Transparent fuel dispenser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10346015-B2
Application number	US-201715476218-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	May 27, 2016
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

In general, transparent fuel dispensers are provided, and in particular methods and devices are provided for increasing visibility on a fuel dispensing device. In one embodiment a fuel dispenser is provided having a display that is at least partially transparent at least during certain modes of operation. The display can display information on portions thereof during certain modes of operation as well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel dispenser, comprising:
a housing having fuel dispensing components disposed therein;
a control system in the housing for controlling the dispensing of fuel;
a graphical display located on the housing, the graphical display comprises a front graphical display on a front side of the housing, and the graphical display having
a transparent mode in which at least a portion of the display is transparent to allow viewing from a front of the housing, through the display, to outside a rear of the housing, and
a media mode in which graphical information is present on the display and is visual to a user; and

a rear graphical display on a back side of the housing configured to be transparent simultaneously with the front graphical display being in the transparent mode to allow an unobstructed view through the front and rear graphical displays.

2. The fuel dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the graphical display is configured to transition between the transparent mode and the media mode in response to a trigger.

3. The fuel dispenser of claim 2 , wherein the trigger comprises a touch screen on the graphical display that, when touched, causes the graphical display to transition from the transparent mode to the media mode.

4. The fuel dispenser of claim 2 , wherein the trigger comprises a fixed amount of time after a last interaction between a customer and the fuel dispenser that, when activated, causes the graphical display to transition from the media mode to the transparent mode.

5. The fuel dispenser of claim 2 , wherein the trigger is selected from a button on the fuel dispenser, a switch on the fuel dispenser, a keyboard on the fuel dispenser, a motion sensor, a pressure sensor, a sound sensor, a video camera, and a payment device on the fuel dispenser that, when touched, causes the graphical display to transition from the transparent mode to the media mode.

6. The fuel dispenser of claim 1 , wherein a curtain is located in the housing and is configured to extend behind the graphical display in the media mode and retract in the transparent mode.

7. The fuel dispenser of claim 1 , further comprising a biometrics reader; and
a processor configured to receive biometrics data from the biometrics reader, configured to determine identity information of a customer using the biometrics data, and configured to cause the fuel dispenser to perform an action using the identity information.

8. The fuel dispenser of claim 7 , wherein the biometrics reader is configured to read at least one of a fingerprint, an eye pattern verification, a palm print, DNA, hand geometry, and vein pattern.

9. The fuel dispenser of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the biometrics data to be transmitted to a remote database for determining whether the biometrics data matches a customer identity.

10. The fuel dispenser of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the biometrics data matches a customer identity.

11. The fuel dispenser of claim 7 , wherein, based on the determined identity information of the customer, a characteristic of the customer including at least one of age, height, gender, and disability status is identified.

12. The fuel dispenser of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to dynamically reconfigure at least one graphical user interface (GUI) element in the graphical display, the GUI element having at least one of a reconfigured location and a reconfigured size determined using the determined characteristic of the customer.

13. The fuel dispenser of claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to provide the determined identity information of the customer to a remote processor for determining the customer's identity that includes a name or unique identifier.

14. The fuel dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the graphical display in the transparent mode also allows viewing from the rear of the housing, through the display, to outside the front of the housing.

15. A fuel dispenser for dispensing fuel to a vehicle, comprising:
a housing having a mechanical base portion including at least one fuel dispensing component; and
an electronic head including
a processor configured to control the at least one fuel dispensing component,
a front graphical display mounted on a front side of the housing, and
a rear graphical display mounted on a rear side of the housing, the front and rear graphical displays being configured to selectively display media, and being configured to be simultaneously transparent to allow viewing from a front of the housing, through the front graphical display and the rear graphical display, to a rear of the housing.

16. The fuel dispenser of claim 15 , wherein the media is displayed on a portion of the front and rear graphical displays and a portion of the front and rear graphical displays are transparent.

17. The fuel dispenser of claim 15 , further comprising a trigger configured to cause the front and rear graphical displays to become transparent.

18. The fuel dispenser of claim 15 , further comprising at least one curtain in the electronic head and configured to prevent viewing from the front of the housing, through the front graphical display and the rear graphical display, to the rear of the housing when the front and rear graphical displays are displaying media, and configured to allow viewing from the front of the housing, through the front graphical display and the rear graphical display, to the rear of the housing when the front and rear graphical displays are simultaneously transparent.

19. The fuel dispenser of claim 15 , wherein, with the front and rear graphical displays simultaneously transparent, the view is unobstructed from outside the front side of the housing to outside the rear side of the housing.

20. A method of interacting with a fuel dispenser display, comprising:
activating a fuel dispenser to cause a graphical display on the fuel dispenser to display media, and to cause the fuel dispenser to dispense fuel, the graphical display being transparent, when no media is being displayed, to allow viewing from outside a front side of the dispenser, through the dispenser, to outside a rear side of the dispenser;
wherein the graphical display comprises a front graphical display on a front side of the housing, and wherein a rear graphical display on a back side of the housing is configured to be transparent simultaneously with the front graphical display being transparent to allow an unobstructed view through the front and rear graphical displays.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein activating the fuel dispenser includes activating a trigger to cause the graphical display to display media.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein activating the trigger includes touching a touch screen.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the trigger is selected from a button on the fuel dispenser, a switch on the fuel dispenser, a keyboard on the fuel dispenser, a motion sensor, a pressure sensor, a sound sensor, a video camera, and a payment device on the fuel dispenser.

24. The method of claim 20 , wherein activating the fuel dispenser includes activating a trigger including waiting a fixed amount of time after a last interaction between a customer and the fuel dispenser that, when activated, causes the graphical display to become transparent.

25. The method of claim 20 , wherein activating the fuel dispenser also activates a curtain that blocks a

Assignees

• Wayne Fueling Systems Llc

Inventors

• Martensson Mattias G
• Larsson Bengt I
• Gustafsson Gustaf
• Kjellberg Henrik

Classifications

• H04L9/3231

  Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina (network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861) · CPC title

• H04L63/0861

  using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231) · CPC title

• B67D2007/0442

  interface for orders and payments · CPC title

• G06F2203/04804

  Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title