Patents by Inventor Jeffrey D. Taft

Jeffrey D. Taft has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120173030
    Abstract: A system and method that analyzes at least one aspect of the power grid for demand response in order to reduce feeder circuit losses is provided. The system and method may use a demand response model to select one or more factors for the demand response, such as selecting a subset of customers for demand response from a larger pool of available demand response customers. The demand response model may include a grid structure component, such as an indication of the particular customer's position in the grid, and a dynamic operation component, such as a real-time measurement of current in the feeder circuit. By using the demand response model, feeder circuit losses may thereby reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: ACCENTURE GLOBAL SERVICES LIMITED
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Publication number: 20120089356
    Abstract: A monitoring system includes a first sensor positioned at a first location along a phase conductor line and a second sensor position at a second location along the phase conductor line. The first sensor is configured to generate a first set of synchrophasor data. The second sensor is configured to generate a second set of synchrophasor data. The monitoring system includes a processor configured to receive the first and second sets of synchrophasor data. The processor is further configured to determine a primary side voltage of at least one distribution transformer electrically connected to the phase conductor line based on a secondary side voltage of the at least one distribution transformer. The processor is further configured to determine at least one phase conductor line condition based on the first and second sets of synchrophasor data and the primary side voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Applicant: Accenture Global Services Limited
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Publication number: 20120082159
    Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes receiving a request for a service that involves phasor measurement unit (PMU) data; identifying a service device in a network to perform the service; and multicasting one or more results of the service to a group of subscribers identified by a multicast group address. In more particular embodiments, particular PMU data is redirected to the service device via a service insertion architecture (SIA) protocol. In addition, the service can include replicating packets and masking a subset of traffic for forwarding to a first hop router of the network. In certain example instances, metadata is used in order to apply the service to certain traffic propagating in the network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Taft, Navindra Yadav
  • Publication number: 20120082048
    Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes receiving phasor measurement unit (PMU) data in a first transmission; converting the first transmission into a multicast transmission; and multicasting the PMU data to a multicast group address, which identifies a plurality of subscribers. In more specific implementations, the converting of the first transmission into the multicast transmission occurs at a first-hop router in relation to a PMU source that sent the first transmission. In some cases, the first transmission is a unicast transmission sent from a network element, which includes a PMU sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Taft, Navindra Yadav
  • Patent number: 8150557
    Abstract: A system and method that analyzes at least one aspect of the power grid for demand response in order to reduce feeder circuit losses is provided. The system and method may use a demand response model to select one or more factors for the demand response, such as selecting a subset of customers for demand response from a larger pool of available demand response customers. The demand response model may include a grid structure component, such as an indication of the particular customer's position in the grid, and a dynamic operation component, such as a real-time measurement of current in the feeder circuit. By using the demand response model, feeder circuit losses may thereby reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Patent number: 8121741
    Abstract: A method of managing an electric utility grid includes geographically grouping a set of customer electric usage meters to create a set of fine sensors on a power grid. Each usage meter in the grouped set is capable of being remotely monitored, and each usage meter is at a different location along the power line. If a power anomaly is detected at the subset of meters, then power to the electric utility grid is adjusted to correct the anomaly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Taft, Yan Zhu
  • Patent number: 8103467
    Abstract: A method for determining a primary side voltage of a distribution transformer includes determining a first current and a second current flowing through a secondary winding of the transformer at a plurality of time instants based on current meter data generated by a plurality of metered loads. The method may include determining a total current flowing to the plurality of metered loads for each of the plurality of time instants based on the first current and the second current. The method includes receiving a respective meter voltage from each of the plurality of metered loads at each of the plurality of time instants. The method includes determining a secondary side voltage of the transformer at each of the plurality of time instants based on the first, second, and total current and the respective meter voltages. The method includes determining the primary side voltage based on the secondary side voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Patent number: 8103466
    Abstract: A monitoring system includes a first sensor positioned at a first location along a phase conductor line and a second sensor position at a second location along the phase conductor line. The first sensor is configured to generate a first set of synchrophasor data. The second sensor is configured to generate a second set of synchrophasor data. The monitoring system includes a processor configured to receive the first and second sets of synchrophasor data. The processor is further configured to determine a primary side voltage of at least one distribution transformer electrically connected to the phase conductor line based on a secondary side voltage of the at least one distribution transformer. The processor is further configured to determine at least one phase conductor line condition based on the first and second sets of synchrophasor data and the primary side voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Publication number: 20110208366
    Abstract: A command filter module filters receives a plurality commands intended for receipt by devices interconnected within a utility grid. The command filter module may authorize the plurality of commands for execution by the respective devices based on predetermined set of command rules. Historical and real-time data may be implemented by the command filter module to perform an authorization decision for the plurality of commands. Authorized commands may be transmitted by the command filter module for receipt by the respective devices. The command filter module may generate rejection messages corresponding to unauthorized commands. The rejection messages may be transmitted to a source of an unauthorized command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2010
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Applicant: Accenture Global Services GmbH
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Patent number: 7945401
    Abstract: Multiple autonomous intelligent Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) are positioned on distribution lines in an electrical power grid. The intelligent RTUs perform analytics on power flowing through the distribution lines to provide real-time analysis of the power. The intelligent RTUs acquire sensor data from the distribution lines and locally perform the analytics on the sensor data to create processed data signals that are transmitted to a control center server to facilitate power distribution monitoring of the electrical power grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard James Bowdry, Jermaine Charles Edwards, Jared Steven Scheuer, Jeffrey D. Taft, Lance Suijun Wang, Diane Elizabeth Wiggins
