B3 includes a desktop terminal that interfaces with a barcode scanner and a USB to serial converter module. The manufacturer tool 110B3 includes a manufacturer device MT3 to which a barcode is affixed. The manufacturer device MT3 includes a serial port MT4 and a memory MT 5. It will be appreciated that the barcode scanner MT6 may be adapted to scan serial numbers in barcode form and send the serial numbers to the server MT1 via a desktop terminal with a list of serial number-seed pairs. The server MT1 sends back the corresponding seed point and the secret configuration entered into the device through the serial port MT 4. The manufacturer's communication device MT2 is configured to provide the seed point and secret configuration to the device through a USB to serial converter MT 7.

The user management module 120 facilitates managing various users of the system, such as distributors and consumers. The device management module 130 maintains important information related to the powered device, such as device type, device ID, device name, device unlock code in encrypted format, and device image. The device management module 130 is configured to set a predefined and configurable percentage of commission (commission) for the distributor based on the type of powered device used in conjunction with the system 100. The device management module 130 is configured to track a commission change log of the reseller for the powered device. The device management module 130 is configured to manage a recharge amount and a recharge number of days based on the type of the electric device. The equipment management module 130 may be configured to manage the calculation of the distributor balance based on a predefined commission percentage for the powered equipment. The online payment management module 140 is configured to manage/perform online payments using payment gateways through distributors and consumers. The online payment management module 140 is configured to display the current balance of the distributor through the portal of the system 100. The online payment management module 140 is configured to generate invoices for each payment paid by the manufacturer, owner, distributor and consumer. The device registration management module 150 is configured to map the powered device to the consumer details. The device registration management module 150 is configured to issue an activation code and display it on the screen. The device registration management module 150 is configured to send the activation code to the consumer and/or distributor via SMS. The device recharge management module 160 is configured to facilitate selection of the powered device and the amount to recharge. The device recharge management module 160 is configured to release the selected credit corresponding to the unlock band code. The device recharge management module 160 is configured to display the unlock code on the screen and send it via SMS. The device load management module 160 is configured to calculate a credit balance based on the type of powered device and the commission percentage value. The device recharge management module 160 is configured to track the transaction history of the user. The report management module 170 is configured to generate a distributor-side (wise) online payment history report. The report management module 170 is configured to generate reports for regional sales distributors. The report management module 170 is configured to provide top-up transaction reports on the part of consumers and distributors. The report management module 170 is configured to generate a device type-wise affiliation report. The report management module 170 is configured to facilitate the user exporting the report into an excel format and a graphical format, such as a bar graph, a pie graph, a geographic hotspot, and the like.

Referring to fig. 2, a system architecture suitable for use with the electric device loading system 100 is shown that facilitates interaction with the system 100 by a distributor 205 and/or a customer 210 through a gateway 215. The gateway 215 is an integrated server with local SMS and payment gateways to facilitate both internet and non-internet (using SMS and USSD codes) based payments. The powered device unit 220 includes an input medium 225 selected from IR, keypad, bluetooth, DTMF receiver, etc. The consumer unit 220 comprises a microcontroller unit 230. The microcontroller unit 230 includes an input buffer module 235, a comparison logic unit 240, a timer module 245 having a current measurement sub-module 250, an output pin 255, a recharge code generation module 260, a sleep mode control unit 265, and a serial port 270. The consumer unit 220 to be recharged also includes a Microcontroller (MCU)275, a semiconductor switch 280 and a battery 285. The input medium 225 is configured to receive input from an input device 290 such as an IR remote control, keyboard, smart phone, or the like. The SMS gateway API 215 is configured to receive instructions from the server 292. The server 292 is configured to communicate with a registered user database 294 and a load code database 296. The server 292 is configured to implement a payment gateway through the payment gateway API 298. The server 292 is also configured to interact with a data analysis and reporting module 299.

