System and method for dispensing and purchasing fuel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9715682-B2
Application number	US-201314066448-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2013
Priority date	Oct 29, 2013
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

A system for purchasing fuel is provided. The system includes, but is not limited to, a local device for retrieving identification information which identifies a fuel dispensing station, the identification information containing information identifying the fuel dispensing station from which fuel is desired to be purchased, and a remote server connected with the local device. Upon receiving the identification information at the local device, the local device automatically forwards the identification information along with a unique identifier to the remote server. The remote server generates and transmits an unlock code to the fuel dispensing station. The unlock code signals the fuel dispensing station to dispense fuel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for remotely controlling an operation of a fuel dispensing station comprising:
a local device including:
a Global Positioning System (GPS) configured to automatically generate location information associated with a location of the local device,
a processor configured to execute an order creation application to automatically instruct a communications device of the local device to transmit the location information and a unique identifier associated with a user to a remote server in response to automatic generation of the location information by the GPS, and
the communications device configured to automatically transmit the location information and the unique identifier to the remote server in response to receiving the instructions from the processor; and

the remote server in electronic communication with the local device, a first computing system, a second computing system and a third party system, the remove server configured to:
automatically generate identification information containing information identifying the fuel dispensing station from which fuel is desired to be purchased based on the location information of the local device,
retrieve a profile associated with the user from the first computing system based on the unique identifier to identify the user;
retrieve sensitive information associated with the user from the second computing system based on the profile;
transmit the sensitive information associated with the user and a pre-authorization request to the third-party system;
receive pre-authorization from the third-party system based on the sensitive information associated with the user in response to transmitting the pre-authorization request to the third-party system;
generate and transmit an unlock code to the fuel dispensing station in response to automatically generating the identification information based on the location information, receiving the unique identifier from the local device and receiving the pre-authorization received from the third-party system, wherein transmission of the unlock code causes the fuel dispensing station to switch from a first state, in which the fuel dispensing station cannot dispense fuel to a second state wherein the fuel dispensing station is able to dispense fuel.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the local device further comprises a scanning module configured to retrieve at least a portion of the identification information.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the local device is a smartphone or a mobile vehicular computer.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the unlock code signals the fuel dispensing station to dispense fuel without further interaction from a user.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising an order management system in electronic communication with the remote server, wherein the order management system is configured to process an order for fuel.

6. A method for remotely controlling an operation of a fuel dispensing station comprising:
automatically generating, by a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the local device, location information associated with a location of the local device;
automatically instructing, by an order creation application executed by a processor of the local device, a communications device of the local device to forward the location information and a unique identifier associated with a user to a remote server in response to automatic generation of the location information by the GPS; and
transmitting, by the communications device of the local device, the location information and the unique identifier to the remote server in response to receiving the instructions from the processor;
automatically generating, via the remote server in electronic communication with the local device, identification information containing information identifying the fuel dispensing station from which fuel is desired to be purchased based on the location information of the local device;
retrieving, via the remote server, from a first computing system, a profile associated with the user from the first computing system based on the unique identifier provided by the local device;
retrieving, via the remote server, from a second computing system sensitive information associated with the user from based on the profile;
transmitting, via the remote server, a pre-authorization request and the sensitive information to a third-party system;
receiving, via the remote server, pre-authorization based on the sensitive information from the third-party system in response to transmitting the pre-authorization request to the third-party system;
generate, by the remote server and in response to automatically generating the identification information based on the location information, receiving the unique identifier and receiving the pre-authorization received from the third-party system, an unlock code for the fuel dispensing station; and
transmitting the unlock code to the fuel dispensing station to cause the fuel dispensing station to switch from a first state, in which the fuel dispensing station cannot dispense fuel to a second state wherein the fuel dispensing station is able to dispense fuel.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising transmitting, by the communications module of the local device, a unique identifier identifying a user to the remote server.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising forwarding the unique identifier along with the identification information and the location information to the remote server.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising retrieving at least a portion of the identification information by scanning the fuel dispensing station with a scanning module of the local device.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the local device is a smartphone or a mobile vehicular computer.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the unlock code signals the fuel dispensing station to dispense fuel without further interaction from a user.

12. A non-transitory computer readable memory medium comprising program instructions for remotely controlling an operation of a fuel dispensing station via a local device in communication with a remote server, wherein the program instructions are executable by a processor of the local device to:
automatically generate, by a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the local device, location information associated with a location of the local device;
automatically instruct, by an order creation application executed by the processor of the local device, a communications device of the local device to transmit the location information and a unique identifier associated with a user to a remote server in response to automatic generation of the location information by the GPS; and
transmit, by the communications device of the local device, the location information and the unique identifier to the remote server in response to receiving the instructions from the processor;
automatically generating, via the remote server in electronic communication with the local device, identification information containing information identifying the fuel dispensing station from which fuel is desired to be purchased based on the location information of the local device;
retrieve, via the remote server, from a first computing system, a profile associated with the user from the first computing system based on the unique identifier provided by the local device;
retrieve, via the remote server, from a second computing system sensitive information associated with the user from based on the profile;
transmit, via the remote server, a pre-authorization request and the sensitive information to a third-party system;
receive, via the remo

Assignees

• Wal Mart Stores Inc

Inventors

• Webb Timothy W
• Todd Jason R
• Olivarez Danny K

Classifications

• G07F13/025

  wherein the volume is determined during delivery · CPC title

• G06Q20/18 Primary

  involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals · CPC title

• G06Q20/20

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

• B67D7/348

  by interrogating an information transmitter, e.g. a transponder (B67D7/145 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B67D7/04

  for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants · CPC title