Toll payment collection with communication device

• US 10,679,429 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2014
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neoride Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aetolls, LLC
• Inventors: Fustes, Manuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Erb, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US14/770,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20160012648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,300 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/08 Payment architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

Implementations include actions of receiving an image of a vehicle using a toll road facility, processing the image to determine a vehicle identifier, and determining that the vehicle identifier is provided in a database, the database associating vehicle identifiers to respective device identifiers, and in response: determining a device identifier associated with the vehicle identifier from the database, transmitting a first message to a device associated with the device identifier, the first message including a request for approval to collect a toll payment, and receiving a second message from the device, the second message indicating approval of the toll payment, and in response: transmitting a payment request to a service provider, the service provider providing data transfer services for the device, and receiving the toll payment from the service provider.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method executed by one or more processors for collecting toll fee for use of a toll road facility, the method comprising:

receiving, through one or more messages over a messaging service provided by a communications service provider (CSP), a first vehicle identifier associated with a vehicle, and a first device identifier of a first computing device;

registering the first vehicle identifier and the first device identifier for a toll-text schema in a first database;

receiving a first signal, the first signal indicating a first vehicle using the toll road facility is not equipped with a valid electronically readable toll-tag;

receiving a first image of the first vehicle from a camera of the toll road facility;

processing, by the one or more processors, the first image to determine the first vehicle identifier;

determining, based on cross-referencing the first vehicle identifier with a toll-tag database, that the first vehicle identifier is not associated with a toll-tag account, the toll-tag database listing vehicle identifiers that are associated with electronically readable toll-tags; and

in response to determining both that the first vehicle is not equipped with the valid electronically readable toll-tag and that the first vehicle identifier is not associated with the toll-tag account, determining that the first vehicle identifier is registered for the toll-text schema by determining that the first vehicle identifier is provided in the first database, the first database associating vehicle identifiers to respective device identifiers registered for the toll-text schema, and in response;

determining the first device identifier associated with the first vehicle identifier from the first database,

identifying whether there are any prior toll transactions, for which payment has not yet been approved, associated with the first vehicle identifier,

transmitting a first message to the first computing device associated with the first device identifier, the first message comprising a request for approval to collect a first toll payment, the first toll payment including any identified prior toll transactions, and

receiving a second message from the first computing device over the messaging service provided by the CSP, the second message indicating approval of the first toll payment, and in response;

transmitting a first payment request to a first service provider, the first service provider providing data transfer services for the first computing device, and

receiving the first toll payment from the first service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message is a text message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the text message is one of a short message service (SMS) message and a multimedia message service (MMS) message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first service provider is the CSP.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising executing a registration protocol to register the first device identifier and the first vehicle identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second image of the first vehicle, the second image being processed to determine the first vehicle identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a message from the first computing device comprising a second image of the first vehicle and the first device identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a third message to the first computing device, the third message comprising a request for confirming the first vehicle identifier; and

receiving a fourth message from the first computing device, the fourth message indicating confirmation of the first vehicle identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second signal, the second signal indicating that a second vehicle using the toll road facility is equipped with a toll-tag device, the toll-tag device associated with a balance account; and

determining that the toll-tag device is valid, and in response;

collecting a second toll payment from the balance account.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second signal, the second signal indicating a second vehicle using the toll road facility is not equipped with a valid toll-tag device;

receiving a second image, the second image depicting the second vehicle; and

processing the second image to determine a second vehicle identifier.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that the second vehicle identifier is provided in the first database, and in response;

determining a second device identifier associated with the second vehicle identifier from the first database,

transmitting a third message to a second computing device associated with the second device identifier, the third message comprising a request for approval to collect a second toll payment, and

receiving a fourth message from the second computing device, the fourth message indicating disapproval of the second toll payment, and in response;

receiving information associated with a registered owner of the second vehicle associated with the second vehicle identifier, and

sending the owner an invoice.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a fifth message from the second computing device, the fifth message indicating a registration request; and

associating the second vehicle identifier with the second device identifier of the second computing device in the first database.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the first vehicle using the toll road facility.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first toll payment includes a plurality of unpaid toll fees.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is associated with an account by the first service provider that is a prepaid and refillable account.

16. A vehicle toll processing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more tangible, non-transitory media operably connectable to the one or more processors and storing instructions that, when executed, perform operations comprising;

receiving, through one or more messages over a messaging service provided by a communications service provider (CSP), a first vehicle identifier associated with a vehicle, and a first device identifier of a first computing device;

registering the first vehicle identifier and the first device identifier for a toll-text schema in a first database;

receiving a first signal, the first signal indicating a first vehicle using a toll road facility is not equipped with a valid electronically readable toll-tag;

receiving a first image of the first vehicle from a camera of the toll road facility;

processing, by the one or more processors, the first image to determine the first vehicle identifier;

determining, based on cross-referencing the first vehicle identifier with a toll-tag database, that the first vehicle identifier is not associated with a toll-tag account, the toll-tag database listing vehicle identifiers that are associated with electronically readable toll-tags; and

in response to determining both that the first vehicle is not equipped with the valid electronically readable toll-tag and that the first vehicle identifier is not associated with the toll-tag account, determining that the first vehicle identifier is registered for the toll-text schema by determining that the first vehicle identifier is provided in the first database, the first database associating vehicle identifiers to respective device identifiers registered for the toll-text schema, and in response;

determining the first device identifier associated with the first vehicle identifier from the first database,

identifying whether there are any prior toll transactions, for which payment has not yet been approved, associated with the first vehicle identifier,

transmitting a first message to the first computing device associated with the first device identifier, the first message comprising a request for approval to collect a first toll payment, the first toll payment including any identified prior toll transactions, and

receiving a second message from the first computing device over the messaging service provided by the CSP, the second message indicating approval of the first toll payment, and in response;

transmitting a first payment request to a first service provider, the first service provider providing data transfer services for the first computing device, and

receiving the first toll payment from the first service provider.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first message is a text message.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the text message is one of a short message service (SMS) message and a multimedia message service (MMS) message.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, through one or more messages over a messaging service provided by a communications service provider (CSP), a first vehicle identifier associated with a vehicle, and a first device identifier of a first computing device;

registering the first vehicle identifier and the first device identifier for a toll-text schema in a first database;

receiving a first signal, the first signal indicating a first vehicle using a toll road facility is not equipped with a valid electronically readable toll-tag;

receiving a first image of the first vehicle from a camera of the toll road facility;

processing, by the at least one processor, the first image to determine the first vehicle identifier;

determining, based on cross-referencing the first vehicle identifier with a toll-tag database, that the first vehicle identifier is not associated with a toll-tag account, the toll-tag database listing vehicle identifiers that are associated with electronically readable toll-tags; and

in response to determining both that the first vehicle is not equipped with the valid electronically readable toll-tag and that the first vehicle identifier is not associated with the toll-tag account, determining that the first vehicle identifier is registered for the toll-text schema by determining that the first vehicle identifier is provided in the first database, the first database associating vehicle identifiers to respective device identifiers registered for the toll-text schema, and in response;

determining the first device identifier associated with the first vehicle identifier from the first database,

identifying whether there are any prior toll transactions, for which payment has not yet been approved, associated with the first vehicle identifier,

transmitting a first message to the first computing device associated with the first device identifier, the first message comprising a request for approval to collect a first toll payment, the first toll payment including any identified prior toll transactions, and

receiving a second message from the first computing device over the messaging service provided by the CSP, the second message indicating approval of the first toll payment, and in response;

transmitting a first payment request to a first service provider, the first service provider providing data transfer services for the first computing device, and

receiving the first toll payment from the first service provider.