Referring to fig. 3, the components of a powered device 300 to be recharged using the system 100 of the present invention are shown. Powered device 300 includes PPU, PPT, PPA 310, and semiconductor switch 320. The powered device 300 receives input power to charge a battery, which may be taken from mains electricity, solar panels, other batteries, any renewable energy source, etc. The powered device 300 includes a load 330 operating at 5 VDC. For loads requiring higher voltages, e.g. 12v, 18v, 24v, 48v, 96v, a DC-DC (direct current-direct current) converter 340 is connected, which converts the battery voltage to any other higher voltage. In an embodiment, a suitable DC-AC converter may be connected for loads operating at AC (alternating current) voltages.

Referring to fig. 3A, in an embodiment of the present invention, a device 300 has tamper-resistant functionality. The device 300 cooperates with other devices, either an electrical storage device such as a battery, or active power such as an AC outlet, or a solar panel, etc. Thus, an end user/consumer who should receive the device 300 by paying a partial payment may bypass the semiconductor switch in the device 300 to eliminate the need to provide a top-up code, or may instead replace the device with another device that does not contain a semiconductor switch. To avoid such events, the system 100 advantageously implements tamper-resistant functionality of the device 300 through the master-slave communication mechanism 3000. It should be understood here that the device 300 may be a master device or a slave device working in cooperation with a master device. The master-slave communication platform 3000 includes a master unit 3010, a first slave unit 3020, and a second slave unit 3030. The main unit 3010 includes a communication unit 3012, a semiconductor switch 3014, and an input and my-party-specific arithmetic unit 3016. However, the first slave unit 3020 includes a communication unit 3022 and a semiconductor switch 3024. The second slave unit 3030 includes a communication unit 3032 and a semiconductor switch 3034. In an embodiment, the

communication units

3012, 3022, 3032 may be wired modules or wireless modules, such as Wi-Fi, bluetooth, and NFC, to exchange data with each other. Further, data communication between the master unit 3010 and the

slave units

3020, 3030 is bidirectional. The semiconductor switches 3014, 3024, and 3034 are configured to simply control the flow of power from one device to another device. The input and proprietary algorithm unit 3016 is configured to generate a recharge code pool, compare these codes with the codes entered by the user, and send a signal to the semiconductor switch 3014 to deliver power to the next device.

Fig. 3A and 3B illustrate an operation flow of the tamper-proof function of the device 300. In an initial step 3050, the main unit 3010 receives a top-up code input by the user. In step 3052, if the top-up code is found to be valid, then in step 3054 the master unit 3010 verifies the received top-up code and transmits the data "abc" to the

slave units

3020, 3030 accordingly, otherwise, if the top-up code is found to be invalid, then control is passed to step 3056. In step 3056, the master unit 3010 blocks power flow and accordingly sends a signal to the

slave units

3020, 3030 to block power flow. Therefore, in step 3058, the

slave units

3020, 3030 block power. In step 3060, if the top-up code is found to be valid, the

slave unit

3020, 3030 replies with the reply data "xyz", and the process moves to the next step 3062. If the data reply from the

slave unit

3020, 3030 times out, control transfers to step 3064, causing the

slave unit

3020, 3030 to block power as per step 3058. However, if the data reply from the master unit 3010 times out, control transfers to step 3066, causing the master unit 3010 to prevent power flow as per step 3056. In step 3062, the master unit 3010 sends a signal to the

slave units

3020, 3030 to turn on the flow of power between the master unit 3010 and the

slave units

3020, 3030 so that the entire system 100 begins to operate in step 3068. In a final step 3070, the system remains running through the power flow of the master unit 3010 and

slave units

3020, 3030 until the recharge code is effectively expired. After the recharge code has expired, control transfers to step 3056 where the master unit 3010 blocks power flow and sends a signal to the

slave units

3020, 3030 to block power flow.

Referring to fig. 2 and 4, a process 400 for setting up pay-per-user unit 310 and server 292 is shown that includes desktop-based software that takes a serial number of a device as an input seed point and generates an x-bit random number. These numbers are unique and correspond to unique serial numbers. This approach does not require more microcontroller memory, so a low cost and low power microcontroller may be suitable for use in the context of the present invention. In the context of the present invention, a load amount-load converter deployed on the server decides how long a credit term is to be sent to the customer for how much money is. The conversion rate of the recharge amount and the recharge duration can be configured by the owner and the distributor. If the owner has sold the device to the distributor, the distributor has no limit on this conversion rate. If the owner assigns the device to a distributor, the owner may limit this conversion rate. However, it should be understood that all code is in an encrypted format.

