Patent ID: 11948138
Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY
Field: IT methods for management (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  B | IPC B  G

Claim 0:
1. A computer-implemented method of using an autonomous vehicle as an electronic payment device, the method comprising:
determining, by one or more processors in the autonomous vehicle via a fuel level sensor, that an amount of fuel in the autonomous vehicle is less than a threshold amount of fuel;
providing, by the one or more processors, navigation directions for the autonomous vehicle to navigate to a merchant location;
determining, by the one or more processors, that the autonomous vehicle has arrived at the merchant location;
transmitting, by the one or more processors to a merchant communication terminal at the merchant location, a request to purchase fuel;
controlling, by the one or more processors in the autonomous vehicle, a fuel tank cover to open the fuel tank cover for receiving the fuel; and
providing, by the one or more processors, an indication to the merchant communication terminal that the fuel tank cover is open,
wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the fuel tank cover is open, the merchant communication terminal causes a fuel pump to provide fuel to the autonomous vehicle.