Dispensing system and method with radio frequency customer identification

• US 7,640,185 B1
• Filed: 12/31/1998
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wayne Fueling Systems LLC (Dover Corporation), Exxonmobil Oil Corporation (Exxon Mobil Corporation), Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Exxonmobil Oil Corporation (Exxon Mobil Corporation), Dresser Incorporated (Nagano Keiki Company Limited), Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: McCall, Don Charles, Mays, Thomas L., Barink, Bernard, Larson, Scott D., d'Hont, Loek, Tip, Anne, Pearson, Joseph, Turner, Jeffrey L., Giordano, Joseph August, Flaxl, Thomas Josef, Sargent, Lloyd G., Hendricks, Samuel S., Weyer, Alex J., Nadkarni, Geeta Bholanath, Jacobs, Carl R., Wilkins, Deborah T., Guthrie, Karen Scott, Holodak, George A., Lorentzen, Robert A., Hagl, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil; Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US09/224,027
• Time in Patent Office: 4,016 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705 10- 44
• US Class Current: 705/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• 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: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

A system and method for providing a fuel dispenser with radio frequency customer identification capabilities. The system and method determines whether a transponder containing customer identification data is within range of a dispenser, the dispenser requiring activation by the customer to initiate a transaction and including a reader associated therewith for emitting radio frequency signals within the dispenser range, and for receiving customer identification data from the transponder responsive to the emitted radio frequency signals received by the transponder. When the transponder is within range of the dispenser, an in-range indication is provided to the customer. A determination is made whether the dispenser has been activated by the customer following a determination that the transponder is within the dispenser range. Upon activation of the dispenser following the determination that the transponder is within the dispenser range, the customer identification data received by the reader is associated with a transaction at the activated dispenser, whereupon the transaction at the activated dispenser is permitted and charged to the customer according to the customer identification data. The system easily retrofits onto an existing, conventional fuel dispenser.

Claims

1. A fuel dispensing method with radio frequency customer identification capabilities for charging a customer for sales transacted by the customer at one of a plurality of fuel dispensers located in a fuel dispensing area in which vehicles may drive through and may stop in order to receive fuel from one of the fuel dispensers, each of the fuel dispensers requiring activation by the customer in order to initiate a transaction resulting in a sale, the method comprising:

emitting radio frequency signals from a plurality of first antennas in such a manner that a plurality of first, independent, electromagnetic fields of predetermined operable range are created adjacent the fuel dispensers such that each said first electromagnetic field corresponds to one dispenser and the operable range of each said first electromagnetic field does not overlap the operable range of another said first electromagnetic field corresponding to a different dispenser;

determining whether a vehicle-mounted transponder containing customer identification data is within the operable range of one of said first electromagnetic fields whereupon the customer identification data contained in the vehicle-mounted transponder is received by a reader associated with the fuel dispenser corresponding to the electromagnetic field which the vehicle-mounted transponder is within;

if a vehicle-mounted transponder is determined to be within the operable range of one of said first electromagnetic fields, providing an in-range indication to the customer that the vehicle-mounted transponder is within the electromagnetic field;

determining whether the dispenser has been activated by the customer;

if there has been a determination that there has been an activation of the dispenser associating the customer identification data received by the reader from the vehicle-mounted transponder with a transaction at the activated dispenser, whereupon the transaction at the activated dispenser is permitted and charged to the customer according to the customer identification data;

emitting radio frequency signals from a plurality of second antennas in such a manner that a plurality of second, independent electromagnetic fields of predetermined operable range are created adjacent said fuel dispensers such that each said second electromagnetic field corresponds to one dispenser and the operable range of each said second electromagnetic field does not overlap the operable range of another said second electromagnetic field corresponding to a different dispenser, and wherein said second electromagnetic fields have relatively small operable ranges in relation to the operable ranges of said first electromagnetic fields;

determining whether a hand-held transponder containing customer identification data is within the operable range of one of said second electromagnetic fields whereupon the customer identification data contained in the hand-held transponder is received by a reader associated with the fuel dispenser corresponding to the electromagnetic field which the hand-held transponder is within;

