Method and apparatus for determining tax of a vehicle
DCFirst Claim
1. A system for determining a tax for a vehicle equipped with a mobile unit, comprising:
- the mobile unit operable to determine a plurality of position fixes along a route traveled by the vehicle, the mobile unit further operable to transmit the position fixes;
a communications link coupled to the mobile unit, the communications link operable to receive the position fixes from the mobile unit; and
a dispatch remote from the vehicle and coupled to the communications link, the dispatch operable to receive the position fixes determined by the mobile unit using the communications link, the dispatch further operable to store geographic information comprising a plurality of predetermined vehicle positions, the dispatch further operable to associate the position fixes With the predetermined vehicle positions, the dispatch further operable to automatically determine a distance traveled by the vehicle within a region using the predetermined vehicle positions, the dispatch further operable to automatically determine a tax for the vehicle in response to the distance traveled by the vehicle within the region.
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Abstract
An apparatus for determining a tax for a vehicle (20) includes a positioning device (80) operable to determine a plurality of vehicle positions along a route traveled by the vehicle (20). A memory (102) stores geographic information defining a plurality of taxing regions through which the route of the vehicle (20) passes. An odometer (109) measures the distance traveled by the vehicle (20). A processor (100) is coupled to the positioning device (80), the memory (102), and the odometer (109). The processor (100) receives vehicle positions from the positioning device (80), geographic information from the memory (102), and optionally the measured distance from the odometer (109). The processor (100) determines the tax for the vehicle (20) in at least one taxing region through which the route of the vehicle (20) passes in response to the vehicle positions, the geographic information, and the measured distance.
388 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A system for determining a tax for a vehicle equipped with a mobile unit, comprising:
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the mobile unit operable to determine a plurality of position fixes along a route traveled by the vehicle, the mobile unit further operable to transmit the position fixes; a communications link coupled to the mobile unit, the communications link operable to receive the position fixes from the mobile unit; and a dispatch remote from the vehicle and coupled to the communications link, the dispatch operable to receive the position fixes determined by the mobile unit using the communications link, the dispatch further operable to store geographic information comprising a plurality of predetermined vehicle positions, the dispatch further operable to associate the position fixes With the predetermined vehicle positions, the dispatch further operable to automatically determine a distance traveled by the vehicle within a region using the predetermined vehicle positions, the dispatch further operable to automatically determine a tax for the vehicle in response to the distance traveled by the vehicle within the region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus on a vehicle for determining distance traveled by the vehicle in a plurality of regions and for transmitting the determined distance to a remote location, comprising:
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a positioning device operable to determine a plurality of position fixes along a route traveled by the vehicle; a memory operable to store geographic information comprising a plurality of predetermined vehicle positions; a processor coupled to the positioning device and the memory, the processor operable to receive position fixes from the positioning device and geographic information from the memory, the processor further operable to associate the position fixes to the predetermined vehicle positions, the processor further operable to automatically determine the distance traveled by the vehicle in the regions in response to the predetermined vehicle positions; and a transmitter coupled to the processor, the transmitter operable to transmit the determined distance to the remote location. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for determining a tax for a vehicle traveling through a plurality of taxing regions, comprising:
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determining a plurality of position fixes at the vehicle; transmitting the position fixes to a dispatch; storing geographic information identifying a plurality of predetermined vehicle positions; associating at the dispatch each position fix with one of the predetermined vehicle positions; and automatically determining at the dispatch a tax in each taxing region in response to the predetermined vehicle positions. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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27. A method for determining a tax for a vehicle traveling through a plurality of taxing regions, comprising:
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generating geographic information identifying a plurality of predetermined vehicle positions; determining a plurality of position fixes; associating each position fix with one of the predetermined vehicle positions; and automatically determining the tax in each taxing region in response to the predetermined vehicle positions. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of determining a tax for a vehicle traveling through a plurality of taxing regions, comprising:
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generating geographic information comprising a plurality of predetermined vehicle positions, each predetermined vehicle position associated with a corresponding taxing region; determining a first position fix and a second position fix; associating the first position fix with a first predetermined vehicle position and the second position fix with a second predetermined vehicle position; interpolating between the first predetermined vehicle position and the second predetermined vehicle position in order to determine a distance traveled by the vehicle within a first taxing region associated with the first predetermined vehicle position and a second taxing region associated with the second predetermined vehicle position; and automatically determining the tax in each of the two taxing regions in response to the predetermined vehicle positions. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. An apparatus on a vehicle for determining a tax for the vehicle, comprising:
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a positioning device operable to determine a first position fix and a second position fix along a route traveled by the vehicle; a memory operable to store geographic information comprising a plurality of predetermined vehicle positions; and a processor coupled to the positioning device and the memory, the processor operable to receive the first position fix and the second position fix from the positioning device, the processor further operable to associate the first position fix with a first predetermined vehicle position and the second position fix with a second predetermined vehicle position, the processor further operable to interpolate between the first predetermined vehicle position and the second predetermined vehicle position in order to determine a distance traveled by the vehicle within a first taxing region associated with the first predetermined vehicle position and a second taxing region associated with the second predetermined vehicle position, the processor further operable to automatically determine the tax for the vehicle in each of the two taxing regions. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45)
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Specification