System for monitoring and enforcement of an automated fee payment

• US 10,521,973 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bekas, Konstantinos, Rufli, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Jeff
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elchanti, Zeina
• Application Number:
  US14/972,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20170178417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 705 13
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A method, a computer program product, and a computer system for monitoring and enforcing an automated fee payment in an infrastructure. A mobile device on a verifier'"'"'s vehicle monitors a record of a transaction of a payment on a distributed ledger. The payment is paid for using a service of the infrastructure and by a mobile device on an infrastructure user'"'"'s vehicle. The mobile device on the verifier'"'"'s vehicle captures information of the transaction of the payment and the infrastructure user'"'"'s vehicle. The information is broadcasted by the mobile device on the infrastructure user'"'"'s vehicle. The mobile device on the verifier'"'"'s vehicle determines whether there is a valid transaction of the payment for the service. The mobile device on the verifier'"'"'s vehicle sends a violation record to an offense reporting address of an infrastructure provider, in response to determining that there is no valid transaction of the payment.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring and enforcing an automated fee payment in an infrastructure, the method comprising:

monitoring, by a mobile device on a vehicle of a verifier, a record of transactions of payments on a distributed ledger, wherein the payments are paid for using a service of the infrastructure and paid by a mobile device on a vehicle of an infrastructure user, wherein a respective one of the payments is sent in an electronic payment system from an anonymous one-time address of the infrastructure user to a payment address of an infrastructure provider, wherein the electronic payment system generates a random number for a transaction of the respective one of the payments, wherein the record of the transactions of the payments on the distributed ledger includes a hash of the random number for the transaction of the respective one of the payments and a license plate number of the vehicle of an infrastructure user;

downloading from the distributed ledger, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, the record of the transactions;

parsing, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, for a valid transaction that has happened after a last fee schedule update;

capturing, by a camera on the vehicle of the verifier, the random number and the license plate number, wherein the random number and the license plate number are shown by a changing Quick Response code displayed on the vehicle of the infrastructure user;

determining, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, whether the valid transaction is found on the distributed ledger; and

sending, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, a violation record to an offense reporting address of the infrastructure provider, in response to determining that no valid transaction is found on the distributed ledger.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, violation evidence to an evidence database of the infrastructure provider, in response to determining that no valid transaction is found on the distributed ledger.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the record of the transactions includes times of the transactions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the violation record include a hash of evidence.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the infrastructure user, whether the service of the infrastructure is used;

sending, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the infrastructure user, to the distributed ledger, the payment for using the service; and

broadcasting, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the infrastructure user, the random number and the license plate number, wherein the random number and the license number are shown by the changing Quick Response code displayed on the vehicle of the infrastructure user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by a computer of the infrastructure provider, from the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, the violation record;

confirming, by the computer of the infrastructure provider, the violation record by checking an evidence database of the infrastructure provider; and

identifying, by the computer of the infrastructure provider, a violator based on the license plate number of the vehicle of the infrastructure user.

7. A computer program product for monitoring and enforcing an automated fee payment in an infrastructure, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable to:

monitor, by a mobile device on a vehicle of a verifier, a record of transactions of payments on a distributed ledger, wherein the payments are paid for using a service of the infrastructure and paid by a mobile device on a vehicle of an infrastructure user, wherein a respective one of the payments is sent in an electronic payment system from an anonymous one-time address of the infrastructure user to a payment address of an infrastructure provider, wherein the electronic payment system generates a random number for a transaction of the respective one of the payments, wherein the record of the transactions of the payments on the distributed ledger includes a hash of the random number for the transaction of the respective one of the payments and a license plate number of the vehicle of an infrastructure user;

download from the distributed ledger, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, the record of the transactions;

parse, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, for a valid transaction that has happened after a last fee schedule update;

capture, by a camera on the vehicle of the verifier, the random number and the license plate number, wherein the random number and the license plate number are shown by a changing Quick Response code displayed on the vehicle of the infrastructure user;

determine, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, whether the valid transaction is found on the distributed ledger; and

send, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, a violation record to an offense reporting address of the infrastructure provider, in response to determining that no valid transaction is found on the distributed ledger.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising the program code executable to:

send, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, violation evidence to an evidence database of the infrastructure provider, in response to determining that no valid transaction is found on the distributed ledger.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the record of the transactions includes times of the transactions.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the violation record include a hash of evidence.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising the program code executable to:

determine, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the infrastructure user, whether the service of the infrastructure is used;

send, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the infrastructure user, to the distributed ledger, the payment for using the service; and

broadcast, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the infrastructure user, the random number and the license plate number, wherein the random number and the license number are shown by the changing Quick Response code displayed on the vehicle of the infrastructure user.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising the program code executable to:

receive, by a computer of the infrastructure provider, from the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, the violation record;

confirm, by the computer of the infrastructure provider, the violation record by checking an evidence database of the infrastructure provider; and

identify, by the computer of the infrastructure provider, a violator based on the license plate number of the vehicle of the infrastructure user.

13. A computer system for monitoring and enforcing an automated fee payment in an infrastructure, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions executable to;

monitor, by a mobile device on a vehicle of a verifier, a record of transactions of payments on a distributed ledger, wherein the payments are paid for using a service of the infrastructure and paid by a mobile device on a vehicle of an infrastructure user, wherein a respective one of the payments is sent in an electronic payment system from an anonymous one-time address of the infrastructure user to a payment address of an infrastructure provider, wherein the electronic payment system generates a random number for a transaction of the respective one of the payments, wherein the record of the transactions of the payments on the distributed ledger includes a hash of the random number for the transaction of the respective one of the payments and a license plate number of the vehicle of an infrastructure user;

download from the distributed ledger, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, the record of the transactions;

parse, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, for a valid transaction that has happened after a last fee schedule update;

capture, by a camera on the vehicle of the verifier, the random number and the license plate number, wherein the random number and the license plate number are shown by a changing Quick Response code displayed on the vehicle of the infrastructure user;

determine, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, whether the valid transaction is found on the distributed ledger; and

send, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, a violation record to an offense reporting address of the infrastructure provider, in response to determining that no valid transaction is found on the distributed ledger.

14. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising the program instructions executable to:

send, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, violation evidence to an evidence database of the infrastructure provider, in response to determining that no valid transaction is found on the distributed ledger.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the record of the transactions includes times of the transactions.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the violation record include a hash of evidence.

17. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising the program instructions executable to:

determine, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the infrastructure user, whether the service of the infrastructure is used;

send, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the infrastructure user, to the distributed ledger, the payment for using the service; and

broadcast, by the mobile device on the vehicle of the infrastructure user, the random number and the license plate number, wherein the random number and the license number are shown by the changing Quick Response code displayed on the vehicle of the infrastructure user.

18. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising the program instructions executable to:

receive, by a computer of the infrastructure provider, from the mobile device on the vehicle of the verifier, the violation record;

confirm, by the computer of the infrastructure provider, the violation record by checking an evidence database of the infrastructure provider; and

identify, by the computer of the infrastructure provider, a violator based on the license plate number of the vehicle of the infrastructure user.