if a hand-held transponder is determined to be within the operable range, of one of said second electromagnetic fields, determining whether the fuel dispenser corresponding to the electromagnetic field that the hand-held transponder is within has been activated by the customer;

if a hand-held transponder is determined to be within the operable range of one of said second electromagnetic fields and there has been a determination that there has been an activation of the corresponding fuel dispenser, associating the customer identification data received by the reader from the hand-held transponder with a transaction at the activated dispenser, whereupon the transaction at the activated dispenser is permitted and charged to the customer according to the customer identification data from the hand-held transponder; and

if a vehicle-mounted transponder is determined to be within the operable range of one of said first electromagnetic fields and if a hand-held transponder is determined to be within the operable range of one of said second electromagnetic fields corresponding to the same fuel dispenser, then overriding the use of the customer identification data from the vehicle-mounted transponder so that the customer identification data from the hand-held transponder may be used to process the transaction at the fuel dispenser.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the dispenser is a fuel dispenser having a nozzle, and activation of the dispenser comprises lifting the nozzle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the dispenser is a fuel dispenser having a nozzle lever, and activation of the dispenser comprises lifting the nozzle lever.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the antenna is a hand-held antenna which may be waved in front of the vehicle mounted transponder for placing the transponder in dispenser range.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the vehicle to which a vehicle-mounted transponder is mounted includes an on-board computer and the vehicle-mounted transponder is linkable to the on-board computer for reading vehicle diagnostic information for transmission from the vehicle-mounted transponder to one of the first antennas.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said fuel dispensing area includes a service station building, a reader placed inside said service station building, and at least one third antenna associated with said service station building reader, said method further comprising:

emitting radio frequency signals from said third antenna in order to create an electromagnetic field of predetermined operable range in said service station building for use with a hand-held transponder for completing transactions at the service station building.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a reader is associated with a car wash for use of the transponder for completing a car wash transaction.

8. A dispensing system with radio frequency customer identification capabilities for charging a customer for sales transacted by the customer, the system comprising:

a plurality of transponders containing customer identification data, the plurality of transponders comprising at least one vehicle-mounted transponder and at least one hand-held transponder;

a dispenser having at least one associated dispensing area at which a customer may conduct a dispensing transaction with the dispenser;

a plurality of antennas, each including at least one long-range antenna having a predetermined operable long range in the dispensing area and at least one short range antenna having a predetermined operable short range in the dispensing area of the dispenser, the long-range antenna being located relative to the dispenser for use in connection with the vehicle-mounted transponder, and the short-range antenna being located relative to the dispenser for use in connection with the hand-held transponder;

at least one reader operably commented to the antennas to emit radio frequency signals from the long range antenna within the predetermined operable long range of the dispensing area and from the short range antenna within the predetermined operable short range of the dispensing area, and to receive customer identification data from the vehicle-mounted transponder or the handheld transponder responsive to the emitted radio frequency signals when the vehicle-mounted transponder or the hand-held transponder is within the predetermined operable range of the respective long-range antenna or short-range antenna associated with the dispensing area; and

processing equipment in communication with the at least one reader and the dispenser for associating customer identification data received at the dispensing area with a transaction at the dispenser, whereupon the transaction at the dispenser is charged to the customer according to the customer identification data, the processing equipment being operable to override the use of the vehicle-mounted transponder for charging the transaction to the customer and instead allowing use of the hand-held transponder for charging the transaction to the customer when both the vehicle-mounted transponder and hand-held transponder are within the respective predetermined operable long range and short range of the dispensing area.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising an in-range indicator associated with the dispenser and responsive to said vehicle-mounted transponder or the hand-held transponder being within the predetermined range of the respective long-range antenna or short-range antenna.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the predetermined operable long range comprises a vehicle fueling distance from the dispenser.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the predetermined operable short range comprises a location within several inches from the short-range antenna in which the hand-held transponder may be waived by the customer.

