US6098879A — Fuel dispensing system providing customer prefere…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 114 words

A system for automatically providing customer preferences during a fueling transaction comprising: a) a fuel dispenser with an audio/visual customer interface having a display and audio system; b) wireless communication electronics associated with said fuel dispenser and adapted to receive signals from one or more customer remote communication units; and c) a control system and memory associated with said communications electronics and said customer interface; d) said control system adapted to receive the indicia from a customer remote communication unit and automatically provide the customer with select information at said customer interface, said select information being predefined by the customer and associated with the customer remote communication unit in advance of the fueling transaction.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 114 words

A system for automatically providing customer preferences during a fueling transaction comprising: a) a fuel dispenser with an audio/visual customer interface having a display and audio system; b) wireless communication electronics associated with said fuel dispenser and adapted to receive signals from one or more customer remote communication units; and c) a control system and memory associated with said communications electronics and said customer interface; d) said control system adapted to receive the indicia from a customer remote communication unit and automatically provide the customer with select information at said customer interface, said select information being predefined by the customer and associated with the customer remote communication unit in advance of the fueling transaction.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 25 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said memory is located apart from said fuel dispenser and is operatively associated with a central site control system.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 19 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said control system includes a dispenser control system located in said fuel dispenser.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 22 words

The system of claim 3 wherein said control system further includes a central site control system located apart from said fuel dispenser.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 21 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said control system includes a central site control system located apart from said fuel dispenser.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 60 words

The system of claim 1 wherein the indicia includes identification indicia and said select information is stored in said memory in association with the identification indicia of the remote communication unit and said control system is adapted to access said select information in said memory upon receipt of the identification indicia and provide the select information at the customer interface.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 43 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said control system is adapted to access said select information at a remote network based on the indicia and provide the select information at the customer interface upon receipt of the indicia and accessing said select information.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 42 words

The system of claim 1 wherein the indicia defines the select information stored in said memory, said control system adapted to access said select information using the indicia after receipt of the indicia and provide the select information at the customer interface.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 36 words

The system of claim 1 wherein the indicia includes the select information and said control system is adapted to receive said select information through the communication electronics and provide the select information at the customer interface.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 40 words

The system of claim 1 wherein the selected information is stored on an audio/visual source adapted for playback of audio/visual material and said control system is adapted control the audio/visual source to play the audio/visual material at said customer interface.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 13 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said select information is news related information.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 25 words

The system of claim 11 wherein said news related information includes information selected from the group consisting of news, weather, scores, stock reports, traffic reports.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 11 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said select information is entertainment.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 15 words

The system of claim 13 wherein said entertainment includes selected types of advertising and merchandising.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 14 words

The system of claim 13 wherein said entertainment includes selected types of audio/video material.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 11 words

The system of claim 15 wherein said entertainment includes motion video.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 14 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said select information includes audio and visual components.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 23 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said select information includes a desired greeting to be provided at the customer interface to the customer.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 14 words

The system of claim 18 wherein said greeting is audibly presented to the customer.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 14 words

The system of claim 18 wherein said greeting is visually displayed to the customer.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 29 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said control system is adapted to allow a customer to modify the predefined selected information during a transaction to receive additional selected information.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 21 words

The system of claim 21 wherein said control system stores the additional selected information as said selected information for future transactions.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 32 words

The system of claim 22 wherein said control system and said communications system are adapted to transmit information to the remote communications unit to store the additional information as the selected information.

Claim 25

Independent Claim 136 words

A system for automatically preventing presentment of information based on customer preferences during a fueling operation comprising: a) a fuel dispenser with a customer interface adapted to present information to a customer during a transaction; b) wireless communications electronics associated with said fuel dispenser and adapted to receive signals from customer remote communications units associated with customers using the fuel dispenser; and c) a control system and memory associated with said communication electronics and said customer interface; d) said control system adapted to present said select information at said customer interface; e) said control system adapted to receive the indicia from a customer remote communication unit and prevent presentment of select information at said customer interface, said select information being selected by the customer and associated with the customer remote communication unit prior to the transaction.

