# US 10,373,238 B2 · Systems and methods for vehicle refueling > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,238 B2 - Document ID: US10373238B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/209,934 - Filed: 2016-07-14 - Published: 2016-11-03 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-04 - Assignees: Powerbanq, LLC - Applicants: Powerbanq, LLC - Inventors: Newell H. Hill - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373238B2 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0635: {replenishment orders; recurring orders} - B60L 53/35: Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles - B60L 53/80: Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries - B67D 7/04: for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants - B67D 7/0498: {Arrangements specially adapted for transferring biofuels, e.g. ethanol-gasoline mixture} - G01C 21/3407: {specially adapted for specific applications} - G06Q 10/0631: Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations - G06Q 30/0226: Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems - G06Q 50/06: Energy or water supply - G06Q 50/40: Business processes related to the transportation industry (shipping G06Q10/083) - G08G 1/20: {Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles} - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B67D: DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes B08B9/02; emptying or filling of bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels, or similar containers, not otherwise provided for B67C; water supply E03; pipe systems F17D; domestic hot-water supply systems F24D; measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow or liquid level, metering by volume G01F; coin-freed or like apparatus G07F) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for replenishing the power source of a user vehicle. The system may comprise at least one power source transport vehicle, the power source transport vehicle having at least one power source container; a vendor device; and a platform having at least a vendor interface for display on the vendor device and a user interface for display on a user device. The platform receives a user request through the user interface regarding the user vehicle. The power source transport vehicle is then deployed to the location of the vehicle based on the user request and replenishes the power source of the user vehicle based on the user request. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for replenishing a power source of a user vehicle, comprising: receiving a user request for power source replenishment services for a user vehicle at a first location through a platform having a user interface accessible with a user device; coordinating the request with power source replenishment vendors through the platform with an on-board navigation system; directing the user vehicle through the platform to autonomously relocate itself to a second location having a power source replenishment station associated with a vendor using the on-board navigation system; and upon arrival of the vehicle at the second location, replenishing an amount of power source on the user vehicle from an amount of power source stored by the vendor at the power source replenishment station. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein replenishing an amount of power source of the user vehicle is done by either the user of the user vehicle or by a person acting on behalf of the vendor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the power source comprises at least one of gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, ethanol, isobutanol, methanol, butane, kerosene, propane, natural gas, synthetic fuels, complex hydrides, hydrogen, hydrogen peroxide, and oxygen. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the power source comprises at least one power source from the group consisting of at least one fuel cell, at least one battery, and electrical power. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the power source replenishment station is comprised of one or more power source replenishment units. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the power source replenishment station may be fixed or mobile. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the user vehicle is navigated autonomously from the power source replenishment station after replenishment of the power source to the first location or to another location. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the platform has a vendor interface accessible via a vendor device with at least one vendor and displays information about the user request on the vendor interface. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method for the user to input information into the platform comprises at least one method selected from the group consisting of: speaking on a telephone or using a telephone, computer, tablet, vehicle console module, or other device to email, text, or otherwise communicate using some form of electronic messaging method without using what has been commonly referred to as an “app”; using an “app” or other software application that is stored or executed on a telephone, computer, tablet, vehicle console module, or other device; using an electronic device to access an app via a network; and using a vehicle console module, computer, location detection, remote unlocking, and reporting device located on the vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein information input into the platform comprises at least one specific piece of information selected from the group consisting of: specific information about the user vehicle, information about the vehicle replenishment point, power source information, specific time for the replenishment including immediately, whether the replenishment should be on a periodic basis, and whether the replenishment should occur when the power source reserves reach a specific percentage of total power source capacity. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein replenishing an amount of power source of the user vehicle is done either automatically or semi-automatically. ### Claim 12 A system for replenishment of the power source of a user vehicle comprising: a mobile power source replenishment station; means for vendor delivery of the power source replenishment to a given location; means for navigating the user vehicle to the power source replenishment station in response to a user request for power source replenishment; and means for power source replenishment of the user vehicle by the power source replenishment station; wherein the navigation to the power source replenishment station and the power source replenishment of the user vehicle are coordinated by a digital platform connecting users to vendors. ### Claim 13 A method for replenishing a power source of a user vehicle, comprising: providing a platform having a user interface accessible via a user device and a vendor interface accessible via a vendor device, the platform configured for coordinating a user request for power replenishment with at least one vendor; and upon receiving a user request for power replenishment, navigating the user vehicle autonomously using an on-board navigation system to a power source replenishment station associated with a vendor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the platform displays at least information about the user request through the user interface accessible via the user device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the platform displays at least information about the user request through the vendor interface accessible via the vendor device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising, upon arrival of the user vehicle at the power source replenishment station, replenishing an amount of power source on the user vehicle from an amount of power source stored by the vendor at the power source replenishment station. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein replenishing an amount of power source of the user vehicle is done by either the user of the user vehicle or a person acting on behalf of the vendor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein replenishing an amount of power source of the user vehicle is done either automatically or semi-automatically. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the method for the user to input information into the platform comprises at least one method selected from the group consisting of: speaking on a telephone or using a telephone, computer, tablet, vehicle console module, or other device to email, text, or otherwise communicate using some form of electronic messaging method without using what has been commonly referred to as an “app”; using an “app” or other software application that is stored or executed on a telephone, computer, tablet, vehicle console module, or other device; using an electronic device to access an app via a network; and using a vehicle console module, computer, location detection, remote unlocking, and reporting device located on the vehicle. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the user request comprises at least one specific piece of information from the group consisting of: information about the user vehicle, information about the fuel replenishment station, power source information, specific time for the replenishment including immediately, and whether the replenishment should occur when the power source reserves reach a specific percentage of total power source capacity.