IP Library Granted Patent US 8,442,917
Granted Patent B1
US 8,442,917 · App. 11/899,197 · Granted May 14, 2013

Energy distribution and marketing backoffice system and method

Inventor: John Burke (Dallas, TX)
Assignee: Ambit Holdings, L.L.C.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,442,917
App. No.
11/899,197
Granted
May 14, 2013
Kind
B1
Abstract

A retail energy provider system comprising a market transaction manager, business rules and requirements processor, usage rater, customer analysis and quality control auditor, customer billing processor and collection manager, customer payment processor, third party sales and marketing application programming interface, customer acquisition and residual income interface, having a wholesale forecaster, interactive voice response system, intranet web services, internet web services and network based external customer service and executive management systems and financial services functions, all said functions and systems interacting with a robust SQL database engine for which the novel database schema is taught herein.

Claims (29)

1. A system of networked computers computer programmed to store and execute a set of instructions that cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving a set of payment information related to an energy customer;

receiving a set of sales information related to a sales agent;

receiving a set of inbound transactions, related to a set of energy usage data for the energy customer;

deriving a set of outbound transactions, related to the set of inbound transactions;

sending the set of outbound transactions to an independent systems operator;

deriving a set of bill information, related to the set of energy usage data and the set of payment information; and,

deriving a set of commissions, based on the set of payment information, the set of bill information, the set of sales information and the set of energy usage data; and,

assigning a commission amount to be paid to the sales agent.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of deriving a set of commissions further comprises:

deriving a bill delinquency condition from the set of bill information, the set of payment information and the set of energy usage data.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a set of customer information from the energy customer; and

sending a connect order, in an outbound transaction of the set of outbound transactions, based on the set of customer information.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the operations further comprise:

deriving a bill delinquency condition, based on the set of bill information, the set of payment information and the set of energy usage; and

sending a disconnect order, in an outbound transaction of the set of outbound transactions, based on the bill delinquency condition.

5. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the set of inbound transactions further comprises a meter read date and a meter read quantity; and,

wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a first bill validity condition, based on the meter read date;

determining a second bill validity condition, based on the meter read quantity;

if the first bill validity condition is invalid, then logging a first exception to an exceptions worklist; and,

if the second bill validity condition is invalid, then logging a second exception to the exceptions worklist.

6. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the operations further comprise:

choosing an identifier for an energy meter associated with the energy customer;

searching the set of inbound transactions for a set of invoice transactions associated with the identifier for the energy meter;

searching the set of inbound transactions for a set of usage transactions associated with the identifier for the energy meter;

comparing the set of invoice transactions to the set of usage transactions to determine a matched transaction pair; and,

determining a bill validity condition based on the matched transaction pair.

Assignments (6)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE APPLICATION NUMBER 13759587 TO 13759387 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 69810 FRAME 742. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Jul 17, 2025
From: TXU ENERGY RETAIL COMPANY LLC; BLUENET HOLDINGS, LLC; CRIUS ENERGY, LLC; VISTRA ZERO LLC
To: CSC DELAWARE TRUST COMPANY, AS THE COLLATERAL TRUSTEE
Reel/Frame 072050/0347 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 2, 2025
From: BLUENET HOLDINGS, LLC; CRIUS ENERGY, LLC; TXU ENERGY RETAIL COMPANY LLC; VISTRA ZERO LLC
To: CSC DELAWARE TRUST COMPANY, AS COLLATERAL TRUSTEE
Reel/Frame 069810/0742 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 2, 2020
From: BLUENET HOLDINGS, LLC
To: DELAWARE TRUST COMPANY
Reel/Frame 052068/0940 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 20, 2017
From: AMBIT HOLDINGS, L.L.C.
To: BLUENET HOLDINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 043057/0498 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 3, 2011
From: AMBIT ENERGY, L.P.
To: AMBIT HOLDINGS, L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 027321/0698 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 4, 2007
From: BURKE, JOHN
To: AMBIT ENERGY, LP
Reel/Frame 019830/0305 →