A network of collection, charging and distribution machines collect, charge and distribute portable electrical energy storage devices. To charge, the machines employ electrical current from an external source. As demand at individual collection, charging and distribution machines increases or decreases relative to other collection, charging and distribution machines, a distribution management system initiates redistribution of portable electrical energy storage devices from one collection, charging and distribution machine to another collection, charging and distribution machine in an expeditious manner. Also, redeemable incentives are offered to users to return or exchange their portable electrical energy storage devices at selected collection, charging and distribution machines within the network to effect the redistribution.

Techniques for providing remote messages to mobile devices based on image data and other sensor data are discussed herein. Some embodiments may include one or more servers configured to: receive, from a consumer device via a network, location data indicating a consumer device location of a consumer device; receive, from the consumer device via the network, image data captured by a camera of the consumer device; receive, from the consumer device via the network, orientation data defining an orientation of the camera when the image data was captured, wherein the orientation data is captured by an accelerometer of the consumer device; attempt to extract a merchant identifier from the image based on programmatically processing the image data; determine one or more merchants based on a fuzzy search of available ones of the location data, the merchant identifier, and the orientation data.

A network of collection, charging and distribution machines collects, charges and distributes portable electrical energy storage devices (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors or ultracapacitors). Vehicle diagnostic data of a vehicle using the portable electrical energy storage device is stored on a diagnostic data storage system of the portable electrical energy storage device during use of a respective portable electrical energy storage device by a respective vehicle. Once the user places the portable electrical energy storage device in the collection, charging and distribution machine, or comes within wireless communications range of a collection, charging and distribution machine, a connection is established between the collection, charging and distribution machine and the portable electrical energy storage device. The collection, charging and distribution machine then reads vehicle diagnostic data stored on the diagnostic data storage system of the portable electrical energy storage device and provides information regarding the diagnostic data.

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for implementing a reality overlay device. A reality overlay device captures information that is pertinent to physical surroundings with respect to a device, the information including at least one of visual information or audio information. The reality overlay device may transmit at least a portion of the captured information to a second device. For instance, the reality overlay device may transmit at least a portion of the captured information to a server via the Internet, where the server is capable of identifying an appropriate virtual billboard. The reality overlay device may then receive overlay information for use in generating a transparent overlay via the reality overlay device. The transparent overlay is then superimposed via the device using the overlay information, wherein the transparent overlay provides one or more transparent images that are pertinent to the physical surroundings. Specifically, one or more of the transparent images may operate as virtual billboards. Similarly, a portable device such as a cell phone may automatically receive a virtual billboard when the portable device enters an area within a specified distance from an associated establishment.

A fuel deal advertisement method, system, and non-transitory computer readable medium, include determining if a plurality of navigation route maps overlap each other at a point along travel and when the plurality of navigation route maps overlap each other, generating an advertisement to entice a user to stop at a first fuel refill center along the plurality of navigation route maps instead of stopping at a second fuel refill center along the plurality of navigation route maps.

An advertisement distribution system, method, and computer readable medium (collectively, the System) is provided. The System may request posts containing a subject tag from social media operators. The posts may be made by merchants having a relationship with the System. The System may filter the posts based on filters, geographic data, and member preferences. The System may distribute the posts to members having a relationship with the System.

A fuel deal advertisement method, system, and non-transitory computer readable medium, include a navigation route and fuel availability determining circuit configured to determine a plurality of navigation route maps, each navigation route map including at least one fuel refill center for each of the plurality of navigation routes, an advertisement generating circuit configured to generate an advertisement for each of the at least one fuel refill center included on the plurality of navigation route maps, an advertisement playing circuit configured to play the advertisement for each of the at least one fuel refill center according to a predetermined rank of the advertisements, and a route selecting circuit configured to query a user of a vehicle to select a route of the plurality of navigation route maps including a preferred fuel refill center that the user wants to visit based on the advertisement.

A portable data terminal device configured as a personal shopping assistant (PSA) may display information about product locations in a store, product features, and alternative product recommendations upon request by a customer visiting the store's physical location. The PSA may detect and identify items placed into a shopping container, maintain an inventory of items selected for purchase, and communicate the inventory to a check-out station for rapid and convenient check-out and payment by the customer before leaving the store. The PSA may detect its location in a store and may activate an alarm when the PSA is moved outside a geofence boundary.

A network of collection, charging and distribution machines collect, charge and distribute portable electrical energy storage devices (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors or ultracapacitors). Locations of collection, charging and distribution machines having available charged portable electrical energy storage devices are communicated to or acquired by a mobile device of a user, or displayed on a collection, charging and distribution machine. The locations are indicated on a graphical user interface on a map on a user's mobile device relative to the user's current location. The user may use their mobile device select particular locations on the map to reserve an available portable electrical energy storage device. The system nay also warn the user that the user is near an edge of the pre-determined area having portable electrical energy storage device collection, charging and distribution machines. Reservations may also be made automatically based on information regarding a potential route of a user.

A computer system is provided that includes a server configured to store a plurality of location accounts, each location account being associated with a physical space at a recorded geospatial location. The plurality of location accounts utilize shared data definitions of a physical space parameter. Each physical space is equipped with a corresponding on-premise sensor configured to detect measured values for the physical space parameter over time and send to the server a data stream indicating the measured values. The server further includes a promotion engine configured to determine similarities between measured values of the physical space parameter for the plurality of location accounts and generate co-promotions between location accounts of the plurality of location accounts based on the determined similarities. The computer system further includes a user interface system, via which an authorized user for a location account can view and accept a co-promotion.