VEHICLE SERVICING AND MONITORING METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20160229233A1
• Filed: 02/06/2015
• Published: 08/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores Incorporated
• Inventors: Edwards, Matthew Thomas, Coyne, Kenneth Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,707,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/001 Devices for manually or automatically controlling or distributing tyre pressure whilst the vehicle is moving
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/02 Supplying fuel to vehicles; General disposition of plant in filling stations apparatus for transferring measured quantities of petrol, oil, or the like from storage space to vehicles B67D
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/046 using electrical or electronical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means

Abstract

A method and system for servicing a vehicle in accordance with pre-determined maintenance settings is provided. Maintenance settings can be communicated to a vehicle maintenance tool via a communication device and the vehicle maintenance tool can interact with the vehicle in accordance with the maintenance settings.

Claims

1. A system that allows for the capture of data related to the current air pressure of a tire and the correction of said air pressure using automatic tire measuring and tire inflation equipment for use at a tire inspection lane at an on-highway retail facility, comprising:

a database containing vehicle pre-determined maintenance settings;

vehicle identifying information;

a communication device, wherein said communication device is configured to receive said vehicle identifying information and receive said vehicle pre-determined maintenance settings through an electronic network;

a tire inflation unit, wherein said tire inflation unit is configured to communicate with said communication device and interact with a vehicle in accordance with said vehicle pre-determined maintenance settings.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fuel pump wherein said fuel pump is positioned to allow the fuel pump to pump fuel into said vehicle at the same time said tire inflation unit interacts with said vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said fuel is diesel fuel.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said vehicle pre-determined maintenance settings further comprise tire pressure preferences.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said tire inflation unit is configured to measure the pressure of a tire.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the tire inflation unit interacts with said vehicle by inflating said tire to a pressure indicated by said pressure preferences.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said tire inflation unit is configured to measure the pressure of said tire and inflate said tire simultaneously.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the tire inflation unit is configured to communicate the pressure of said tire to said communication device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle pre-determined maintenance settings comprise tread depth preferences.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a tread depth gauge.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the tread depth gauge interacts with said vehicle by indicating whether a tire has the minimum tread depth indicated by the tread depth preferences.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the tread depth gauge is configured to communicate a tread depth of a tire to the communication device.

13. A method that allows for the capture of data related to the current air pressure of a tire and the correction of said air pressure using automatic tire measuring and tire inflation equipment for use at a tire inspection lane at an on-highway retail facility, comprising:

a. identifying a vehicle;

b. associating with said vehicle pre-determined maintenance settings;

c. inflating a tire in accordance with said vehicle pre-determined maintenance settings.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising positioning a fuel pump so as to allow said fuel pump to pump fuel into said vehicle at the same time said tire of said vehicle is being inflated.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said vehicle pre-determined maintenance settings include tire pressure preferences.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising measuring the tire pressure as the tire is being inflated.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising recording the tire pressure of the tire either before or while the tire is being inflated.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein said vehicle pre-determined maintenance settings include tread depth preferences.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising recording a tread depth of a tire.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said maintenance includes replacing said tire in accordance with said tread depth preferences.

15. The method of 14, wherein said fuel is diesel fuel.