Patent ID: 9741177
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: G07B

Claim:
1. A method for collection of transit fares, comprising: (a) implementing a plurality of customer-associated available fare value data receiving databases, said available fare value data receiving databases each for receiving data indicating value, said available fare value data receiving databases being contained within a central database; (b) manufacturing a plurality of detectable objects, each of said objects being associated with an identifier; (c) encoding said identifier physically in or on each of said objects, said encoding being executed in a readable format; (d) associating each of said detectable objects with a respective one of said available fare value data receiving databases using its respective identifier; (e) for each of said identifiers, storing respective available fare value data associated with the respective identifier in the available fare value data receiving database associated with that identifier; (f) placing, at a plurality of trip starting and/or ending locations, a plurality of detectors for detecting detectable objects and reading the identifier associated with such detectable object, each of said detectors being coupled or couplable to a respective local memory located proximate its respective trip starting and/or ending location, each of said local memories for storing a plurality of identifiers and associated available fare value data; (g) downloading, for a plurality of identifiers, from said available fare value data receiving databases to a plurality of said local memories associated with respective detectors, central database originated data sets comprising an available fare value and its associated identifier; (h) detecting a particular detectable object and reading the identifier associated with such detectable object; (i) debiting a fare to be charged from the available fare value, associated with the detected detectable object and stored in the respective local memory associated with the detector detecting the detectable object, said debiting being done from the available fare value stored in the local memory associated with the detector detecting said detected detectable object to update the available fare value stored in the local memory associated with the detector detecting said detected detectable object; (j) frequently updating said available fare value data receiving databases by uploading, to said available fare value data receiving databases from said local memories associated with detectors at said trip starting and/or ending locations, local database originated data sets comprising the updated available fare values associated with said identifiers; (k) frequently updating information stored in said local memories by downloading, for a plurality of identifiers, from the updated available fare value data receiving databases to a plurality of said local memories associated with said detectors, updated central database originated identifier datasets comprising an available fare value and its associated identifier.