METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A TOLL SERVICE AND FLEXIBLE TOLL DEVICE

• US 20150088617A1
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GeoToll, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GeoToll, Inc.
• Inventors: GEIST, WYATT DRAKE, BORRAS, JAIME ANDRES
• Granted Patent: US 10,019,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence

Abstract

A system, mobile device, backend server, and RFID toll module work in cooperation to automatically pay vehicular tolls to a toll agency that operates toll stations along a roadways traveled by the user of the mobile device. Upon approaching a toll station the mobile device enables the RFID toll module. The toll reader at the toll station transmits a toll reader signal that is received by the RFID toll module, which responds by transmitting a unique identifier. The unique identifier is associated with the mobile device at a toll account maintained by a toll service backend server. Upon completion of a toll transaction, the RFID toll module indicates the transaction to the mobile device, which forwards toll transaction information to the toll service backend server for payment from the toll account to the toll agency.

Claims

1. A system for automated payment of tolls, comprising:

a toll reader at a toll station;

a RFID toll module that is coupled to a mobile device, the mobile device executing a toll application, the RFID toll module including at least one RFID tag that is configured to communicate with the toll reader using a RFID protocol for a toll transaction, wherein the at least one RFID tag communicates an identifier to the toll reader in response to being read by the toll reader during the toll transaction, wherein the RFID toll module communicates transaction information to the toll application on the mobile device upon completion of the toll transaction; and

a toll service backend server that maintains a toll account associated with the mobile device, and to which the toll application on the mobile device communicates the transaction information; and

wherein the toll service backend reconciles payment of the toll with a toll agency that operates the toll reader, using funds from the toll account.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFID toll module is associated with the toll account at the toll service backend server, wherein the association is a one-one relationship and the RFID toll module will not function with a mobile device that is not also associated with the toll account.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFID toll module is designed as a sleeve that fits over the mobile device, and wherein the RFID toll module and the mobile device are connected by at least one of an audio jack, a micro universal serial bus (USB) connection, a micro-high definition media interface (HDMI) connection, a proprietary phone connector, a short range wireless radio connection, an integrated dongle, or acoustic communication channel.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFID toll module is embedded in the mobile device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device further include a satellite location receiver for determining a location of the mobile device, the system further comprises predictive functionality which utilizes the location of the mobile device to determine that the mobile device is approaching the toll station, wherein the mobile device enables the RFID toll module in anticipation of being read by the toll reader.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein one of the at least one RFID tag is selected based on the location of the mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the toll service backend server uses location information reported by the mobile device for the transaction to verify a location of the toll station.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the backend server includes a web server that allows a user to access the toll account and to add funds to the toll account.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFID protocol is selected from a plurality of RFID protocols stored on the RFID toll module.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the toll service backend maintains a record of locations of the mobile device.

11. A method for automated toll payment, comprising:

connecting a RFID toll module to a mobile device having a toll application executing thereon, the RFID toll module include at least one RFID tag that can respond to a toll reader with a unique identifier of the RFID tag;

registering the RFID toll module and the mobile device with a toll service at a toll service backend server, and associated a toll account maintained by the toll service backend server with the mobile device;

receiving at one RFID tag of the at least one RFID tag a toll reader signal;

responsive to the toll reader signal, the one RFID tag responding to the toll reader signal by transmitting the unique identifier of the RFID tag to the toll reader using a selected RFID protocol;

the RFID toll module communicating transaction information indicating that the one RFID tag was read by the toll reader to the mobile device;

the mobile device, in response to receiving the transaction information, transmitting the transaction information and a location of the mobile device at the time of the transaction over a cellular infrastructure to the toll service backend server;

the toll service backend server verifying the transaction by comparing the location of the mobile device at the time of the transaction with a location of the toll reader; and

the toll service backend server reconciling payment of the toll with a toll agency backend server using funds of the toll account associated with the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein registering the RFID toll module and the mobile device is done in a one to one relationship with the toll account.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the RFID toll module is formed as a sleeve that fits over the mobile device, connecting the RFID toll module to the mobile device comprises placing the RFID toll module on the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the RFID toll module is embedded into the circuitry of the handheld device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein, prior to receiving the toll reader signal, the method further comprises:

