Internet asset management system for a fuel dispensing environment

• US 6,360,137 B1
• Filed: 06/16/1999
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Marconi Commerce Systems, Inc. (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Royal, William C. Jr., Watkins, Randall O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): CABRERA, ZOILA E
• Application Number:
  US09/334,550
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 700/241, 700/234, 700/236, 700/238, 700/244, 700/231, 705/16, 705/26, 705/27, 705/413, 707/513, 709/217
• US Class Current: 700/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10

Abstract

The present invention provides communication servers at each device in a fueling environment and connecting the servers to a common network. The network may be a local network or a largely remote network, such as the Internet. Preferably, in either embodiment, primary communications between these devices and any devices accessible via the Internet use the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and hypertext markup language (HTML). In particular, each device server is adapted to facilitate real-time access between the device server and the remote device upon access of a particular page, script or function. In particular, the present invention relates to embedding executable content onto an HTML page so that when the page is loaded into an HTML browser after being accessed, the executable content starts running automatically.

Claims

1. A fuel dispenser facilitating remote management functions comprising:

a. a housing;

b. a dispenser server at said housing including a control system, a network connection and a dispenser server task running on said control system;

c. a hypertext markup language compliant page on said server accessible through said network connection;

d. an embedded function associated with said page and operable to facilitate real-time functions upon access between a remote browser apart from said server and said server over a network; and

e. a fuel delivery system associated with said housing having a fuel supply line, a metering device, a delivery hose and a nozzle to permit the dispensing of fuel

 

wherein said embedded function is;

configured to be sent to the browser with said page when the remote browser accesses said page, and

operable to run at the browser to provide a connection between said server and the remote browser through said network connection.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said embedded function operates on the browser to connect back to the server.

3. The dispenser of claim 2 wherein said embedded function operates to connect back to the server using a second port wherein said page is accessed using a first port.

4. The dispenser of claim 3 wherein said embedded function operates to connect back to the server using a second protocol wherein said page is accessed using hypertext transfer protocol.

5. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said real-time function between the browser and said server includes sending information from the browser to said server for use by the dispenser.

6. The dispenser of claim 5 wherein said real-time function consists of at least one of the group consisting of:

software upgrades, data updates, reconfigurations, delivering audio, delivering video, and delivering control functions for dispenser components.

7. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said real-time function between the browser and said server includes sending information relating to the dispenser to the browser from said server.

8. The dispenser of claim 7 wherein said real-time function consists of at least one of the group consisting of:

diagnostic information, status information, configuration information, fueling values, fueling quantities and transaction totals.

9. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said real-time function includes delivering real-time data upon access.

10. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the network is the Internet.

11. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the network is a local network.

12. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the embedded function is a Java™

applet.

13.The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the embedded function is a Microsoft®

ActiveX™

component.

13. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said embedded function is executable.

14. The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a user interface including a display, said function providing for the uploading of video to said display.

15. A fuel dispenser facilitating remote management functions comprising:

a. a housing;

b. a dispenser server at said housing including a control system, a network connection and a dispenser server task running on said control system;

c. a hypertext markup language compliant page on said server accessible through said network connection;

d. an embedded function associated with said page and operable to facilitate real-time functions upon access between a remote browser and said server over a network; and

e. a fuel delivery system associated with said housing having a fuel supply line, a metering device, a delivery hose and a nozzle to permit the dispensing of fuel,

wherein said server includes a plurality of ports, said page being accessible via said first port and a real-time function being operable via a second port, said embedded function being;

configured to be sent to the browser with said page when the remote browser accesses said page via said first port, and

operable to run at the browser to provide a connection between said server and the remote browser through said network connection using said second port wherein the connection between said server and the remote browser is used to provide the real-time function.

16. The dispenser of claim 16 wherein said port is one of the group consisting of a hardware port and software port.

17. A fuel dispenser facilitating remote management functions comprising:

a. a housing;

b. a dispenser server at said housing including a control system, a network connection and a dispenser server task running on said control system;

c. a hypertext markup language compliant page on said server accessible through said network connection;

d. an embedded function associated with said page and operable to facilitate real-time functions upon access between a remote browser and said server over a network; and

e. a fuel delivery system associated with said housing having a fuel supply line, a metering device, a delivery hose and a nozzle to permit the dispensing of fuel,

wherein said server includes a plurality of addresses, said page being accessible at a first address and real-time functions being operable via additional addresses, said embedded function being;

configured to be sent to the browser with said page when the remote browser accesses said page at said first address and said server sends said page to the browser through the network connection, and

operable to run at the browser access with said server and provide a connection between said server and the remote browser through said network connection using a second address wherein the connection between said server and the remote browser is used to provide a real time function.

