Method and System for Electronic Toll Payment

• US 20110047009A1
• Filed: 08/18/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bancpass Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bancpass Incorporated
• Inventors: George, J. Chris, Deitiker, Glenn, Swank, Shannon Fuentes, Swank, Mark G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,691,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A system and method for making electronic payments for tolls, parking and related transactions. A customer downloads an application onto their personal electronic device and registers the customer'"'"'s vehicle and financial account information with a provider. The application detects upcoming toll facilities and notifies the customer. The customer can accept the payment of the toll through the application whereupon the provider makes a payment from the customer'"'"'s designated account to the toll facility.

Claims

1. A method for making payments, comprising:

providing an application to customers for installation on a personal electronic device;

registering a customer'"'"'s vehicle and financial account;

notifying said customer through said application at such time as said customer is approaching a toll facility;

receiving instructions from said customer through said application to pay toll charges for using said toll facility; and

paying fees for said customer'"'"'s use of said toll facility by debiting said customer'"'"'s financial account and paying said toll facility.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said toll facility is a parking facility.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said registration is performed online by said customer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said customer receives notification on said customer'"'"'s personal electronic device that said payment has been made.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, at the time of registration or thereafter, said customer designates a financial account for processing said payment when utilizing said toll facility during certain periods of time and designates another financial account for processing said payment when utilizing said toll facility during other periods.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at such time as said customer receives notification when approaching said toll facility, said customer is provided with an option to refuse said payment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein when said financial account is closed or contains insufficient funds to make said payment, said payment is made through another account designated by said customer.

8. A method for making payments, comprising:

providing an application to customers for installation on a personal electronic device;

registering a customer'"'"'s vehicle and financial account;

detecting said customer'"'"'s vehicle at such time as said customer passes through said toll facility;

after said customer passes through said toll facility, notifying said customer through said application of the toll charges for using said toll facility;

receiving instructions from said customer through said application to pay said toll charges; and

paying fees for said customer'"'"'s use of said toll facility by debiting said customer'"'"'s financial account and paying said toll facility.