SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM FOR TOLL SERVICE ACTIVATION AND BILLING

• US 20090292596A1
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rent A Toll Ltd
• Original Assignee: Rent A Toll Ltd
• Inventors: Lemon, Debbie, Robinson, Benjamin P., Balachandran, Sarath K.
• Application Number:
  US12/433,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20090292596A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable medium for toll service activation and billing, comprises receiving fleet information at a toll authority via a toll rental entity, receiving a service request at the toll rental entity, sending toll usage data related to the service request to a third party entity, receiving a payment at the toll rental entity based on the service request, and sending a payment to the toll authority based on the toll usage data.

Claims

1. A method for toll service activation and billing, comprising:

receiving fleet information at a toll authority via a toll rental entity;

receiving a service request at the toll rental entity;

sending toll usage data related to the service request to a third party entity;

receiving a payment at the toll rental entity based on the service request; and

sending a payment to the toll authority based on the toll usage data.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising sending an invoice to the third party entity by the toll rental entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment is sent during at least one of:

consistently, periodically, gradually, completely.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fleet information comprises at least one of a license plate number, a license plate state, a license state type, an RFID transponder identification, a vehicle identification number, a vehicle owner, a vehicle make, a vehicle model, and a vehicle color.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request comprises at lease one of a transaction based service request, a location based service request, a frequency based service request, and an occupancy based service request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the fleet information and the receiving of the service request occur during at least one of at different times, at the same time, in real-time, in near real-time, in batch mode, serially, and in parallel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request comprises at least one of:

an opt-in for the service, an opt-out for the service, a late opt-in for the service, and a late opt-out for the service.

8. A method for toll service activation and billing, comprising:

receiving a service request at the toll rental entity;

if the service request consists of an opt-in for service, sending a payment to a toll authority based on the service request; and

if the service request consists of an opt-out for service, sending a payment to the toll authority if the toll rental entity receives a valid toll usage during the opt-out for service;

receiving toll usage data at the toll rental entity;

matching the toll usage data with information related to the opt-in for service and the opt-out for service; and

sending a payment related to the matched toll usage data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the payment is sent to at least one of:

the toll authority, and a third party entity.

10. A system for toll service activation and billing, comprising:

a toll rental entity that;

receives fleet information;

receives service requests;

receives payments based on the service requests;

sends toll usage data related to the service requests to a first non-toll rental entity; and

sends a payment to a second non-toll rental entity based on the toll usage data.