Patent ID: 8954344
Filing Date: 2015-02-10
Classification: G06Q,G07B,G07C

Abstract:
1. A system for mass transportation fare collection comprising: a first fare validation terminal; said first fare validation terminal being movable or fixed; said first fare validation terminal configured to process a plurality of fare transactions by receiving, by a first payment instrument scanner for each fare transaction, the first payment instrument scanner including at least one of a magnetic stripe reader, a near-field communication (NFC) reader, an integrated circuit chip reader, a radio-frequency reader, a infra-red reader, a Bluetooth reader, and a barcode reader, a payment instrument unique identifier associated with a payment instrument and generating a validation data component associated with said payment instrument unique identifier; said validation data component including at least one of a registration time, a station or stop code, a vehicle-identifier, a route-identifier, a fare amount, and a transfer indicator; said first fare validation terminal configured to assemble said validation data component and said payment instrument unique identifier into fare data; a central host aggregating computer system configured to receive said fare data from said first fare validation terminal and to aggregate a plurality of validation data components including said validation data component into validation support data; said central host aggregating computer system further configured to compute a plurality of registration data components including a registration data component into said validation support data, wherein said registration data component includes a prepaid balance and said payment instrument unique identifier; a data propagation system wirelessly interconnecting said central host aggregating computer system and a moveable fare validation terminal with an infrastructure configured to deliver data, wherein the data propagation system is configured to broadcast or multicast to said moveable fare validation terminal said movable fare validation terminal configured to store at least a portion of said validation support data in a memory; said data propagation system configured to send said portion of said validation support data including said registration data component to said movable fare validation terminal before said payment instrument reaches said movable fare validation terminal; and said moveable fare validation terminal configured to receive said portion of said validation support data from said central host aggregating computer system by said data propagation system and to utilize said portion of validation support data for processing an additional fare transaction received by a second payment instrument scanner associated with said payment instrument unique identifier at said movable fare validation terminal; said processing of said additional fare transaction including determining validity of a trip associated with said movable fare validation terminal based on said portion of validation support data and at least one of: applying discounts; calculating an exact fare; calculating said prepaid balance associated with said payment instrument unique identifier; calculating discount parameters associated with said payment instrument unique identifier; and determining a validity of said trip associated with said movable fare validation terminal based on an up-to-date value of said prepaid balance.