Fully automated vehicle rental system

• US 20050108089A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Id Systems Incorporated (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Id Systems Incorporated (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Inventors: Loosmore, Natthan H., Jagid, Jeffrey M., Ehrman, Kenneth S., Ehrman, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/019,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108089A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• 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: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

An automated vehicle rental system with individual vehicle transmitting sensors for keeping track of vehicle mileage, fill state of vehicle fuel tank, and localized position status in a rental lot. Sensors are linked to the vehicle odometer reading and to the vehicle fuel tank float sensor with compensation for types of driving and fuel fill-ups which affect float level readings. The sensors are integrated with or are linked with communicating tags operable in a defined site for ultimate communication of stored vehicle related sensor data, vehicle location and type to a central data base for automatically completely effecting check out, charges and state of vehicle readiness for renewed rental. The transmitting sensors are adapted to avoid interference between sensors of other vehicles during multiple transmissions. Also included is an in-vehicle check out and payment device operatively linkable to the transmitting sensor of the vehicle.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method for managing a plurality of rental vehicles located within a rental vehicle lot having a plurality of stations including a parking station and a return station, comprising:

monitoring by each rental vehicle of vehicle movement into one of the plurality of stations;

remotely communicating vehicle information to a processing unit in response to initial entry into the station;

recording by the processing unit of vehicle presence in the station in response to the remote communication from the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16 further including:

acknowledging by the processing unit to the rental vehicle of receipt of the remote communication transmitted vehicle information; and

inhibiting by the rental vehicle of further transmission of the vehicle information following central rental node acknowledgment until such time as the rental vehicle moves into a different station.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the vehicle information includes monitored fuel state and distance traveled information for the rental vehicle, the method further comprising:

calculating charges for use of the rental vehicle based on the transmitted monitored fuel state and distance traveled information.

19. The method of claim 16 further including graphically presenting information concerning vehicle location within the rental vehicle lot based at least in part on the recorded vehicle presence within one of the plurality of stations.

20. The method of claim 19 further including graphically presenting, along with vehicle location, vehicle status information based at least in part on the remotely communicated vehicle information.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the plurality of stations includes an exit security station, and wherein remotely communicating includes transmitting rental transaction details including driver identification linked to an identification of a selected rental vehicle from the selected rental vehicle to the processing unit as the selected rental vehicle enters the exit security station, the method further including:

making the transmitted rental transaction details available to security personnel at the exit security station.

22. The method of claim 21 further including printing a copy of a rental agreement for the selected rental vehicle at the exit security station.

23. The method of claim 21 further including resetting a fuel and distance measurement device located within the selected rental vehicle.

24. The method of claim 23 further including monitoring fuel state and distance traveled using the fuel and distance measurement device.

25. The method of claim 24 further including transmitting the monitored fuel state and distance traveled information from the selected rental vehicle to a central rental node when the selected rental vehicle returns to the return station.

26. The method of claim 25 further including calculating charges for use of the selected rental vehicle based on the transmitted monitored fuel state and distance traveled information.

27. The method of claim 21 further including additionally transmitting the rental transaction details to the exit security station of the rental vehicle lot in a manner that does not pass through the selected rental vehicle and its memory.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein the rental transaction details include credit card data for a renter of the vehicle.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the renter of the vehicle is the driver.

30. The method of claim 21 wherein the rental transaction details include an identification of a type of rental agreement for the selected rental vehicle.

31. The method of claim 21 further including confirming responsive to selected rental vehicle approach to the exit security station that a rental record exists with respect to the selected rental vehicle.

32. The method of claim 16 further including:

transmitting rental transaction details from a selected rental vehicle to a database when the selected rental vehicle returns to the return station.

33. The method of claim 32 further including calculating charges for use of the selected rental vehicle based on the transmitted rental transaction details.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the calculating includes not charging for fuel fill up if the current fuel level is inadequate but the vehicle distance traveled since a last fill up is less than a threshold.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the rental transaction details include driver identification linked to an identification of the selected rental vehicle.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein the transmitting includes:

detecting by the selected rental vehicle itself of a return to the return station; and

responsive to such a detection, initiating a remote communication transmission of the rental information from the selected rental vehicle to a central rental node.

37. The method of claim 36 further including:

acknowledging by the central rental node to the selected rental vehicle of receipt of the remote communication transmitted rental vehicle information; and

inhibiting by the selected rental vehicle of further transmission of the rental information following central rental node acknowledgment.

38. The method of claim 21 further including deleting the link between the driver identification and the selected rental vehicle in response to the selected rental vehicle return to the return station.

39. A method for renting a rental vehicle, comprising:

storing rental information in a rental vehicle, the rental information including current vehicle fuel level and vehicle distance traveled while rented;

detecting by the rental vehicle itself of a return to a rental vehicle lot;

responsive to such a detection, initiating a remote communication transmission of the stored rental information from the rental vehicle to a central rental node;

acknowledging by the central rental node to the rental vehicle of receipt of the remote communication transmitted rental vehicle information;

inhibiting by the rental vehicle of further transmission of the stored rental information following central rental node acknowledgment; and

calculating by the central rental node based on the transmitted rental vehicle information of a charge incurred for use of the rental vehicle.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the stored rental information further includes rental transaction details including driver identification linked to the rental vehicle.

41. The method of claim 40 further including deleting the link between driver identification and rental vehicle in response to rental vehicle return to the rental vehicle lot.

42. The method of claim 39 wherein calculating includes not charging for fuel fill up if the current fuel level is inadequate but the vehicle distance traveled since a last fill up is less than a threshold.