Claim 26

Independent Claim 136 words

A system for automatically preventing presentment of information based on customer preferences during a fueling operation comprising: a) a fuel dispenser with a customer interface adapted to present information to a customer during a transaction; b) wireless communications electronics associated with said fuel dispenser and adapted to receive signals from customer remote communications units associated with customers using the fuel dispenser; and c) a control system and memory associated with said communication electronics and said customer interface; d) said control system adapted to present said select information at said customer interface; e) said control system adapted to receive the indicia from a customer remote communication unit and prevent presentment of select information at said customer interface, said select information being selected by the customer and associated with the customer remote communication unit prior to the transaction.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 54 words

The system of claim 24 wherein the indicia is identification indicia and said select information is stored in association with the identification indicia of the remote communication unit and said control system is adapted to identify said select information upon receipt of the identification indicia and prevent the presentment of the select information accordingly.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 37 words

The system of claim 24 wherein the indicia defines a category containing said select information and said control system is adapted to identify the select information in said category and prevent the presentment of the select information.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 36 words

The system of claim 24 wherein the predefined parameters are transmitted to the communication electronics from said remote communication unit and said control system is adapted to receive the predefined parameters and control the transaction accordingly.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 114 words

An interrogation system associated with a fuel dispensing system for automatically providing customer preferences to a customer during a fueling transaction, said system comprising: a) a customer transaction interface associated with an interrogator for communicating with transponders; and b) a control system and memory associated with said interrogator; c) said control system adapted to interrogate a customer remote communication unit with said interrogator during a transaction to receive indicia associated with a predefined set of customer preferences and to provide automatically select types of information based on the predefined set of customer preferences associated with the received indicia, said predefined set of customer preferences determined by the customer in advance of the fueling transaction.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 114 words

An interrogation system associated with a fuel dispensing system for automatically providing customer preferences to a customer during a fueling transaction, said system comprising: a) a customer transaction interface associated with an interrogator for communicating with transponders; and b) a control system and memory associated with said interrogator; c) said control system adapted to interrogate a customer remote communication unit with said interrogator during a transaction to receive indicia associated with a predefined set of customer preferences and to provide automatically select types of information based on the predefined set of customer preferences associated with the received indicia, said predefined set of customer preferences determined by the customer in advance of the fueling transaction.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 33 words

The system of claim 28 wherein said control system is further adapted to prevent displaying certain information based on said predefined set of customer preferences associated with the indicia received through said interrogator.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 52 words

The system of claim 28 wherein the indicia received through said interrogator includes the select types of information comprising the set of customer preferences predefined by the customer in advance of the fueling transaction and said control system uses the indicia to access the information and provide the information to the customer.

Claim 34

Independent Claim 92 words

A method for automatically providing customer preferences during a fueling transaction comprising: a) receiving indicia from a customer remote communication unit in association with a fueling transaction; b) determining select types of information predefined by the customer using the indicia received from the customer remote communication unit, the select types of information being selected by the customer and associated with the remote communication unit in advance of the fueling transaction; c) accessing information defined by the select types of information; and d) providing the information to the customer during the refueling transaction.

Claim 35

Independent Claim 92 words

A method for automatically providing customer preferences during a fueling transaction comprising: a) receiving indicia from a customer remote communication unit in association with a fueling transaction; b) determining select types of information predefined by the customer using the indicia received from the customer remote communication unit, the select types of information being selected by the customer and associated with the remote communication unit in advance of the fueling transaction; c) accessing information defined by the select types of information; and d) providing the information to the customer during the refueling transaction.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 39 words

The method of claim 31 wherein the receiving step includes receiving identification indicia for the remote communication unit and the accessing step includes accessing information according to the select types of information in a database using the identification indicia.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 14 words

The method of claim 31 wherein the indicia includes the select types of information.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2003-08-08	2004-02-07	2004-08-08	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2007-08-08	2008-02-07	2008-08-08	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2011-08-08	2012-02-07	2012-08-08	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Fuel dispensing system providing customer preferences

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