Carwash with smartphone payment and activation

• US 9,117,233 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2012
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Control Systems, Inc. (Newyork) (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Robert J. Harter
• Inventors: Harter, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZURITA, JAMES H
• Application Number:
  US13/492,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20120253973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,172 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/04 Cleaning involving contact with liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 3/04 for exteriors of land vehicles B60S3/002, B60S3/004 take precedence; specially adapted for railway vehicles B60S3/006
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/20 for washing or drying articles, e.g. clothes, motor cars
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

An example carwash method involves a customer using a smartphone with an app for finding participating carwash locations, making online payments for select carwash options, and then using the smartphone app to start the washing process when the customer arrives at the carwash. Various means can be used for determining when the vehicle is at the carwash entrance. Examples of such means include, but are not limited to, reading the GPS coordinates of the smartphone in the vehicle; establishing Bluetooth, WiFi or some other limited-range wireless communication link between the smartphone and the local carwash controller; displaying and manually entering a code or password at the carwash; and scanning a QR code displayed on the smartphone. During the carwash operation, in some examples, the smartphone app provides the customer with an emergency stop option.

Claims

1. A carwash method for washing a vehicle for a customer at a carwash, the carwash includes a carwash bay, the carwash method comprising:

displaying a carwash location of the carwash on a customer digital system, the carwash includes a carwash controller, the customer digital system includes a portable digital device that the customer has in the vehicle;

driving the vehicle to the carwash location;

displaying a plurality of carwash options on the customer digital system;

selecting a desired carwash option from the plurality of carwash options, wherein selecting the desired carwash option involves the customer digital system;

communicating the desired carwash option from the customer digital system to the carwash controller;

communicating the desired carwash option from the customer digital system to a vendor computer system;

making an online Internet payment for the desired carwash option, wherein the online Internet payment involves the customer digital system and the vendor computer system;

the portable digital device in the vehicle informing the carwash controller that the vehicle is in position to enter the carwash bay;

the carwash controller determining whether the carwash bay is available to receive the vehicle;

if the carwash controller determines the carwash bay is available to receive the vehicle, then subsequent to the portable digital device in the vehicle informing the carwash controller that the vehicle is in position to enter the carwash bay, at least one of the vendor computer system and the carwash controller inviting the vehicle to enter the carwash bay;

the vehicle entering the carwash bay; and

the carwash performing the carwash operation according to the desired carwash option, wherein the carwash operation includes washing the vehicle.

2. The carwash method of claim 1, wherein the portable digital device is a cell phone with Internet access.

3. The carwash method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the vendor computer system, the carwash controller and the customer digital system determining whether the portable digital device is proximate the carwash.

4. The carwash method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the portable digital device is proximate the carwash involves considering at least one GPS coordinate.

5. The carwash method of claim 1, wherein the vendor computer system participates in communicating the desired carwash option from the customer digital system to the carwash controller.

6. The carwash method of claim 1, wherein the vendor computer system participates in the portable digital device in the vehicle informing the carwash controller that the vehicle is in position to enter the carwash bay.

7. The carwash method of claim 1, further comprising selecting via the portable digital device the carwash bay from a plurality of carwash bays at the carwash.

8. The carwash method of claim 1, further comprising:

while washing the vehicle, the customer inputting a stop signal to the portable digital device; and

discontinuing washing the vehicle in response to the customer inputting the stop signal to the portable digital device.