Vehicle rental transaction system and method
First Claim
1. A vehicle rental transaction system comprising:
- a self-service terminal having memory and one or more processors; and
vehicle rental transaction software residing as instructions in the memory and executing on the one or more processors, the software executes on the one or more processors performing a method, comprising;
receiving customer identification information as part of a rental transaction involving a customer and a vehicle, obtaining customer preferences, generating a document for delivery to the customer, and transmitting instructions to a vehicle control system in the vehicle that automatically adjusts settings for one or more components of the vehicle to the customer preferences, and the settings activated by the vehicle control system in stages based in part on the customer preferences, and wherein the one or more components include one or more of;
a vehicle engine control module, power seat actuators, power window actuators, power mirror actuators, heating pads, a climate control system, an entertainment system, a trunk latch, lights, a horn, and a GPS receiver.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle rental transaction system and method which provide a vehicle lot owner with a choice of options for vehicle security and customer convenience. The vehicle rental transaction system includes a computer for identifying a customer as part of a rental transaction involving a vehicle, and for sending a wireless message to the vehicle containing instructions for preparing the vehicle for the customer. Example instructions include, but are not limited to, unlocking doors and a trunk of the vehicle, adjusting power seats and power mirrors in accordance with customer preferences, adjusting climate control settings in accordance with the customer preferences, adjusting radio station settings in accordance with the customer preferences, and adjusting GPS settings in accordance with the customer preferences.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A vehicle rental transaction system comprising:
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a self-service terminal having memory and one or more processors; and vehicle rental transaction software residing as instructions in the memory and executing on the one or more processors, the software executes on the one or more processors performing a method, comprising;
receiving customer identification information as part of a rental transaction involving a customer and a vehicle, obtaining customer preferences, generating a document for delivery to the customer, and transmitting instructions to a vehicle control system in the vehicle that automatically adjusts settings for one or more components of the vehicle to the customer preferences, and the settings activated by the vehicle control system in stages based in part on the customer preferences, and wherein the one or more components include one or more of;
a vehicle engine control module, power seat actuators, power window actuators, power mirror actuators, heating pads, a climate control system, an entertainment system, a trunk latch, lights, a horn, and a GPS receiver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vehicle rental transaction system comprising:
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a self-service terminal having memory and one or more processors; and vehicle rental transaction software residing as instructions in the memory and executing on the one or more processors, the software executes on the one or more processors performing a method, comprising;
receiving customer identification information as part of a rental transaction with a customer involving a vehicle, obtaining customer preferences, generating a document for delivery to the customer, transmitting a first set of instructions to a vehicle control system in the vehicle, that automatically adjusts settings for one or more components of the vehicle to the customer preferences;transmitting a second set of instructions to the vehicle control system that automatically adjusts settings for the one or more components of the vehicle to the customer preferences after a predetermined time delay from the first set of instructions approximating a walk time to the vehicle, based at least in part on a location for the vehicle relative to a current location of the customer, wherein the one or more components include one or more of;
a vehicle engine control module, power seat actuators, power window actuators, power mirror actuators, heating pads, a climate control system, an entertainment system, a trunk latch, lights, a horn, and a GPS receiver.
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15. A vehicle rental transaction system comprising:
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a self-service terminal having memory and one or more processors; and vehicle rental transaction software residing as instructions in the memory and executing on the one or more processors, the software executes on the one or more processors performing a method, comprising;
receiving customer identification information as part of a rental transaction involving a customer and a vehicle, obtaining luggage information from the customer, and transmitting instructions to a vehicle control system in the vehicle that automatically unlatches a trunk of the vehicle based upon the luggage information.
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16. A vehicle rental transaction system comprising:
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a self-service terminal having memory and one or more processors; and vehicle rental transaction software residing as instructions in the memory and executing on the one or more processors, the software executes on the one or more processors performing a method, comprising receiving customer identification information as part of a rental transaction involving a customer and a vehicle, obtaining local weather information, and transmitting instructions to a vehicle control system in the vehicle that automatically sets a climate control system of the vehicle based upon the local weather information. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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Specification