  • Publication number: 20110004446
    Abstract: A network intelligence system may include a plurality of sensors located throughout and industry system. The sensors may obtain data related to various aspects of the industry network. The network intelligence system may include system endpoint intelligence and system infrastructure intelligence. The system endpoint and system infrastructure intelligence may provide distributed intelligence allowing localized decision-making to be made within the industry system based in response to system operation and occurrences. The network intelligence may include a centralized intelligence portion to communicate with endpoint and infrastructure intelligence. The centralized intelligence portion may provide responses on a localized level of the system or on a system-wide level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Applicant: Accenture Global Services GmbH
    Inventors: John Dorn, Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Publication number: 20100250014
    Abstract: A system and method that analyzes at least one aspect of the power grid for demand response in order to reduce feeder circuit losses is provided. The system and method may use a demand response model to select one or more factors for the demand response, such as selecting a subset of customers for demand response from a larger pool of available demand response customers. The demand response model may include a grid structure component, such as an indication of the particular customer's position in the grid, and a dynamic operation component, such as a real-time measurement of current in the feeder circuit. By using the demand response model, feeder circuit losses may thereby reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Patent number: 7778738
    Abstract: A system and method that analyzes at least one aspect of the power grid for demand response in order to reduce feeder circuit losses is provided. The system and method may use a demand response model to select one or more factors for the demand response, such as selecting a subset of customers for demand response from a larger pool of available demand response customers. The demand response model may include a grid structure component, such as an indication of the particular customer's position in the grid and a dynamic operation component, such as a real-time measurement of current in the feeder circuit. By using the demand response model, feeder circuit losses may thereby reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Publication number: 20100179780
    Abstract: A method for determining a primary side voltage of a distribution transformer includes determining a first current and a second current flowing through a secondary winding of the transformer at a plurality of time instants based on current meter data generated by a plurality of metered loads. The method may include determining a total current flowing to the plurality of metered loads for each of the plurality of time instants based on the first current and the second current. The method includes receiving a respective meter voltage from each of the plurality of metered loads at each of the plurality of time instants. The method includes determining a secondary side voltage of the transformer at each of the plurality of time instants based on the first, second, and total current and the respective meter voltages. The method includes determining the primary side voltage based on the secondary side voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Applicant: Accenture Global Services GmbH
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Publication number: 20100179779
    Abstract: A monitoring system includes a first sensor positioned at a first location along a phase conductor line and a second sensor position at a second location along the phase conductor line. The first sensor is configured to generate a first set of synchrophasor data. The second sensor is configured to generate a second set of synchrophasor data. The monitoring system includes a processor configured to receive the first and second sets of synchrophasor data. The processor is further configured to determine a primary side voltage of at least one distribution transformer electrically connected to the phase conductor line based on a secondary side voltage of the at least one distribution transformer. The processor is further configured to determine at least one phase conductor line condition based on the first and second sets of synchrophasor data and the primary side voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Applicant: Accenture Global Services GmbH
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Publication number: 20100152910
    Abstract: An outage intelligence application receives event messages indicative of occurrences associated with various devices within a power grid. The outage intelligence application determines a state of the various devices based on the event messages. Based on the event messages, the outage intelligence application can determine can determine and confirm an outage condition associate with a particular device. A fault intelligence application receives synchrophasor data for each phase in a multi-phase power grid. The synchrophasor includes phasor magnitude and phasor angle information for each phased. Based on the synchrophasor data, the fault intelligence application determines the presence of a fault involving one or more of the phases and identifies a particular fault type.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: Accenture Global Services GmbH
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Publication number: 20100138065
    Abstract: A system and method that analyzes at least one aspect of the power grid for demand response in order to reduce feeder circuit losses is provided. The system and method may use a demand response model to select one or more factors for the demand response (such as selecting a subset of customers for demand response from a larger pool of available demand response customers). The demand response model may include a grid structure component (such as an indication of the particular customer's position in the grid) and a dynamic operation component (such as a real-time measurement of current in the feeder circuit). By using the demand response model, feeder circuit losses may thereby reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Publication number: 20090326731
    Abstract: Multiple autonomous intelligent Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) are positioned on distribution lines in an electrical power grid. The intelligent RTUs are capable of performing advanced analytics on power flowing through the distribution lines, thus providing accurate real-time analysis of the power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Inventors: Richard James Bowdry, Jermaine Charles Edwards, Jared Steven Scheuer, Jeffrey D. Taft, Lance Suijun Wang, Diane Elizabeth Wiggins
  • Publication number: 20090281673
    Abstract: A smart grid for improving the management of a power utility grid is provided. The smart grid as presently disclosed includes using sensors in various portions of the power utility grid, using communications and computing technology to upgrade an electric power grid so that it can operate more efficiently and reliably and support additional services to consumers. The smart grid may include distributed intelligence in the power utility grid (separate from the control center intelligence) including devices that generate data in different sections of the grid, analyze the generated data, and automatically modify the operation of a section of the power grid. Further, the intelligent devices in the power utility grid may cooperate together to analyze and/or control the state of the power grid. Finally, the distributed intelligence may further include distributed storage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Taft
  • Publication number: 20090281679
    Abstract: A method of managing an electric utility grid includes geographically grouping a set of customer electric usage meters to create a set of fine sensors on a power grid. Each usage meter in the grouped set is capable of being remotely monitored, and each usage meter is at a different location along the power line. If a power anomaly is detected at the subset of meters, then power to the electric utility grid is adjusted to correct the anomaly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Inventors: JEFFREY D. TAFT, Yan Zhu