Automated system for car access in retail environment

• US 10,696,274 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2020
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Inventors: Tang, Qiaochu, Dagley, Geoffrey, Hoover, Jason, Price, Micah, Ghamsari, Avid
• Primary Examiner(s): Alizada, Omeed
• Application Number:
  US16/748,363
• Time in Patent Office: 161 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/101 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• 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: G07C 2209/02 Access control comprising means for the enrolment of users
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Aspects described herein may allow for vehicle access in a retail environment with limited human intervention. Systems and methods described herein may associate a vehicle with a physical location, and/or may enable a user to use a mobile device to select a vehicle for a test drive. The system may provide access to (e.g., unlock) the vehicle, and may track test drive information across one or more users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending, by a mobile device, a location of the mobile device and a request to access a vehicle;

receiving, by the mobile device, based on the location and the request, a response indicating that the vehicle is unlocked;

determining, by the mobile device, that a test drive of the unlocked vehicle has started;

sending, by the mobile device and based on determining that the test drive has started, global positioning system (GPS) information corresponding to a path taken by the vehicle;

capturing, by an electronic sensor and subsequent to the test drive, data corresponding to a physical marker at a parked location of the vehicle subsequent to the test drive; and

sending, by the mobile device, parking data comprising an association between the data, the physical marker, the parked location, and the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical marker comprises a QR code.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data comprises an image of the QR code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the test drive has started is based on the mobile device detecting a wireless connection to the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a disconnection of a wireless connection to the vehicle, wherein sending the data is based on detecting the disconnection.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the location of the mobile device based on detecting, by an electronic sensor of the mobile device, a second physical marker at the location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the physical marker is a QR code.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a proximity between the mobile device and the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the response indicating that the vehicle is unlocked is based on the proximity.

10. An apparatus comprising:

an electronic sensor;

a global positioning system (GPS) sensor;

a wireless transceiver;

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

send, by the wireless transceiver, location information associated with a user and a request to access a vehicle;

receive, by the wireless transceiver, based on the location information and the request, a response indicating that the vehicle is unlocked;

determine that a test drive of the unlocked vehicle has started;

send, by the wireless transceiver and based on determining that the test drive has started, information from the GPS sensor corresponding to a path taken by the vehicle;

capture, by the electronic sensor and subsequent to the test drive, data corresponding to a physical marker at a parked location of the vehicle subsequent to the test drive; and

send, by the wireless transceiver, parking data comprising an association between the data, the physical marker, the parked location, and the vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the physical marker comprises a QR code.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the data comprises an image of the QR code.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein determining that the test drive has started comprises detecting a wireless connection to the vehicle.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to detect a disconnection of a wireless connection to the vehicle, wherein sending the data is based on detecting the disconnection.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the wireless connection comprises a Bluetooth connection, and wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a cellular transceiver.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the location information comprises a proximity between the apparatus and the vehicle.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the physical marker comprises a QR code.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to send, via the wireless transceiver, authentication information for the user.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the response indicating that the vehicle is unlocked is based on the authentication information.

20. One or more non-transitory media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

receiving an input comprising authentication information for a user;

determining a proximity between the user and a vehicle;

sending, to a computing device, the authentication information, the proximity, and a request to access the vehicle;

receiving, based on the authentication information, the proximity, and the request, a response indicating that the vehicle is unlocked;

determining that a test drive of the unlocked vehicle has started;

sending based on determining that the test drive has started, location information corresponding to a path taken by the vehicle;

capturing, by an electronic sensor and subsequent to the test drive, data corresponding to a QR code corresponding to a parked location of the vehicle subsequent to the test drive; and

sending the data.