Smart fuel dispenser for efficient fuel delivery

• US 10,138,112 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Global Technologies International Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Grice, Jonathan Keener, Parker, Emil Paul, Gurdal, Alper Sitki
• Primary Examiner(s): Niesz, Jason K
• Application Number:
  US15/215,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20180022596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 141 2, 141 94
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/04 for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/145 by wireless communication means, e.g. RF, transponders or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/302 using electrical or electro-mechanical means B67D7/307 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/348 by interrogating an information transmitter, e.g. a transponder B67D7/145 takes precedence

Abstract

A fuel dispenser may include a transceiver for wireless communication with a transceiver on a vehicle in order to receive vehicle information about a vehicle in response to a transceiver on the vehicle coming into a wireless communication range of the transceiver of the fuel dispenser. The vehicle information may be used to identify at least one fuel type that is suitable for the vehicle and the fuel dispenser may be prevented from dispensing a fuel type other than the at least one identified fuel type. The vehicle may also request a specific amount of fuel. A fuel transaction is complete when the amount of fuel dispensed reaches the requested amount or when an automatic shut-off mechanism is triggered.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a fuel dispenser having a controller, information about a vehicle and a fuel amount requested by the vehicle in response to the vehicle coming into a communication range of the controller, wherein the controller receives the vehicle information via wireless communication between a transceiver secured to the vehicle and a transceiver on the fuel dispenser;

using the information to identify at least one fuel type that is suitable for the vehicle; and

preventing the fuel dispenser from dispensing a fuel type other than the at least one identified fuel type to the vehicle;

setting the requested fuel amount as a limit on the amount of fuel that the fuel dispenser will dispense to the vehicle; and

dispensing fuel to the vehicle until either the amount of dispensed fuel is equal to the requested amount of fuel or an automatic shut-off is triggered, wherein the dispensed fuel is one of the at least one fuel type identified to be suitable for the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle transceiver and the fuel dispenser transceiver communicate using a communication protocol selected from near-field communication, active radio frequency identification, passive radio frequency identification, and short range wireless.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein using the vehicle information to identify at least one fuel type that is suitable for the vehicle, includes searching a vehicle database to identify a suitable fuel type associated with the vehicle information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the vehicle information includes a make and model of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the vehicle information includes a unique vehicle identification number of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle information includes a request for a specific type of fuel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle information includes a current use of the vehicle selected from towing, heavy cargo, and high altitude;

and

the fuel dispenser controller recommending a fuel type from among the suitable fuel types that is preferred for the current use of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

the fuel dispenser controller selecting an advertisement from among multiple advertisements on the basis of one or more parameter of the vehicle information received via communication with the vehicle; and

producing the selected advertisement on one or more output device of the fuel dispenser, wherein the one or more output device is selected from a display screen, speaker, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more parameter of the vehicle information is selected from a make of the vehicle, a model of the vehicle, and an age of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the fuel dispenser controller using the fuel dispenser transceiver to transmit fuel dispensing transaction details to the vehicle via the vehicle transceiver in response to completion of the fuel dispensing transaction.

11. A computer program product for controlling operation of a fuel dispenser, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the program instructions are executable by a processor controlling the fuel dispenser to cause the processor to:

receive information about a vehicle and a fuel amount requested by the vehicle in response to the vehicle coming into a communication range of the fuel dispenser, wherein the processor receives the vehicle information via wireless communication between a transceiver secured to the vehicle and a transceiver on the fuel dispenser;

use the information to identify at least one fuel type that is suitable for the vehicle; and

prevent the fuel dispenser from dispensing a fuel type other than the at least one identified fuel type to the vehicle;

set the requested fuel amount as a limit on the amount of fuel that the fuel dispenser will dispense to the vehicle; and

dispense fuel to the vehicle until either the amount of dispensed fuel is equal to the requested amount of fuel or an automatic shut-off is triggered, wherein the dispensed fuel is one of the at least one fuel type identified to be suitable for the vehicle.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the vehicle transceiver and the fuel dispenser transceiver communicate using a communication protocol selected from near-field communication, active radio frequency identification, passive radio frequency identification, and short range wireless.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to use the vehicle information to identify at least one fuel type that is suitable for the vehicle, include program instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to search a vehicle database to identify a suitable fuel type associated with the vehicle information.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the vehicle information includes a make and model of the vehicle.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the vehicle information includes a unique vehicle identification number of the vehicle.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the vehicle information includes a request for a specific type of fuel.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the vehicle information includes a current use of the vehicle selected from towing, heavy cargo, and high altitude;

and

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to recommend a fuel type from among the suitable fuel types that is preferred for the current use of the vehicle.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, where the program instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to:

select an advertisement from among multiple advertisements on the basis of one or more parameter of the vehicle information received via communication with the vehicle; and

produce the selected advertisement on one or more output device of the fuel dispenser, wherein the one or more output device is selected from a display screen, speaker, or a combination thereof.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the one or more parameter of the vehicle information is selected from a make of the vehicle, a model of the vehicle, and an age of the vehicle.

20. The computer program product of claim 11, where the program instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to:

use the fuel dispenser transceiver to transmit fuel dispensing transaction details to the vehicle via the vehicle transceiver in response to completion of the fuel dispensing transaction.