Fuel dispensing system providing customer preferences

• US 6,098,879 A
• Filed: 02/17/1998
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Terranova, Steven N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US09/024,742
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 235/384, 235/381, 235/380, 705/13, 705/14, 705/16, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 235/384
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/067 using communication means
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/08 Arrangements of devices for controlling, indicating, metering or registering quantity or price of liquid transferred arrangement of flow- or pressure-control valves B67D7/36; computing, calculating, counting G06; coin-freed apparatus for dispensing fluids G07F13/00; prepayment devices for metering liquids G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/145 by wireless communication means, e.g. RF, transponders or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

The present invention is a fueling system for automatically providing predefined customer preferences during a fueling operation. These preferences are typically selected by a customer and associated with a remote communication unit, such as a transponder, that is issued to the customer. The preferences may be modified during a fueling transaction. During a fueling transaction, the transponder transmits information that a fueling system uses to automatically provide select information to the customer according to the predefined preferences. As such, the customer associated with the transponder does not have to select information during the transaction that he or she desires. Further, the invention provides for preventing the presentation of select information according to the predefined preferences.

Claims

1. A system for automatically providing customer preferences during a fueling transaction comprising:

a) a fuel dispenser with an audio/visual customer interface having a display and audio system;

b) wireless communication electronics associated with said fuel dispenser and adapted to receive signals from one or more customer remote communication units; and

c) a control system and memory associated with said communications electronics and said customer interface;

d) said control system adapted to receive the indicia from a customer remote communication unit and automatically provide the customer with select information at said customer interface, said select information being predefined by the customer and associated with the customer remote communication unit in advance of the fueling transaction.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said memory is located apart from said fuel dispenser and is operatively associated with a central site control system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said control system includes a dispenser control system located in said fuel dispenser.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said control system further includes a central site control system located apart from said fuel dispenser.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said control system includes a central site control system located apart from said fuel dispenser.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the indicia includes identification indicia and said select information is stored in said memory in association with the identification indicia of the remote communication unit and said control system is adapted to access said select information in said memory upon receipt of the identification indicia and provide the select information at the customer interface.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said control system is adapted to access said select information at a remote network based on the indicia and provide the select information at the customer interface upon receipt of the indicia and accessing said select information.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the indicia defines the select information stored in said memory, said control system adapted to access said select information using the indicia after receipt of the indicia and provide the select information at the customer interface.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the indicia includes the select information and said control system is adapted to receive said select information through the communication electronics and provide the select information at the customer interface.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the selected information is stored on an audio/visual source adapted for playback of audio/visual material and said control system is adapted control the audio/visual source to play the audio/visual material at said customer interface.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said select information is news related information.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said news related information includes information selected from the group consisting of news, weather, scores, stock reports, traffic reports.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said select information is entertainment.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said entertainment includes selected types of advertising and merchandising.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said entertainment includes selected types of audio/video material.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said entertainment includes motion video.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said select information includes audio and visual components.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said select information includes a desired greeting to be provided at the customer interface to the customer.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said greeting is audibly presented to the customer.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said greeting is visually displayed to the customer.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein said control system is adapted to allow a customer to modify the predefined selected information during a transaction to receive additional selected information.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said control system stores the additional selected information as said selected information for future transactions.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said control system and said communications system are adapted to transmit information to the remote communications unit to store the additional information as the selected information.

24. A system for automatically preventing presentment of information based on customer preferences during a fueling operation comprising:

a) a fuel dispenser with a customer interface adapted to present information to a customer during a transaction;

b) wireless communications electronics associated with said fuel dispenser and adapted to receive signals from customer remote communications units associated with customers using the fuel dispenser; and

c) a control system and memory associated with said communication electronics and said customer interface;

d) said control system adapted to present said select information at said customer interface;

e) said control system adapted to receive the indicia from a customer remote communication unit and prevent presentment of select information at said customer interface, said select information being selected by the customer and associated with the customer remote communication unit prior to the transaction.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the indicia is identification indicia and said select information is stored in association with the identification indicia of the remote communication unit and said control system is adapted to identify said select information upon receipt of the identification indicia and prevent the presentment of the select information accordingly.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the indicia defines a category containing said select information and said control system is adapted to identify the select information in said category and prevent the presentment of the select information.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the predefined parameters are transmitted to the communication electronics from said remote communication unit and said control system is adapted to receive the predefined parameters and control the transaction accordingly.

28. An interrogation system associated with a fuel dispensing system for automatically providing customer preferences to a customer during a fueling transaction, said system comprising:

a) a customer transaction interface associated with an interrogator for communicating with transponders; and

b) a control system and memory associated with said interrogator;

c) said control system adapted to interrogate a customer remote communication unit with said interrogator during a transaction to receive indicia associated with a predefined set of customer preferences and to provide automatically select types of information based on the predefined set of customer preferences associated with the received indicia, said predefined set of customer preferences determined by the customer in advance of the fueling transaction.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein said control system is further adapted to prevent displaying certain information based on said predefined set of customer preferences associated with the indicia received through said interrogator.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the indicia received through said interrogator includes the select types of information comprising the set of customer preferences predefined by the customer in advance of the fueling transaction and said control system uses the indicia to access the information and provide the information to the customer.

31. A method for automatically providing customer preferences during a fueling transaction comprising:

a) receiving indicia from a customer remote communication unit in association with a fueling transaction;

b) determining select types of information predefined by the customer using the indicia received from the customer remote communication unit, the select types of information being selected by the customer and associated with the remote communication unit in advance of the fueling transaction;

c) accessing information defined by the select types of information; and

d) providing the information to the customer during the refueling transaction.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the receiving step includes receiving identification indicia for the remote communication unit and the accessing step includes accessing information according to the select types of information in a database using the identification indicia.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the indicia includes the select types of information.