SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONDUCTING COMMERCE IN A VEHICLE

• US 20100280956A1
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Larsen, Danny B., Zeinstra, Mark, Douthitt, Brian L., Geerlings, Steven L., Eich, Rodger W., Vanderwall, Philip J., Trainor, James E., Chutorash, Richard J., Sims, Michael J., Golden, Jeffrey N.
• Application Number:
  US12/810,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20100280956A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/64
• 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: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery

Abstract

A system for a vehicle and for conducting a transaction with a remote system includes a circuit configured to wirelessly obtain data from a payment mechanism brought into the vehicle and to wirelessly transmit the data to the remote system.

Claims

1. A system for a vehicle and for conducting a transaction with a remote system remote from the vehicle, the system comprising:

a circuit configured to wirelessly obtain data from a payment mechanism brought into the vehicle and to wirelessly transmit the data to the remote system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit comprises a reader configured to wirelessly receive the data from the payment mechanism.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit further comprises a transmitter configured to transmit the data to the remote system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit is configured to communicate with a connectivity module in the vehicle and to wirelessly transmit the data to the remote system via the connectivity module.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit is configured to communicate with a telematics module in the vehicle and to wirelessly transmit the data to the remote system via the telematics module.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit is configured to communicate with a remote control system in the vehicle and to wirelessly transmit the data to the remote system via the remote control system.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit is integrated with a connectivity module.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit is integrated with a telematics module.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit is integrated with a remote control system configured to transmit a signal to activate a garage door opener.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the payment mechanism is portable and at least one of a credit card, a debit card, an identifier tag, a key fob, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant;

and

wherein the remote system is at least one of a remote payment processing system, a mobile commerce agent, and a merchant.

11. A system for a vehicle and for conducting a transaction with a merchant remote from the vehicle using a mobile commerce agent and a payment processing system remote from the vehicle, the vehicle having a transmitter and a receiver for wireless communications, the system comprising:

a circuit configured to cause the transmitter to transmit a transaction signal for reception by the mobile commerce agent and to receive first information via the receiver after transmitting the transaction signal;

wherein the circuit is further configured to gather payment data;

wherein the circuit is further configured to process the first information and the payment data to cause the transmitter to transmit payment information for reception by the remote payment processing system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein processing the first information and the payment data comprises transforming the payment data based on the first information.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the remote payment processing system is one of a plurality of remote payment processing systems and wherein processing the first information and the payment data comprises formatting the payment information for secure transmission to a particular remote payment processing system indicated by the first information.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the mobile commerce agent is configured to provide the first information to vehicle systems in response to receiving transaction signals and wherein the first information comprises an identifier of the remote payment processing system.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the identifier for the remote payment processing system is transmitted with the payment information.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the circuit is further configured to encrypt a portion of the payment information prior to transmission.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the encryption is based on the first information.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the first information is used as at least part of a cryptography key during the encryption of the payment information.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the circuit is configured to gather the payment data using at least one of:

(a) user interface electronics,

(b) the receiver,

(c) pre-stored information recalled from a memory device of the circuit,

(d) a second receiver configured to receive the payment data from a payment mechanism brought within the vehicle, and

(e) a wired interface communicably coupling a payment mechanism and the in-vehicle control system.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the second receiver is configured to utilize induction-field communication, near-field communication, or induction-field communication and near field communication to receive the payment data from the portable electronic device.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the payment mechanism is at least one of a smart card, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a key fob, and a portable navigation device.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the second receiver is at least one of a Bluetooth transceiver, a radio frequency identification (RFID) receiver, and a near field communication (NFC) receiver.

23. The system of claim 11 wherein the circuit is further configured to provide an indication to an in-vehicle electronic display system and/or an in-vehicle audio playback system, the indication of at least one of:

a first confirmation that the payment information has been accepted by the remote processing system;

a second confirmation that the merchant will respond to the transaction signal by providing a good and/or a service.

24. The system of claim 11 wherein the mobile commerce agent is configured to:

(a) provide the first information to in-vehicle control systems in response to receiving transaction signals,

(b) receive payments, promises of payments, and/or confirmations of payments from remote payment processing systems,

(c) provide transaction signals to merchants, and

(d) provide menu information to in-vehicle systems in response to requests for the menu information from the in-vehicle systems.

