Toll payment equipment

• US 10,074,219 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2014
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Wilson, Thomas J., Biemer, Edward A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwong, Cho
• Application Number:
  US14/573,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20160180604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 705 4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

Methods, computer-readable media, software, and apparatuses provide a system for making toll payments using toll payment equipment. The system may include a mobile computing device, a toll gateway, and an insurance company computing device. The mobile computing device (e.g., a phone) may be configured to communicate with the toll gateway when a vehicle carrying the mobile computing device passes through the toll gateway. The mobile computing may send a signal to the insurance company computing device to cause the insurance company computing device to pay an appropriate toll or discounted toll (if applicable). The insurance company may maintain an account for a customer from which toll payments are made. In addition, the insurance company computing device may collect information about the vehicle as it passes through the toll gateway. The insurance company computing device may use this information to determine an insurance-related value, such as an insurance premium.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first computing device associated with a first user, wherein the first computing device is configured to send and receive cellular phone calls;

a toll gateway comprising a camera, wherein the toll gateway is configured to;

operate the camera to capture one or more images of a first vehicle and a second vehicle passing through the toll gateway ahead of the first vehicle;

analyze the one or more images to determine tailgating information indicating that the first vehicle is tailgating the second vehicle;

communicate with the first computing device while the first computing device is located within the first vehicle; and

one or more insurance company computing devices configured to;

receive, from the first computing device or the toll gateway, a signal indicating that the first computing device passed through the toll gateway;

determine whether the first user has agreed to share the tailgating information;

in response to determining that the first user has agreed to share the tailgating information, determine that the first user qualifies for a discount on a toll owed by the first user for passing through the toll gateway;

electronically transfer funds, based on the discount, from an account associated with the first computing device;

receive, from the first computing device or the toll gateway, the tailgating information; and

determine an insurance related value based on the tailgating information.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the first computing device comprises a cell phone and is further configured to collect drive data from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver of the first computing device or from an accelerometer of the first computing device,

wherein the first computing device is configured to transmit the drive data to the one or more insurance company computing devices, and

wherein the one or more insurance company computing devices are configured to determine the insurance related value further based on the drive data.

3. The system of claim 1,

wherein the toll gateway is configured to transmit a beacon signal to detect the first computing device, and

wherein the first computing device is configured to receive the beacon signal and transmit a response signal to the toll gateway in response to receiving the beacon signal.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first computing device executes a program that runs in a background of the first computing device to detect the beacon signal and that enters a sleep mode in response to determining, based on acceleration data, that the first computing device has not exceeded a predetermined speed for a predetermined amount of time.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

determine whether the toll is owed; and

in response to determining that the toll is owed, transmit, to at least one of the one or more insurance company computing devices, information identifying the first computing device and information identifying the toll gateway that the first vehicle passed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to transmit, to the toll gateway, a signal indicating that a toll payment was made or will be made.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to provide a user with a message indicating that a toll payment was successfully completed and indicating that the discount was applied.

8. The system of claim 1,

wherein the one or more insurance company computing devices are further configured to:

determine whether a toll payment is successful;

select one or more advertisements based on whether the toll payment is successful; and

transmit the one or more advertisements to the first computing device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more insurance company computing devices are further configured to:

determine an amount of the toll;

identify the account associated with the first computing device;

determine whether the funds are sufficient to cover the toll; and

in response to determining that the funds are insufficient to cover the toll, transmit one or more advertisements to the first computing device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more insurance company computing devices are further configured to:

determine, based on a difference between the amount of the toll and an amount of the funds, a number of the one or more advertisements to be transmitted to the first computing device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the insurance related value comprises at least one of an insurance premium, an insurance deductible, or a drive score used in determining the insurance premium or the insurance deductible.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more insurance company computing devices are configured to:

determine an advertisement based on a time that the first vehicle passed through the toll gateway; and

transmit, to the first computing device, the advertisement in exchange for applying a second discount to the toll.

