System for delivering web content to fuel dispenser

• US 20080021983A1
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wayne Fueling Systems LLC (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tokheim Holdings BV
• Inventors: Dodson, Dave
• Granted Patent: US 7,810,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10

Abstract

A system implements a communications protocol in connection with a refueling environment coupled to a remote facility. The remote facility is disposed apart from the fuel dispenser locations and is connected to a network such as the World Wide Web of the Internet. Regarding a customer at one of the fuel dispenser locations, a user identification such as credit card account information is sent to the remote facility. The remote facility then establishes an access connection with a network node such as a server, on behalf of the customer. The network communications follow a client-server session format and are correlated to the user ID. The remote facility sends a cookie element to the server that was previously set by the server during an initial Web site visit. The cookie contains state information such as a unique identification number generated by the server. The remote facility associates the unique identification number with the relevant user ID. The server uses the received cookie element to identify the corresponding user profile record maintained at the server side. The server generates customized content from the retrieved user profile record and sends it to the customer.

Claims

1. A system for use with a network comprising at least one resource, said system comprising:

a refueling environment capable of servicing at least one user;

a remote facility disposed apart from the refueling environment;

said remote facility being configured to execute operational functions comprising;

receiving a user identification from the refueling environment, providing state information associated with the user identification, and

sending the state information associated with the user identification from the remote facility to a selective one of the at least one resource in said network.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the selective one network resource being configured to execute operational functions comprising:

directing customized resource content from the selective one network resource to the refueling environment, the customized resource content being developed by the selective one network resource using the state information received from the remote facility.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the selective one network resource further comprises:

a means for developing the customized resource content, said content development means being configured to operatively perform the following operations;

retrieving user profile data corresponding to the user identification, the retrieval operation using the state information received from the remote facility to identify the user profile data, the user profile data being maintained by the selective one network resource, and

generating content using the retrieved user profile data.

4. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the delivery of customized resource content from the selective one network resource to the refueling environment occurs via the remote facility.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one network resource respectively further comprises:

a data structure comprising a plurality of user data records each indexed with a respective state information element;

a means for retrieving a user data record from the data structure, using state information operatively received from the remote facility as an identifier;

a means for generating content, using the retrieved user data record; and

a means for communicating the generated content from the respective network resource to the refueling environment.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said remote facility being configured further to execute operational functions comprising:

sending a resource request from the remote facility to the selective one network resource.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one network resource being respectively configured to execute operational functions comprising:

prompting the remote facility for state information, in response to a resource request received from the remote facility, the resource request being associated with a respective user identification; and

generating and sending state information to the remote facility, in response to an indication received from the remote facility responsive to the state information prompt that no state information exists relative to the respective user identification associated therewith.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the state information includes a cookie.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the user identification comprises at least one of credit card information, biometric data, bar code data, phone number data, and name data.

10. A system for use with a network comprising at least one resource, said system comprising:

a refueling environment capable of servicing at least one user;

a remote facility disposed apart from the refueling environment;

said remote facility being configured to execute operational functions comprising;

receiving at least one user identification from the refueling environment,

sending at least one respective request for information from said remote facility to said network, each information request being associated with a respective user identification and being directed to a respective selective network resource, and

sending at least one state object communication from said remote facility to said network, each state object communication being associated with a respective user identification and being directed to the respective selective network resource associated therewith, each state object communication being responsive to a respective state information request issued by the respective selective network resource associated therewith, each state object communication including respective state information associated with the respective user identification associated therewith.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein each respective selective network resource being configured to execute operational functions comprising:

generating content according to a user profile maintained by the respective selective network resource, the user profile being identified by the respective state information communicated from the remote facility, and

directing the generated content from the respective selective network resource to said refueling environment.

12. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein:

at least one network resource being configured to operatively execute the following operations;

generating state information, responsive to an indication received from said remote facility that no state information is present relative to a respective user identification, and

sending the generated state information to said remote facility; and

said remote facility being configured to execute operational functions comprising;

associating the state information received from the respective network resource with the respective user identification.

13. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the state information includes a cookie.

14. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the user identification comprises at least one of credit card information, biometric data, bar code data, phone number data, and name data.

15. A system for use with a network comprising at least one node, said system comprising:

a refueling environment comprising a plurality of fuel dispenser sites, said refueling environment being capable of servicing at least one user;

a central facility disposed apart from at least one fuel dispenser site;

said refueling environment being configured to selectively operatively communicate at least one user identification from said refueling environment to said central facility, each communicated user identification being associated with a respective user of a respective fuel dispenser site;

said central facility comprising;

a means to provide at least one respective state object in association with each respective user identification, and

a means, responsive to at least one respective user identification, for directing a respective communication from said central facility to a respective node in said network, the respective communication including at least one respective state object associated with the respective user identification.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one respective network node further comprises:

a means for generating customized content, the content being developed using a respective state object communication received by the respective one network node from said central facility; and

a means for directing the generated content to a respective fuel dispenser site corresponding to the respective user having the respective user identification associated with the respective state object communication.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the respective generation means of each respective one network node further comprises:

a means for retrieving respective user profile data corresponding to the respective user identification associated with the respective state object communication received by the respective one network node from said central facility, the retrieval operation using the respective state object communication received from said central facility to identify the respective user profile data, the user profile data being accessible to the respective one network node, and

a means for providing content using the retrieved user profile data.

18. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said central facility further comprises:

a means for generating and sending at least one request for information from said central facility to said network, each information request being associated with a respective user identification and being directed to a respective network node; and

a means for generating and sending at least one reply communication from said central facility to said network, each reply communication being responsive to a respective state object request sent thereto by a respective network node and being directed to the respective network node, each respective reply communication including at least one state object associated with the respective user identification.

19. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein:

said central facility further comprises;

a means for directing at least one respective communication from said central facility to a respective fuel dispenser site, each respective communication being associated with a respective user identification of a corresponding user of the respective fuel dispenser site, at least one central facility communication including at least one state object associated with the respective user identification; and

said refueling environment further comprises;

a means for directing at least one respective communication from a respective corresponding fuel dispenser site to a respective node in said network, at least one fuel dispenser site communication including at least one state object communicated thereto from said central facility.

20. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein:

at least one network node respectively further comprises;

a means for generating a respective state object, the respective state object being associated with a respective communication from said central facility involving a respective user identification, and

a means for sending the generated state object to said central facility;

said central facility further comprises;

a means for associating respective state information received from a respective network node with the respective user identification associated therewith.

21. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one state object includes at least one respective cookie.

22. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein each user identification respectively comprises at least one of credit card information, biometric data, bar code data, phone number data, and name data.

23. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one network node respectively further comprises:

a data structure comprising a plurality of user data records each correspondingly associated with a respective state information element;

a means, responsive to a respective state object received by the respective one network node from said central facility, for retrieving from said data structure a user data record corresponding to the respective state object;

a means for generating content, using the retrieved user data record; and

a means for directing the generated content to at least one of said central facility and said refueling environment.

24. A system for use with a network comprising at least one resource, said system comprising:

a refueling environment capable of servicing at least one user;

a remote facility disposed apart from said refueling environment;

said remote facility being configured to execute operational functions comprising;

receiving a user identification from said refueling environment,

providing state information associated with the user identification, and

sending the state information associated with the user identification from said remote facility to said refueling environment; and

said refueling environment being configured to execute operational functions comprising;

sending state information received from said remote facility to a selective one of the at least one resource in said network.

25. The system as recited in claim 24, wherein at least one respective network resource further comprises:

a means for providing customized resource content to said refueling environment, the customized resource content being developed by the respective one network resource using state information received from said refueling environment.

26. The system as recited in claim 24, wherein at least one network resource respectively further comprises:

a data structure comprising a plurality of user data records each indexed with a respective state information element;

a means, responsive to state information received from said refueling environment, for retrieving a user data record from said data structure corresponding to the received state information;

a means for generating content, using the retrieved user data record; and

a means for directing the generated content to said refueling environment.

27. The system as recited in claim 24, wherein the state information includes a cookie.

28. The system as recited in claim 24, wherein the user identification comprises at least one of credit card information, biometric data, bar code data, phone number data, and name data.

29. A system for use with a network comprising at least one node, said system comprising:

a refueling environment comprising at least one fuel dispenser site, said refueling environment being capable of servicing at least one user;

a remote facility disposed apart from at least one fuel dispenser site;

said refueling environment being configured to execute operational functions comprising;

directing at least one user identification from said refueling environment to said remote facility, each user identification being associated with a respective user of a respective fuel dispenser site;

said remote facility comprises;

a means for providing respective state information in association with at least one respective user identification received from said refueling environment, and

a means, responsive to a respective user identification received from said refueling environment, for sending a respective communication to the respective fuel dispenser site associated with the respective user identification, the respective communication including respective state information associated with the respective user identification.

30. The system as recited in claim 29, wherein at least one fuel dispenser site respectively further comprises:

a means, responsive to a respective state information communication received from said remote facility, for sending a respective user communication to a selective one of said at least one network node, the respective user communication including the respective state information.

31. The system as recited in claim 30, wherein at least one network node respectively further comprises:

a means, responsive to respective state information operatively received from a respective fuel dispenser site, for generating content according to a user profile maintained by the respective one network node, the user profile being identified by the received respective state information; and

a means for directing the generated content to the respective fuel dispenser site.

32. The system as recited in claim 29, wherein the state information includes a cookie.

33. The system as recited in claim 29, wherein at least one user identification respectively comprises at least one of credit card information, biometric data, bar code data, phone number data, and name data.

34. A system for use with a network comprising at least one node, said system comprising:

a refueling environment comprising at least one fuel dispenser site, said refueling environment being capable of servicing at least one user;

a central facility disposed apart from at least one fuel dispenser site;

said refueling environment comprising;

a means for communicating at least one user identification from said refueling environment to said central facility, each communicated user identification being associated with a respective user of a respective fuel dispenser site;

said central facility comprising;

a means for associating at least one respective user identification received from said refueling environment with at least one respective state object, and

a means, responsive to receiving a respective user identification communicated from a respective fuel dispenser site associated therewith, for directing a communication from said central facility to the respective fuel dispenser site, the communication including at least one state object associated with the respective user identification.

35. The system as recited in claim 34, wherein at least one respective fuel dispenser site respectively further comprises:

a means, responsive to receiving a respective state object communication from said central facility, for generating and sending a respective communication to a respective node in said network, the respective dispenser site communication including at least one state object received from said central facility.

36. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein at least one network node respectively further comprises:

a means, responsive to receiving a respective state object communication from a respective fuel dispenser site, for generating respective customized content, the content being developed using the respective state object communication received by the respective one network node; and

a means for communicating the generated content to the respective fuel dispenser site.

37. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein at least one network node respectively further comprises:

a data means for providing a plurality of user profile data elements each associated with a respective state element;

a means, responsive to receiving a respective state object communication from a respective fuel dispenser site, for retrieving from said data means the respective user profile data element corresponding to the respective state object contained within the respective state object communication;

a means for generating content using the retrieved user profile data element; and

a means for communicating the generated content to the respective fuel dispenser site.

38. The system as recited in claim 34, wherein at least one state object includes at least one respective cookie.

39. The system as recited in claim 34, wherein at least one user identification respectively comprises at least one of credit card information, biometric data, bar code data, phone number data, and name data.