Method and apparatus for providing a toll service and flexible toll device

• US 10,019,706 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GeoToll, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GeoToll, Inc.
• Inventors: Geist, Wyatt Drake, Borras, Jaime Andres
• Primary Examiner(s): Epstein, Brian M
• Application Number:
  US14/091,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20150088617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 705 13, 340928, 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence

Abstract

A system, mobile device, backend server, and RFID toll module work in cooperation to automatically pay vehicular tolls to a toll agency that operates toll stations along a roadways travelled by the user of the mobile device. Upon approaching a toll station the mobile device enables the RFID toll module. The toll reader at the toll station transmits a toll reader signal that is received by the RFID toll module, which responds by transmitting a unique identifier. The unique identifier is associated with the mobile device at a toll account maintained by a toll service backend server. Upon completion of a toll transaction, the RFID toll module indicates the transaction to the mobile device, which forwards toll transaction information to the toll service backend server for payment from the toll account to the toll agency.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) toll module, comprising:

at least one RFID tag having a unique identifier used for toll transactions, and configurable to operate using a plurality of RFID protocols;

a processor coupled to the at least one RFID toll tag; and

an interface coupled to the processor that provides a communication connection to a mobile device;

wherein the processor is operable, by execution of instructions, to receive from the mobile device via the interface an instruction that indicates which of the plurality of RFID protocols to use for a toll transaction, and in response, configure the at least one RFID tag to conduct the toll transaction using the indicated RFID protocol, and wherein the at least one RFID tag receives transaction information from a toll reader during the toll transaction, the transaction information including at least one of an identifier of the toll reader, a geographic location, a timestamp, or a direction of travel, the processor is configured to transmit the transaction information to the mobile device over the interface, wherein the mobile device transmits the transaction information to a toll service backend server, and wherein the transaction information is used by the toll service backend server, that maintains an account associated with the RFID toll module, to reconcile a toll charge with a toll agency backend server of a toll agency that operates the toll reader.

2. The RFID toll module of claim 1, further comprising a compliant housing that fits over the mobile device.

3. The RFID toll module of claim 1, further comprising a memory that stores the plurality of RFID protocols to be used by the RFID tag for the toll transaction.

4. The RFID toll module of claim 1, wherein the interface is a wireless interface.

5. The RFID toll module of claim 4, wherein the transaction information includes at least two of the identifier of the toll reader, the geographic location, the timestamp, or the direction of travel.

6. The RFID toll module of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable, by execution of instructions, to receive the plurality of RFID protocols from the mobile device upon the RFID toll module being enabled by the mobile device, and prior to receiving the instruction that indicates which of the plurality of RFID protocols to use for a toll transaction.

7. The RFID toll module of claim 1, wherein the at least one RFID tag is a plurality of RFID tags, each one of the plurality of RFID tags operates using a respective one of the plurality of RFID protocols and is selectively enabled by switches by the processor such that only one of the plurality of RFID tags is enabled in response to the processor receiving the instruction indicating which of the plurality of RFID protocols to use for the toll transaction.

8. The RFID toll module of claim 4, wherein the interface is a near field communication (NFC) interface.

9. The RFID toll module of claim 1, wherein the interface is a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

10. A radio frequency identification (RFID) toll module, comprising:

a plurality of RFID tags, each one of the plurality of RFID tags configured to operate using a different one of a plurality of RFID protocols;

a processor;

an interface coupled to the processor that provides a communication connection to a mobile device; and

each of the plurality of RFID tags being coupled by switches between the processor and an antenna;

wherein the processor is operable, by execution of instructions, to receive from the mobile device via the interface an instruction that indicates which of the plurality of RFID protocols to use for a toll transaction, and in response, one of the plurality of RFID tags to the antenna where the RFID protocol indicated in the instruction corresponds to the RFID protocol of the one of the plurality of RFID tags connected to the antenna;

wherein the one of the plurality of RFID tags is operable to receive transaction information from a toll reader during the toll transaction, the transaction information including at least one of an identifier of the toll reader, a geographic location, a timestamp, or a direction of travel, and in response the processor is further operable to transmit the transaction information to the mobile device over the interface which then transmits the transaction information to a toll service backend server, and wherein the transaction information is used by the toll service backend server, that maintains an account associated with the RFID toll module, to reconcile a toll charge with a toll agency backend server of a toll agency that operates the toll reader.

11. The RFID toll module of claim 10, further comprising a compliant housing that fits over the mobile device.

12. The RFID toll module of claim 10, wherein the interface is a wireless interface.

13. The RFID toll module of claim 12, wherein the wireless interface is a near field communication interface.

14. The RFID toll module of claim 10, wherein the transaction information includes at least two of the identifier of the toll reader, the geographic location, the timestamp, or the direction of travel.