Smart EV Charging to Protect Battery Life During Long Parking
This patent describes a system that intelligently discharges and recharges an electric vehicle's battery while parked for a long time, like at an airport, to prevent battery damage and ensure it's ready when the owner returns, using vehicle-to-grid technology.
Original patent title: “Curtailing battery degradation of an electric vehicle during long-term parking”
This patent describes a system that intelligently discharges and recharges an electric vehicle's battery while parked for a long time, like at an airport, to prevent battery damage and ensure it's ready when the owner returns, using vehicle-to-grid technology. Granted to Inventus Holdings in 2022 with 24 claims and 3 forward citations, and it is expected to expire in 2040.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a computer program, called a "charge control application" (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1), that manages an electric vehicle's (EV) battery when it's parked for an extended period. When the EV connects to a special "vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interface" (Claim 1), the application first commands the interface to discharge the battery to a "low threshold state of charge (SoC)" (Claim 1). This low charge level helps prevent the battery from degrading while stored. The system then figures out when the EV owner is expected to return by using information from their "end-user device" (Claim 1), such as a smartphone (Claim 4) or the car's computer (Claim 5), which might include flight details (Claim 6). Based on this predicted return time, the application calculates a "return threshold time" (Claim 1) and commands the V2G interface to recharge the battery to an "upper threshold SoC" (Claim 1) just before the owner is expected back. For example, if you park your EV at an airport for a week, the system might discharge your battery to 3% (Claim 7) for storage, then recharge it to 95% (Claim 8) just before your flight lands.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover battery management systems that only charge or only discharge without the intelligent timing based on an expected return.
- Does not cover systems that manage battery degradation without specifically utilizing a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interface.
- Does not cover systems that determine an operator's return time without using data from an "end-user device" or information characterizing "another vehicle" like a flight.
- Does not cover simply maintaining a battery at a fixed State of Charge (SoC) without the initial discharge to a low threshold and a timed recharge to an upper threshold.
- Does not cover systems that do not involve both a "low threshold SoC" and an "upper threshold SoC" for battery management.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in combining active battery degradation prevention, by discharging the battery to a safe low State of Charge for storage, with predictive timing using external data like flight schedules to ensure the battery is fully charged just in time for the owner's return, all while leveraging a V2G connection.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Electric vehicle charging stations at airports or long-term parking facilities
Smart charging services that integrate with travel itineraries
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) parking solutions for fleet management
EVs with advanced battery management systems for extended parking
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Battery degradation is a significant concern for electric vehicle owners, especially when cars are left parked for long periods at very high or very low charge levels. This patent offers a solution by actively managing the battery's state of charge to extend its lifespan. Furthermore, by integrating with "vehicle-to-grid" technology, it allows the EV to potentially provide power back to the electricity grid, which could offer financial incentives to owners and help stabilize power networks.
Filed
May 8, 2020
Granted
February 1, 2022
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Major automotive companies like Tesla, Ford, GM, and Hyundai are actively developing smart charging features and exploring vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities for their electric vehicles. Charging infrastructure providers such as ChargePoint and EVgo are also involved in creating V2G-compatible stations and services. Additionally, energy management companies are working on integrating EV batteries into grid services.
Market impact
This technology contributes to the broader trend of smart charging and V2G integration within the electric vehicle market. By addressing battery degradation during long parking, it enhances the appealappealAfter repeated rejections, an applicant can appeal to the PTAB — and from there to federal court. Slow and expensive.Read more → of EV ownership and potentially reduces long-term battery replacement costs. It also supports the development of a more flexible energy grid where EVs can function as distributed energy storage assets, offering revenue opportunities for owners and grid stability benefits.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a computer program, called a "charge control application" (Claim 1), that manages an electric vehicle's (EV) battery when it's parked for an extended period. When the EV connects to a special "vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interface" (Claim 1), the application first commands the interface to discharge the battery to a "low threshold state of charge (SoC)" (Claim 1). This low charge level helps prevent the battery from degrading while stored. The system then figures out when the EV owner is expected to return by using information from their "end-user device" (Claim 1), such as a smartphone (Claim 4) or the car's computer (Claim 5), which might include flight details (Claim 6). Based on this predicted return time, the application calculates a "return threshold time" (Claim 1) and commands the V2G interface to recharge the battery to an "upper threshold SoC" (Claim 1) just before the owner is expected back. For example, if you park your EV at an airport for a week, the system might discharge your battery to 3% (Claim 7) for storage, then recharge it to 95% (Claim 8) just before your flight lands.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in combining active battery degradation prevention, by discharging the battery to a safe low State of Charge for storage, with predictive timing using external data like flight schedules to ensure the battery is fully charged just in time for the owner's return, all while leveraging a V2G connection.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover battery management systems that only charge or only discharge without the intelligent timing based on an expected return.
- Does not cover systems that manage battery degradation without specifically utilizing a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interface.
- Does not cover systems that determine an operator's return time without using data from an "end-user device" or information characterizing "another vehicle" like a flight.
- Does not cover simply maintaining a battery at a fixed State of Charge (SoC) without the initial discharge to a low threshold and a timed recharge to an upper threshold.
- Does not cover systems that do not involve both a "low threshold SoC" and an "upper threshold SoC" for battery management.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
12/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
16/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$42K – $135K
Midpoint $84K · 13.8 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
24 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Collins, C. S., Shrivastava, P., Brake, D. M., & VIDHI, R. (2022). Smart EV Charging to Protect Battery Life During Long Parking (U.S. Patent No. 11,235,681). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11235681/curtailing-battery-degradation-of-an-electric-vehicle-during-long-term-parking
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Smart EV Charging to Protect Battery Life During Long Parking cover?
This patent describes a system that intelligently discharges and recharges an electric vehicle's battery while parked for a long time, like at an airport, to prevent battery damage and ensure it's ready when the owner returns, using vehicle-to-grid technology.
Who owns patent US 11235681?
Inventus Holdings owns this patent, granted in 2022.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on May 8, 2040, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 11235681 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 3 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Battery degradation is a significant concern for electric vehicle owners, especially when cars are left parked for long periods at very high or very low charge levels. This patent offers a solution by actively managing the battery's state of charge to extend its lifespan. Furthermore, by integrating with "vehicle-to-grid" technology, it allows the EV to potentially provide power back to the electricity grid, which could offer financial incentives to owners and help stabilize power networks.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover battery management systems that only charge or only discharge without the intelligent timing based on an expected return.
Patent monitoring