Fuel Dispenser Management

• US 20070261760A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wayne Fueling Systems LLC (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dresser Incorporated (Nagano Keiki Company Limited)
• Inventors: Harrell, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,045,324 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/197
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/04 for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/08 Arrangements of devices for controlling, indicating, metering or registering quantity or price of liquid transferred arrangement of flow- or pressure-control valves B67D7/36; computing, calculating, counting G06; coin-freed apparatus for dispensing fluids G07F13/00; prepayment devices for metering liquids G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/22 Arrangements of indicators or registers indicating or recording in fluid meters G01F15/06

Abstract

Automated systems and processes may provide fuel dispenser management. In one aspect, a system for managing a fuel dispenser may include a dispenser manager, a display, a user input device, a fuel controller, and a management module at the fuel dispenser. The dispenser manager may be operable to control electronic functions of the fuel dispenser. The display may be coupled to the dispenser manager and operable to visually present fueling session data, and the user input device may also be coupled to the dispenser manager and operable to detect user indications during a fueling session. The fuel controller may be coupled to the dispenser manager and operable to control fuel flow operations. The management module may be associated with the dispenser manager and operable to generate operational commands for the dispenser manager.

Claims

1. A fuel dispenser, comprising:

a dispenser manager operable to control components of the fuel dispenser;

a display coupled to the dispenser manager, the display operable to visually present fueling session data;

a user input device coupled to the dispenser manager, the user input device operable to detect user indications during a fueling session;

a fuel controller coupled to the dispenser manager, the fuel controller operable to control fuel flow operations; and

a management module associated with the dispenser manager, the management module operable to generate operational commands for the dispenser manager to implement in the fuel dispenser.

2. The fuel dispenser of claim 1, wherein the management module comprises instructions for generating the operational commands.

3. The fuel dispenser of claim 2, wherein the instructions dictate point-of-sale operations for the fuel dispenser.

4. The fuel dispenser of claim 3, wherein the instructions comprise financial transaction rules.

5. The fuel dispenser of claim 1, wherein the management module comprises operating content and operating logs.

6. The fuel dispenser of claim 5, wherein:

operating content comprises data to be presented on the display; and

operating logs comprise transaction logs.

7. The fuel dispenser of claim 6, wherein data comprises at least one of customer instructional prompts, fueling status, advertisements, and fuel prices.

8. The fuel dispenser of claim 6, wherein the transaction logs comprise fueling session financial transaction logs and error logs.

9. The fuel dispenser of claim 1, wherein the management module allows the fuel dispenser to operate when the fuel dispenser cannot receive operational commands from a facility controller.

10. The fuel dispenser of claim 9, wherein the management module comprises a point-of-sale module for providing point-of-sale operations at the fuel dispenser.

11. The fuel dispenser of claim 10, wherein the point-of-sale module has a passive state and an active state.

12. The fuel dispenser of claim 11, wherein the point-of-sale module remains in the passive state when the fuel dispenser can communicate with a facility controller and transitions to the active state when the fuel dispenser cannot communicate with a facility controller.

13. The fuel dispenser of claim 11, wherein the point-of-sale module operates primarily in the active state.

14. The fuel dispenser of claim 1, wherein the management module is operable to generate operational commands for the dispenser manager based on operational commands from a remote fueling facility computer.

15. An autonomous method performed by a fuel dispenser, the method comprising:

detecting user indications with a user input device regarding a fueling session;

determining with a management module that a customer desires to initiate a fueling session and whether to dispense fuel;

generating with the management module an operational command for a dispenser manager to implement in the fuel dispenser if fuel should be dispensed;

generating a control signal for a fuel controller with the dispenser manager based on the operational command;

dispensing fuel with the fuel controller in response to the control signal; and

presenting fueling session data on a display during the fueling session.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether to dispense fuel comprises:

requesting customer payment data;

determining that customer payment data has been received; and

determining whether the received customer payment data is acceptable.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

determining that a customer desires to initiate a fueling session comprises detecting activation of the user input device;

requesting customer payment data comprises generating a user interface for visual presentation on the display;

determining that customer payment data has been received comprises detecting insertion of a payment card; and

determining whether the received customer payment data is acceptable comprises performing a checksum on an account number in the received payment card data.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing data regarding the fueling session for later download.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the data includes customer payment data and fuel dispensing data.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining that communication with a facility controller is available;

placing a module responsible for determining whether to dispense fuel in a passive state; and

receiving command signals regarding dispensing fuel.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining that communication with a facility controller is not available; and

placing the module responsible for determining whether to dispense fuel in an active state.

22. A fuel dispensing system, the system comprising:

a fueling facility controller operable to provide point-of-sale and pump control operation commands to one or more fuel dispensers;

a communication network coupled to the fueling facility controller; and

a fuel dispenser coupled to the communication network, the communication network allowing the fuel dispenser and the fueling facility controller to exchange data, the fuel dispenser comprising;

a communication interface operable to receive operational commands from and convey customer and fuel dispensing data to the facility controller;

a dispenser manager coupled to the communication interface, the dispenser manager operable to control components of the fuel dispenser;

a display coupled to the dispenser manager, the display operable to visually present fueling session data;

a user input device coupled to the dispenser manager, the user input device operable to detect user input during a fueling session;

a fuel controller coupled to the dispenser manager, the fuel controller operable to control fuel flow operations; and

a management module associated with the dispenser manager, the management module operable to generate operational commands for the dispenser manager to implement in the fuel dispenser, the management module using;

operational commands received from a remote fueling facility computer,

instructions for operating the fuel dispenser, the instructions providing point-of-sale operations, including financial transaction rules, at the fuel dispenser,

operating content, the operating content operable to be presented on the display to provide customer instructional prompts, fueling status information, advertisements, and fuel prices, and

operating logs, the operating logs comprising transaction logs, the transaction logs comprising fueling session financial transaction logs and error logs;

the management module having a passive state and an active state, the management module remaining in the passive state when the fuel dispenser can communicate with the facility controller, transitioning to the active state when the fuel dispenser cannot communicate with the facility controller, and returning to the passive state when the fuel dispenser can communicate with the facility controller.