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US 6,152,591 AGranted
Interactive graphics display system for a fuel dispenser
AssigneeDresser Industries, Inc.
InventorsDon C. McCall, David A. Biedermann
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDresser Industries, Inc.
InventorsDon C. McCall, David A. Biedermann
Estimating the term…
The present invention is a system for providing a fuel dispenser with a graphics interface. The system easily retrofits onto an existing, conventional fuel dispenser. The system likewise allows a customer to interact with the commercials as well as the instructional interface. The system includes a video display terminal, a touch screen, a multimedia controller, and a pump interface. A conventional fuel dispenser may be readily retrofitted with the system because the multimedia controller and pump interface communicate with a customer activated terminal already on the conventional fuel dispenser. The system also operates in a manner to determine if the customer has used the fuel dispenser before, and if not, displays additional instructions and videos to explain operation of the fuel dispenser. The system also allows the customer to select between different categories of commercials in order to purchase amenities. Furthermore, the system provides a manner in which to reward the customer for such things as frequent purchases and to include all of the purchases on a single receipt.
A fuel dispenser system with interactive graphics capabilities, the system comprising a fuel dispenser, a payment terminal connected to the dispenser, a point-of-sale controller connected to a pump controller of the dispenser and to the payment terminal via a customer activated terminal ("CAT") board for allowing a customer to dispense fuel and to pay for fuel and amenity purchases at the dispenser, an external multimedia controller connected to a graphics display via the CAT board for generating graphical payment and amenity purchase prompts to the customer, and a touch-screen interface connected to the CAT board customer-activated circuitry, the interface including a screen overlaying the display such that the customer responds to the purchase prompts by touching the screen at a location corresponding to the purchase prompts on the display, the system further comprising a database connected to said multimedia controller for storing data corresponding to the amenity purchase prompts to be generated on said display, wherein said multimedia controller determines which of said amenity purchase prompts are to be generated on said display based upon the customer responses to the prompts.
A customer interface system for communication with a conventional fuel dispenser system comprising a fuel dispenser, a point-of-sale controller connected to a customer activated terminal and to a pump controller for controlling conventional operations of the fuel dispenser, the interface system comprising:
A customer interface method for use with a fuel dispenser comprising a pump controller, a card reader, a customer activated terminal, a point-of-sale controller for interfacing with said pump controller and said card reader, a graphical display, and a touch screen, the interface method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.