Method for Displaying Dynamically Determined Priority Lanes to Customers Returning Vehicles to a Vehicle Rental Company

• US 20090027230A1
• Filed: 07/28/2007
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lawrence H. Avidan
• Original Assignee: Lawrence H. Avidan
• Inventors: AVIDAN, LAWRENCE H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,737,865 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/917
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A method for displaying dynamically determined priority lanes for customers returning vehicles to a vehicle rental company. The method includes identifying a vehicle being returned by a customer to a vehicle rental company by an identification device and dynamically determining directions for the customer based on at least one of vehicle and customer specific parameters. The dynamically determined priority lanes are displayed to the customer in real time using a sign board, a display panel, etc.

Claims

1. A method for displaying dynamically determined priority return lanes to customers returning vehicles to a vehicle rental company, the method comprising:

identifying a vehicle being returned by a customer to a vehicle rental company by an identification device;

determining priority return lanes dynamically for the customer based on at least one of vehicle and customer specific parameters; and

displaying the dynamically determined priority lanes to the customer in real time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner scanning a radio frequency identification tag (RFID) positioned in or on the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification device is a license plate scanner.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification device is a bar code scanner scanning a bar code identification tag positioned in or on the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle specific parameters include the demand for the vehicle, the price of the vehicle, and the make and model of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer specific parameters include the relative importance of the customer to the vehicle rental company.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically determined priority return lanes are displayed to the customer on a display panel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicles assigned to a high priority return lane are serviced faster and the vehicles assigned to a low priority return lane are serviced slower.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein high priority customers are provided premium service and low priority customers are provided normal service.

10. A system for displaying dynamically determined priority lanes for customers returning vehicles to a vehicle rental company, the system comprising:

a database system for storing vehicle and customer specific parameters for vehicles and customers of a vehicle rental company;

an identification device for identifying a vehicle being returned by a customer of the vehicle rental company;

a module for determining the priority status of each returning vehicle and determining a priority return lane based on the priority status of the returning vehicle; and

means for displaying the dynamically determined priority return lanes to the customer in real time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the identification device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner used for scanning radio frequency identification (RFID) tags positioned on or in vehicles.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the identification device is a bar code scanner scanning a bar code identification tag positioned in or on the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the identification device is a license plate scanner.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle specific parameters include the demand for the vehicle, the price of the vehicle, and the make and model of the vehicle, and the customer specific parameters include the relative importance of the customer to the vehicle rental company.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicles assigned to a high priority return lane are serviced faster and the vehicles assigned to a low priority return lane are serviced slower.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein high priority customers are provided premium service and low priority customers are provided normal service