Electronic run ticket

• US 9,892,473 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert P. Garner
• Original Assignee: Robert P. Garner
• Inventors: Garner, Robert P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayles, Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US14/667,585
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 705 22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

Technology for completing an electronic run ticket is provided. In an example method, user credentials may be received on a client device. A barcode associated with an oil tank may be scanned to identify the oil tank. Fields of the electronic run ticket may be populated based on the identification of the oil tank. Fields of the electronic run ticket may also be populated based on the user credentials.

Claims

1. A method for completing an electronic run ticket, comprising:

authenticating the client device with a management server by sending an authentication code from the client device to the management server;

receiving a unique key at the client device from the management server for identifying the client device after authenticating the client device;

electronically identifying a tank by capturing identifying information using the client device;

recognizing, by the client device, captured data as identifying information;

populating data fields of the electronic run ticket based on the identifying information;

encrypting the electronic run ticket with the unique key to obtain an encrypted electronic run ticket; and

transmitting the encrypted electronic run ticket to the management server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising populating fields of the electronic run ticket based on variable data, wherein the variable data comprises time and populating the fields of the electronic run ticket comprises adding a time stamp to the electronic run ticket.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising populating fields of the electronic run ticket based on variable data, wherein the variable data comprises a temperature.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising detecting an ambient temperature or a temperature of oil in the tank using the client device.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising calculating a volume of oil in the tank based on the temperature and an API (American Petroleum Institute) gravity of the oil.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising calculating the volume of the oil when the temperature of the oil is different than a standard temperature for the API gravity of the oil.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising electronically identifying a legal load capacity of a truck and calculating a volume of oil to remove from the tank to fill the load capacity.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking movement of the client device from the tank using a global positioning system (GPS).

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing tracked movement of the client device for display as navigation instructions for a second client device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication code is a single use authentication code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein electronically identifying the tank further comprises comparing a GPS coordinate of the client device to a data store including GPS coordinates of a plurality of different tank locations and identifying the tank based on the GPS coordinate of the client device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein electronically identifying the tank further comprises scanning a bar code on the tank using the client device, the method further comprising identifying a valve seal by scanning a bar code on a valve for the tank using the client device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing identifying information further comprises receiving manual input of an identification number of the tank to the client device, and recognizing, by the client device, captured data as identifying information further comprises comparing the manual input to data in a data store storing identification numbers of a plurality of tanks to identify the tank.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing identifying information further comprises detecting the identifying information of the tank using radio wave communications.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating run tickets for a plurality of tanks when a truck leases oil from the plurality of tanks.

16. An electronic run ticket system, comprising:

a client computing device;

detection hardware associated with the client computing device for electronically detecting an identification of an oil tank by capturing identifying information using the client computing device;

a memory on the client computing to store user credentials;

a clock on the client computing device to identify time stamp data;

a population module to recognize, by the client computing device, captured data as identifying information, and to populate an electronic run ticket based on the identification of the oil tank, the user credentials and the time stamp data;

a submission module for submitting an authentication code from the client device to a management server to authenticate the client device with the management server; and

an encryption module configured to encrypt the electronic run ticket with a unique key received from the management server.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the client computing device comprises a GPS unit to identify a location of the client computing device, the GPS unit to track movement of the client device to the oil tank and store the tracked movement of the client device for display as navigation instructions.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a recognition module to recognize handwritten data, the population module being further configured to populate the electronic run ticket based on recognition of the handwritten data by the recognition module.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the detection hardware comprises a camera, a scanner or a radio communication device.

20. A method for completing an electronic run ticket, comprising:

authenticating the client device with a management server by sending an authentication code from the client device to the management server;

receiving a unique key at the client device from the management server for identifying the client device after authenticating the client device;

electronically identifying an oil tank by scanning a code associated with an oil tank using the client device;

recognizing, by the client device, the code as identifying information;

populating fields of the electronic run ticket based on the identifying information; and

encrypting the electronic run ticket with the unique key to obtain an encrypted electronic run ticket.