Toll fee system and method

• US 20050279831A1
• Filed: 05/10/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Traffic Solutions Consolidated LLC
• Original Assignee: Rent A Toll Ltd
• Inventors: Lemon, Debbie, Robinson, Benjamin P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,407,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/384
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/04 comprising devices to free a barrier, turnstile, or the like turnstiles with registering means G07C9/10; coin-freed aspects G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A toll fee tracking system comprising a toll authority adapted to collect data associated with at least one toll fee tracking device and a toll rental entity adapted to communicate with the toll authority and a third part entity. This Abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an Abstract that allows a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain subject matter of the technical disclosure. This Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A toll fee tracking system comprising:

a toll authority adapted to collect data associated with at least one toll fee tracking device; and

a toll rental entity adapted to communicate with said toll authority and a third part entity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said toll authority comprises:

toll gates equipped with toll fee tracking device readers;

at least one processor, wherein said at least one processor includes a bi-directional data communications link; and

at least one database.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said toll rental entity comprises:

a toll authority interface adapted to communicate with said toll authority;

at least one database; and

a third party entity interface adapted to communicate with said third party entity.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said third party entity comprises:

at least one rental point-of-sale (POS) system;

at least one invoice unit; and

at least one processor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said toll rental entity comprises a stand alone unit.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said toll rental entity comprises a server.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said communication between said toll authority and said toll rental entity comprises pulling said data from said toll authority.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said communication between said toll authority and said toll rental entity comprises pushing said data to said toll rental entity.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said communication between said toll authority and said toll rental entity occurs in real-time.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said communication between said toll authority and said toll rental entity occurs at predefined regular intervals.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said communication between said toll rental entity and said third party entity comprises pushing said data to said third party entity.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said communication between said toll rental entity and said third party entity occurs in real-time.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said toll rental entity is adapted to be integrated within said third party entity.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said data includes vehicle-class-identifiers, lane traffic activity, toll fee tracking device identification data, and toll fee data.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one toll fee tracking devices comprises a radio frequency integrated device (RFID) transponder.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said RFID transponder comprises transponder identification data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said transponder identification data identifies a toll rental entity account with a toll authority account.

18. A method for toll fee tracking, the method comprising;

collecting, at a toll authority, data associated with at least one toll fee tracking device;

storing said data in at least one database of said toll authority;

communicating, via a toll rental entity, said data to a third party entity.

19. The method of claim 18, said toll authority comprises:

toll gates equipped with toll fee tracking device readers;

at least one processor, wherein said at least one processor includes a bi-directional data communications link; and

at least one database.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said toll rental entity comprises:

a toll authority interface adapted to communicate with said toll authority;

at least one database; and

a third party entity interface adapted to communicate with said third party entity.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said third party entity comprises:

at least one rental point-of-sale (POS) system;

at least one invoice unit; and

at least one processor.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein said toll rental entity comprises a stand alone unit.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of communicating between said toll authority and said toll rental entity comprises pulling said data from said toll authority.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said step of communicating between said toll authority and said toll rental entity comprises pushing said data to said toll rental entity.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said step of communicating occurs in real-time.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said step of communicating occurs at predefined regular intervals.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein said toll rental entity is adapted to be integrated within said third party entity.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said data includes vehicle-class-identifiers, lane traffic activity, toll fee tracking device identification data, and toll fee data.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein said at least one toll fee tracking devices comprises a radio frequency integrated device (RFID) transponder.

30. A toll rental entity server for communicating data between a toll authority and a third party entity, the server comprising:

a first interface for communicating with said toll authority;

at least one database;

a second interface for communicating with said third party entity; and

wherein said communication between said toll authority and said third party entity occurs in real-time.