Virtual payment system and method for dispensing fuel
AssigneeAvaLAN Wireless Systems, Inc.
InventorsMichael Derby, Jason Hennig
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A virtual payment facilitator is disclosed that includes a VPN server for establishing a VPN with a point-of-sale device over a public network, a second VPN server for establishing a VPN between with a remote payment authorizer, and a virtual controller interposed between the first and second VPN servers configured to issue control commands to the point-of-sale device. The virtual payment facilitator may also include a database configured to store data relating to the point-of-sale device.
Claims14
A system, comprising:
- a fuel dispenser operable to dispense fuel at a fuel dispensing facility;
- and
- a virtual payment facilitator comprising
- a first server communicably coupled to a first network and configured to provide a fuel dispensing command to the fuel dispenser via at least one first network interface instance associated with the fuel dispenser and provided by the first server,
- a second server communicably coupled to a second network, the second server configured to provide a plurality of second network interface instances associated with a plurality of payment authorization entities communicably coupled to the virtual payment facilitator, and
- a virtual forecourt dispenser controller communicatively coupled to the fuel dispenser via the at least one first network interface instance and to a payment authorization entity via at least one second network interface instance of the plurality of second network interface instances provided by the second server, the at least one second network interface instance associated with the payment authorization entity, wherein the virtual forecourt dispenser controller is configured to issue the fuel dispensing command to the fuel dispenser via the first network, wherein the virtual payment facilitator is communicatively coupled to the payment authorization entity via the second network.
The system of 11, wherein the first server is further configured to provide the first network interface instance associated with the fuel dispenser via the first network based on an IP address of the network appliance.
The system of 11, wherein the first server is further configured to dynamically assign an IP address to the network appliance and the virtual payment facilitator is further configured to compare a source IP address associated with a registration number of the network appliance with the assigned IP address of the network appliance and to update a database of fuel dispenser identification data based on the comparing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.