Fuel dispenser with a human detection and recognition system

• US 6,734,798 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bicc General Indianapolis Technology Center, Wayne Fueling Systems LLC (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dresser Incorporated (Nagano Keiki Company Limited)
• Inventors: Smith, Ervin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W.
• Application Number:
  US10/062,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20030144905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/5.91, 340/565, 340/691.6, 340/566, 340/5.1, 340/5.2, 340/5.9, 340/5.53, 340/5.83, 235/375, 235/379, 235/381, 235/382, 235/383, 235/380, 382/118, 382/100, 382/103, 382/117, 382/116, 348/169, 348/222.1, 348/161, 348/150, 348/77, 700/236, 700/237, 700/231, 221/2-8, 345/133, 345/327, 345/24, 702/45, 705/413, 141/94, 141/95, 141/96, 141/98, 141/65, 141/66
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]

Abstract

A fuel dispenser and method to detect the presence of a human being at a fuel dispenser as well as gather data about the human being using the fuel dispenser. The data is used to determine the language or dialect of the fueling instructions as well as the language or dialect of the advertisements understood by the human being. The data is also used to retrieve advertisements tailored to the human being. The fueling instructions and advertisements are displayed on the fuel dispenser in the language or dialect understood by the human being using the fuel dispenser.

Claims

1. A human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser comprising:

a fuel dispenser;

a database of at least one of advertisements and instructions with said fuel dispenser, each said at least one of advertisements and instructions having a displayable format;

a sensor means for detecting the presence of a person at said fuel dispenser;

a video recognition means for gathering appearance data of the person detected at said fuel dispenser;

a display means for displaying said at least one of advertisements and instructions; and

a fuel dispenser controller for bi-directional communication between said database, said video recognition means, and said display means, wherein said fuel dispenser controller retrieves at least one of advertisements and instructions from said database determined by utilizing appearance data from said video recognition means.

2. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 1, further comprising a card reading means located at said fuel dispenser and in bi-directional communication with said fuel dispenser controller, for receiving a card and gathering data from the card and said fuel dispenser controller retrieves an advertisement based on the data gathered from the card.

3. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 2, wherein the card data is utilized to gather data relating to the person and said fuel dispenser controller retrieves an advertisement based on the gathered data relating to the person.

4. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the advertisements are composed in at least one dialect.

5. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the appearance data includes the country of the origin of the person.

6. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the appearance data includes a range for the age of the person.

7. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the appearance data includes the height of the person.

8. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the appearance data includes the weight of the person.

9. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the appearance data includes an indicator of handicapped status of the person.

10. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the appearance data includes the gender of the person.

11. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions are composed in at least one dialect.

12. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 11, wherein the instructions include fuel purchasing options.

13. A human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser comprising:

a fuel dispenser;

a database of at least one of advertisements and instructions with said fuel dispenser, each said at least one of advertisements and instructions having a displayable format;

a sensor means for detecting the presence of a person at said fuel dispenser;

a video recognition means for gathering appearance data of the person detected at said fuel dispenser;

a card reading means located at said fuel dispenser for receiving a card and gathering data from the card;

a display means for displaying said at least one of advertisements and instructions; and

a fuel dispenser controller for bi-directional communication between said database, said video recognition means, said card reading means and said display means wherein said fuel dispenser controller retrieves at least one of advertisements and instructions from said database determined by utilizing at least one of the appearance data from said video recognition means and the card data from said card reading means.

14. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 13, wherein the card data is utilized to gather data relating to the person and said fuel dispenser controller retrieves an advertisement based on the gathered data relating to the person.

15. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 13, wherein the advertisements are composed in at least one dialect.

16. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 13, wherein the appearance data includes the country of the origin of the person.

17. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 13, wherein the appearance data includes a range for the age of the person.

18. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 13, wherein the appearance data includes the height of the person.

19. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 13, wherein the appearance data includes the weight of the person.

20. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 13, wherein the appearance data includes an indicator of handicapped status of the person.

21. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 13, wherein the appearance data includes the gender of the person.

22. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 13, wherein the instructions are composed in at least one dialect.

23. The human being detection and recognition system for a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 22, wherein the instructions include fuel purchasing options.

24. A method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser comprising:

detecting the presence of a person at a fuel dispenser using sensing means;

gathering appearance data of the person detected at said fuel dispenser using a video recognition means; and

displaying at least one of advertisements and instructions at raid fuel dispenser based on said gathered appearance data.

25. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 24, further comprising gathering data from a card using a card reading means at said fuel dispenser and displaying advertisements at said fuel dispenser based on the card data.

26. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 25, further comprising gathering data relating to the person utilizing the card data and displaying advertisements at said fuel dispenser based on the gathered data relating to the person.

27. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 24, wherein the advertisements are composed in at least one dialect.

28. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 24, wherein the appearance data includes the country of the origin of the person.

29. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 24, wherein the appearance data includes a range for the age of the person.

30. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 24, wherein the appearance data includes the height of the person.

31. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 24, wherein the appearance data includes the weight of the person.

32. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 24, wherein the appearance data includes an indicator of handicapped status of the person.

33. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 24, wherein the appearance data includes the gender of the person.

34. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 24, wherein the instructions are composed in at least one dialect.

35. The method of detecting and recognizing a human being at a fuel dispenser as recited in claim 34, wherein the instructions include fuel purchasing options.