18. A fuel dispenser facilitating remote management functions comprising:

a. a housing;

b. a dispenser server at said housing including a control system, a network connection and a dispenser server task running on said control system;

c. said server cooperating with at least first and second dispenser resources accessible through said network connection from a remotely located browser apart from said fuel dispenser over a network;

d. said first resource providing a hypertext markup language compliant response to a first access by the browser;

e. said second resource providing a hypertext markup language compliant function;

f. an embedded function associated with said hypertext markup language complaint response and operable to run at said browser to facilitate a connection between the remote browser and said server system to access said second resource; and

g. a fuel delivery system associated with said housing having a fuel supply line, a metering device, a delivery hose and a nozzle to permit the dispensing of fuel.

19. A fuel dispensing system comprising:

a. at least one fuel dispenser including;

i. a housing;

ii. a dispenser server at said housing including a control system, a dispenser network connection and a dispenser server task running on said control system;

iii. a hypertext markup language-compliant page on said server accessible through said network connection;

iv. an embedded function associated with said page; and

v. a fuel delivery system associated with said housing having a fuel supply line, a metering device, a delivery hose and a nozzle to permit the dispensing of fuel;

b. a central control server apart from said fuel dispensers and including;

i. a central control system;

ii. a central network connection;

iii. a central server task and browser running on said central control system; and

c. a router connecting said dispenser network connections and the central network connection;

d. said embedded function operable to facilitate real time functions between said browser and said dispenser server

 

wherein said embedded function is;

configured to be sent to the browser with said page when the remote browser accesses said page, and

operable to run at the browser to provide a connection between said server and the remote browser through said network connection.

20. A fuel dispensing system comprising:

a. at least one fuel dispenser including

i. a housing;

ii. a dispenser server at said housing including a control system, a dispenser network connection and a dispenser server task running on said control system;

iii. a hypertext markup language compliant dispenser page on said dispenser server accessible through said network connection;

iv. an embedded function associated with said dispenser page, said embedded function operable to facilitate real time functions between said browser and said dispenser server; and

v. a fuel delivery system associated with said housing having a fuel supply line, a metering device, a delivery hose and a nozzle to permit the dispensing of fuel;

b. a central control server apart from said fuel dispensers and including;

i. a central control system;

ii. a central network connection;

iii. a central dispenser server task and browser running on said central control system;

iv. a hypertext mark-up language compliant central page on said central server accessible through said network connection, said central page including the presence and location of the dispenser page; and

c. a router connecting said dispenser network connections, said central network connection and a remote browser on the Internet;

d. wherein when the remote browser accesses the central page of the central server, the remote browser receives the location of the dispenser page, the remote browser accesses the dispenser page and the embedded function associated with the dispenser page facilitates a real time function between the browser and said dispenser server

 

wherein said embedded function is;

configured to be sent to the remote browser with said dispenser page when the remote browser accesses said dispenser page, and

operable to run at the browser to provide a connection between said server and the remote browser through said network connection.

21. The system of claim 21 wherein said embedded function is:

a. configured to be sent to the remote browser with said dispenser page when the remote browser accesses said dispenser page, and

b. operable to run at the browser to provide a connection between said server and the remote browser through said network connection.

22. A fuel dispenser facilitating remote management functions comprising:

a. a housing;

b. a server at said housing including a control system, a network connection and a server task running on said control system;

c. a hypertext markup language-compliant page on said server accessible through said network connection; and

d. an embedded function associated with said page and operable to facilitate real time functions between a remote browser and said server over a network;

e. said embedded function being operable to run at said server, when the remote browser accesses the page, to maintain a connection between said server and the remote browser through said network connection;

f. said embedded function being configured

i. to be sent to the browser with said page when the remote browser accesses said page, and

ii. operable to run at the browser to provide a connection between said server and the remote browser through said network connection.

23. The dispenser of claim 23 wherein said embedded function operates on the browser to connect back to the server.

26. The dispenser of claim 23 wherein said real-time function between the browser and said server includes sending information from the browser to said server for use by the retail system.

24. The dispenser of claim 24 wherein said embedded function operates to connect back to the server using a second port wherein said page is accessed using a first port.

25. The dispenser of claim 25 wherein said embedded function operates to connect back to the server using a second protocol wherein said page is accessed using hypertext transfer protocol.

27. The dispenser of claim 27 wherein said real-time function consists of at least one of the group consisting of:

software upgrades, data updates, reconfigurations, delivering audio, delivering video, and delivering control functions for components of the retail system.

28. A fuel dispenser and fueling retail system facilitating remote management functions comprising:

a. central location having a server accessible through a network connection by a remote hypertext markup language-compliant browser, said server having a central page providing links to component servers in a fueling and retail environment;

b. at least one fueling and retail component comprising;

i. a housing;

ii. a server at said housing including a control system, a network connection and a server task running on said control system;

iii. a hypertext mark-up language compliant page on said server accessible through said network connection; and

iv. an embedded function associated with said page and operable to facilitate real time functions between a remote browser and said server through said network connection;

v. wherein the remote browser may access the central location server and receive a link to one of the component'"'"'s servers and

 

wherein said embedded function is;

configured to be sent to the browser with said page when the remote browser accesses said page, and

operable to run at the browser to provide a connection between said server and the remote browser through said network connection.