Weigh scale certification system and associated method

• US 9,830,644 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2012
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cat Scale Company
• Original Assignee: Cat Scale Company
• Inventors: Ruud, Eric, Cone, Doyle
• Primary Examiner(s): Ebersman, Bruce I
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US13/549,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,961 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A method and system for remotely exchanging weighment information via a wireless device, such as a cell phone, pertaining to a vehicle, such as truck, at a vehicle weight station. The system and method may include determining a present location of a vehicle to be weighed, verifying identification information of the vehicle to be weighed and receiving a vehicle weight from a server remote from the wireless device. The system and method may also include exchanging payment information between one or more servers and a wireless device.

Claims

1. An improved system of weighing a vehicle, the system comprising:

the vehicle having at least two axles;

the axles including a steer axle and a drive axle;

at least two weight scales, each weight scale having a scale platform and receiving at least one axle of the vehicle;

a separate communications device on each scale platform;

wherein the vehicle driven onto the weight scale platforms results in at least one axle resting on each scale platform;

the communications devices communicating that the axles of the vehicle are on the scale platform and providing notification whether the vehicle is being weighed or reweighed, whereby in response to the vehicle being reweighed, the vehicle is eligible for a discounted cost of the weighing;

the communication devices communicating the vehicle identifying information to place a weighment request;

the communication devices communicating with a communications device on each weight scale to authorize the weighment request,

the communications devices determining a weighment of the vehicle from the weight of the vehicle located on the weight scale platforms; and

provides notification through a communications device once the weighing process is complete;

the improvement comprising;

an application on a wireless device, wherein the application obtains GPS coordinates of the vehicle;

wherein the application correlates the GPS coordinates of the vehicle with weight scale locations stored in a memory of the wireless device, whereby the wireless device displays the weight scale location associated with the GPS coordinates;

wherein stored information in the wireless device determines whether the identical vehicle has been weighed at the weight scale within a 24 hour time-span and is therefore eligible for a discounted weighment;

whereby if the stored information in the wireless device determines that the vehicle is eligible for the discounted weighment the wireless device automatically populates vehicle identifying information into the application;

whereby if the stored information in the wireless device determines that the vehicle is not eligible for the discounted weighment, vehicle identifying information is inputted into the application;

wherein the vehicle identifying information from the application communicates to the weight scale to place a weighment request;

wherein the communications devices communicates from the weight scale that a vehicle on the weight scale needs to be verified for proper placement on the scale platforms, wherein verification of proper placement on the scale platforms is entered into the weight scale;

wherein the communications devices of the weight scales replies to a scales server containing a weighment type and appropriate weighment fee is provided;

wherein the weighment fee information from the scales server is relayed to the wireless device, whereby the user accepts or rejects the weighment fee on the application;

wherein an authorization request from the wireless device is sent to the scales server once the weighment fee has been accepted, whereby the scale server then relays, through a communications network, the authorization request to a credit authorization server to process payment of the weighment fee using payment data provided to the application;

wherein weighment data from the application is relayed to a web server once the authorization request is accepted, whereby the scale server then forwards the weighment data to the weight scale; and

wherein the weighment data from the weight scale is relayed to the web server, whereby a host server stores and archives the weighment data and relays the weighment data to the application for display on the wireless device.

2. The system of claim 1, whereby the axles further include a trailer axle, and the system further includes a third weight scale to receive the trailer axle of the vehicle.