US 12,437,285 B1
Vehicle tracking system for congestion pricing using transponders
Kelly Gravelle, Poway, CA (US); Yousuf Kamal, Albuquerque, NM (US); Greg Lantz, Albuquerque, NM (US); Paul Hamel, Albuquerque, NM (US); Dale Scott, Albuquerque, NM (US); Duane Wrasman, Albuquerque, NM (US); Donald Brady, Henderson, NV (US); Scott Brosi, Dallas, TX (US); and Alice Klemashevich, Highland Village, TX (US)
Assigned to Amtech Systems, LLC, Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed by Amtech Systems, LLC, Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed on May 1, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/864,306.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/841,474, filed on May 1, 2019.
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06Q 20/32 (2012.01); G06Q 20/34 (2012.01); G06Q 20/40 (2012.01); G06Q 30/0207 (2023.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.01); H04W 4/80 (2018.01)
CPC G06Q 20/3224 (2013.01) [G06Q 20/3226 (2013.01); G06Q 20/357 (2013.01); G06Q 20/401 (2013.01); G06Q 30/0207 (2013.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.02); H04W 4/80 (2018.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader located at an entry point, said entry point associated with a geographical area;
an RFID transponder comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to transmit an advertisement message in response to said RFID transponder being read by said RFID reader, wherein said RFID transponder includes:
a first radio frequency transceiver comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code configured to transmit user identification and user-related data to said RFID reader, and
a Bluetooth® transceiver; and
a smart phone comprising a global positioning system receiver and a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a software application configured to:
receive said advertisement message from said RFID transponder,
determine, via said global positioning system receiver, a location in response to receiving said advertisement message from said RFID transponder,
receive a discount authorization code from a user,
determine a toll fee based on a day of a week, a time of day, said location, and said discount authorization code,
initiate a first credit card debit for said toll fee with a first credit card over a cellular network connection,
if said first credit card debit was successful, communicate with said RFID transponder that said toll fee was successfully deducted,
if said first credit card debit was not successful, initiate a second credit card debit for said toll fee with a second credit card over said cellular network connection, and
if said second credit card debit was successful, communicate with said RFID transponder that said toll fee was successfully deducted from said second credit card,
wherein said RFID transponder is enabled for a further transaction in response to said toll fee being successfully deducted, and
wherein said discount authorization code is a limited use discount authorization code having a predetermined use limit, and wherein said software application is configured to notify said user when said predetermined use limit is exceeded.