MOBILE DEVICE AND NAVIGATION DEVICE TOLL PAYING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20160171787A1
• Filed: 12/09/2015
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VM Consolidated Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PayTollo, Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Yohalashet, Abinezar
• Granted Patent: US 11,308,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A computer system processes the electronic payment of tolls by storing, on a toll collection server, an accounting record for a mobile user account that is associated with a mobile user and a mobile computing device. A database having a plurality of toll locations and at least one toll that is incurred by the mobile user when the mobile computing device passes the toll location is stored on a toll collection server. An electronic communication containing a notification that the mobile computing device passed the toll location is received. The accounting record is modified on the toll collection server to deduct the amount of the toll from the mobile user account. The toll collection server is coupled to a toll authority server. An electronic payment is sent to the toll authority server in an amount that is associated with the toll.

Claims

1. A computer system for processing the electronic payment of tolls, the computer system comprising:

a processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions configured to;

store, on a toll collection server, an accounting record for a mobile user account that is associated with a mobile user and a mobile computing device;

store, on the toll collection server, a database having a plurality of toll locations and at least one toll that is incurred by the mobile user when the mobile computing device passes the toll location;

receive an electronic communication containing a notification that the mobile computing device passed the toll location;

modify the accounting record on the toll collection server to deduct the amount of the toll from the mobile user account;

couple the toll collection server to a toll authority server; and

send an electronic payment to the toll authority server in an amount that is associated with the toll.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is selected from the group consisting of a handheld device and a navigation device.

3. The computer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions configured to:

determine the location of the mobile computing device with a GPS location mechanism.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the toll authority server sends the electronic communication to the toll collection server and the electronic communication includes a list of toll evaders.

5. The computer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions configured to:

send a notification from the toll collection server to the mobile computing device to indicate that the mobile user has incurred a toll; and

request that the mobile user confirm that it intends to pay the toll.

6. The computer system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions configured to:

wait a predetermined time period for the mobile user to respond before sending the electronic payment to the toll authority server.

7. The computer system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions configured to:

wait for the mobile user to respond before sending the electronic payment to the toll authority server; and

send the electronic payment to the toll authority server immediately after the mobile user responds.

8. The computer system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions configured to:

store, in the memory of the toll collection server, a plurality of virtual tollbooths with each virtual tollbooth corresponding to a toll collection location in the toll collection server database.

9. A computer-implemented method for processing the electronic payment of tolls, comprising executing on a processor the steps of:

storing, in the memory of a toll collection server, an accounting record for a mobile user account that is associated with a mobile user and a mobile computing device;

storing, in the memory of the toll collection server, a database having a plurality of toll locations and at least one toll that is incurred by the mobile user when the mobile computing device passes the toll location;

receiving, by the toll collection server, an electronic communication containing a notification that the mobile computing device passed the toll location;

modifying the accounting record on the toll collection server to deduct the amount of the toll from the mobile user account;

coupling the toll collection server to a toll authority server; and

sending an electronic payment to the toll authority server in an amount that is associated with the toll.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the mobile computing device is selected from the group consisting of a handheld computer and a navigation device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the location of the mobile computing device with a GPS location mechanism.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the toll authority server sends the electronic communication to the toll collection server and the electronic communication includes a list of toll evaders.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending a notification from the toll collection server to the mobile computing device to indicate that the mobile user has incurred a toll; and

requesting that the mobile user confirm that it intends to pay the toll.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

waiting a predetermined time period for the mobile computing device user to respond before sending the electronic payment to the toll authority server.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

waiting for the mobile device user to respond before sending the electronic payment to the toll authority server; and

sending the electronic payment to the toll authority server immediately after the mobile user responds.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing, in the memory of the toll collection server, a plurality of virtual tollbooths with each virtual tollbooth corresponding to a toll collection location in the toll collection server database.

17. A system for collecting electronic tolls comprising:

a mobile computing device,

a toll collection server connected to the mobile computing device, and

a toll authority server coupled to the toll collection server,

wherein the toll collection server stores an accounting record for a mobile user account that is associated with a mobile user and the mobile computing device and a database having a plurality of toll locations and at least one toll that is incurred by the mobile user when the mobile computing device passes the toll location,

wherein the toll collection server has the ability to receive an electronic communication containing a notification that the mobile computing device passed the toll location, to modify the accounting record on the toll collection server to deduct the amount of the toll from the mobile user account and to send an electronic payment to the toll authority server in an amount that is associated with the toll.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the electronic communication includes a list of toll evaders.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the mobile computing device includes a software application that has the ability to receive a notification from the toll collection server that indicates that the mobile user has incurred a toll and to request that the mobile user confirm that it intends to pay the toll.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the toll collection server has the ability to wait for the mobile user to respond before sending the electronic payment to the toll authority server.