AUTOMOBILE RENTAL SYSTEM

• US 3,665,397 A
• Filed: 06/08/1970
• Issued: 05/23/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles E. Wood, Donald Friedman, Howard A. Wilcox, Nicholas Di Napoli, Robin P. Nicholls
• Original Assignee: Charles E. Wood, Donald Friedman, Howard A. Wilcox, Nicholas Di Napoli, Robin P. Nicholls
• Inventors: Di Napoli, Nicholas, Friedman, Donald, Nicholls, Robin P., Wilcox, Howard A., Wood, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Application Number:
  US05/044,055
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 340/149,147,51 235/61.7B,61.6,61.9 324/181A,182R,29,171 328/127,151
• US Class Current: 340/5.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/21 having a variable access code
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/23 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects

Abstract

An automatic automobile rental system having a plurality of remote rental stations and a central data processing station for system control and customer billing is described. A system user employs a credit card that is automatically read at a rental station to identify the user, and this information is checked at the central station to verify that the card holder is entitled to receive an automobile. The same card identifies the holder when the automobile is returned to the same or a different rental station. An ignition key and machine-readable car identification and mileage module are interconnected for reading and dispensing at a rental station and for use in operating an automobile. Mileage or other measure of usage of the rented automobile is recorded in an electrolytic cell as a state of charge proportional to mileage. The cell is transferred to the automobile for mileage recording and to the rental station for discharge and mileage reading. Standard pulses of charge in a number proportional to mileage are used to charge the electrolytic cell. Data read from the electrolytic cell, from the user card, and from the automobile identification are transmitted to the central data processing unit over conventional telephone lines.

Claims

1. An automatic vehicle rental system comprising a plurality of remote rental stations, each station compRising:

means for identifying a vehicle user and generating an identification signal;

means for identifying a vehicle and generating a second identification signal;

means for ascertaining vehicle usage and generating a usage signal;

means responsive to the means for ascertaining for temporarily recording vehicle usage, said means being selectively connectible to a vehicle for recording usage and removable from the vehicle for reading usage; and

means for controlling access to an identified vehicle.

2. An automatic vehicle rental system as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for recording usage comprises an electrolytic cell for retaining a state of electric charge and wherein the means for ascertaining vehicle usage and generating a usage signal comprises means for generating an electric charge in direct proportion to vehicle mileage.

3. An automatic vehicle rental system as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

central processing means for correlating identification signals and usage signals of a plurality of users and a plurality of vehicles; and

means for transmitting the identification and usage signals to the central processing means and returning signals to the means for controlling vehicle access.

4. An automatic vehicle rental system as defined in claim 3 further comprising means for identifying each remote rental station to the central processing means.

5. A system comprising:

means for generating electric pulses in a number in direct proportion to vehicle usage;

means for standardizing the electric charge of each pulse;

means for recording electric charge;

means for reading the recorded charge and generating a signal in proportion thereto;

means for generating a signal for identifying a vehicle;

means for generating a signal for identifying a user; and

means for correlating the generated signals from the means for reading, the means for identifying a vehicle and the means for identifying a user, and including means for recording the generated signals.

6. A system as defined in claim 5 wherein the means for correlating comprises:

scanner means for sequentially reading each of the generated signals;

means for transmitting the read signals serially to the means for recording.

7. A system as defined in claim 6 further comprising:

means for comparing the signal identifying a user with a stored signal; and

means for controlling vehicle access in response to the means for comparing.

8. A system as defined in claim 7 wherein the means for standardizing the electric charge comprises:

a capacitor;

means for charging the capacitor with a predetermined charge; and

means for discharging the capacitor for each pulse into the means for recording; and

wherein the means for recording comprises an electrolytic cell.

9. A system as defined in claim 8 wherein the means for reading the recorded charge comprises means for discharging the electrolytic cell;

and means for measuring the charge required to discharge the cell.

10. A vehicle rental system comprising:

a plurality of user operated means, each for identifying a potential vehicle user and generating an identification signal unique to the potential user;

central processing means for accepting identification signals from a plurality of user operated means, for using those signals to verify the acceptability status of potential vehicle users, and for issuing responsive signals dependent on the acceptability status;

key means for controlling access to a selected vehicle;

lock means on each vehicle for preventing vehicle usage in absence of a corresponding key means; and

means in combination with the user operated means for dispensing the key means to a potential user in response to the central processing means.

11. A vehicle rental system as defined in claim 10 further comprising means in combination with each user operated means for receiving The key means after vehicle use and for identifying the selected vehicle.

12. A vehicle rental system as defined in claim 11 further comprising means in combination with the means for receiving the key means for ascertaining extent of vehicle usage between operation of the means for dispensing and the means for receiving.

13. A vehicle rental system as defined in claim 12 wherein the means for ascertaining extent of usage comprises:

an electrolytic cell in combination with the key means for retaining a state of electric charge proportional to vehicle usage;

means for discharging the electrolytic cell; and

means for measuring the charge required to discharge the electrolytic cell.

14. A vehicle rental system as defined in claim 10 wherein the means for dispensing comprises:

means for receiving a plurality of key means; and

means for releasing a selected key means in response to the means for verifying and a manual selector switch.

15. A vehicle rental system as defined in claim 10 wherein each user operated means comprises:

card entry control means responsive to a selected code of data on a machine-readable card for selectively blocking unauthorized cards and admitting authorized cards; and

decoder means responsive to a machine-readable card admitted by the card entry control means for generating the identification signal.

16. A vehicle rental system as defined in claim 10 wherein each user operated means comprises:

decoder means responsive to a machine-readable card and also to a manual signal input for generating the identification signal.