US5862222A — System at a vehicle for debiting at automatic fue…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 152 words

System for debiting for costs of automatic fuelling of vehicles, said system comprising: a transponder carried by a vehicle adjacent a fuel filling point of the vehicle for providing a position signal for positioning of a fuelling robot, a fuelling robot including a movable arm and a sensor for receiving the transponder position signal for positioning the robot arm relative to the fuel filling point of the vehicle, wherein the transponder contains coded information for use in debiting related to the filling, and wherein said coded information includes a code carried by the transponder and read by said sensor from the transponder and wherein said code is matched with verification data contained in a registration unit carried by the fuelling robot for identification of the driver of the vehicle and for enabling fuelling and debiting to be carried out when said coded information and said verification data correlate in a predetermined way.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 152 words

System for debiting for costs of automatic fuelling of vehicles, said system comprising: a transponder carried by a vehicle adjacent a fuel filling point of the vehicle for providing a position signal for positioning of a fuelling robot, a fuelling robot including a movable arm and a sensor for receiving the transponder position signal for positioning the robot arm relative to the fuel filling point of the vehicle, wherein the transponder contains coded information for use in debiting related to the filling, and wherein said coded information includes a code carried by the transponder and read by said sensor from the transponder and wherein said code is matched with verification data contained in a registration unit carried by the fuelling robot for identification of the driver of the vehicle and for enabling fuelling and debiting to be carried out when said coded information and said verification data correlate in a predetermined way.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 18 words

System according to claim 1, wherein said driver identification is made by recognition of a driver PIN code.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 17 words

System according to claim 2, wherein the sensor includes a keypad for entering of a PIN code.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 27 words

System according to claim 1, wherein the registration unit includes an optical sensor responsive to a card carried by the driver and bearing a driver identification code.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 33 words

System according to claim 1, wherein the registration unit includes a sensor for receiving and interpreting signals from a code transmitter carried by the driver, wherein the code transmitter provides coded visual signals.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 54 words

System according to claim 1, wherein the transponder emits a synchronising/measuring sequence signal having a predetermined controlled frequency and phase for measurement of the position of the transponder relative to the fuelling robot, and wherein the transponder also emits a data sequence signal that includes account information for debiting an account for fuel delivered.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 54 words

System according to claim 6, wherein the transponder includes a write/read memory and a payment authorization code that is stored in the write/read memory in the data sequence signal of the transponder, and wherein the transponder data sequence signal is encrypted with information from a unique and not changeable code carried by the transponder.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 45 words

System according to claim 1, wherein the transponder includes a data field that contains information about an initial prepaid amount, and wherein after fuelling the vehicle the initial prepaid amount is modified by rewriting of a correspondingly changed remaining prepaid amount in the data field.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 53 words

System according to claim 1, wherein the transponder is includes means for receiving a random number and a hardware algorithm for calculating a number and emitting information, and means for reading the emitted information and for confirming the information from the transponder independent of variation of the information from one instant to another.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 36 words

System according to claim 1, including a portable communication unit for writing information to and reading information from the transponder, and wherein the portable communication unit communicates with the transponder and with a remote data center.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 31 words

System according to claim 10, wherein the portable communication unit transfers encrypted information between the transponder and the remote data center independent of any encryption key in the portable communication unit.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 19 words

System according to claim 1, wherein said driver identification is made by recognition of biometrical properties of the driver.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 20 words

System according to claim 1, wherein said driver identification is made by recognition of an object carried by the driver.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 20 words

System according to claim 2, wherein the sensor includes a microphone and voice recognition means for receiving and analyzing speech.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 12 words

System according to claim 2, wherein the sensor includes a fingerprint detector.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 13 words

System according to claim 2, wherein the sensor includes a hand palm sensor.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 14 words

System according to claim 4, wherein the driver identification code is a bar code.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 14 words

System according to claim 4, wherein the driver identification code is a dot code.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 33 words

System according to claim 1, wherein the registration unit includes a sensor for receiving and interpreting signals from a code transmitter carried by the driver, wherein the code transmitter provides coded infrared signals.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 33 words

System according to claim 1, wherein the registration unit includes a sensor for receiving and interpreting signals from a code transmitter carried by the driver, wherein the code transmitter provides coded radio signals.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 12 words

System according to claim 20, wherein the radio signals are microwave signals.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 33 words

System according to claim 1, wherein the registration unit includes a sensor for receiving and interpreting signals from a code transmitter carried by the driver, wherein the code transmitter provides coded ultrasonic signals.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 48 words

System according to claim 6, wherein the transponder includes a write/read memory and a payment authorization code that is stored in the write/read memory in the data sequence signal of the transponder, and wherein the transponder data sequence signal is encrypted with information corresponding with an encryption key.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 56 words

System according to claim 6, wherein the transponder includes a write/read memory and a payment authorization code that is stored in the write/read memory in the data sequence signal of the transponder, and wherein the transponder data sequence signal is encrypted with information from a unique and not changeable random number code carried by the transponder.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2002-01-18	2002-07-20	2003-01-19	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2006-01-18	2006-07-20	2007-01-19	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2010-01-18	2010-07-20	2011-01-19	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

System at a vehicle for debiting at automatic fuelling

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