Unlimited toll utilization

• US 20080306868A1
• Filed: 06/07/2007
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: American Traffic Solutions Consolidated LLC
• Original Assignee: Rent-A-Toll Limited
• Inventors: Robinson, Benjamin P., Balachandran, Sarath K.
• Application Number:
  US11/810,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20080306868A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable medium for unlimited toll utilization by a transport in a fleet comprises receiving, by a toll rental entity, fleet information from a third party entity, receiving, by a toll authority, the fleet information from the toll rental entity, receiving, by the toll authority, toll usage information, matching, by the toll authority, the toll usage information with the fleet information, receiving, by the toll rental entity, the matched information, matching, by the toll rental entity, the matched information with a fleet subscription account, paying a fee, by the toll rental entity to the toll authority, based on the matched information with the fleet subscription account, and billing, by the toll rental entity, the third party entity, a fixed fee for each transport in the fleet, wherein the fixed fee is related to the paid fee.

Claims

1. A method for unlimited toll utilization by a transport in a fleet, comprising:

receiving, by a toll rental entity, fleet information from a third party entity;

receiving, by a toll authority, the fleet information from the toll rental entity;

receiving, by the toll authority, toll usage information;

matching, by the toll authority, the toll usage information with the fleet information;

receiving, by the toll rental entity, the matched information;

matching, by the toll rental entity, the matched information with a fleet subscription account;

paying a fee, by the toll rental entity to the toll authority, based on the matched information with the fleet subscription account; and

billing, by the toll rental entity, the third party entity, a fixed fee for each transport in the fleet, wherein the fixed fee is related to the paid fee.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fixed fee is fixed across all markets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fixed fee may vary based on at least one of:

a location of each of the transports in the fleet;

a number of transports in the fleet;

a length of use of each transport in the fleet;

a time of day of the use of each transport in the fleet;

a length of a contract for each transport in the fleet;

a toll usage of each of the transports in the fleet;

a day of the use of each transport in the fleet;

a week of the use of each transport in the fleet;

a month of the use of each transport in the fleet;

a year of the use of each transport in the fleet;

an age of each of the transports in the fleet;

an emissions rate of each of the transports in the fleet;

an emissions output of each of the transports in the fleet; and

an average mile per gallon rating of each of the transports in the fleet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fixed fee is sent once per period and covers an unlimited number of toll transactions for the period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the period is at least one of:

a second;

a minute;

an hour;

a day;

a week;

a month; and

a year.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of toll transaction is at least one of:

zero toll transactions; and

one or more toll transactions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the toll usage information is not matched to the fleet information, sending a violation by the toll authority.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving occurs in at least one of:

real time;

near real time; and

periodically.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the fleet information for each transport includes at least one of:

an owner of the transport;

a license plate number of the transport;

a vehicle identification number of the transport;

a type of the transport;

a color of the transport;

a manufacturer of the transport;

a year of manufacture of the transport; and

a condition of the transport.

10. A computer readable medium comprising instructions for billing, by a toll rental entity, a fixed fee for unlimited toll usage by a transport, based on at least one of:

a transport toll volume and a toll transaction volume.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein each transport is at least one of:

an independently owned transport; and

a transport in a fleet.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10 comprising instructions for receiving, by the toll rental entity, toll usage information and transport information.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12 comprising instructions for matching, by the toll rental entity, the received information with a transport subscription account.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 comprising instructions for billing the fixed fee amount based on the matching.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13 comprising instructions for billing the fixed fee to at least one of:

a third party entity; and

a toll authority.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the fixed fee may vary based on at least one of:

a location of each of the transports in the fleet;

a number of transports in the fleet;

a length of use of each transport in the fleet;

a time of day of the use of each transport in the fleet;

a day of the use of each transport in the fleet;

a week of the use of each transport in the fleet;

a month of the use of each transport in the fleet;

a year of the use of each transport in the fleet;

a length of a contract for each transport in the fleet;

a toll usage of each of the transports in the fleet;

an age of each of the transports in the fleet;

an emissions rate of each of the transports in the fleet;

an emissions output of each of the transports in the fleet; and

an average mile per gallon rating of each of the transports in the fleet.

17. A system for billing unlimited toll utilization, comprising:

at least one third party entity; and

a toll rental entity communicably coupled to the third party entity;

wherein the toll rental entity bills the third party entity a based on at least one of;

a number of transports in a fleet;

a number of transactions by the transports in the fleet; and

a fixed fee.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the toll rental entity bills based on an alternating fixed fee.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein, if the toll rental entity bills based on a number of transports in a fleet, the toll rental entity bills based on at least one of:

a mean of a size of a fleet; and

a median of the size of the fleet.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein, if the toll rental entity bills based on a number of transactions by the transports in the fleet, the toll rental entity bills based on a transaction volume.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the toll rental entity bills the third party entity a based on at least one of:

a second;

a minute;

an hour;

a day;

a week;

a month; and

a year.