Methods and systems for customer validation using any of a plurality of identification documents and identification document readers

• US 20060202027A1
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pump-On LLC
• Original Assignee: Pump-On LLC
• Inventors: Demere, Raymond S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,604,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for remote authorization of fuel dispensing and authorization or confirmation of participation in frequent shopper programs, club memberships, and the like. In one embodiment, identification documents may be used as membership cards for a retailer'"'"'s membership or frequent shopper program and any of a plurality of identification document readers can be used. In another embodiment, an identification may be a membership card to gain access to a retailer. In another aspect, an identification document may be coupled with one or more PINs to validate a customer, or alternatively, the one or more PINs can be used instead of the identification document to validate a customer.

Claims

1. A method for remote authorization of fuel dispensing comprising:

receiving a fuel dispensing authorization request, including identifying indicia, from a fuel dispensing station, the identifying indicia being extracted from an identification document of a customer by an identification document reader of the fuel dispensing station;

querying a database of customer records for authorization of the customer;

receiving an indication of customer authorization from the database; and

transmitting the indication to the fuel dispensing station

wherein the identification document reader is one or more members selected from the group consisting of an optical character recognition device, an electronic chip reader, a magnetic strip reader, a PDF417 reader, and a photoscan reader.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification document reader is a PDF417 reader.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification document reader is a photoscan reader.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification document reader is an optical character recognition device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification document reader is an electronic chip reader.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification document reader comprises an electronic chip reader and a PDF417 reader.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification document reader comprises an optical character recognition device and a PDF417 reader.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification document reader comprises any three of an optical character recognition device, an electronic chip reader, a magnetic strip reader, a PDF417 reader, and a photoscan reader.