System, method and computer readable medium for billing based on a duration of a service period

• US 8,374,909 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Traffic Solutions Consolidated LLC
• Original Assignee: Rent A Toll Ltd
• Inventors: Robinson, Benjamin P., Lemon, Debbie, Balachandran, Sarath K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Akiba
• Application Number:
  US12/437,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13, 705/1.1
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable medium for billing based on a duration of a service period, comprises sending fleet data from a third party entity to a toll authority via a toll rental entity, matching toll data with the fleet data by the toll authority, if the toll data matches the fleet data: charging an account by the toll authority and sending the matched data to the toll rental entity, determining, by the toll rental entity, if the sent matched data is related to an opt-in for duration based tolling or an opt-out for duration based tolling, if the sent matched data is related to an opt-in for duration based tolling, charging the third party entity for the duration based tolling, and if the sent matched data is related to an opt-out for duration based tolling, applying at least one of: a fee for the duration based tolling, a toll usage amount, a service fee for the duration based tolling, and a service fee for the toll usage.

Claims

1. A method for duration-based billing, the method comprising:

providing, by a third-party entity computer, an unlimited toll-utilization service option;

receiving, by a toll-rental entity computer coupled to the third-party entity computer, information identifying a plurality of vehicles to which the unlimited toll-utilization service option applies;

collecting, by a toll authority computer coupled to the toll-rental entity computer, toll data;

receiving, by the toll-rental entity computer, the toll data;

determining, by the toll-rental entity computer, whether the toll data comprises data identifying at least one of the plurality of vehicles;

responsive to a positive determination, the toll-rental entity computer billing the third-party entity for toll usage by the identified at least one of the plurality of vehicles

wherein the information comprises rental-agreement data for a plurality of customers of the third-party entity that have accepted the unlimited toll-utilization service option; and

wherein the unlimited toll-utilization service option allows use of a toll authority an unlimited number of times for a duration of service for a fixed subscription fee.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises fleet data corresponding to a plurality of vehicles operated by the third-party entity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fleet data comprises at least one of:

a license plate number;

a license plate state;

a license state type;

a vehicle identification number;

a vehicle owner information;

a vehicle make;

a vehicle model; and

a vehicle color.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fixed subscription fee covers unlimited toll usage by a vehicle of plurality of vehicles.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the duration of service comprises:

seconds;

minutes;

hours;

days;

weeks;

months; and

years.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising, responsive to a negative determination, the toll-rental entity computer billing one of:

the third-party entity; and

a customer of the third-party entity that is responsible for a vehicle determined to not be one of the plurality of vehicles.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the billing comprises charging a fee in the amount of at least one of a fee for the unlimited toll-utilization service option and a toll-usage amount.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the third-party entity comprises at least one of:

an entity that rents vehicles;

an entity that leases vehicles; and

an entity that loans vehicles.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the toll-rental entity is a stand-alone unit from the third-party entity.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the toll-rental entity comprises a server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the toll-rental entity is integrated within the third-party entity.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the toll data comprises at least one of a toll transaction time and a vehicle license-plate number.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising:

creating a prepaid account between the toll authority and the toll-rental entity; and

forwarding pre-payment of the prepaid account for future toll usage by the plurality of vehicles.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein no vehicle associated with the fleet data includes a radio frequency identification transponder (RFID).

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the toll data comprises at least one of a toll transaction time and a vehicle license plate number.

15. A method for duration-based billing, the method comprising:

receiving, by a toll-rental entity computer coupled to a third-party entity computer, information identifying a plurality of vehicles to which an unlimited toll-utilization service option provided by the third-party entity computer applies;

receiving, by the toll-rental entity computer, toll data collected by a toll authority comprising a computer;

determining, by the toll-rental entity computer, whether the toll data comprises data identifying at least one of the plurality of vehicles;

responsive to a positive determination, the toll-rental entity computer billing the third-party entity for toll usage by the identified at least one of the plurality of vehicles;

wherein the information comprises rental-agreement data for a plurality of customers of the third-party entity that have accepted the unlimited toll-utilization service option; and

wherein the unlimited toll-utilization service option allows use of a toll authority an unlimited number of times for a duration of service for a fixed subscription fee.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the information comprises fleet data corresponding to a plurality of vehicles operated by the third-party entity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the fleet data comprises at least one of:

a license plate number;

a license plate state;

a license state type;

a vehicle identification number;

a vehicle owner information;

a vehicle make;

a vehicle model; and

a vehicle color.

18. The method of claim 15, comprising, responsive to a negative determination, the toll-rental entity billing at least one of:

the third-party entity; and

a customer of the third-party entity that is responsible for a vehicle determined to not be one of the plurality of vehicles.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the billing comprises charging a fee in the amount of at least one of a fee for the unlimited toll-utilization service option and a toll-usage amount.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the third-party entity comprises at least one of:

an entity that rents vehicles;

an entity that leases vehicles; and

an entity that loans vehicles.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the toll-rental entity is integrated within the third-party entity.

23. A system for duration-based billing, the system comprising:

a third-party entity computer that provides an unlimited toll-utilization service option;

a toll-rental entity computer interoperably connected to the third-party entity computer that receives information identifying a plurality of vehicles to which the unlimited toll-utilization service option applies;

a toll authority computer interoperably connected to the toll-rental entity computer that collects toll data and forwards the toll data to the toll-rental entity computer;

wherein the toll-rental entity computer determines whether the toll data comprises data identifying at least one of the plurality of vehicles;

responsive to a positive determination, the toll-rental entity computer bills a third-party entity for toll usage by the identified at least one of the plurality of vehicles;

wherein the information comprises rental-agreement data for a plurality of customers of the third-party entity that have accepted the unlimited toll-utilization service option; and

wherein the unlimited toll-utilization service option allows use of a toll authority an unlimited number of times for a duration of service for a fixed subscription fee.

24. A system for duration-based billing, the system comprising:

a toll-rental entity computer interoperably coupled to a third-party entity computer that receives information identifying a plurality of vehicles to which an unlimited toll-utilization service option provided by a third-party entity applies;

the toll-rental entity computer interoperably coupled to a toll authority computer that receives toll data collected by the toll authority computer;

wherein the toll-rental entity computer determines whether the toll data comprises data identifying at least one of the plurality of vehicles; and

responsive to a positive determination, the toll-rental entity computer bills a third-party entity for toll usage by the identified at least one of the plurality of vehicles;

wherein the information comprises rental-agreement data for a plurality of customers of the third-party entity that have accepted the unlimited toll-utilization service option; and

wherein the unlimited toll-utilization service option allows use of a toll authority an unlimited number of times for a duration of service for a fixed subscription fee.