Since July 2011, Solar Choice Pty Ltd has had a “patent pending” for its unique Solar Quote Comparison system, which to date has allowed 105,000 Australian households and hundreds of Australian businesses to make a well-informed choice about installing solar panels. We have spent nearly six years developing our novel software and code, and invested over $650,000, so it’s worth protecting!
We hired patent specialist legal firm FB Rice to prepare and lodge the patent.
The patent encompasses any type of system that has been designed to automatically generate solar energy system installation quotes from a number of installation companies for easy comparison by someone looking into purchasing a solar power installation. The systems are currently in use only within the Solar Choice website and that of our UK office, Solar Selections. To our knowledge, nowhere else in the world has developed such a sophisticated system to deliver market transparency for solar energy consumers.
There are 9 aspects that comprise the automatic quote system covered under the patent. A link to the full patent is provided at at the bottom of the article. In brief, these aspects are:
1) The automatic solar quote system provides computer-implemented method for automatically providing quote information for solar power installations. Among other functions, the system generates quotes based on the geographic region entered–in the case of Solar Choice, a post code–and can support store and dispense information from a number of solar installation companies.
2) It provides software that when executed causes a computer to perform the method described in 1).
3) It provides for a computer to automatically generate quote information for solar power installations.
4) The system provides a computer-implemented method for receiving quote information for solar power installations, which can then be presented side-by-side (for easy comparison).
5) The system has software that when executed causes a computer to perform the method of 4).
6) It allows a computer to receive quote information for solar power installations comprising a processor, one or more communications ports and a presentation device, such that the processor controls the communication port to send a request for quote information, the quote request including an indication of a geographic area that the quote request applies to, and to receive quote information of candidate suppliers of solar power installations, wherein the candidate suppliers are a sub-set of suppliers and the sub-set is selected based on suppliers providing installation in the geographical area, and the processor controls the presentation device (typically a computer monitor) to present the quote information of the same criteria of each candidate supplier substantially adjacent.
7) It provides a computer-implemented method for automatically receiving information on received quote information for solar power installations by potential customers comprising.
8) It has software that when executed causes a computer to perform the method of 7)
9) It allows a computer to receive information on received quote information for solar power installations by potential customers.
Further reading
Full text of the pending patent (PDF)
© 2014 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