determining a location of the mobile device

based on the location of the mobile device, determining that the mobile device is approaching the toll station; and

in response to determining that the mobile device is approaching the toll station, the toll application on the mobile device enabling the RFID toll module, wherein the RFID toll module enables the one RFID tag.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one RFID tag is a plurality of RFID tags, enabling the one RFID tag comprises selecting the one RFID tag based on the location of the mobile device used to determine that the mobile device is approaching the toll station.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising selecting a RFID protocol to be used by the one RFID tag based on the location of the mobile device used to determine that the mobile device is approaching the toll station.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the RFID protocol is selected from a plurality of RFID protocols stored in the RFID toll module.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the RFID protocol is selected by the toll application on the mobile device and provided to the RFID toll module upon enabling the RFID toll module.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the toll service backend maintains a record of locations of the mobile device.

21. A radio frequency identification (RFID) toll tag, comprising:

at least one RFID tag having a unique identifier used for toll transactions;

a processor coupled to the at least one RFID toll module; and

and interface coupled to the processor that provides a communication connection to a mobile device.

22. The RFID toll module of claim 21, further comprising a compliant housing that fits over the mobile device.

23. The RFID toll module of claim 21, further comprising a memory that stores a plurality of RFID protocols to be used by the RFID tag for a toll transaction.

24. The RFID toll module of claim 23, wherein the RFID toll module is enabled by the mobile device, and wherein the mobile device indicates which of the plurality of RFID protocols are to be used upon being enabled by the mobile device.

25. The RFID toll module of claim 21, wherein the RFID tag receives transaction information from a toll reader during the toll transaction, the processes transmits the transaction information to the mobile device over the interface.

26. The RFID toll module of claim 21, wherein the RFID toll module is enabled by the mobile device via the interface, and wherein the mobile device provides a RFID protocol to be used by the RFID tag for the toll transaction upon enabling the RFID toll module.

27. The RFID toll module of claim 21, wherein the at least one RFID tag is a plurality of RFID tags, each one of the RFID tags is selectively enabled by switches such that only one of the plurality of RFID tags is enabled.

28. The RFID toll module of claim 21, wherein the interface is a near field communication (NFC) interface.

29. The RFID toll module of claim 21, wherein the interface is a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

30. A toll service backend server, comprising:

at least one processor that executes instruction code that causes the toll service backend server to;

maintain a toll account that is associated with a mobile device and that includes funds used to pay tolls on behalf of a user of the mobile device;

receive toll transaction information from the mobile device; and

reconcile toll payment with a toll agency by communicating with a toll agency backend server, wherein toll payment is performed by debiting the toll account for each toll transaction and forwarding funds from the toll account to the toll agency backend server.

31. The toll service backend server of claim 30, wherein the toll service backend server further receives from the mobile device periodic location updates that indicate a location of the mobile device, and based on the location of the mobile device the toll service backend server determines that the mobile device is approaching a toll station.

32. The toll service backend server of claim 30, wherein the toll service backend server maintains a record of locations of the mobile device.

33. A method for automated toll transactions, comprising:

determining, by a mobile device, that the mobile device is approaching a toll station;

the mobile device enabling a RFID toll module that is coupled to the mobile device, wherein upon being enabled the RFID toll module receives a toll reader signal from the toll station and responds to the toll reader signal in a toll transaction;

the mobile device receiving from the RFID toll module an indication of the toll transaction; and

the mobile device reporting the toll transaction to a toll service backend server via a cellular infrastructure for payment of a toll amount from a toll account associated with the mobile device and maintained by the toll service backend server.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the mobile device periodically providing to the toll service backend server a present location of the mobile device;

determining that the mobile device is approaching the toll station comprises receiving a message from the toll service backend server that indicating the mobile device is approaching the toll station.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein determining that the mobile device is approaching the toll station is performed by the mobile device periodically determining its location and using a mapping application indicating the locations of known toll stations.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein enabling the RFID toll module comprises providing an indication of an RFID protocol to be used by a RFID tag in the RFID toll module for the toll transaction.