Remote-access fuel dispenser using a data type aware mark-up language

• US 20030204377A1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kenneth L. Ringeman, William C. Royal Jr
• Original Assignee: Kenneth L. Ringeman, William C. Royal Jr
• Inventors: Royal, William C. Jr., Ringeman, Kenneth L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,820,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery

Abstract

A fuel dispenser includes data type aware SGML processing capabilities allowing it to efficiently process received data having a variety of data types. Such received data typically includes fuel dispenser configuration information. Further benefits related to data type aware SGML processing within the fuel dispenser include the ability to transfer information in a data type aware SGML format from the fuel dispenser, such as diagnostics data, to a remote system. Data type aware SGML data definitions facilitate conversion of the data type aware SGML-formatted diagnostics data into a machine format usable by the remote system. Preferably, the fuel dispenser includes an HTTP server for communicating with remote client'"'"'s systems that employ data type aware SGML-capable, web browsers. Data type aware SGML-based style sheets may be transferred from the fuel dispenser to the remote system for assisting with the visual display of received fuel dispenser data in HTML format. Optionally, the fuel dispenser may include a Java applet designed to impart data type aware SGML-based transfer and processing capabilities to remote client web browsers lacking native data type aware SGML support. As an alternative, the fuel dispenser may itself apply resident data type aware style sheet information to stored fuel dispenser data after converting it to data type aware SGML format to produce formatted HTML-based web pages, and then transfer the web pages to the remote system for display.

Claims

1. A fuel dispenser comprising:

a communications interface adapted to transfer information between a remote system and said fuel dispenser;

a communications processor associated with said communications interface and adapted to provide;

a) a protocol service operating such that said information transferred between said fuel dispenser and said remote system is transferred in accordance with a defined protocol;

b) a data type aware SGML service operating such that select operating data transferred from said remote system to said fuel dispenser in a data type aware SGML format is converted to a native format; and

c) a storage service operating such that said select operating data is stored in an associated memory in said native format; and

a controller adapted to control one or more operations of said fuel dispenser based on said select operating data stored in said associated memory.

2. The fuel dispenser of claim 1 wherein said communications processor is further adapted to transfer select stored data to said remote system via said communications interface in response to a configurable data request from said remote system, and wherein said select stored data is converted from a native format to a data type aware SGML format before said transfer to said remote system.

3. The fuel dispenser of claim 2 wherein said communications processor is further adapted to transfer a stored Java applet to said remote system in conjunction with transferring said select stored data to set remote system in response to receiving said configurable data request.

4. The fuel dispenser of claim 2 wherein said communications processor is further adapted to transfer stored data type aware style sheet language information to said remote system in conjunction with transferring said select stored data to said remote system in response to receiving said configurable data request.

5. The fuel dispenser of claim 1 wherein said communications processor is further adapted to transfer select stored data to said remote system via said communications interface in response to a configurable data request from said remote system, and wherein said select stored data is converted from a data type aware SGML format to a HTML format before said transfer to said remote system.

6. The fuel dispenser of claim 5 wherein said communications processor uses stored style sheet language information to perform said conversion of said select stored data from said data type aware SGML format to said HTML format.

7. The fuel dispenser of claim 1 wherein said defined protocol is a standard hypertext transfer protocol.

8. The fuel dispenser of claim 1, wherein said defined protocol is a standard file transfer protocol.

9. The fuel dispenser of claim 1, wherein said data type aware SGML is XML.

10. The fuel dispenser of claim 4, wherein said data type aware SSL is XSL.

11. A fuel dispenser comprising:

a communications interface adapted to transfer information between said fuel dispenser and a remote system;

a communications processor associated with said communications interface and adapted to provide;

a) a protocol service operating such that information transferred between said communications processor and said remote system via said communications interface is transferred in accordance with a defined protocol;

b) a conversion service operating such that data items included in information received from said remote system are converted from a transfer format to a native format based on interpreting embedded data tags included in said information received from said remote system; and

c) a storage service such that said data items are stored in a memory associated with said fuel dispenser after conversion to said native format; and

a controller for controlling one or more operations of said fuel dispenser based on said stored data items.

12. The fuel dispenser of claim 11 further wherein said conversion service converts select operating data stored in said memory from said native format to said transfer format for transfer to said remote system via said communications interface, said transfer format including one or more embedded data tags associated with said select operating data, said one or more embedded data tags selected from a defined set of data tags.

13. The fuel dispenser of claim 12 wherein said conversion service is an XML service adapted to translate said data items in said information received from said remote system from an XML format to a native format, and further adapted to translate said select operating data stored in said memory from said native format to said XML format for subsequent transfer to said remote system.

14. A method of supporting remote interaction in a fuel dispenser, said method comprising:

establishing a communications link between said fuel dispenser and a remote system based on a common protocol;

receiving a data type aware SGML data request from said remote system via said communications link;

identifying one or more fuel dispenser operating values corresponding to said data request;

converting said one or more fuel dispenser operating values from a native format to produce data type aware SGML-formatted fuel dispenser operating values; and

transferring said data type aware SGML-formatted fuel dispenser operating values to said remote system via said communications link.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving an HTML page request corresponding to a Java applet request prior to receiving said data type aware SGML data request from said remote system; and

transferring a Java applet from a memory associated with said fuel dispenser to said remote system in response to said HTML page request;

said Java applet adapted to enable said remote system to transmit said data type aware SGML data request to said fuel dispenser and to manipulate said data type aware SGML-formatted fuel dispenser operating values received from said fuel dispenser.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving an HTML page request from said remote system via said communications link;

identifying one or more fuel dispenser operating values corresponding to said HTML page request;

converting said one or more fuel dispenser operating values from a native format to a data type aware SGML format, thereby producing data type aware SGML-formatted fuel dispenser operating values;

converting said data type aware SGML-formatted fuel dispenser operating values to a HTML format using one or more data type aware style sheets stored in a memory associated with said fuel dispenser, thereby producing HTML-formatted fuel dispenser operating values; and

transferring said HTML-formatted fuel dispenser operating values to said remote system via said communications link.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving a data type aware SGML-formatted data set corresponding to said one or more fuel dispenser operating values from said remote system;

converting said data type aware SGML-formatted data set into a native format data set;

storing said native format data set into a memory associated with said fuel dispenser; and

controlling one or more operations of said fuel dispenser based at least in part on said stored native format data set.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said data type aware SGML is XML.

19. A method of supporting remote parameter editing in a fuel dispenser, said method comprising:

receiving a data request from a remote system;

converting stored information associated with said data request from a native format into a data type aware SGML format, thereby forming converted information;

transferring said converted information to said remote system;

receiving edited information from said remote system, said edited information received in a data type aware SGML format;

parsing said data type aware SGML format edited information to extract one or more updated parameters; and

storing said one or more updated parameters in a memory associated with said the fuel dispenser.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising transferring data type aware style sheet information associated with said converted information for use by said remote system in translating said converted information into an HTML format.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising transferring a Java applet stored in a memory associated with said fuel dispenser for execution by said remote system, said Java applet adapted to translate said converted information from said data type aware SGML format to an HTML format at said remote system.