Method and system for calculating a user account balance in a recognition system

• US 5,809,142 A
• Filed: 08/14/1996
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Hurta, Dwaine S., Frazee, Francis B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): White, Carmen D.
• Application Number:
  US08/696,558
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 380/24, 380/23, 340/928, 340/825.34, 342/42, 342/51
• US Class Current: 705/68
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3676 Balancing accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method in which a transponder (14) is operable to transmit an original user account balance to an interrogator (12), which in turn calculates a revised user account balance and transmits the revised user account balance to the transponder (14). In one embodiment of the invention, the transponder (14) is further operable to transmit a verification user account balance back to the interrogator (12), which then compares verification user account balance to the revised user account balance that was earlier calculated and stored in an interrogator memory.

Claims

1. A method of calculating a revised user account balance in a recognition system comprising a transponder in wireless electrical communication with an interrogator, the method comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting from said transponder to said interrogator a user account balance;

b) receiving in said interrogator said user account balance;

c) Calculating in said interrogator said revised user account balance, a factor in said calculation being said user account balance;

d) Transmitting from said interrogator to said transponder said revised user account balance; and

e) receiving in said transponder said transmission from said interrogator;

f) transmitting from said transponder to said interrogator a verification user account balance comprising a user account balance derived from said transmission from said interrogator.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the steps of receiving in said interrogator said verification user account balance and of comparing said verification user account balance to the revised user account balance so that the interrogator may verify that the revised user account balance was properly received in said transponder.

3. The method of claim 2 and further comprising the step of retransmitting from said transponder to said interrogator said user account balance if the verification user account balance does not equal the revised user account balance.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said revised user account balance is calculated by debiting an amount from said user account balance.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said recognition system is an automatic vehicle identification (AVI) system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said AVI system is a toll collection system.

7. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the step of entering a transponder maintenance mode prior to said step of transmitting from said interrogator to said transponder said revised user account balance.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of entering said transponder maintenance mode further comprises the step of sending an access code from said interrogator to said transponder, said access code giving said interrogator access to restricted addresses within a transponder memory.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the user account balance is stored in said transponder in an encrypted form.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said interrogator decrypts said user account balance prior to calculating said revised user account balance.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said interrogator encrypts said revised user account balance prior to transmitting said revised user account balance to said transponder.

12. A method of calculating a revised user account balance in a recognition system, the method comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting from said transponder to said interrogator a user account balance;

b) receiving in said interrogator said user account balance;

c) calculating in said interrogator said revised user account balance, said revised user account balance being the user account balance less the toll to be charged to the particular vehicle at the particular toll area;

d) transmitting from said interrogator to said transponder said revised user account balance;

e) receiving in said transponder said transmission from said interrogator;

f) transmitting from said transponder to said interrogator a verification user account balance derived from said transmission from said interrogator; and

g) comparing said verification user account balance to the revised user account balance so that the interrogator may verify that the revised user account balance was properly received in said transponder.

13. The method of claim 12 and further comprising the step of repeating at least one of the steps recited therein if the verification user account balance does not equal the revised user account balance.

14. An interrogator for a recognition system, said interrogator comprising:

a) a transponder, said transponder having a memory for maintaining user account balances, a transmitter in electrical communication with said memory, said transmitter for transmitting an original user account balance, and a receiver in electrical communication with said memory for receiving a revised user account balance;

b) an interrogator, said interrogator having a receiver for receiving said original user account balance, a control circuit in electrical communication with said receiver for computing a revised user account balance, said computation using said original user account balance as a factor, a transmitter in electrical communication with said control circuit for transmitting said revised user account balance to said transponder, and a memory for receiving from said transponder a transmission comprising a verification user account balance and further operable to compare said verification user account balance to said revised user account balance received in the transmission from said transponder.

15. The interrogator of claim 14 wherein said control circuit is operable to compare said revised user account balance and the revised user account balance received in the transmission from said transponder.