Fare collection using wireless beacons

• US 9,317,976 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cubic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cubic Corporation
• Inventors: Andrews, David, Monk, Paul, Mistry, Pradip
• Primary Examiner(s): Berona, Kimberly
• Assistant Examiner(s): SEE, CAROL A
• Application Number:
  US14/526,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20150120558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00373 whereby the wake-up circuit is situated in the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit

Abstract

Systems and techniques are presented for processing a user through a paid entry gate using a mobile device. The mobile device receives a beacon packet from a first wireless beacon and wakes up an application. The application wakes up by transitioning to an active or background execution state. The application transmits validation data to a computer server system and the computer server system validates an account of the user. The mobile device receives a beacon packet including a gate identifier that is a unique identification of the paid entry gate from a second wireless beacon and transmits the gate identifier to the computer server system. The computer server system receives the gate identifier, debits the account of the user, and transmits a signal to a gate entry device associated with the gate identifier to grant the user passage through the paid entry gate.

Claims

1. A system for processing a user through a paid entry gate using a mobile device, the system comprising:

a first wireless beacon that wirelessly transmits a first beacon packet in a first area;

a second wireless beacon that wirelessly transmits a second beacon packet in a second area that is closer to the paid entry gate than the first area, the second beacon packet including a gate identifier that uniquely identifies the paid entry gate from a plurality of gates;

a mobile device executing an application, the application performing the steps of;

waking up in response to the mobile device receiving the first beacon packet from the first wireless beacon, wherein the application wakes up by transitioning to an active or background execution state,

transmitting validation data to a computer server system after waking up and prior to receiving the second beacon packet, the validation data including account information for an account,

receiving the second beacon packet including the gate identifier from the second wireless beacon, and

transmitting the gate identifier to the computer server system; and

the computer server system performing the steps of;

receiving the validation data,

validating the account based on the validation data,

receiving the gate identifier,

debiting the account, and

transmitting a signal to a gate entry device associated with the gate identifier to grant the user passage through the paid entry gate.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the gate entry device that activates a green colored light source in response to receiving the signal from the computer server system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the gate entry device includes an infrared sensor, and further performs the steps of:

sensing a second user passing through the paid entry gate,

determining that a second signal has not been received from the computer server system, and

activating at least one of a red colored light source and a speaker that generates an alarm in response to determining that the second signal has not been received.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless beacon and the second wireless beacon are Bluetooth low energy beacons.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further performs the steps of:

querying the user to authorize a transaction after waking up, and receiving user input in response to the query,

wherein the application transmits the validation data to the computer server system based on the user input.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless beacon transmits at a greater transmission power level than the second wireless beacon.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second wireless beacon transmits the second beacon packet in a limited direction.

8. A method for processing a user through a paid entry gate using a mobile device, the method comprising:

transmitting a first beacon packet from a first wireless beacon to the mobile device in a first area;

receiving validation information from the mobile device after transmitting the first beacon packet and prior to transmitting a second beacon packet;

validating an account based on the validation information;

transmitting the second beacon packet from a second wireless beacon to the mobile device in a second area that is closer to the paid entry gate than the first area, the second beacon packet including a gate identifier that uniquely identifies the paid entry gate from a plurality of gates; and

conducting a transaction after transmitting the second beacon packet, the transaction including debiting the account and granting passage through the paid entry gate.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein validating the account includes transmitting an authorization request to a payment processor.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein validating the account includes checking a balance of the account.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first beacon packet is encrypted.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first beacon packet is encrypted using a public key encryption.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first beacon packet includes a message authentication code.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first beacon packet includes a time of day and a date.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, having instructions stored therein, which when executed cause a computer to perform a set of operations comprising:

receiving a first beacon packet from a first wireless beacon;

transmitting validation data to a computer server system in response to receiving the first beacon packet and prior to receiving a second beacon packet, the validation information including account information for an account;

receiving the second beacon packet from a second wireless beacon, the second beacon packet including a gate identifier that uniquely identifies a paid entry gate from a plurality of gates; and

transmitting the gate identifier to the computer server system in response to receiving the second beacon packet such that the account is debited and the user is granted passage through the paid entry gate.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, having further instructions stored therein, which when executed cause the computer to perform a set of operations comprising:

displaying a coupon.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, having further instructions stored therein, which when executed cause the computer to perform a set of operations comprising:

receiving user input that includes account information for the account.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, having further instructions stored therein, which when executed cause the computer to perform a set of operations comprising:

displaying a plurality of accounts that are stored on a mobile device; and

receiving user selection of the account from the plurality of accounts.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, having further instructions stored therein, which when executed cause the computer to perform a set of operations comprising:

querying a user to authorize a transaction;

receiving biometric data from the user in response to the query; and

authorizing the transaction based on the biometric data.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein a signal that causes the gate entry device to grant passage to the user is transmitted from the computer server system via a Bluetooth protocol.