Multinodal Power Sensing, Aggregation, and Transmission

Abstract

A power source provides power (e.g., electrical power) to a powered object. The object is identified and the amount of power consumed by the object is measured. Information representing the object identity and the amount of power consumed by the object is transmitted to a remote server. Proximity between a device and the object may be determined, in response to which the device may obtain the information representing the object identity and the amount of power consumed by the object, and transmit such information to the remote server, in addition to information representing an identity of a user of the device.

1 . A method performed by at least one computer processor executing computer program instructions stored on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method comprising:
 (A) at a first device associated with a first user, obtaining a first object identifier of a first object;   (B) at a first sensor that is distinct from the first device, sensing first object sensed power input representing a first amount of power consumed by the first object at a first time;   (C) obtaining a first user-associated identifier, the user-associated identifier comprising at least one of an identifier of a user of the first device and an identifier of the first device;   (D) determining that at least one of the first user and the first device is associated with the first object;   (E) determining that at least one of the first user and the first device is associated with the first amount of power at the first time;   (F) updating an account associated with at least one of the first user and the first device to reflect the first amount of power;   (G) at the first device associated with the first user, obtaining a second object identifier of a second object;   (H) at a second sensor that is distinct from the first device, sensing second object sensed power input representing a second amount of power consumed by the second object at a second time;   (I) obtaining a second user-associated identifier, the second user-associated identifier comprising at least one of the identifier of the user of the first device and the identifier of the first device;   (J) determining that at least one of the first user and the first device is associated with the second object;   (K) determining that at least one of the first user and the first device is associated with the second amount of power at the second time; and   (L) updating the account associated with the at least one of the first user and the first device to reflect the second amount of power.