Toll road toll paying method and apparatus using a portable terminal, and a storage medium thereof

• US 20030115095A1
• Filed: 04/03/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Yamauchi, Yuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,742,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3265 characterised by personalisation for use
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A particular application is invoked in a cellular phone (an arbitrary one of a plurality of cellular phones if they exist) of a person who is riding in an automobile prior to the passage of a gate at an entry/exit of a toll road. The cellular phone in which the application is invoked transmits a particular signal (a signal including the information expressing the intention to use the turnpike) different from a normal cellular phone signal when passing through a gate. Data of the particular signal is transferred to a server via the gate. Information about the user, information about the gate at the entry/exit, etc. are recorded, and a turnpike (toll road) toll is charged based on these information. The turnpike toll can be split and paid by a plurality of persons. A user and a split toll payer must be persons who are pre-registered to the server.

Claims

1. A toll road toll paying method using a portable terminal, comprising:

transmitting a signal received from a portable terminal from a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road to a server;

determining by the server whether or not the signal includes a toll road use signal; and

charging a toll based on the toll road use signal if the signal is determined to include the toll road use signal.

2. The toll road toll paying method according to claim 1, wherein:

the toll road use signal includes information about a split toll payer and a payment ratio in addition to user information; and

the server determines payment amounts of a user and each split toll payer based on a calculated toll and the payment ratio when charging the toll.

3. The toll road toll paying method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting respective information and information about the gate from the gate to the server, when the toll road use signal which includes the information about a split toll payer, a particular identifier, and a payment ratio is transmitted from the portable terminal; and

recognizing that all of split toll payers and a registered user, whose particular identifiers are the same, are riding in a same automobile, and determining each payment amount by splitting the toll charged for the automobile at a payment ratio after calculating the toll, by the server.

4. The toll road toll paying method according to claim 2, further comprising

transmitting e-mail for verifying/acknowledging a toll payment and a payment ratio of a toll road from the server to a portable terminal of a split toll payer.

5. A computer-readable storage medium on which is recorded a program for causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:

determining whether or not a user is pre-registered based on user information and position information, which are transmitted from each gate, if a transmission source is a gate at an entry; and

permitting passage and recording a use start point if the user is pre-registered as a result of the determination, and verifying the user and calculating a toll based on a use end point, the recorded use start point, and a pre-stored toll table if the transmission source is a gate at an exit.

6. A toll road toll paying method, comprising:

transferring a signal received from a portable terminal from a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road to a server, if the signal includes a toll road use signal; and

charging by the server a toll based on the toll road use signal.

7. A toll road toll paying system, which uses a portable terminal and has a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road and a server, wherein:

the gate comprises

a transmitting unit transmitting to the server a signal received from a portable terminal; and

the server comprises

a determining unit determining whether or not the signal includes a toll road use signal, and

a charging unit charging a toll based on the toll road use signal, if said determining unit determines that the signal includes the toll road use signal.

8. A toll road toll paying system, which uses a portable terminal and has a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road and a server, wherein:

the dedicated gate comprises

a determining unit determining whether or not a signal received from a portable terminal includes a toll road use signal, and

a transmitting unit transmitting to the server a signal that said determining unit determines to include the toll road use signal along with position information of the gate itself; and

the server comprises

a charging unit charging a toll based on the toll road use signal and the position information.

9. A server, comprising:

a determining unit determining whether or not a signal that a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road receives from a portable terminal includes toll road use determination information, when the signal and position information of the gate are transmitted from the dedicated gate; and

a charging unit charging a toll based on user information and the position information, which are included in the signal, if said determining unit determines that the signal includes the toll road use determination information.

10. The server according to claim 9, wherein:

the signal includes information about a split toll payer and a payment ratio in addition to the user information; and

said charging unit determines respective amounts of payment of a user and the split toll payer based on a calculated toll and the payment ratio, when charging the toll.

11. The server according to claim 9, wherein:

the signal includes information about a split toll payer, a particular identifier, and a payment ratio in addition to the user information; and

said charging unit recognizes all of a split toll payer and a registered user, whose particular identifiers are the same, to ride in a same automobile, splits a toll based on the payment ratio after calculating the toll for the automobile, and determines respective amounts of payment.

12. The server according to claim 9, wherein

said determining unit prohibits an automobile, in which the portable terminal exists, from passing through the gate, if said determining unit determines that the signal does not include the toll road use determination information, or if the user information is not information of a pre-registered user.

13. A server, comprising:

a receiving unit receiving a signal that is received from a portable terminal by a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road, and includes toll road use determination information, and position information of the dedicated gate, which are transmitted from the dedicated gate; and

a charging unit charging a toll based on user information and the position information, which are included in the signal.

14. The server according to claim 13, wherein:

the signal includes information about a split toll payer and a payment ratio in addition to the user information; and

said charging unit determines respective amounts of payment of a user and the split toll payer based on a calculated toll and the payment ratio, when charging the toll.

15. The server according to claim 13, wherein:

the signal includes information about a split toll payer, a particular identifier, and a payment ratio in addition to the user information; and

said charging unit recognizes all of a split toll payer and a registered user, whose particular identifiers are the same, to ride in a same automobile, splits a toll based on the payment ratio after calculating the toll for the automobile, and determines respective amounts of payment.

16. A computer-readable storage medium on which is recorded a program for causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:

determining whether or not a signal received from a portable terminal includes a toll road use signal, when the signal is transferred from a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road; and

charging a toll based on the toll road use signal, if the signal is determined to include the toll road use signal.

17. A computer-readable storage medium on which is recorded a program for causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising

charging a toll based on user information and position information of a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road, when a signal received from a portable terminal by the dedicated gate, and the position information of the dedicated gate are transmitted from the dedicated gate.

18. A propagation signal for propagating a program to a computer for a toll road toll payment, the program causing the computer to execute:

determining whether or not a signal received from a portable terminal includes a toll road use signal, when the signal is transferred from a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road; and

charging a toll based on the toll road use signal, if the signal is determined to include the toll road use signal.

19. A propagation signal for propagating a program to a computer for a toll road toll payment, the program causing the computer to execute

charging a toll based on user information and position information of a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road, when a signal received from a portable terminal by the dedicated gate, and the position information of the dedicated gate are transmitted from the dedicated gate.

20. A server, comprising:

determining means for determining whether or not a signal that a dedicated gate arranged at each entry/exit of a toll road receives from a portable terminal includes toll road use determination information, when the signal and position information of the gate are transmitted from the dedicated gate; and

charging means for charging a toll based on user information and the position information, which are included in the signal, if said determining means determines that the signal includes the toll road use determination information.