12. A fuel dispensing method with radio frequency customer identification capabilities for charging a customer for sales transacted by the customer, the method comprising:

determining whether a vehicle-mounted transponder containing customer identification data is within a vehicle fueling range of a dispenser, the dispenser requiring activation by the customer to initiate a transaction and including a reader associated therewith for emitting from a first antenna radio frequency signals within the vehicle fueling range, and for receiving customer identification data from the transponder responsive to the emitted radio frequency signals received by the transponder;

determining whether a hand-held transponder containing customer identification data is within a close range of the dispenser, the close range being smaller than the vehicle fueling range, the reader including a second antenna for emitting radio frequency signals within the close range, and for receiving customer identification data from the transponder responsive to the emitted radio frequency signals received by the transponder;

providing an in-range indication to the customer when a vehicle-mounted transponder is within the vehicle fueling range or a hand-held transponder is within the close range;

determining whether the dispenser has been activated by the customer;

if there has been a determination that there has been an activation of the dispenser, associating the customer identification data received by the reader from either the vehicle-mounted transponder or the hand-held transponder with a transaction at the activated dispenser, whereupon the transaction at the activated dispenser is permitted and charged to the customer according to the customer identification data; and

if both a vehicle-mounted transponder and a hand-held transponder are determined to be within the respective vehicle fueling range and close range before the dispenser is activated, overriding the use at the dispenser of the vehicle-mounted transponder, whereupon following activation of the dispenser the hand-held customer identification data received by the reader is associated with a transaction at the activated dispenser, the transaction at the activated dispenser is permitted and charged to the customer according to the hand-held transponder customer identification data.

13. A fuel dispensing method with radio frequency customer identification capabilities for charging a customer for sales transacted by the customer, the method comprising:

determining whether a vehicle-mounted transponder containing customer identification data is within a vehicle fueling range of a dispenser, the dispenser requiring activation by the customer to initiate a transaction and including a reader associated therewith for emitting from a first antenna radio frequency signals within the vehicle fueling range, and for receiving customer identification data from the transponder responsive to the emitted radio frequency signals received by the transponder;

determining whether a hand-held transponder containing customer identification data is within a close range of the dispenser, the close range being smaller than the vehicle fueling range, the reader including a second antenna for emitting radio frequency signals within the close range, and for receiving customer identification data from the transponder responsive to the emitted radio frequency signals received by the transponder; and

associating the customer identification data received by the reader from either the vehicle-mounted transponder or the hand-held transponder with a transaction at the dispenser, whereupon the transaction at the dispenser is permitted and charged to the customer according to the customer identification data; and

providing an in-range indication to the customer when a vehicle-mounted transponder is within the vehicle fueling range or a hand-held transponder is within the close range.

14. A fuel dispensing method with radio frequency customer identification capabilities for charging a customer for sales transacted by the customer, the method comprising:

determining whether a vehicle-mounted transponder containing customer identification data is within a vehicle fueling range of a dispenser, the dispenser requiring activation by the customer to initiate a transaction and including a reader associated therewith for emitting from a first antenna radio frequency signals within the vehicle fueling range, and for receiving customer identification data from the transponder responsive to the emitted radio frequency signals received by the transponder;

determining whether a hand-held transponder containing customer identification data is within a close range of the dispenser, the close range being smaller than the vehicle fueling range, the reader including a second antenna for emitting radio frequency signals within the close range, and for receiving customer identification data from the transponder responsive to the emitted radio frequency signals received by the transponder;

associating the customer identification data received by the reader from either the vehicle-mounted transponder or the hand-held transponder with a transaction at the dispenser, whereupon the transaction at the dispenser is permitted and charged to the customer according to the customer identification data; and

if both a vehicle-mounted transponder and a hand-held transponder are determined to be within the respective vehicle fueling range and close range, overriding the use at the dispenser of the vehicle-mounted transponder, whereupon the hand-held customer identification data received by the reader is associated with a transaction at the dispenser, and the transaction is permitted and charged to the customer according to the hand-held transponder customer identification data.