19. The system of claim 1,

wherein the toll gateway is configured to:

determine that a second computing device, associated with a second user, is in the first vehicle when the first vehicle passed through the toll gateway; and

transmit information indicating that the second computing device and the first computing device were in the first vehicle as the first vehicle passed through the toll gateway, and

wherein the one or more insurance company computing devices are configured to;

determine, based on the information indicating that the second computing device and the first computing device were in the first vehicle as the first vehicle passed through the toll gateway, that the first user and second user were carpooling; and

based on determining that the first user and the second user were carpooling, apply a second discount to the toll.

20. The system of claim 1,

wherein the toll gateway is configured to:

determine that a second computing device, associated with a second user, is in the first vehicle when the first vehicle passed through the toll gateway; and

transmit a second signal indicating that the second computing device passed through the toll gateway, and

wherein the one or more insurance company computing devices are configured to;

after receiving the signal and the second signal, determine that the first computing device and the second computing device were both in the first vehicle as the first vehicle passed through the toll gateway; and

after determining that the first computing device and the second computing device were both in the first vehicle as the first vehicle passed through the toll gateway, select, based on a user preference, the account associated with the first computing device instead of a second account associated with the second computing device so the account and the second account are not both charged for the first vehicle passing through the toll gateway.

12. A system, comprising:

a network interface configured to communicate, via a network, with a mobile computing device and a toll gateway, wherein the mobile computing device is configured for use in cellular phone calls and wherein the toll gateway comprises a camera and is configured to;

operate the camera to capture one or more images of a first vehicle and a second vehicle passing through the toll gateway ahead of the first vehicle;

analyze the one or more images to determine tailgating information indicating that the first vehicle is tailgating the second vehicle; and

detect the mobile computing device within the first vehicle; and

at least one processor configured to;

receive, from the mobile computing device or the toll gateway and via the network interface, a signal indicating that the mobile computing device passed through the toll gateway;

determine whether a user, associated with the mobile computing device, has agreed to share the tailgating information;

in response to determining that the user has agreed to share the tailgating information, determine that the user qualifies for a discount on a toll owed by the user for passing through the toll gateway;

electronically transfer funds from an account associated with the user, wherein an amount of the funds is based on the discount;

transmit, to an entity responsible for collecting the toll, an electronic payment for the toll;

receive, from the mobile computing device or the toll gateway and via the network interface, the tailgating information; and

determine an insurance related value based on the tailgating information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine whether the amount of the funds is less than the toll; and

in response to determining that the amount of the funds is less than the toll, transmit one or more advertisements to the mobile computing device.

14. A method, comprising

receiving, by an insurance company computing device from a mobile computing device via a cellular backhaul, a signal indicating that a vehicle carrying the mobile computing device has passed through a toll gateway;

after receiving the signal, determining an account associated with the mobile computing device;

determining whether a user of the mobile computing device has agreed to share tailgating information that is generated by the toll gateway based on an analysis of one or more images, captured using a camera of the toll gateway, of the vehicle as the vehicle passed through the toll gateway;

in response to determining that the user has agreed to share the tailgating information, determining that the user qualifies for a discount on a toll owed by the user for passing through the toll gateway;

transferring funds, based on the discount, from the account to pay the toll;

receiving, from the mobile computing device or the toll gateway, the tailgating information; and

determining an insurance related value based on the tailgating information.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising

sending, to the mobile computing device, a signal indicating that the toll was paid and that the discount was applied.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining an amount of the toll;

determining whether the funds are sufficient to cover the toll; and

in response to determining that the funds are insufficient to cover the toll, determining, based on a difference between the amount of the toll and an amount of the funds, one or more advertisements; and

transmitting the one or more advertisements to the mobile computing device.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining that the funds are insufficient to cover the toll;

in response to determining that the funds are insufficient, determining one or more advertisements; and

storing, in memory of the mobile computing device, the one or more advertisements; and

in response to determining that a drive is finished, automatically presenting the one or more advertisements.