Referring to fig. 2 and 5, a distributor registration process 500 of the system 100 according to the present invention is described below. In the context of the present invention, a distributor is a person who is to be granted the right to sell electric equipment in a particular geographic area. For a person to become a distributor, he/she must register his/her "distributor account" on the online portal using the login and profile module 110. The distributor must pay the predefined amount through any conventional internet/non-internet based payment method, such as USSD/UPI/any digital payment gateway available in the art.

The distributor account may optionally be credited (credit) with the predefined amount for the payment, but it should be understood that this credit arrangement may vary in other alternative embodiments of the invention. Thus, the distributor is assigned a number of devices, each with a predefined deposit, which is about a predetermined percentage of the cost of the device, to be deducted from his/her account. Thus, when a customer who has dispensed a device wants to obtain a top-up code, he/she will pay a top-up amount to the distributor, who will send an internet/SMS-based request to the server. The server will reply to the registered mobile phone numbers of the distributor and the customer with a short message containing the top-up code for his/her request. Alternatively, the customer may pay the owner's account directly using a USSD/UPI/any digital payment gateway or online transaction and the recharge code will be sent to the customer and distributor via SMS. It should be understood here that for each recharge, a dealer fee is charged for the distributor.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the system 100 includes a virtual wallet facility that will allow the user to transfer money to the owner/system account via UPI/USSD, e-wallet, etc. Thus, the system 100 provides two modes for detecting whether payment is received, namely, via Email and via API. As previously described, once the balance in the user's virtual wallet is available, the user may request a top-up code using SMS.

In the payment detection by Email mode, the customer can conveniently make USSD payments. Information such as the UPI ID and transaction amount of the person who generated the payment request is received via an email with a predefined email ID. The server 292 automatically reads and parses the received e-mail and extracts the required information from the content of the e-mail. Thus, the virtual wallet of the person holding the UPI ID is credited the amount of the transaction being conducted.

In payment detection through API mode, when a user sends an x amount to the owner/system, the bank's server sends transaction information to the system's server 292 through the API upon receipt of payment by the bank. Therefore, the person holding the UPI ID has credited the amount of the transaction to be conducted in the virtual wallet.

In an embodiment, a process 500 for device registration is given below. In the context of the present invention, when a distributor assigns a device to a customer, the device is inactive by default and cannot be used by the user without registration. Thus, the user/distributor may initiate the registration process by two methods, namely by sending a message, e.g., "REG 98xxxxxx 6712 xxxxxxx890 name address", in a specially designed SMS format to the owner's dedicated unique number, either through an online portal or by sending an SMS/USSD, where REG represents the user's desire to register the powered device. 98xxxxxx67 is the user's cell phone number that will serve as the user's unique ID. 12xxxxxxx890 is the serial number of the consumer. The SMS received at the SMS gateway is sent to the server software, which separates the fields of the SMS and links the user's cell phone number with a top-up code corresponding to the electrical equipment serial number.

After registration, the user must pay the initial deposit and first load the code to obtain the activation code. It should be appreciated that the server software will check for payment confirmation. If payment for the recharge amount is received, the server software extracts the payment amount and the activation code for the particular device from its database and sends it to the user in SMS through the SMS gateway. The user may then enter the activation code into the powered device via an input method to activate using the powered device for a first use and further recharge. Alternatively, the owner may assign the equipment to the distributor as billed in their prepaid account/virtual wallet, and the distributor may further assign and activate the equipment for his/her customer through the software portal.