15. A method for authorizing a dispensing transaction, comprising:

emitting radio frequency signals from a short-range antenna mounted in or on a first dispenser of a plurality of dispensers such that an electromagnetic field of a predetermined operable range is created proximate a surface of the first dispenser, and the dispenser can wirelessly communicate with hand-held transponders within the operable range independent of electromagnetic fields generated by other dispensers in the plurality of dispensers, wherein the predetermined operable range is up to about six inches extending perpendicular to the surface of the first dispenser;

determining that a hand-held transponder containing customer identification data is within the operable range of the short-range antenna of the first dispenser;

wirelessly receiving customer identification data in the hand-held transponder by a reader associated with the first dispenser and activating the first dispenser in response to the hand-held transponder passing within the operable range of the short-range antenna;

identifying credit card information based, at least in part, on the customer identification data;

verifying, with a remote credit card processing site, a customer account associated with the customer identification data prior to permitting the transaction at the activated dispenser; and

authorizing a charge of the transaction to the verified customer account.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein verifying the customer account includes accessing a remote card processing network.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein verifying the customer account includes accessing a local file for account verification.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein verifying the customer account occurs after the at least one dispenser is activated.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein verifying the customer account occurs prior to the activation of the dispenser.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the dispenser comprises a fuel dispenser.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising presenting an indication generated by an indicator on the first dispenser to indicate to a customer at least one of when the transponder is within the operable range of the first dispenser and when the customer is authorized to begin dispensing.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising canceling the requested transaction if there is a violation of a predetermined time limit.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the first dispenser wirelessly communicates with the hand-held transponder without substantial interference from other dispensers wirelessly communicating with transponders.

24. A method for authorizing a dispensing transaction, comprising:

emitting radio frequency signals from a short-range antenna mounted in or on a first dispenser surface of a plurality of dispenser surfaces such that a first electromagnetic field of a predetermined operable range is created proximate the first dispenser surface to wirelessly communicate with hand-held transponders within the predetermined operable range independent of a second electromagnetic field of the predetermined operable range created proximate a second dispenser surface in the plurality of dispenser surfaces and generated by a short-range antenna integral to the second dispenser surface, wherein the first electromagnetic field is emitted throughout the predetermined operable range adjacent the second electromagnetic field such that the first electromagnetic field does not overlap the second electromagnetic field;

determining that a hand-held transponder containing customer identification data is within the operable range of the short-range antenna of the first dispenser surface;

wirelessly receiving customer identification data in the hand-held transponder by a reader associated with the first dispenser surface; and

activating a corresponding dispenser in response to the hand-held transponder passing within the operable range of the short-range antenna of the first dispenser surface;

identifying credit card information based, at least in part, on the customer identification data;

verifying, with a remote credit card processing site, a customer account associated with the customer identification data prior to permitting the transaction at the activated dispenser; and

authorizing a charge of the transaction to the verified customer account.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein verifying the customer account includes accessing a remote card processing network.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein verifying the customer account includes accessing a local file for account verification.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein verifying the customer account occurs after the dispenser is activated.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein verifying the customer account occurs prior to the activation of the dispenser.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the dispenser comprises a fuel dispenser.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising presenting an indication generated by an indicator on the first dispenser surface to indicate to a customer at least one of when the transponder is within the operable range of the first dispenser surface and when the customer is authorized to begin dispensing.

31. The method of claim 24, further comprising canceling the requested transaction if there is a violation of a predetermined time limit.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein the short range antenna of the first dispenser surface wirelessly communicates with the hand-held transponder without substantial interference from the short range antenna of the second dispenser surface wirelessly communicating with a second hand-held transponder.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein the predetermined operable range is up to about six inches extending perpendicular to the first or second dispenser surface.

34. The method of claim 24, wherein the first dispenser surface and the second dispenser surface are opposite sides of one dispenser.