PEER-TO-PEER DATA REPLICATION FOR OFF-LINE TRANSACTIONS IN A RETAIL FUELING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20080126213A1
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Ringeman, Kenneth L., Robertson, Philip A.
• Application Number:
  US11/531,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20080126213A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• 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

A failsafe, redundant storage system for storing additional copies of off-line transactional or payment information generated by service station forecourt devices. The forecourt devices accept customer payment information for carrying out transactions. The payment information is communicated to a payment server for processing. The forecourt devices may be configured to allow customers to initiate and carry out payment transactions even if payment processing is unavailable or off-line. In this instance, the off-line payment information is stored locally at the forecourt device and communicated to the payment server for processing once back online. The forecourt devices communicate with each other in a peer-to-peer fashion to provide another backup of off-line payment information stored locally at the forecourt device. In this manner, a failure of a forecourt device'"'"'s local memory will allow another forecourt device to recreate the off-line payment data stored for payment processing once the payment server is back online.

Claims

1. A peer-to-peer data replication system for off-line transactions in a fueling environment, comprising:

a plurality of forecourt devices each coupled to a local memory and each adapted to receive payment information for carrying out a transaction, wherein the plurality of forecourt devices store the payment information in their local memory;

a payment server communicatively coupled to the plurality of forecourt devices via a communication network, wherein the plurality of forecourt devices communicate the payment information to the payment server over the communication network for payment processing when the payment server is online; and

wherein the plurality of forecourt devices communicate the payment information over the communication network wherein at least one of the other plurality of forecourt devices back-up stores the payment information in the local memory as off-line payment information when the payment server is off-line.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of forecourt devices are devices comprised from the group consisting of a fuel dispenser, a quick serve restaurant, a car wash, a site controller, and a convenience store.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein one or more of the plurality of forecourt devices execute a control process to store and receive the off-line payment information from back-up store in the local memory from another of the plurality of forecourt devices.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the control process determines if the payment server is back online before storing the off-line payment information in the local memory.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the control process communicates the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the control process communicates all of the off-line payment information stored in the local memory to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the control process deletes the back-up store of the off-line payment information in the local memory if the payment server successfully processes the off-line payment information.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of forecourt devices execute a replication data service that receives the off-line payment information from another of the plurality of forecourt devices for storage in replication data store associated with the replication data service.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the replication data store is part of the local memory.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the replication data store is memory separate from the local memory.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein a control process executing in one or more of the plurality of forecourt devices determines if the payment server is back online before storing the off-line payment information in the replication data store.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control process communicates the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the control process communicates all of the off-line payment information stored in the local memory to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online and deletes all of the off-line payment information stored in the replication data service.

16. The system of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of forecourt devices executes a primary data server coupled to a primary data and another of the plurality of forecourt devices executes a secondary data server coupled to a secondary data, wherein a control process executing in one or more of the plurality of forecourt devices causes both the primary and secondary data servers to receive the off-line payment information for back-up store in primary data and secondary data from one of the plurality of forecourt devices.

14. The system of 12, wherein the control process executes a voting scheme to determine which of the replication data stores contains correct off-line payment information on startup of the control process to refresh the local memory with correct off-line payment information of the plurality of forecourt devices.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein only the correct off-line payment information is communicated to the payment server for payment processing.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the primary and secondary data servers are part of the local memory.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the primary and secondary data is memory separate from the local memory.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the control process determines if the payment server is back online before causing the primary data server and secondary data server to back-up store the off-line payment information in the primary data and secondary data, respectively.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the control process communicates the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the control process communicates all of the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the control process causes the primary data server to delete the back-up store of the off-line payment information in primary data if the payment server successfully processes the off-line payment information.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the control process refreshes the local memory with correct off-line payment information from the primary data on startup of the control process.

25. The system of claim 20 wherein if the primary data server is off-line, the control process determines if the payment server is back online before causing the secondary data server to back-up store the off-line payment information in the secondary data.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the control process causes the secondary data server to delete the back-up store of the off-line payment information in secondary data if the payment server successfully processes the off-line payment information and the primary data server is off-line.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the control process refreshes the local memory with correct off-line payment information from the secondary data store on startup of the control process if the primary data server is off-line.

28. A method of replication data for off-line transactions in a fueling environment, comprising:

receiving payment information at a forecourt device among a plurality of forecourt devices for carrying out a transaction, wherein each of the plurality of forecourt devices are communicatively coupled to a communication network;

communicating the payment information to a payment server for payment processing over the communication network; and

if the payment server is off-line;

storing the payment information in local memory coupled to the forecourt device as off-line payment information; and

communicating the off-line payment information to at least one of the other plurality of forecourt devices to back-up store the off-line payment information in the local memory.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising executing a control process within one or more of the plurality of forecourt devices and executing a dedicated distributed data service within each of the plurality of forecourt devices to receive the off-line payment information from the control process for back-up store in the local memory from another of the plurality of forecourt devices.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising determining if the payment server is back online before back-up storing the off-line payment information in the local memory.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising communicating the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising communicating all of the off-line payment information stored in the local memory to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising deleting the back-up store of the off-line payment information in the local memory if the payment server successfully processes the off-line payment information.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising each of the plurality of forecourt devices executing a replication data service that receives the off-line payment information for back-up store in replication data store from another of the plurality of forecourt devices.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising determining if the payment server is back online before back-up storing the off-line payment information in the replication data store.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising communicating the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising communicating all of the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising deleting the back-up store of the off-line payment information in the replication data store if the payment server successfully processes the off-line payment information.

39. The method of claim 36, further comprising executing a voting scheme to determine which of the replication data stores contains correct off-line payment information to refresh the local memory with correct off-line payment information of the plurality of forecourt devices.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising only communicating the correct off-line payment information to the payment server for off-line payment processing.

41. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

executing a primary data server on one of the plurality of forecourt devices wherein the primary data server is coupled to primary data;

executing a secondary data server on one of the plurality of forecourt devices wherein the secondary data server is coupled to secondary data; and

a control process executing on one or more of the forecourt devices causing both the primary and secondary data servers to receive the off-line payment information for back-up storing in the primary data and the secondary data from one of the plurality of forecourt devices.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising the control process determining if the payment server is back online before causing the primary data server and the secondary data server to back-up store the off-line payment information in the primary data and secondary data, respectively.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising the control process communicating the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

44. The method of claim 42, further comprising the control process communicating all of the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising the control process causing the primary data server to delete the back-up store of the off-line payment information in the primary data if the payment server successfully processes the off-line payment information.

46. The method of claim 44, further comprising refreshing the local memory with correct off-line payment information from the primary data on startup of the control process.

47. The method of claim 42, further comprising wherein if the primary data server is off-line, the control process determining if the payment server is back online before back-up storing the off-line payment information in the secondary data.

48. The method of claim 43, wherein the control process communicates the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online and the primary data server is off-line.

49. The method of claim 43, further comprising the control process communicating all of the off-line payment information to the payment server for payment processing if the payment server is back online and the primary data server is off-line.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising the control process causing the secondary data server to delete the back-up store of the off-line payment information in the secondary data if the payment server successfully processes the off-line payment information and the primary data server is off-line.

51. The method of claim 49, further comprising refreshing the local memory with correct off-line payment information from the secondary data on startup if the primary data server is off-line.