METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY MONITORING FUEL TANK ULLAGE IN AN AUTOMATED FUEL AUTHORIZATION PROGRAM

• US 20140195046A1
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Zonar Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: FADLER, RICK, MCQUADE, CHARLES MICHAEL, KING, MICHAEL CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US14/206,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195046A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/237
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/302 using electrical or electro-mechanical means B67D7/307 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

Described herein is a fuel authorization program that vehicles enrolled in the fuel authorization program to provide fuel tank sensor data in each fuel authorization request, so that an amount of fuel authorized will be limited to the amount needed to fill the vehicle'"'"'s fuel tank, reducing a likelihood that fuel will be diverted. In at least some embodiments, the fuel authorization controller at the vehicle automatically uses the fuel tank sensor data and known tank size to include in a fuel authorization request sent to a fuel vendor data defining how much fuel is required to fill the vehicle fuel tanks. In at least some embodiments, the fuel vendor consults data from a source other than the vehicle (such as records maintained by the fuel authorization program) to determine how large the vehicles fuel tanks are, and to calculate how much fuel is required.

Claims

1. A method for administering a fuel authorization program, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) in response to receiving a radiofrequency (RF) query from a participating fuel vendor over an RF data link at an enrolled vehicle, automatically implementing the steps of;

(i) obtaining a fuel tank reading from a fuel tank sensor at the vehicle to provide an indication of how much fuel is required to fill a vehicle fuel tank;

(ii) dynamically retrieving fuel authorization credentials from at least one of a vehicle data bus and a non-removable, non-transitory vehicle memory at the vehicle, thereby reducing a likelihood that the vehicle fuel authorization credentials are being used with an non-enrolled vehicle;

(iii) communicating the indication of how much fuel is required and vehicle fuel authorization credentials from the vehicle to the fuel vendor, using at least one of the RF data link and the IR data link;

(b) automatically using the vehicle fuel authorization credentials to determine if the vehicle is authorized to receive fuel;

(c) after determining the vehicle is enrolled in the fuel authorization program and is authorized to receive fuel, enabling fuel delivery at the fuel pump the vehicle is proximate to in a quantity sufficient to fill the fuel tank based on the indication of how much fuel is required communicated from the vehicle to the fuel vendor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically establishing an infrared (IR) data link between the vehicle and a specific fuel pump, thereby unambiguously identifying the fuel pump the vehicle is proximate to.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data retrieved from the at least one of the vehicle data bus and the non-removable, non-transitory vehicle memory comprises a VIN.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically periodically reporting fuel tank readings from the fuel tank sensor at the vehicle during operation of the vehicle to a remote computing device, using at least one of a cellular data link and a satellite data link.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of automatically applying a calibration factor to the fuel tank sensor at the vehicle based on instructions received from the remote computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(a) remote from the vehicle, automatically comparing fuel tank readings and authorized fuel quantities over multiple fuel authorizations to determine a calibration factor to apply to readings taken by the fuel tank sensor;

(b) automatically sending the calibration factor to from the fuel vendor to the vehicle in subsequent fuel transactions; and

(c) automatically applying the calibration factor at the vehicle for any subsequent fuel tank readings.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein after a fuel transaction is complete, automatically implementing the steps of:

(a) obtaining a fuel tank reading from the fuel tank sensor at the vehicle, and if the fuel tank reading is not full, then;

(b) applying a calibration factor to the fuel tank sensor at the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein if less fuel than indicated by the communication from the vehicle to the fuel vendor is delivered because the fuel pump automatically shut off to prevent spilling, automatically implementing the steps of:

(a) sending a communication from the fuel vendor to the vehicle over the RF data link indicating that less fuel was required to fill the tank than indicated by the communication from the vehicle to the fuel vendor; and

(b) applying a calibration factor to the fuel tank sensor at the vehicle.

9. A non-transitory memory medium having machine instructions stored thereon for facilitating a fuel transaction with a vehicle, the machine instructions, when implemented by a processor, carrying out the functions of step (a) of claim 1.

10. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, further having machine instructions stored thereon for implementing the step of claim 4.

11. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, further having machine instructions stored thereon for implementing the step of claim 5.

12. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, further having machine instructions stored thereon for implementing step (c) of claim 6.

13. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, further having machine instructions stored thereon for implementing the steps of claim 7.

14. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 9, further having machine instructions stored thereon for implementing step (b) of claim 8.

15. A non-transitory memory medium having machine instructions stored thereon for facilitating a fuel transaction with a vehicle, the machine instructions, when implemented by a processor, carrying out the functions of steps (b), (c), and (d) of claim 1.

16. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 15, further having machine instructions stored thereon for implementing step (b) of claim 6.

17. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 15, further having machine instructions stored thereon for implementing step (a) of claim 8.