Adjustable price fuel dispensing system

• US 6,321,984 B1
• Filed: 02/23/1999
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wayne Fueling Systems LLC (Dover Corporation), Excentus Corporation (Professional Datasolutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dresser Industries Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Zahajko, Mike, Embertson, Dave, McCall, Don C.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/255,472
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 235/381, 235/375, 235/470, 235/493, 235/383, 235/382, 235/382.05, 235/380
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/14 responsive to input of recorded programmed information, e.g. on punched cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10782 Slot readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader

Abstract

An integrated customer reward processing system and fuel dispensing apparatus to allow a retailer to authorize fuel to be dispensed at a discounted unit price in accordance with a customer'"'"'s achievement of predefined purchasing criteria. More particularly, a data processing system is provided that implements customer rewards and includes a database that creates and maintains records associated with customers that make purchases at an associated store. The reward system will track the customer purchases and compare them with a predefined criteria to determine when a fuel discount is to be provided.When a customer meets one of the predefined criteria, the reward system will authorize a fuel discount and provide the customer with a mechanism to obtain the fuel at a discounted unit price.

Claims

1. A system for dispensing fuel, comprising:

a nozzle for dispensing the fuel;

a controller in communication with the nozzle for selectively causing the nozzle to dispense the fuel at a discounted unit price;

a reader connected to the controller for reading data provided by a user and transferring the data to the controller; and

a database for creating and maintaining a record associated with purchases made by the user, the record including the users achievement of a purchasing criteria;

whereby upon receipt of the data, the controller accesses said record and causes the nozzle to dispense the fuel at the discounted unit price associated with the users achievement of the purchasing criteria.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said purchasing criteria is encoded into said data.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said data comprises optical data.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein said optical data comprises a bar code included on a receipt provided to the user by a point of sale controller.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein said reader is capable of reading optical data.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein said user scans said bar code into said reader and updates said record with the discounted unit price associated with the user based on the purchasing criteria.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein said purchasing criteria comprises:

a volume of goods purchased by said user;

a volume of services purchased by said user;

a certain type of goods purchased by said user;

a certain type of services purchased by said user; and

a specific quantity of goods or services purchased by said user over a certain time period.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein said data comprises magnetic data.

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein said magnetic data comprises a magnetic strip included on a card updated by a point of sale controller.

10. A system according to claim 9 wherein said magnetic data is dependent on purchases made by said user.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein said reader is capable of reading magnetic data.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein said user inserts said card into said reader and updates said record with the discounted unit price associated with the user.

13. A system according to claim 12 wherein said purchasing criteria comprises:

a volume of goods purchased by said user;

a volume of services purchased by said user;

a certain type of goods purchased by said user;

a certain type of services purchased by said user; and

a specific quantity of goods or services purchased by said user over a certain time period.

14. A system for dispensing fuel, comprising:

a nozzle for dispensing the fuel;

a controller in communication with the nozzle for selectively causing the nozzle to dispense the fuel at a discounted unit price;

a reader connected to the controller for reading identification data provided by a user and transferring the identification data to the controller; and

a database for creating and maintaining a record associated with purchases made by the user, the record including the users achievement of a purchasing criteria;

whereby upon receipt of the identification data, the controller accesses said record and causes the nozzle to dispense the fuel at the discounted unit price associated with the users achievement of the purchasing criteria.

15. A system according to claim 14 further comprising a point of sale controller coupled to said database, wherein the record is modified to specify the discounted unit price of said fuel based on purchases made by said user.