Transaction accounting of toll transactions in transponder systems

• US 6,317,721 B1
• Filed: 08/22/1995
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Hurta, Dwaine S., Frazee, Francis B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US08/518,068
• Time in Patent Office: 2,275 Days
• Field of Search: 342/44, 235/384, 340/870.02, 340/825-3-, 340/23-25, 340/989, 340/990, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 340/994, 705/13, 395/213
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence

Abstract

This invention allows a toll authority to monitor transaction numbers which are sent from a transponder (14) to an interrogator (12). By incrementing the transaction counter stored in the transponder with successful transactions the toll authority can ascertain whether accounting of a transaction has been missed (i.e., a transaction number missing from the sequence), or double-counted (i.e., two transactions with the same transaction number).

Claims

1. A method of tracking transactions in a system comprising an interrogator and a transponder having a transaction register, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an interrogator and a transponder, said transponder having a transaction register, said transponder being remote from said interrogator;

providing a data-containing card insertable into said transponder for providing data to and receiving data from said transponder;

setting data from said data-containing card including a transaction count into said transaction register of said transponder;

sending an interrogation from said interrogator to said transponder;

in response to said interrogation from said interrogator to said responder, sending a response from said transponder to said interrogator;

modifying at said transponder said transaction count stored within said transaction register in response to an indication of said interrogation and response transaction being completed between said transponder and interrogator and communicated by said interrogator to said transponder;

sending from said transponder to said interrogator the modified transponder count stored in said transaction register; and

storing said modified transponder count in said data-containing card.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said transaction count is transmitted from said transponder to said interrogator as part of said transponder response.

3. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the steps of providing a processing unit and of transmitting said transponder response and said transaction count from said interrogator to said processing unit and compiling said transaction count along with other transaction counts associated with said transponder to ascertain whether there have been erroneous transactions performed in conjunction with said transponder.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said interrogation signal comprises a command to said transponder to transmit a response wherein said response comprises said transaction count.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said data from said data-containing card includes an indicator for said data-containing card and, further in response to said interrogation from said interrogator, sending from said transponder to said interrogator said indicator for said data-containing card.

6. The method of claim 1 further including, in response to said interrogation from said interrogator, sending from said transponder to said interrogator an indicator for said transponder.

7. The method of claim 5 further including, in response to said interrogation from said interrogator, sending from said transponder to said interrogator an indicator for said transponder.