Cellular telephone-based transaction processing
First Claim
1. A fuel dispensing system comprising:
- a plurality of fuel dispensers, each of which is capable of conducting a fueling transaction with a customer having a cellular telephone;
a point-of-sale system for selectively enabling one or more of said plurality of fuel dispensers to conduct said fueling transaction and for determining a transaction cost associated with said fueling transaction;
each of said plurality of fuel dispensers adapted to transmit site information to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone, with the cellular telephone adapted to transmit the site information and additional customer information to an authorization network; and
said point-of-sale system adapted to receive authorization information from the authorization network and to selectively enable said plurality of fuel dispensers based on the authorization information.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A retail transaction system provides enhanced customer convenience and increased transaction security by sending transaction information to a cellular network provider via a customer'"'"'s digital cellular phone. For example, a fuel dispenser is equipped with a communications link allowing direct communications to a customer'"'"'s cellular phone. When a customer desires to conduct a transaction using the fuel dispenser, the fuel dispenser transmits select information to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone using this communications link. A telephone number is included in the select information. When the customer presses send, or otherwise causes their telephone to dial the number transferred from the fuel dispenser, the select information along with any additional customer information is sent to the cellular network. This information is used by the network to authorize a purchase transaction for the customer, such authorization information returned to the fueling station at which the fuel dispenser is located via a cellular link. For enhanced security, the customer may be required to input their PIN in order to complete the transaction. Notably, the PIN and the remainder of the transaction information sent from the customer phone to the cellular network is intrinsically secure due to the digital encryption employed by the digital cellular protocol. Optionally, the system may be configured to cause the customer'"'"'s cellular phone to automatically dial the number transferred by the fuel dispenser. This capability may be enabled at the customer'"'"'s option. The system may be extended to other retail systems including in-store point-of-sale systems (POS).
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A fuel dispensing system comprising:
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a plurality of fuel dispensers, each of which is capable of conducting a fueling transaction with a customer having a cellular telephone;
a point-of-sale system for selectively enabling one or more of said plurality of fuel dispensers to conduct said fueling transaction and for determining a transaction cost associated with said fueling transaction;
each of said plurality of fuel dispensers adapted to transmit site information to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone, with the cellular telephone adapted to transmit the site information and additional customer information to an authorization network; and
said point-of-sale system adapted to receive authorization information from the authorization network and to selectively enable said plurality of fuel dispensers based on the authorization information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of using a customer'"'"'s cellular telephone to selectively conduct a fueling transaction at one of a plurality of fuel dispensers, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting site information from a local communications interface associated with said one of said plurality of fuel dispensers to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone;
transmitting site information plus additional customer information from the cellular telephone to an authorization network;
determining authorization information at the authorization based on the additional customer information; and
receiving the authorization information from the authorization network at a point-of-sale system operatively associated with said plurality of fuel dispensers;
said point-of-sale system adapted to selectively enable said one of said plurality of fuel dispensers based on the authorization information, thereby permitting the customer to conduct a fueling transaction. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A fuel dispensing system comprising:
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a fuel dispenser for selectively conducting a fueling transaction with a customer;
a first communications interface operatively associated with said fuel dispenser adapted to transmit site information to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone, with the cellular telephone adapted to transmit the site information and additional customer information to an authorization network and a controller operatively associated with said fuel dispenser for selectively enabling said fuel dispenser to conduct the fueling transaction with the customer. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of using a customer'"'"'s cellular telephone to selectively conduct a fueling transaction at one of a plurality of fuel dispensers, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting site information from a local communications interface associated with said one of said plurality of fuel dispensers to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone;
transmitting site information plus additional customer information from the cellular telephone to an authorization network;
determining authorization information at the authorization network based on the additional customer information;
receiving the authorization information from the authorization network; and
enabling said one of said plurality of fuel dispensers selectively based on the received authorization information, thereby permitting the customer to conduct the fueling transaction. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A fuel dispensing system comprising:
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a fuel dispenser for conducting a fueling transaction with a customer having a cellular telephone;
a point-of-sale system for selectively enabling said fuel dispenser to conduct said fueling transaction and for determining a transaction cost associated with said fueling transaction;
said fuel dispenser adapted to transmit site information to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone, with the cellular telephone adapted to transmit the site information and additional customer information to an authorization network;
said point-of-sale system adapted to receive authorization information from the authorization network and to selectively enable said fuel dispenser based on the authorization information; and
said site information includes an outbound telephone number and the cellular telephone uses said outbound telephone number to contact the authorization network. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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34. A fuel dispensing system comprising:
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a fuel dispenser for conducting a fueling transaction with a customer having a cellular telephone;
a point-of-sale system for selectively enabling said fuel dispenser to conduct said fueling transaction and for determining a transaction cost associated with said fueling transaction;
said fuel dispenser adapted to transmit site information to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone, with the cellular telephone adapted to transmit the site information and additional customer information to an authorization network;
said point-of-sale system adapted to receive authorization information from the authorization network and to selectively enable said fuel dispenser based on the authorization information; and
said site information includes site identification information and the authorizing network contacts said point-of-sale system based on said site identification information.
