Automated process for retailing to a vehicle occupant
AssigneeMomente, LLC
InventorsZafar Khan, Melissa Chadwick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention is a method and apparatus for the automated retailing of refreshments and other basic consumer products to a vehicle occupant as the vehicle passes through a toll station having an automated payment capability. Examples of such toll stations include electronic toll collection (ETC) tollbooths and parking facilities. In each case, product charge is added to, or bundled with, the toll charge and payment is automatically rendered, typically via an electronic debit from a pre-paid account, or an electronic charge to a consumer credit account.
Claims17
An automated retailing system wherein an occupant of a vehicle engages in a unified transaction at a toll station comprising of a payment of a toll and a purchase of one or more retail products;
- said toll having a toll charge and said purchase having an order charge, said system comprising:
- A. means for entering a product order for said one or more retail products and calculating the order charge;
- B. means for collecting the order charge and the toll charge in a unified payment, wherein the collecting means includes a mechanism for recording the order charge onto a toll ticket issued to the occupant, and wherein the occupant later presents the toll ticket together with the unified payment;
- and
- C. means for dispensing said one or more retail products as specified by the product order.
An automated retailing system wherein an occupant of a vehicle engages in a unified transaction at a toll station comprising a payment of a toll and a purchase of one or more retail products;
- said toll having a toll charge and said purchase having an order charge, said system comprising:
- A. an account identifying mechanism carried with the vehicle and holding an account number;
- and
- B. a vehicle transaction station, said vehicle transaction station comprising:
- i. a receiving system for receiving and forwarding the account number;
- ii. an ordering interface for receiving the account number, accepting a product order, adding the order charge to the toll charge to produce a total charge, applying the total charge against an account associated with the account number, and generating and transmitting a dispenser control signal to enable dispensing of the ordered retail products to the occupant;
- and
- iii. a product dispenser for receiving the dispenser control signal and dispensing the ordered retail products.
An automated retailing system wherein an occupant of a vehicle engages in a unified transaction at a toll station comprising a payment of a toll and a purchase of one or more retail products;
- said toll having a toll charge and said purchase having an order charge, said system comprising:
- A. an order mechanism carried with the vehicle and transmitting an identification signal and a product order signal, said identification signal identifying the number of a prepaid account and said product order signal specifying a product order for said one or more retail products;
- and
- B. a vehicle transaction station comprising:
- i. a receiving system for receiving and possessing the identification and product order signals, and forwarding the prepaid account number and product order;
- ii. an ordering interface for receiving the prepaid account number and product order, adding the order charge to the toll charge to produce a total charge;
- debiting the total charge to the prepaid account, and generating and transmitting a dispenser control signal to enable dispensing of the ordered retail products to the occupant;
- and
- iii. a product dispenser for receiving the dispenser control signal and dispensing the ordered retail products.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.