Abstract:
A multistage information purchasing system comprises a vehicle onboard computer configured to arrange for the purchase of information through a wireless communications network. The vendor from whom the information has been purchased indicates a proximate docking station from which the purchased information is available and the vehicle is directed to that docking station. At the docking station, the consumer downloads the purchased information to the onboard computer for later manipulation or use. Alternatively, the consumer may abort the transaction if it is inconvenient to travel to the docking station.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is related to concurrently filed, commonly invented, commonly assigned application Ser. No. 09/483,281, entitled MULTISTAGE FORECOURT DATA ORDER AND/OR PURCHASE and Ser. No. 09/483,079, entitled RETAILING AUDIO FILES IN A FUEL DISPENSING ENVIRONMENT, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a system and method enabling consumers to purchase information from their vehicle while traveling and subsequently retrieving the information so purchased at a docking station such as a fueling environment. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Humans are naturally cursed with finite information gathering senses. Without omniscience, humans must rely on secondary sources for much of the information on which they make daily decisions. The ability to access information on which these decisions are made is an ever evolving process. While the Information Age has made available vast quantities of information in today&#39;s society, there is no guarantee that an individual has access to any of this information. However, advances in information gathering are keeping individuals abreast of and on top of the enormous amounts of information available. 
     Initially, radio and television helped keep individuals abreast of current events and other desired information. Telephones let people stay in touch so that people could stay on top of different sorts of information, like family news and other random gossip. More recently, networked computers have created and provided the Internet, and more specifically, the World Wide Web, with its myriad information sources. Networked computers have also allowed people to purchase items or information such as hotel reservations, airline tickets and the like from the convenience of their home or office computer. 
     However, networked computers have suffered from the fact that they must have a phone line or equivalent physical link to access the desired information. While cellular phones, wireless modems, and other wireless devices are proliferating and seemingly eliminating the need for the physical link, presently bandwidth limitations preclude such devices from being truly effective information gathering devices. That is, downloading a large quantity of information requires an extended amount of time, and since most cellular customers pay for each minute, the cost associated with these lengthy downloads rapidly becomes prohibitive. Higher bandwidth through cellular service, if available, is also more expensive, although the transmission times may be reduced. 
     In an effort to help promote the convergence of information gathering devices, Marconi Commerce Systems Inc., assignee of the present invention, has provided, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/896,988, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,629 which is herein incorporated by reference, an Internet capable fuel dispenser allowing consumers to remain connected to the Internet even during the mundane task of fueling their vehicle. Additionally, a family of patents to Smith exists, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,914,654 and 5,806,018, which are incorporated by reference, that teaches techniques of allowing consumers to purchase information through a fuel dispenser. Specifically, Smith contemplates the existence of effective onboard computers that may receive information through the fuel dispensers for manipulation by the consumer from within the vehicle. However, Smith teaches that the information may be purchased only at the fuel dispenser and delivered therefrom. This requires that the consumer select, purchase, and receive the information during a single visit to the fueling environment. This may result in inefficient use of time at the fueling environment. Furthermore, the type of information available for purchase is limited by the resources available to the fuel dispenser. That is, if the fuel dispenser only has access to certain resources, the consumer may only purchase information from those certain resources. If the consumer desires information from another source, she is out of luck. 
     Thus, the problem exists that information cannot be purchased from a source such as a vehicle and delivered at another separate location or area. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention assists information consumers in purchasing desired information while promoting the efficient use of the consumers&#39; time during the transaction. Specifically, a consumer may locate desired information and purchase the information through an onboard computer over a wireless network. However, to conserve bandwidth on the wireless network, the consumer is directed to the closest docking station at which the consumer may download or access the information. This may be coupled with detailed instructions on how to reach the closest docking station such as may be accomplished with onboard navigation aids. 
