Electronic toll management for fleet vehicles

• US 8,768,755 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2013
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Hedley, Jay E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kira
• Application Number:
  US13/904,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/30 Transportation; Communications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems

Abstract

Toll transaction payment processing includes accessing image data for a vehicle, the image data corresponding to at least one image of the vehicle engaging in a transaction with a toll facility. The image data is processed to determine one or more vehicle identifiers for the vehicle. A fleet vehicle company associated with the vehicle is electronically identified based on the one or more vehicle identifiers. Billing information for the transaction between the vehicle and the toll facility is electronically communicated to the fleet vehicle company.

Claims

1. A method of toll transaction payment processing, the method comprising:

electronically storing, in a vehicle identifier data store of a toll computer system, identities of multiple registered banks, the multiple registered banks including a first bank and being banks registered for toll payment processing;

electronically receiving, by the toll computer system from a computer system of the first bank, a vehicle identifier of a vehicle of a customer of the first bank that receives a checking account service from the first bank and that has registered for an automated toll payment service offered by the first bank;

electronically storing, in the vehicle identifier data store of the toll computer system, the vehicle identifier in association with the identity of the first bank;

accessing image data for a vehicle, the image data corresponding to at least one image of the vehicle engaging in a transaction with a toll facility;

processing the image data to determine one or more vehicle identifiers for the vehicle;

electronically determining that the one or more vehicle identifiers correspond to the vehicle identifier received from the computer system of the first bank and stored in the vehicle identifier data store;

electronically identifying the first bank, from among the multiple registered banks having identities stored in the vehicle identifier data store, by accessing the identity of the first bank from the vehicle identifier data store; and

electronically communicating billing information for the transaction between the vehicle and the toll facility from the toll computer system to the computer system of the first bank for debiting payment for the transaction from a checking account maintained by the first bank for the customer that registered for automated toll payment service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing the image data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the capturing, accessing, processing, identifying the first bank, and communicating the billing information occur in near real-time in response to the vehicle engaging in the transaction with the toll facility.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the payment for the transaction between the vehicle and the toll facility through the first bank.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the payment for the transaction between the vehicle and the toll facility through the first bank comprises receiving the payment from the first bank.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the billing information does not include information associated with a vehicle transponder.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle identifiers include license plate data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction includes at least one of a distance traveled by the vehicle through the toll facility, a time period the vehicle is present in the toll facility, the characteristic of the vehicle interacting with the toll facility, and the speed at which the vehicle passes through the toll facility.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the facility includes at least one of a toll road, a bridge, a tunnel and a parking facility.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the multiple registered banks further includes a second bank, and further comprising:

electronically receiving, by the toll computer system from a computer system of the second bank, a second vehicle identifier of a vehicle of a customer of the second bank that receives a checking account service from the second bank and that has registered for an automated toll payment service offered by the second bank;

electronically storing, in the vehicle identifier data store of the toll computer system, the second vehicle identifier in association with the identity of the second bank;

accessing image data for a second vehicle, the second vehicle image data corresponding to at least one image of the second vehicle engaging in a transaction with the toll facility;

processing the second vehicle image data to determine one or more second vehicle identifiers for the second vehicle;

electronically determining that the one or more second vehicle identifiers correspond to the second vehicle identifier received from the computer system of the second bank and stored in the vehicle identifier data store;

electronically identifying the second bank, from among the multiple registered banks having identities stored in the vehicle identifier data store, by accessing the identity of the second bank from the vehicle identifier data store; and

electronically communicating billing information for the transaction between the second vehicle and the toll facility from the toll computer system to the computer system of the second bank for debiting payment for the transaction from a checking account maintained by the second bank for the customer that registered for automated toll payment service.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the facility includes at least one of a toll road, a bridge, a tunnel and a parking facility.

11. A toll system comprising:

an image data store for storing image data for vehicles, the image data corresponding to at least one image of a vehicle engaging in a transaction with a toll facility;

a vehicle identifier data store for storing vehicle identifiers and identities of multiple registered banks, the multiple registered banks including a first bank and being banks registered for toll payment processing; and

a toll computer system configured to;

store, in the vehicle identifier data store, the identities of the multiple registered banks;

receive, from a computer system of the first bank, a vehicle identifier of a vehicle of a customer of the first bank that receives a checking account service from the first bank and that has registered for an automated toll payment service offered by the first bank;

store, in the vehicle identifier data store, the vehicle identifier in association with the identity of the first bank;

access the image data for the vehicle from the image data store;

process the image data to determine one or more vehicle identifiers for the vehicle;

determine that the one or more vehicle identifiers correspond to the vehicle identifier received from the computer system of the first bank and stored in the vehicle identifier data store;

identify the first bank, from among the multiple registered banks having identities stored in the vehicle identifier data store, by accessing the identity of the first bank from the vehicle identifier data store; and

communicate billing information for the transaction between the vehicle and the toll facility to the computer system of the first bank for debiting payment for the transaction from a checking account maintained by the first bank for the customer that registered for automated toll payment service.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the toll computer system is further configured to capture the image data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the toll computer system is configured to capture, access, process, identify the first bank, and communicate the billing information in near real-time in response to the vehicle engaging in the transaction with the toll facility.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the toll computer system is further configured to receive the payment for the transaction between the vehicle and the toll facility through the first bank.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the toll computer system being configured to receive the payment for the transaction between the vehicle and the toll facility through the first bank comprises the toll computer system being configured to receive the payment from the first bank.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the billing information does not include information associated with a vehicle transponder.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more vehicle identifiers include license plate data.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the transaction includes at least one of a distance traveled by the vehicle through the toll facility, a time period the vehicle is present in the toll facility, the characteristic of the vehicle interacting with the toll facility, and the speed at which the vehicle passes through the toll facility.

20. The system of claim 11,

wherein the multiple registered banks further includes a second bank,

wherein the toll system is further configured to:

electronically receive, from a computer system of the second bank, a second vehicle identifier of a vehicle of a customer of the second bank that receives a checking account service from the second bank and that has registered for an automated toll payment service offered by the second bank;

electronically store, in the vehicle identifier data store, the second vehicle identifier in association with the identity of the second bank;

access image data for a second vehicle from the image data store, the second vehicle image data corresponding to at least one image of the second vehicle engaging in a transaction with the toll facility;

process the second vehicle image data to determine one or more second vehicle identifiers for the second vehicle;

determine that the one or more second vehicle identifiers correspond to the second vehicle identifier received from the computer system of the second bank and stored in the vehicle identifier data store;

identify the second bank, from among the multiple registered banks having identities stored in the vehicle identifier data store, by accessing the identity of the second bank from the vehicle identifier data store; and

communicate billing information for the transaction between the second vehicle and the toll facility to the computer system of the second bank for debiting payment for the transaction from a checking account maintained by the second bank for the customer that registered for automated toll payment service.