Fuel dispenser management

• US 10,118,814 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wayne Fueling Systems LLC (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Wayne Fueling Systems LLC (Dover Corporation)
• Inventors: Harrell, Daniel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Danneman, Paul
• Application Number:
  US14/710,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20150298959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/04 for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/08 Arrangements of devices for controlling, indicating, metering or registering quantity or price of liquid transferred arrangement of flow- or pressure-control valves B67D7/36; computing, calculating, counting G06; coin-freed apparatus for dispensing fluids G07F13/00; prepayment devices for metering liquids G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/22 Arrangements of indicators or registers indicating or recording in fluid meters G01F15/06

Abstract

Automated systems and processes may provide fuel dispenser management. In one aspect, a system for managing a fuel dispenser may include a dispenser manager, a display, a user input device, a fuel controller, and a management module at the fuel dispenser. The dispenser manager may be operable to control electronic functions of the fuel dispenser. The display may be coupled to the dispenser manager and operable to visually present fueling session data, and the user input device may also be coupled to the dispenser manager and operable to detect user indications during a fueling session. The fuel controller may be coupled to the dispenser manager and operable to control fuel flow operations. The management module may be associated with the dispenser manager and operable to generate operational commands for the dispenser manager.

Claims

1. An autonomous method performed by a fuel dispenser, the method comprising:

detecting user indications with a user input device regarding a fueling session;

determining with a management module at a fuel dispenser that a customer desires to initiate a fueling session and whether to dispense fuel;

receiving customer payment data at the fuel dispenser;

determining whether communication with a facility controller remote from the fuel dispenser is available;

with communication with the facility controller not being available, determining with the management module whether the received customer payment data is acceptable;

in response to determining that the received customer payment data is acceptable;

generating with the management module an operational command for a dispenser manager at the fuel dispenser to implement in the fuel dispenser if fuel should be dispensed;

generating a control signal for a fuel controller at the fuel dispenser with the dispenser manager based on the operational command;

dispensing fuel with the fuel controller in response to the control signal; and

presenting fueling session data on a display during the fueling session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to dispense fuel comprises:

requesting the customer payment data;

determining that the customer payment data has been received.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

determining that a customer desires to initiate a fueling session comprises detecting activation of the user input device;

requesting customer payment data comprises generating a user interface for visual presentation on the display;

determining that customer payment data has been received comprises detecting insertion of a payment card; and

determining whether the received customer payment data is acceptable comprises performing a checksum on an account number in the received customer payment data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing data regarding the fueling session for later download.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the data includes customer payment data and fuel dispensing data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, with communication with the facility controller being available:

communicating the received customer payment data to the facility controller and then receiving at the fuel dispenser command signals from the facility controller regarding dispensing fuel;

generating with the management module an operational command for the dispenser manager to implement in the fuel dispenser if fuel should be dispensed, wherein the operational command is based on the command signals from the facility controller;

generating a control signal for the fuel controller with the dispenser manager based on the operational command;

dispensing fuel with the fuel controller in response to the control signal; and

presenting fueling session data on the display during the fueling session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, in response to the management module determining that the received customer payment data is not acceptable, the fueling session is not initiated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer payment data includes credit card data.

9. An autonomous method performed by a fuel dispenser, the method comprising:

detecting user indications with a user input device regarding a fueling session;

determining with a module at a fuel dispenser that a customer desires to initiate a fueling session and whether to dispense fuel, the module being configured to transition between an active state, in which the module authorizes fuel payments, and a passive state, in which the module receives fuel payment authorizations from a facility controller remote from the fuel dispenser;

receiving customer payment data at the fuel dispenser;

when the module is in the active state;

determining with the module whether the received customer payment data is acceptable, and

in response to determining that the received customer payment data is acceptable, causing fuel to be dispensed from the fuel dispenser;

when the module is in the passive state;

receiving data at the fuel dispenser from the facility controller indicative of the received customer payment data being authorized, and

in response to the received customer payment data being authorized, causing fuel to be dispensed from the fuel dispenser.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a default state of the module is the active state.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining whether communication with the facility controller remote is available;

and

in response to determining that communication with the facility controller is not available, transitioning the module from the active state to the passive state.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the customer payment data includes credit card data.

13. An autonomous method performed by a fuel dispenser, the method comprising:

detecting user indications with a user input device regarding a fueling session;

determining with a module at a fuel dispenser that a customer desires to initiate a fueling session and whether to dispense fuel, the module having a default active state in which the module authorizes fuel payments and in which the module cannot communicate with a remote facility controller configured to authorize fuel payments;

receiving customer payment data at the fuel dispenser; and

with the module is in the default active state;

determining with the module whether the received customer payment data is acceptable, and

in response to determining that the received customer payment data is acceptable, causing fuel to be dispensed from the fuel dispenser.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining whether communication with the facility controller remote is available;

and

in response to determining that communication with the facility controller is available, transitioning the module from the active state to a passive state in which the remote facility controller authorizes fuel payments and communicates fuel dispensing command signals to the fuel dispenser.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the customer payment data includes credit card data.