In the context of the present invention, the process 500 for retrieving a recharge code is designed to cause the user/distributor to send an SMS to a certain number, specifically assigned to the owner, provided by the SMS gateway service provider in a specially designed format, such as "RCG 123xxx 89050 AMT" or "RCG 123xxx 89050 HRS", where RCG is a command indicating that the user wants to retrieve a recharge code, the '50' AMT indicates the amount of any currency, and the '50' HRS indicates the number of hours. Further, "123 xxx 890" is the unique serial number of the electric device according to the present invention. In the next step, the received SMS is pushed by the SMS gateway 215 to the control server 292 as it is, so that the server software separates out the above-mentioned fields from the SMS. However, it should be understood that it is necessary to check whether the user is already registered. The server software sends the obtained cell phone number to the registered user database 294. If the user is registered, an acknowledgement is sent back from the registered user database 294 to the control server 292. Thus, the system 100 checks whether the payment was received in the owner's account and then a confirmation flag is sent to the top-up code database 296. A recharge code corresponding to the requested amount is extracted from the database and sent to the SMS gateway 215. In a next step, the top-up code is sent in SMS to the user's handset 205/210 through the SMS gateway 215.

Referring to fig. 2 and 6, a process 600 for entering a top-up code into an electrical consumer is described below. In an initial step, the user enters the received top-up code into the powered device in a bit-by-bit manner using the IR remote control/wired keyboard/smartphone 290. The powered device is equipped with an IR/bluetooth/DTMF/keypad receiver 225 to receive data entered by the user. Accordingly, data input by the user is stored in the input buffer of the micro controller unit 230. The microcontroller unit 230 includes a set of predetermined algorithms to generate top-up codes in an internal or even online mode. In the next step, the top-up code collected in the input buffer 235 is compared with the code generated by the microcontroller unit 230. In the next step, if a match is found, the process 600 triggers the internal timer 245 so that the internal timer 245 starts a specified period of time and the output of the timer 245 goes high until its timing times out. In the next step, the output pin 255 of the microcontroller is high as long as the timer 245 has not timed out. In the next step, the output pin 255 triggers the semiconductor switch 280 to turn on and deliver power from the battery 285 to the load 276. In the context of the present invention, the timeout time of timer 245 is determined by a first factor and a second factor. The first factor is the time tick (time tick) of the internal clock. The second factor is the current (power) consumed by the load. Pursuant to this logic, if the load 276 is high, the timer 245 will experience a timeout earlier than if the load 276 was in a dim state (dim state). Thus, if the user is using the load 276 in a high level mode, a timeout will occur earlier in accordance with the present invention. According to the invention, the recharging circuit of the device consumes power only when recharging the powered device. However, once the recharge is complete, the entire recharge circuit enters a sleep mode to conserve battery power. However, the detailed information of the history log may be acquired from the electric device on the electronic device (such as a notebook computer or a smart phone) through the serial port thereof. Under the scene of the invention, the user can recharge the electric equipment for many times. Once the predetermined amount of money is collected from the user, the system 100 sends an SMS containing the unlock code to the user. However, if the user enters this unlock code, the powered device will be unlocked and the user can use the powered device without further recharging it.

Therefore, if the user pays the full price of the electric device 300, the electric device will be free. For example, if the cost of the device is rs.1000, the device may be assigned to the user by paying 250Rs. as a deposit. Subsequently, if rs.1000 is paid by the user by the recharge, rs.250 has been paid by the user as a deposit, the electric device is free, and the deposit amount of rs.250d is returned to the user. Thereafter, the server 292 detects that the user has paid the full amount for the powered device and sends the unlock code to the user so that the powered device 300 will always be free after entering the code into the powered device. However, in other alternative embodiments, the logic may be altered, wherein the seller may decide his/her business model based on their needs.

In one embodiment of the present invention, powered device 300 of the present invention is a pay-per-use (hereinafter referred to as a PPU) device. The PPU device is designed such that it is based on usage only, i.e. where the validity of the device usage only depends on usage, and in case of no usage for several months, the device can still be used if there are valid usage credits. In the PPU mode, the owner of the PPU device may set a maximum validity period. The user may pay for the top-up code during the validity period on demand. However, in this case, the only condition is that the user must pay in full during the maximum validity period.

