Transit card state sequence self-help correction

• US 8,126,769 B1
• Filed: 08/07/2008
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bierbaum, Christopher J., Katzer, Robin D., Koellner, Todd N., Zhu, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Boyce, Akiba Robinson
• Application Number:
  US12/187,953
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13, 235/384, 235/382
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/36 using electronic wallets or electronic money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00

Abstract

A method of electronic transit fare payment is provided. The method comprises receiving a transit card state correction input and storing a transit card state correction record based on receiving the transit card state correction input. The method also comprises changing the transit card state in response to receiving the transit card state correction input. The method also comprises providing transit card information including the transit card state correction record to a exit fare gate to support electronic payment with a transit card.

Claims

1. A method of electronic transit fare payment, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device, a transit card state correction input for a transit card responsive to the transit card being in a transit card state that is unexpected, wherein the transit card state is one of an entry coded state and an exit coded state, and wherein the unexpected state is the exit coded state when the transit card is outside of a transit system and the entry coded state when the transit card is inside of the transit system;

storing, by the mobile device, a transit card state correction record based on receiving the transit card state correction input;

changing, by the mobile device, the transit card state to an expected state in response to receiving the transit card state correction input, wherein the expected state is the entry coded state when the transit card is outside of the transit system and the exit coded state when the transit card is inside of the transit system;

providing, by the mobile device, transit card information including the transit card state correction record to an exit fare gate to support electronic payment with a transit card; and

deducting, by the mobile device, a maximum fare from a funds balance based on information from an exit fare gate about the transit card and on the transit card state correction record when the time difference between receiving information from the exit fare gate and receiving a request to correct the transmit card state is less than a pre-defined threshold based upon a determination that an attempt to charge an erroneous fare has occurred,

wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a media player, or a handset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the transit card is in the exit coded state and is outside of the transit system, changing the transit card state in response to receiving the transit card state correction input causes the transit card state to change to the entry coded state and when the transit card is in the entry coded state and is inside of the transit system, changing the transit card state in response to receiving the transit card state correction input causes the transit card state to change to the exit coded state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transit card state correction record includes at least one of a timestamp of the transit card state correction input, the transit card state before changing the transit card state in response to receiving the transit card state correction input, a location of the transit card, an identity of a fare gate that last communicated with the transit card before receiving the transit card state correction input, and a timestamp of the communication with the fare gate that last communicated with the transit card before receiving the transit card state correction input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein when two transit card state correction inputs are received since the transit card last communicated with a fare gate, the amount of the electronic transit fare payment is determined as the fare from the fare gate that last communicated with the transit card to the exit fare gate.

5. The method of claim 1, further including when changing the transit card state is determined to be a prohibited transaction, wirelessly transmitting information about the prohibited transaction to the transit card payment system.

6. A method of charging a fare electronically, comprising:

wirelessly receiving, by a transit system computer from a mobile device, a request to correct a transit card state of a transit card from an unexpected state to an expected state, wherein the transit card state is one of an entry coded state and an exit coded state, wherein when the transit card is outside of a transit system the unexpected state is the exit coded state and the expected state is the entry coded state, and wherein when the transit card is inside of the transit system the unexpected state is the entry coded state and the expected state is the exit coded state;

wirelessly transmitting, by a transit system computer, a transit card state correction to the mobile device in response to the request to correct the transit card state;

storing, by a transit system computer, information about the transit card state correction, wherein the information about the transit card state correction includes at least one of a timestamp of the transit card state correction, an identity of a subscriber associated with the transit card, a location of the transit card, an identity of the last fare gate that the transit card successfully communicated with, or a time that the transit card communicated with the last fare gate;

charging, by a fare gate, a fare to the transit card based on the information about the transit card state correction;

determining, by a transit system computer, a rate of transit card state corrections associated with the transit card; and

suspending, by a transit system computer, the transit card when the rate of transit card state corrections is above a pre-defined threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the charging the fare to the transit card is also based on information received from an exit fare gate, and wherein when the time difference between the receiving information from the exit fare gate and the receiving the request to correct the transit card state is less than a pre-defined threshold, further including:

determining that an attempt to charge an erroneous fare has occurred; and

charging the maximum fare to the transit card.

8. The method of claim 7, further including wirelessly transmitting a message to the mobile device associated with the transit card with notification of the determining the attempt to charge an erroneous fare.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a media player, or a handset.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving two requests to correct a transit card state since the last communication of the transit card with an exit fare gate is a prohibited transaction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein when the prohibited transaction is identified, the maximum fare is charged to the transit card.

12. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a near field communication transceiver adapted for communicating with an entry fare gate to enter the transit system and with an exit fare gate to pay for use of the transit system; and

a transit card application having a funds balance that, when executed on the processor, is adapted to change a transit card state from an unexpected state to an expected state in response to an input received by the mobile device, wherein the transit card state is one of an entry coded state and an exit coded state, wherein when the transit card is outside of a transit system the unexpected state is the exit coded state and the expected state is the entry coded state, and wherein when the transit card is inside of the transit system the unexpected state is the entry coded state and the expected state is the exit coded state, to store a record of the change to the expected state, and to deduct a maximum fare from the funds balance based on information from the exit fare gate about the transit card and on the record of the change to the expected state when the time difference between receiving information from the exit fare gate and receiving a request to correct the transmit card state is less than a pre-defined threshold based upon a determination that an attempt to charge an erroneous fare has occurred.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the transit card application is adapted to change the transit card state from the unexpected state to the expected state in response in part to receiving a corroborating proof of the mobile device being one of inside the transit system and outside the transit system.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the corroborating proof of the mobile device being outside of the transit system is provided by the near field communication transceiver receiving a signal from an entry fare gate and the corroborating proof of the mobile device being inside the transit system is provided by the near field communication transceiver receiving a signal from an exit fare gate.

15. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the corroborating proof is provided based in part on a location of the mobile device.

16. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the record of the change to the expected state includes at least one of a timestamp, a location, and an identity of a last fare gate that communicated with the mobile device.

17. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the transit card application is adapted to change the transit card state from the unexpected state to the expected state in response in part to receiving a secret key that is provided as input to the mobile device.