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EP0451482A1 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Car hire system

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1991-02-27
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2011-02-27
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Abstract

Abstract A highly automated car-rental system based on a specially equipped fleet of cars for hire and one or more control stations. An authorized subscriber can enter any car of the fleet which is free for hire at any location, and use it for a desired period of time, parking it at the end of the hire period at any authorized parking place. Cars are equipped with customer identification means, means enabling use of the car or refusing such use, monitoring means for the main subsystems and other parameters of the car and means for conveying such information to central control. There is also provided a system for monitoring in real time car position, and if desired, for displaying such information also on a monitor in the car, thus informing control on the position of the car at any instant of time.

Inventors

  • 👤 Israel Hirshberg

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-29 01:26
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07F; G07F17/00; G07F17/0042; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/02; G07B; G07B15/00; G08; G08G; G08G1/00; G08G1/123; G08G1/127

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim 165 words
A semi-automatic car-rental system enabling a customer-subscriber to pick up and rent a car of the car fleet of the system and use it according to his requirements, comprising in combination: a fleet of cars each of which is provided with means for enabling an entitled subscriber to enter and actuate a car picked up by the customer at a random location; subscriber identification means enabling the subscriber to identify himself to central control or his computer, and check his entitlement to use the car; a location identification system informing a control station about the instant location of the car; central control means storing data about the location of each car, about entitled customers, means for receiving information about a desired rental and for entitlement verification and for transmitting to the individual car a command authorizing or not the intended hire, means for monitoring data about each such use until the customer parks such car at any location and indicate the end of this car-hire.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 37 words
A system according to claim 1, where the location determination means comprise a plurality of car positioning transceivers positioned in the area of the operation of the system, informing central control about the movement of each car.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 41 words
A system according to claim 1 or 2, where the cars are each equipped with means for indicating to central control important data on the state of vital subsystems of the car, fuel reserve, oil level, cooling fluid and the like.
Claim 4
Independent Claim 24 words
A system according to any of claims 1 to 3, where means are provided at central control for the billing of each rental period.
Claim 5
Independent Claim 33 words
A system according to any of claims 1 to 4, where the customer identification means comprise an electronic or magnetic card and a subsystem actuated by the customer according to his specific code.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3757290A Cited
FR2535491A1 Cited
EP0179160A1 Cited
EP0323326A1 Cited
DE3805810A1 Cited

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