The system 100 intelligently calculates and suggests a top-up amount to the customer so that the entire amount is withdrawn within a predetermined period of time. For example, the intelligent operation of the system 100 is illustrated for a situation where the maximum useful life of the device is 12 months and the cost of recovering the device is rs.5000. Therefore, different cases are explained below. In one case, where the user has paid for rs.4000 until the end of the 11 th month and wants to obtain a top-up code, then the system 100 asks the user to perform two top-up of rs.500 each for the remaining 1 month. In another case, where the user has paid only for rs.2000 up to the end of the 11 th month and wants to obtain a recharge code, the system 100 requires the user to recharge rs.1500 for two recharges every 15 days of usage expiration, or 1000 for 3 recharges every 10 days of usage expiration.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the electric device of the present invention is a pay-per-time (hereinafter, abbreviated as PPT) device. The PPT device is designed such that it has some fixed duration validity and its validity credit is decremented according to time, since it is completely independent of usage or power consumption.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the powered device of the present invention is a pay per amp (hereinafter PPA) device. The PPA device is designed such that its effectiveness depends on the current consumed by the load. The more current a device consumes, the faster its validity credit decreases. Alternatively, the less current the device consumes, the longer the validity credit lasts.

In an alternative embodiment, the PPT and PPA devices are configured as PPUs by default. If the distributor wants to change the device to the PPT scheme, he needs to use any input method, such as IR remote control, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Personal Area Network (PAN), so the user needs to enter some predefined key sequence on the remote control, such as entering "mode + 191" which causes the PPU device to start working with PPT, or "mode + 192" which causes the PPU device to start working with PPA.

However, it should be understood here that there are a number of input methods for entering the top-up code on the device, so that options such as IR remote control, Wi-Fi, DTMF, bluetooth, keypad, GSM, Zigbee, etc. may be provided, depending on the target customer. Further, it should be understood that a keypad, DTMF and IR remote control are one directional communication option that can input data into the device, but not remove data from the device. However, the two-way communication method can be used to input the recharge code inside the device, and also to obtain the internal state of the device, such as battery parameters, input power parameters, usage logs, device health status, and the like.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the system 100 may include Bluetooth, IOT, and GSM for two-way communication, where a GSM or Wi-Fi connection enables the function of sending the top-up code directly to the device 300, which would eliminate the need for the user to manually feed the top-up code. The entire device 300 may be remotely monitored and controlled using a Wi-Fi or GSM device integrated into the system controller 230.

In the context of the present invention, the system 100 facilitates monitoring of parameters of the device 300, such as time of day usage, remaining time of use of current draw, voltage/power drawn by each load, power generated by the solar panel, battery health (e.g., state of charge), expected life of the battery, electrolyte level in the case of a lead-acid battery, temperature, self-diagnostics upon device failure, and the like. Furthermore, the system 100 is designed such that the server MT1 can stop the operation of the device 300 at any time by sending a certain special code in case the user fails to recharge with the expected frequency.

Under the present scenario, system 100 implements various methods of tracking the location of device 300. In an embodiment, the device 300 may be embedded with a GPS module, such that the GPS will send the location information of the device to a server via an SMS, Wi-Fi, or GPRS module. In an alternative embodiment, the approximate location of the device 300 may also be tracked by GSM tower location if GPS receiver hardware is not available. In yet another embodiment, the location of the device 300 may also be tracked using the global IP address of the device 300 and a Wi-Fi module integrated into the device 300.

In the context of the present invention, the system 100 is designed such that the top-up code is entered into the device 300 in a sequential order according to the order in which the top-up code is generated. However, in the event that the user does not enter the generated sequential refill code, the device 300 may store the sequence number in the EEPROM memory of the device 300. In this case, the user is allowed to keep the device 300 running with subsequent code. It should be understood, however, that when the user enters a missing top-up code into the device 300, the missing sequence number is accepted by the device. Further, it should be understood that the device 300 is configured to store twenty-five such missing top-up codes therein.

