Patent ID: 9579987
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: B60L,G01C,G06Q,G07F,H01M,H02J,H04L,H04W,Y02E,Y02T,Y04S

Claim:
1. A computer implemented method for managing charge status of a charge unit (CU) that is provided for public use to obtain charge for a battery of an electric vehicle (EV), the CU including a computer for processing at least part of the method, comprising: detecting, by the computer of the CU, a connection of a charging connector of the CU to a vehicle charge port of the EV, the detecting of the connection includes processing a data exchange between electronics of the EV and the computer of the CU; receiving, by the computer of the CU, charge status of the EV while the charging connector is connected to the CU, the received charge status of the EV changes as charge is provided from the CU to the battery of the EV; activating a visual indicator at the CU, by the computer of the CU, the visual indicator being set to indicate the charge status of the EV, the visual indicator at the CU being publically visible at and proximate to the CU while the vehicle charge port of the EV is connected to the CU, and the visual indicator of the CU indicating availability when the CU is not connected to the vehicle charge port of the EV; changing the visual indicator of the CU, by the computer of the CU, when the charge status of the EV changes; providing a network connection for the CU, the network connection being usable by the computer of the CU to communicate with at least one server of a cloud services system, the cloud services system managing access to the CU via user accounts, wherein the computer of the CU communicates with the cloud services system during charging of the battery of the EV; sending a notification by the cloud services system to a user account that was used to obtain charge for the EV at the CU, the notification providing data for a graphical user interface that shows the status of charge of the EV; and receiving instructions from the user account that was used to obtained charge for the EV at the CU, via a device, to make payment of a fee or receive a charge, to change the visual indicator of the CU to indicate a non-full state even when the EV is at a full level of charge while the EV is occupying the CU and is preventing others from access to the CU that is provided for public use; sending data by the cloud services system to the computer of the CU to make the change to the visual indicator.