Fuel dispenser printer module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11180359-B2
Application number	US-202016732711-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 2, 2020
Priority date	Oct 17, 2016
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

Fuel dispensers, systems and methods are provided for electronically transmitting data characterizing fueling transactions in a fueling environment, and in particular from a fuel dispenser. In an exemplary embodiment, a fuel dispenser is provided having a printer module that can perform operations that enable any one or more of replacing a printer, providing a user with a printed transaction record at a remote location, and/or provide the user with an electronic transaction record. The application of the printer module can facilitate providing a user with a printed and/or electronic transaction record, while minimizing, or eliminating, changes to standard communication protocol associated with components of a payment terminal that can deliver formatted transaction data to a typical printer. Minimizing or eliminating changes to standard communication protocol associated with providing users with transaction records can facilitate retrofitting the printer module to existing fuel dispensers, and/or simplify design considerations for new dispenser.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for processing a transaction at a fuel dispenser, comprising:
receiving user information that characterizes an identity of a user at a payment terminal of a fuel dispenser;
receiving transaction data from the payment terminal, the transaction data characterizing a user transaction;
receiving data that characterizes a desired type of record of the transaction;
formatting the transaction data to create formatted transaction data; and
transmitting, to a transaction records service on a remote server, record data based on the desired type of record of the transaction, the record data characterizing the formatted transaction data and the user transaction involving a dispensing of fuel from the fuel dispenser, wherein the transaction records service is configured to use data included in the record data that characterizes the user transaction involving the dispensing of fuel from a pump compartment of the fuel dispenser to create a transaction record that characterizes the record data, and is configured to transmit and store the transaction record based on an instruction stored on the transaction records service, the instruction associated with a user account stored on the transaction records service.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a prompt for the user to enter data that characterizes the desired type of record of the transaction.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the receiving, formatting, and transmitting is performed by at least one data processor forming part of at least one computing system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the record data is transmitted to a printer at a remote location, the printer being configured to print a receipt.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising displaying instructions to instruct a user to retrieve the transaction record at the remote location.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the record data is transmitted to a mobile device using wireless communication.

7. A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer readable instructions, which, when executed by at least one data processor forming part of at least one computing system, implement operations comprising:
receiving identification data that characterizes an identity of a user;
receiving transaction data from a payment terminal of a fuel dispenser, the transaction data characterizing a user transaction;
receiving data characterizing a desired type of record of the transaction;
formatting the transaction data to create formatted transaction data; and
transmitting, to a transaction records service on a remote server, record data based on the desired type of record of the transaction, the record data characterizing the formatted transaction data, wherein the transaction records service is configured to use data included in the record data that characterizes the user transaction involving a dispensing of fuel from a pump compartment of the fuel dispenser to create a transaction record that characterizes the record data, and is configured to transmit and store the transaction record based on an instruction stored on the transaction records service, the instruction associated with a user account stored on the transaction records service.

8. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 7 , the operations comprising displaying a prompt for the user to enter data that characterizes the desired type of record of the transaction.

9. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the receiving, formatting, and transmitting is performed by at least one data processor forming part of at least one computing system.

10. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the record data is transmitted to a printer at a remote location, the printer being configured to print a receipt.

11. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 10 , further comprising displaying instructions to instruct a user to retrieve the transaction record at the remote location.

12. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the record data is transmitted to a mobile device using wireless communication.

Assignees

• Wayne Fueling Systems Llc

Inventors

• Fieglein Henry
• Negley Iii Scott R
• Morris John Joseph
• Cerovski Thomas
• Belt Steve

Classifications

• G06Q30/04 Primary

  Billing or invoicing · CPC title

• B67D7/106

  operated by push-buttons · CPC title

• G06Q20/20

  Point-of-sale [POS] network systems · CPC title

• B67D7/00

  Apparatus or devices for transferring liquids from bulk storage containers or reservoirs into vehicles or into portable containers, e.g. for retail sale purposes (general disposition of plant in stations for supplying fuel to vehicles B60S5/02; for filling or emptying locomotive water tanks, e.g. water columns, B61K11/00; for refuelling aircraft during flight B64D39/00; liquid- handling ground installations specially adapted for fuelling stationary aircraft B64F1/28) · CPC title

• B67D7/145

  by wireless communication means, e.g. RF, transponders or the like · CPC title