Internet access device to facilitate financial services at a fuel dispenser

• US 20080021788A1
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tokheim Holdings BV
• Original Assignee: Tokheim Holdings BV
• Inventors: Smith, Ervin, Dodson, David
• Application Number:
  US11/893,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20080021788A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

An Internet-enabled fuel dispenser includes a card reader adapted to retrieve a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) data element from a portable card encoded with the URL information and carried by the customer. A client machine at the dispenser position accesses the World Wide Web server specified by the retrieved URL data element and receives a Web page downloaded from the accessed server. The Web page includes customer financial information representing various payment options such as digital cash and credit card account numbers. The Web page is presented for viewing on a graphical user interface (GUI) touch-screen display that enables the customer to select one of the displayed payment options and thereby initiate further processing of the refueling transaction request by submitting the payment selection to the refueling point-of-sale (POS) facility.

Claims

1. A system for use in a fuel dispenser environment, comprising:

a connection facility enabling connection to a communications network;

data means for providing at least one resource identifier each specifying a host resource in said communications network; and

access means, operatively coupled to said connection facility, for accessing the host resource specified by a one of the at least one resource identifier and for receiving information retrieved therefrom.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one resource identifier further includes at least one Uniform Resource Locator (URL) data element.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein said communications network further includes the Internet, and the host resource associated with each resource identifier further includes at least one server.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein information retrieved from an accessed host resource further includes a World Wide Web page document containing customer information relating to payment options.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said data means further comprises:

a device containing at least one Uniform Resource Locator (URL) data element; and

a retrieval mechanism to retrieve the at least one URL data element from said device.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said device further includes a card provided by a customer.

7. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said device further comprises at least one of a magnetic card, a bar code element, a processor, and a wireless communications device.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said retrieval mechanism further comprises at least one of a magnetic card reader, a bar code reader, and a wireless communications receiver.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the information received by said access means further includes transaction information for use in facilitating a refueling operation.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the transaction information further includes at least one selectable payment option each representing a form of payment.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, further comprises:

a display to present said transaction information and to enable a selection operation relative to the at least one selectable payment option.

12. The system as recited in claim 10, further comprises:

means for processing the transaction information and enabling selection of at least one of the at least one selectable payment option.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, further comprises:

a point-of-sale facility to operatively conduct a refueling transaction operation using the payment option selection.

14. A system for use in a fuel dispenser environment having a plurality of dispenser positions, said system comprising:

connection means for enabling connection to a communications network;

each dispenser position respectively comprising;

a mechanism to provide at least one resource identifier each specifying a host resource in said communications network, and

an access device to access the host resource specified by a one of the at least one resource identifier and to receive information retrieved therefrom.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one resource identifier further includes at least one Uniform Resource Locator (URL) data element.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said communications network further includes the Internet, and the host resource associated with each resource identifier further includes at least one server.

17. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein information retrieved from an accessed host resource further includes a World Wide Web page document containing customer information relating to payment options.

18. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said mechanism further comprises:

a device containing at least one Uniform Resource Locator (URL) data element; and

a retrieval mechanism to retrieve the at least one URL data element from said device.

19. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the information received by said access device further includes transaction information for use in facilitating a refueling operation.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the transaction information further includes at least one selectable payment option each representing a form of payment.

21. The system as recited in claim 20, further comprises:

a means to present the transaction information and to enable a selection operation relative to the at least one selectable payment option.

22. An apparatus for use in combination with a fuel dispenser environment and a communications network, said apparatus comprising:

a connection device to connect to said communications network;

a mechanism to provide at least one Uniform Resource Locator (URL) data element each specifying a host resource in said communications network; and

an access device to access the host resource specified by a one of the at least one resource identifier and to receive information retrieved therefrom.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein said mechanism further comprises:

a portable storage device containing the at least one URL data element; and

a retrieval device to retrieve the at least one URL data element from said portable storage device.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 23, wherein said storage device further includes a card, and said retrieval device further includes a read module adapted to enable operative reading of said card.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein the information received by said access device further includes at least one selectable payment item each representing a form of payment for use in facilitating a refueling transaction.

26. (canceled)

27. (canceled)

28. (canceled)