Importance

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Abstract

A user interface for a system for buying and selling resources consumed over time by using a network such as the Internet. The system facilitates the auction of commodities or resources consumed over time, such as energy. Aspects of the system include metering the actual use of the commodity, analysis of time-of-usage patterns, use of the Internet or other network to provide user interfaces and transfer of information, use of customer data such as location, division, billing code, type of usage, modeling of predicted and actual consumption with respect to a chosen plan. The system allows a consumer to acquire, maintain and manipulate usage statistics to allow for more intelligent planning and purchase of the commodity. The system allows a consumer to plan for control of consumption so as to optimize usage patterns such as shutting down non-essential equipment during peak usage hours to stay under certain critical usage parameters to optimize acquisition cost. Information can be downloaded to a computer and evaluated in real time or at a later time in 3rd party applications and analysis tools, such as a spreadsheet application. This provides flexible exploration and manipulation of the information. Existing, traditional, buying and regulatory procedures and rules are taken into account by the system. For example, tariffs and federal and local laws are taken into account. A buyer of resources can create an auction to permit resource suppliers to bid to supply the resource to the buyer.

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First Claim