# US 9,870,569 B2 · Flexible energy use offers > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,870,569 B2 - Document ID: US9870569B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/106,014 - Filed: 2013-12-13 - Published: 2015-06-18 - Granted: 2018-01-16 - Earliest claimed: 2013-12-13 - Assignees: Sap SE - Applicants: Andreas Doms - Inventors: Andreas Doms - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9870569B2 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0206: {Price or cost determination based on market factors} - G06Q 50/06: Energy or water supply - 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 ## Abstract A computer-implemented method includes receiving an offer of a flexible demand response event from a customer of a utility company, and determining a price of the offer in context of a load-supply balancing operation of the utility company. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A load balancer system coupled to an electrical grid, the system comprising: a memory; a processor coupled to the memory, the processor receiving an offer of a flexible demand of electricity from a customer, and executing an evaluator application to evaluate price values of a flexible demand response event for the flexible demand of electricity from the customer in context of a load balancing operation of electrical supply over the electrical grid by a utility company, the offer including a minimum energy_required parameter and a maximum_energy_required parameter for a time interval of the flexible demand response event, and acceptance, assignment and execution flexibility time parameters of the flexible demand response event; and an electrical supply controller controlling electrical supply over the electrical grid by the utility company to balance loads on the electrical grid to accommodate the flexible demand response event for the flexible demand of electricity from the customer at a price value accepted by the utility company. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The load balancer system of claim 1, wherein the evaluator application is configured to value individual flexibilities of one or more parameters of the flexible demand response event in context of the load-supply balancing operation of the utility. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The load balancer system of claim 2, wherein the evaluator application is configured to aggregate the values of the individual flexibilities as a single price of the offer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The load balancer system of claim 1, wherein the evaluator application is configured to individually value one or more of a time-to-assignment flexibility, a start-time-interval flexibility and an energy flexibility of the flexible demand response event in context of the load-supply balancing operation of the utility. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The load balancer system of claim 1, wherein the evaluator application is configured to individually value one or more of a time-to-assignment flexibility, a start-time-interval flexibility and an energy flexibility using a logistics function to compute price. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The load balancer system of claim 1, wherein the evaluator application is configured to individually value one or more of a time-to-assignment flexibility, a start-time-interval flexibility and an energy flexibility using an approximation to a logistics function to compute price. ### Claim 7 A non-transitory computer readable medium carrying instructions capable of being executed on a processor, which instructions when executed allow a load balancer system to: receive an offer of a flexible demand of electricity from a customer of a utility company, the offer including a minimum energy_required parameter and maximum_energy_required parameter for a time interval of a flexible demand response event for the flexible demand of electricity from the customer, and acceptance, assignment and execution flexibility time parameters of the flexible demand response event; and determine a price of the offer in context of a load-balancing operation of the utility company; and control electrical supply over the electrical grid by the utility company to balance loads on the electrical grid to accommodate the flexible demand response event for the flexible demand of electricity from the customer at a price value accepted by the utility company. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the offer includes a time to accept the offer and a time to assign the flexible demand response event in the load-supply balancing operation of the utility company. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the offer includes a start_after_time parameter and a start_before_time parameter for the flexible demand response event. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the offer includes a minimum_energy_required parameter and a maximum_energy_required parameter for a time interval of the flexible demand response event. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions when executed allow the load balancer system to determine the price of the offer in context of the load-supply balancing operation of the utility company by determining individual prices for flexibilities of one or more parameters of the flexible demand response event in the offer and aggregating the individual prices to obtain an aggregate price of the offer in context of the load-supply balancing operation of the utility company. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed allow the load balancer system to determine the price of the offer in context of a load-supply balancing operation of the utility company by determining a price for a time-to-assign flexibility using a logistics function to compute the price. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein determining the price for the time-to-assign flexibility using the logistics function to compute the price includes using an approximation price function in which price is zero for a time less than a minimum time-to-assign parameter, a maximum price for a time greater than a maximum time-to-assign parameter, and a linear or sigmoid function of time between the minimum time-to-assign parameter and the maximum time-to-assign parameter. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed allow the load balancer system to determine the price of the offer in context of a load-supply balancing operation of the utility company by determining a price for a start_time_interval flexibility using a logistics function to compute the price. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein determining the price for the start_time_interval flexibility using the logistics function to compute the price includes using an approximation price function in which price is zero for a time less than a minimum start_time_interval parameter, a maximum price for a time greater than a maximum start_time_interval parameter, and a linear or sigmoid function of time between the minimum start_time_interval parameter and the maximum start_time_interval parameter. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed allow the load balancer system to determine the price of the offer in context of a load-supply balancing operation of the utility company by determining a price for an energy flexibility using a logistics function to compute the price. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining the price for the energy flexibility using the logistics function to compute the price includes determining a price for an energy flexibility using an approximation price function in which price is zero for a time less than a min_energy_flexibility parameter, a maximum price for a time greater than a max_energy_flexibility parameter, and a linear or sigmoid function of time between the min_energy_flexibility parameter and the max_energy_flexibility parameter. ### Claim 18 A computer-implemented method performed by instructions executed on a processor, the method comprising: receiving an offer of a flexible demand of electricity from a customer of a utility company, the offer including a minimum energy_required parameter and a maximum_energy_required parameter for a time interval of a flexible demand response event for the flexible demand of electricity from the customer, and acceptance, assignment and execution flexibility time parameters of the flexible demand response event; and determining a price of the offer in context of a load-supply balancing operation of the utility company; and controlling electrical supply over the electrical grid by the utility company to balance loads on the electrical grid to accommodate the flexible demand response event for the flexible demand of electricity from the customer at a price value accepted by the utility company. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein determining the price of the offer includes determining individual prices for flexibilities of one or more parameters of the flexible demand response event in the offer and aggregating the individual prices to obtain an aggregate price of the offer in the context of the load-supply balancing operation of the utility company. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising, using the price of the offer in context of a load-supply balancing operation of the utility company as a basis for accepting the offer.