Automatically managing rental vehicles

• US 7,761,062 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ent Services Development Corporation LP (DXC Technology Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Mervine, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phu; Sanh D
• Application Number:
  US11/259,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20070093215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 455/99, 455/569.2, 455/557, 455/95, 701/211, 701/213, 701/214
• US Class Current: 455/99
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0057 for the hiring or rent of vehicles, e.g. cars, bicycles or wheelchairs car rental G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method for managing rental vehicles includes associating a mobile device with a rental vehicle. The mobile device is operable to wirelessly receive vehicle information from the associated rental vehicle. Vehicle information is wirelessly received from the mobile device in response to a customer returning the mobile device. A transaction for the customer is automatically generated based, at least in part, on the vehicle information.

Claims

1. A method for managing rental vehicles, the method comprising:

associating a key fob with a rental vehicle, the key fob connected to a key chain for the rental vehicle and operable to wirelessly receive vehicle information from the associated rental vehicle;

wirelessly receiving from the key fob vehicle information in response to a customer returning the key chain and the connected key fob to a kiosk;

identifying terms of agreement associated with the customer renting the rental vehicle

automatically executing, independent of a rental company employee and the customer, a transaction with an account of the customer based, at least in part, on the vehicle information and the terms of agreement associated with the customer; and

automatically transmitting a receipt of the executed transaction to the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle information comprises at least one of vehicle identification, vehicle mileage, fuel level, or collision information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically transmitting vehicle information to the mobile device in accordance with a time period.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a request to the wireless device in response to the customer providing the wireless device to the kiosk.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically generating a receipt in accordance with the transaction.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the receipt is in an electronic format.

7. A tangible article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions for causing data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

associating a key fob with a rental vehicle, the key fob connected to a key chain for the rental vehicle and operable to wirelessly receive vehicle information from the associated rental vehicle;

wirelessly receiving from the key fob vehicle information in response to a customer returning the key chain and the connected key fob to a kiosk;

identifying terms of agreement associated with the customer renting the rental vehicle

automatically executing, independent of a rental company employee and the customer, a transaction with an account of the customer based, at least in part, on the vehicle information and the terms of agreement associated with the customer; and

automatically transmitting a receipt of the executed transaction to the customer.

8. The article of claim 7, wherein the vehicle information comprises at least one of vehicle identification, vehicle mileage, fuel level, or collision information.

9. The article of claim 7, the operations further comprising periodically transmitting vehicle information to the mobile device in accordance with a time period.

10. The article of claim 7, the operations further comprising transmitting a request to the wireless device in response to the customer providing the wireless device to the kiosk.

11. The article of claim 7, the operations further comprising automatically generating a receipt in accordance with the transaction.

12. The article of claim 11, wherein the receipt is in an electronic format.

13. A kiosk, comprising:

a receiving element operable to receive keys for a rental vehicle and a key fob connected to an associated key chain, the connected key fob associated with the rental vehicle;

a first transmitter operable to transmit a request for vehicle information to the key fob in connection with a customer depositing the keys and the connected key fob with the kiosk;

a receiver operable to wirelessly receive vehicle information from the mobile device; and

a second transmitter operable to transmit, independent of a rental company employee and the customer, the vehicle information to a network element for automatically generating a transaction associated with the rental vehicle using the vehicle information.