25. The system of claim 11 wherein the transmitter and receiver are configured to at least one of:

(a) form a wireless communications link with a portable electronic device brought into the vehicle, the portable electronic device configured to communicate with remote sources and to provide data received from the remote sources to the receiver and to provide data received from the transmitter to the remote sources, and

(b) form a wireless communications link with a wireless service organization without the use of a portable electronic device brought into the vehicle.

26. The system of claim 11 wherein the remote payment processing system is at least one of a bank and a bank network.

27. A method for conducting a transaction with a merchant using a vehicle system, a mobile commerce agent, and a remote payment processing system, the method comprising:

causing the a transmitter in the vehicle to transmit a transaction signal for reception by the mobile commerce agent;

receiving first information at a receiver in the vehicle after the transmitter transmits the transaction signal;

gathering payment data at the vehicle system; and

processing the first information and the payment data to cause the transmitter to transmit payment information for reception by the remote payment processing system.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein processing the first information comprises transforming the payment data based on the first information.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the remote payment processing system is one of a plurality of remote payment processing systems and wherein processing the first information and payment data comprises formatting the payment information for secure transmission to a particular remote payment processing system indicated by the first information.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the first information comprises an identifier of the remote payment processing system.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the identifier for the remote payment processing system is transmitted with the payment information.

32. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

encrypting a portion of the payment data and wherein the encrypted portion of the payment data is included with the payment information transmitted to the remote payment processing system.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the encryption is based on the first information.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the first information is used as at least part of a cryptography key during the encryption of the payment information.

35. The method of claim 27 wherein the payment data is gathered at the vehicle system using at least one of:

(a) user interface electronics mounted in the vehicle,

(b) a memory device in the vehicle, and

(c) a receiver communicably coupled to the vehicle system and configured to receive the payment data from a payment mechanism brought within the vehicle; and

(d) a wired interface communicably coupling a payment mechanism and the vehicle system.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the receiver is configured to utilize induction-field communication and/or near-field communication to receive the payment data.

37. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

receiving a first confirmation at the receiver that the payment information has been accepted by the remote processing system;

receiving a second confirmation at the receiver that the merchant will respond to the transaction signal by providing a good and/or a service; and

providing an indication of at least one of the first confirmation and the second confirmation to an electronic display system and/or to an audio playback system.

38. The method of claim 27 wherein the mobile commerce agent is configured to at least one of:

(a) provide the first information to vehicle systems in response to receiving transaction signals,

(b) receive payments and/or confirmations of payments from remote payment processing systems,

(c) provide transaction signals to merchants, and

(d) provide menu information to vehicle systems in response to requests for the menu information from the vehicle systems.

39. A mobile commerce agent for facilitating a transaction originating from a vehicle system and using a merchant and a payment processing system, the mobile commerce agent comprising:

a processing circuit configured to process a transaction signal received from the vehicle system, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the transmission of a payment processing system identifier to the vehicle system in response to the transaction signal;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to receive a confirmation of payment from the remote payment processing system; and

wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the transmission of the purchase request to the merchant in response to the received confirmation of payment.

40. The mobile commerce agent of claim 39 further comprising:

a memory device associating payment processing system identifiers with merchants;

wherein the processing circuit is configured to select the payment processing system identifier for transmission to the vehicle control system by recalling the payment processing system identifier associated with a merchant as indicated by the transaction signal.

41. A method for facilitating a transaction originating from a vehicle system using a merchant and a payment processing system, the method comprising:

receiving a transaction signal from a vehicle system;

processing the transaction signal received from the vehicle control system to determine a payment processing system identifier relating to the transaction signal;

transmitting the payment processing system identifier to the vehicle system;

receiving a confirmation of payment from the payment processing system corresponding to the payment processing system identifier; and

transmitting the transaction signal to the merchant in response to receiving the confirmation of payment.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising:

selecting the payment processing identifier for transmission to the vehicle system by recalling, from a memory device, a payment processing system identifier associated with a merchant indicated by the transaction signal.