Under the present scenario, system 100 is configured such that device 300 can be recharged with minimum and maximum amounts, which are calculated by the system server and displayed on the system's portal or transmitted via SMS. In the scenario of this embodiment, the minimum amount of money to be recharged is 1 hour, and is determined by the conversion rate of the recharge amount to the recharge duration. In the context of this embodiment, the maximum recharge amount is determined by the maximum allowable duration of the device 300 and the amount required to free the device.

In the context of the present invention, the system 100 is configured such that the owner of the device 300 can sell or dispense the device 300 to a distributor. In the case of the assigned device 300, ownership of the device 300 is still owned by the owner, and the distributor obtains a commission for each transaction that occurred through the assigned device 300. In the case of selling the device 300, the ownership of the device 300 is owned by the distributor, and the distributor becomes the owner obtaining all rights/capabilities including, but not limited to, reassigning the device to a third party, deciding a commission, a cost charged per unit time, etc.

In the context of the present invention, the system 100 is configured to issue alerts to a user in the event that the user does not recharge the device at the expected frequency. In this case, the system server is configured to send a reminder to the user to recharge the device 300 via SMS.

In the context of the present invention, the system 100 is configured to use conventional payment methods, however in other alternative embodiments of the present invention, the system 100 may use cryptocurrency-based payments based on blockchain techniques.

THE ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

1. The system 100 facilitates sending mail to customers, distributors, and owners for each transaction alert (if set as an activity).

2. The system 100 is designed to send alerts to the customer if the customer does not recharge at the expected frequency.

3. The system 100 facilitates a customer/distributor/owner to have his/her own control panel (dashboard) to learn all of the history associated with the powered device.

4. The system 100 is designed so that a user can be provided with a dedicated android application along with a web application.

5. The system 100 proposes three modes of operation, such as PPU, PPT, PPA, which can be selected when the device is sold/dispensed.

6. The device 300 of the system 100 may be tamper-resistant by enabling the master-slave communications platform 3000 between the master unit 3010 and the

slave units

3020, 3030.

7. The system 100 facilitates tracking the approximate location of the device 300 using GSM/Wi-Fi so that the exact location of the device can be tracked using a GPS receiver.

8. The system 100 facilitates GSM/IOT use with a two-way communication platform such that the recharge code can be sent directly to the device 300.

9. The system 100 is designed to operate without an internet connection or without a SIM card inserted into the device.

10. The system 100 is capable of integrating PPU, PPT, and PPA functionality into any existing device, requiring minimal changes to existing hardware designs.

11. The system 100 includes a server platform that is very flexible and includes configurable system parameters therein.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

It is to be understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents may be made in accordance with the teachings or variations which may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and that such omissions and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical device recharging system 100 that facilitates interaction by a plurality of users through the system 100 to recharge an electrical device 300, the electrical device recharging system 100 comprising:

a powered device unit 220 configured to receive input from an input device 290, the powered device unit having a Microcontroller (MCU)275, a semiconductor switch 280, and a battery 285;

a server 292 configured to communicate with the powered device unit 220, the server 292 integrated with the native SMS and USSD code based gateway 215, the server 292 configured to communicate with a registered user database 294 and a recharge code database 296;

a microcontroller unit 230 having an input buffer module 235, a comparison logic unit 240, a timer module 245 having a current measurement sub-module 250, an output pin 255, a recharge code generation module 260, a sleep mode control unit 265, and a serial port 270;

a login and profile module 110 configured to manage profiles and passwords of a plurality of users, the login and profile module 110 including a super administrator sub-module 110A, a manufacturer sub-module 110B, an enterprise owner sub-module 110C, a distributor sub-module 110D, and a customer sub-module 110E;

a user management module 120 configured to manage credentials of the plurality of users;

a device management module 130 configured to maintain information related to the powered device;

an online payment management module 140 configured to manage online payments for the plurality of users through a predetermined payment gateway;

a device registration management module 150 configured to issue an activation code and display the activation code, and then transmit the activation code to a user through SMS;

the device recharging management module 160 is configured to facilitate selection of the electric device and the recharged amount, the device recharging management module 160 is configured to release the selected amount corresponding to the unlocking code, then display the unlocking code on the screen, and send the unlocking code through the SMS; and

a report management module 170 configured to generate an online payment history report on the part of the distributor.