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35. A fuel dispensing system comprising:
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a fuel dispenser for conducting a fueling transaction with a customer having a cellular telephone and adapted to accept an alternate payment means for conducting a fueling transaction with a customer lacking a cellular phone;
a point-of-sale system for selectively enabling said fuel dispenser to conduct said fueling transaction and for determining a transaction cost associated with said fueling transaction;
said fuel dispenser adapted to transmit site information to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone, with the cellular telephone adapted to transmit the site information and additional customer information to an authorization network; and
said point-of-sale system adapted to receive authorization information from the authorization network and to selectively enable said fuel dispenser based on the authorization information.
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36. A method of using a customer'"'"'s cellular telephone to selectively conduct a fueling transaction at one of a plurality of fuel dispensers, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting site information from a local communications interface associated with said one of said plurality of fuel dispensers to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone;
transmitting site information plus additional customer information from the cellular telephone to an authorization network;
determining authorization information at the authorization network based on the additional customer information; and
receiving the authorization information from the authorization network at a point-of-sale system operatively associated with said plurality of fuel dispensers;
said point-of-sale system adapted to selectively enable said one of said plurality of fuel dispensers based on the authorization information, thereby permitting the customer to conduct a fueling transaction and said point-of-sale system operatively associated with said plurality of fuel dispensers, and wherein the site information identifies said point-of-sale system and a particular one of said plurality of fuel dispensers. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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38. A method of using a customer'"'"'s cellular telephone to selectively conduct a fueling transaction at a fuel dispenser, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting site information from a local communications interface associated with said fuel dispenser to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone;
transmitting site information plus additional customer information from the cellular telephone to an authorization network;
determining authorization information at the authorization network based on the additional customer information;
receiving the authorization information from the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone via said local communications interface, the authorization information first being returned from the authorizing network to the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone via a cellular communications link; and
enabling said fuel dispenser selectively based on the received authorization information, thereby permitting the customer to conduct the fueling transaction.
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39. A retail sales system, comprising:
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a point-of-sale system for selectively conducting a sales transaction with a customer having a cellular telephone, including, (a) a local communications interface for communicating with the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone; and
(b) an authorization network interface for communicating with one or more authorization networks;
said point of sale system adapted to transmit transaction information to the cellular telephone via said local communications interface, with the cellular telephone adapted to dial an associated authorization network for the purpose of transferring the transaction information and additional identifying customer information to the associated authorization network and said transaction information includes an outbound telephone number and the cellular telephone uses said outbound telephone number to contact the authorization network. - View Dependent Claims (40)
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41. A retail sales system, comprising:
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a point-of-sale system for selectively conducting a sales transaction with a customer having a cellular telephone, including, (a) a local communications interface for communicating with the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone; and
(b) an authorization network interface for communicating with one or more authorization networks;
said point of sale system adapted to transmit transaction information to the cellular telephone via said local communications interface, with the cellular telephone adapted to dial an associated authorization network for the purpose of transferring the transaction information and additional identifying customer information to the associated authorization network and said retail sales system is further adapted to accept alternate payment means for conducting a fueling transaction with a customer lacking a cellular telephone.
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42. A retail sales system comprising:
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a point-of-sale system for selectively conducting a sales transaction with a customer having a cellular telephone, including, (a) a local communications interface for communicating with the customer'"'"'s cellular telephone; and
(b) an authorization network interface for communicating with one or more authorization networks;
said point of sale system adapted to transmit transaction information to the cellular telephone via said local communications interface, with the cellular telephone adapted to dial an associated authorization network for the purpose of transferring the transaction information and additional identifying customer information to the associated authorization network and said point-of sale system further adapted to receive authorization information from the cellular telephone via said local communications interface, the authorization information first being returned from the authorization network to the cellular telephone via a cellular communications link.
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Specification