System and method for increasing convenience of gasoline cash purchases

• US 20070145126A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.)
• Inventors: Erlank, Boris, Thatcher, Tod
• Application Number:
  US11/317,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20070145126A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

The invention includes a system for cash fuel purchases including: an identity product for issuance to cash customers and having machine-readable database key information encoded therein; a reader for reading the machine-readable database key information encoded on the identity product; a relational database for storing identifying information, transaction records, a discount indicator, and a status indicator for each of the cash customers issued an identity product, where the status indicator is used to approve or disapprove requested transactions, where each of the cash customer'"'"'s identifying information is related in the database to the corresponding database key information encoded on each cash customer'"'"'s issued identity product, where the database is in communication with the reader via a computer network; a transaction locking device for allowing a transaction to proceed upon unlocking; a transaction approval code segment loaded on a general purpose computer in communication with the reader via a network, the code segment adapted and configured for receiving a database key, passing it to the database, receiving the identifying information and status indicator, and approving or disapproving a transaction based on the status indicator, and passing the approval or disapproval to the transaction locking device, where the transaction locking device only unlocks upon receiving a transaction approval; a database update code segment loaded on the general purpose computer, the code segment adapted and configured for updating the transaction records with the most recent transaction, and updating the status indicator in the database for each customer after each transaction, where upon after a pre-determined number of transactions having payment defaults the status indicator is updated to a pre-determined indicator to cause a transaction disapproval upon the next transaction request, and updating the discount indicator where upon pre-determined transaction criteria, the transaction indicator is updated to a pre-determined indicator to cause the price per unit of fuel to change for the next requested transaction.

Claims

1. A system for increasing convenience and reducing cost for cash fuel purchases comprising:

(a) an identity product for issuance to cash customers and having machine-readable database key information encoded therein;

(b) a reader for reading the machine-readable database key information encoded on the identity product;

(c) a database for storing identifying information, transaction records, a discount indicator, and a status indicator for each of the cash customers issued an identity product, wherein the status indicator is used to approve or disapprove requested transactions, wherein each of the cash customer'"'"'s identifying information is related in the database to the corresponding database key information encoded on each cash customer'"'"'s issued identity product, wherein the database is in communication with the reader via a computer network;

(d) a transaction locking device for allowing a transaction to proceed upon unlocking;

(e) a transaction approval code segment loaded on a general purpose computer in communication with the reader via a network, the code segment adapted and configured for receiving a database key, passing it to the database, receiving the identifying information and status indicator, and approving or disapproving a transaction based on the status indicator, and passing the approval or disapproval to the transaction locking device, wherein the transaction locking device only unlocks upon receiving a transaction approval; and

(f) a database update code segment loaded on the general purpose computer, the code segment adapted and configured for updating the transaction records with the most recent transaction, and updating the status indicator in the database for each customer after each transaction, wherein upon after a pre-determined number of transactions having payment defaults the status indicator is updated to a pre-determined indicator to cause a transaction disapproval upon the next transaction request, and updating the discount indicator wherein upon predetermined transaction criteria, the transaction indicator is updated to a pre-determined indicator to cause the price per unit of fuel to change for the next requested transaction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the identity product is a card having a magnetically encoded stripe thereon.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the identity product is a card having a bar code printed thereon.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the identity product is a radio frequency identification product.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the steps occur in substantially real-time.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a virtual private network.

8. The System of claim 1, wherein the database is a relational database.

9. A method for increasing convenience and reducing cost for cash fuel purchases comprising:

(a) reading an identity product for issuance to fuel cash customers and having machine-readable database key information encoded therein;

(b) passing the database key information over a network to a database for storing identifying information, transaction records, a discount indicator, and a status indicator for each of the cash customers issued an identity product, wherein the status indicator is used to approve or disapprove requested transactions, wherein each of the cash customer'"'"'s identifying information is related in the database to the corresponding database key information encoded on each cash customer'"'"'s issued identity product, wherein the database is in communication with the reader via a computer network;

(c) receiving the status indicator over the network from the database by a transaction approval code segment loaded on a general purpose computer, the code segment adapted and configured for receiving a database key, passing it to the database, receiving the identifying information and status indicator, and approving or disapproving a transaction based on the status indicator, and passing the approval or disapproval to a transaction locking device, wherein the transaction locking device only unlocks upon receiving a transaction approval;

(d) unlocking the transaction locking device, thereby permitting the purchase of fuel by the cash customer; and

(e) updating a database update code segment with the purchase information, wherein the database update code segment is loaded on the general purpose computer, the code segment adapted and configured for updating the transaction records with the most recent transaction, and updating the status indicator in the database for each customer after each transaction, wherein upon after a pre-determined number of transactions having payment defaults the status indicator is updated to a pre-determined indicator to cause a transaction disapproval upon the next transaction request, and updating the discount indicator wherein upon pre-determined transaction criteria, the transaction indicator is updated to a pre-determined indicator to cause the price per unit of fuel to change for the next requested transaction.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the identity product is a card having a magnetically encoded stripe thereon.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the identity product is a card having a bar code printed thereon.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the identity product is a radio frequency identification product.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the steps occur in substantially real-time.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the network comprises a virtual private network.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the database is a relational database.