2. The powered device refill system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of users are administrators, manufacturers, owners, distributors, and consumers.

3. The powered device recharging system of claim 1, wherein the super-administrator sub-module 110A comprises an administrative control panel 110A1, a data analysis module 110A2, and a recharge code generation algorithm 110A 3.

4. The powered device refill system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturer sub-module 110B comprises a manufacturer control panel 110B1, a data analysis module 110B2, and a manufacturer tool 110B3 configured with a seed point generation algorithm 110B 4.

5. The powered device refill system of claim 4, wherein the manufacturer tool 110B3 comprises a server MT1 in communication with a manufacturer's communication device MT 2.

6. The powered device refill system of claim 4, wherein the manufacturer tool 110B3 comprises a desktop terminal connected to the barcode scanner MT6 and the USB to serial converter module MT 7.

7. The electric device recharging system of claim 6, wherein the barcode scanner MT6 scans a serial number in the form of a barcode and transmits the scanned barcode to the server MT1 through a desktop terminal having a list of serial number-seed pairs.

8. The electric device recharging system of claim 5, wherein the server MT1 sends back the corresponding seed point along with the secret configuration that was fed into the device through the serial-to-USB port.

9. The electric load recharging system of claim 5, wherein the manufacturer's communication device MT2 is configured to provide the seed point and secret configuration to the device through the USB to serial converter MT 7.

10. The powered device refill system of claim 1, wherein the business owner sub-module 110C comprises a business owner control panel 110C1 and a data analysis module 110C 2.

11. The powered device refill system of claim 1, wherein the distributor sub-module 110D comprises a distributor's control panel 110D1 and a data analysis module 110D 2.

12. The powered device recharging system of claim 1, wherein the customer sub-module 110E comprises a customer control panel 110E1 and a data analysis module 110E 2.

13. The powered device recharging system of claim 1, wherein the device management module 130 manages a pre-defined and configurable commission percentage of a distributor based on the type of the powered device, tracks a commission change log of a distributor for the powered device, and manages a calculation of a distributor balance based on the pre-defined commission percentage of the powered device.

14. The powered device refill system of claim 1 wherein the online payment management module 140 displays the current balance of the distributor through a portal and generates an invoice for each payment by the user.

15. The electric device charging system of claim 1, wherein the device charging management module 160 calculates a credit balance according to the type of the electric device and a commission percentage value, and records a transaction history of a user.

16. The powered device refill system of claim 1 wherein the report management module 170 has a filter for accessing data and viewing reports in graphical and textual form.

17. The powered device refill system of claim 1, wherein the input device 290 is selected from IR, keypad, bluetooth, DTMF receiver, etc.

18. The powered device recharging system of claim 1, wherein the powered device 300 is selectively configurable as a pay-per-use (PPU) device, a pay-per-time (PPT) device, or a pay-per-amp (PPA) device.

19. The powered device refill system of claim 18, wherein the PPU device is based on usage only, wherein the effectiveness of device usage is dependent on usage by a user.

20. The powered device charging system of claim 18 wherein the PPT device has a fixed validity period and its validity credit is decremented over time as it is completely independent of usage or power consumption.

21. The powered device loading system of claim 18, wherein the effectiveness of the PPA device is dependent on the current drawn by the load.

22. The powered device recharging system of claim 1, wherein the powered device 300 is tamper resistant through a bi-directional master-slave communication platform 3000 with at least one master unit 3010 and at least two slave units 3020, 3030.

23. The powered device loading system of claim 1, wherein the system 100 includes a virtual wallet that allows a user to transfer money to an owner/system account via UPI/USSD, NEFT, e-wallet, or the like.

24. The powered device refill system of claim 1 wherein the system 100 includes IOT and GSM for two-way communication to remotely control and monitor the device 300 to send refill codes directly to the device 300 without manual intervention.

25. The powered device refill system of claim 1, wherein the device 300 is embedded with a GPS module that sends location information of the device to the server via an SMS, Wi-Fi, or GPRS module.