     Additionally, if the consumer decides that it is too inconvenient to reach the designated docking station, the consumer may abort the transaction and receive a refund or credit to the financial account from which the purchase was authorized. In a preferred embodiment, the docking station is a fueling environment that the consumer may be inclined to visit independently of the information transaction. This convergence of desires may prompt the consumer to choose a fueling environment with a docking station over a fueling station without a docking station to receive the purchased information. In this manner, fueling environments and their forecourt devices that act as docking stations may have a competitive edge over fueling environments that do not so act. Alternate docking stations may be travel rest areas, roadside kiosks, or the like. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a vehicle incorporating an onboard computer as may be used in the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating the onboard computer of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic depiction of the communications network adapted to support the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a preferred docking station as used in the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows the vehicle of  FIG. 1  receiving information at a terminal in the docking station of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a flow chart of the method of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 7  is a flow chart of an alternate embodiment of the method of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is adapted to provide a method to vend information to a consumer&#39;s onboard computer for later consumption. Specifically, the transaction surrounding the transfer of information is a multistage transaction. However, to achieve this end, the consumer requires a vehicle with an onboard computer having an input device, an output device, and the ability to transfer information to the onboard computer. The particular type of information vended includes, but is not limited to: hotel reservations, stock quotes, airline reservations, travel conditions, weather information, and the like. 
     Turning now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows a vehicle  10  equipped with an onboard computer  12 , an antenna  14 , and a receiver  16 . The onboard computer  12  is operatively connected to the receiver  16 . Additionally, a transmitter  18  may be operatively connected to both the onboard computer  12  and the antenna  14 . 
     As seen in  FIG. 2 , the onboard computer  12  includes a central processing unit  20 , which in turn is operatively connected to a display  22 , an input device  24 , a disk drive  26 , and a transceiver  28 , which includes both the receiver  16  and the transmitter  18 . Display  22  may be a conventional video display such as is commonly found on laptop computers or it may be integrated with the input device  24  as a touchscreen or the like. Input device  24  may be a mouse, a keyboard, a joystick, or other well known input device as needed or desired. Disk drive  26  may be any sort of drive, which accepts a portable storage medium and reads data therefrom. Thus, floppy drives, CD-ROM drives, optical drives, and the like are all within the scope of the term “disk drive.” The transceiver  28  may operate in the electromagnetic spectrum, preferably in the RF range, and may operate as a cellular communications device, a conventional radio receiver, or other device as needed or desired. Additionally, the computer  12  may include a Global Positioning System (GPS) locator  29 . This may be integrated with computer  12  or merely communicatively connected thereto as needed or desired. 
     It should be appreciated that the onboard computer  12  may be positioned in any number of places within the vehicle  10 , and may be dispersed or integrated into a single housing as needed or desired. For example, the display  22  and the input device  24  could be positioned in the steering wheel, with the CPU  20  positioned in the trunk of the vehicle; or the entire computer  12  could be positioned on the passenger side dashboard. Onboard computer  12  may be a separate unit in the vehicle  10 , or it may be integrated into a vehicle component such as a radio. Additionally, the onboard computer  12  may be a laptop computer that has a hook up station within the vehicle  10 , much like cellular phones have in-vehicle hands free stations. Other placements are possible and within the scope of the present invention. 
     Equipped with such an onboard computer  12 , a consumer may purchase information pursuant the present invention as better shown in FIG.  3 . Specifically, the consumer may use the onboard computer  12  to send an information purchase request through the antenna  14  into a wireless network  30 . Wireless network  30  may be a conventional cellular network or a satellite based network or some hybrid thereof and preferably includes a satellite  32  and a base station  34  which act as relays for communications from the vehicle  10  to a network host antenna  36 . Network host antenna  36  is operatively connected to a network computer  38  that communicates with remote information providing computers  40  over a land based network  42 . Network computer  38  manages the network  30  and may be a MSC or the like with a Home Location Register (HLR), a Vehicle Location Register (VLR) and other supporting attributes as are well understood in the wireless communication industry. While indicated as a land based network  42 , it is possible that the network  42  be wireless. However, given the information transfer rates desired, and the present limitations on wireless communications, such is not desired. 
     Remote information providing computers  40  are connected over a second land based network  44  to a docking station  50  from which the consumer may receive information. Networks  42  and  44  may be part of the Internet, a proprietary network, or the like as needed or desired. Docking station  50  includes a site controller  52 , which may act as a local server and downloads information from the remote information providing computers  40 , or alternatively acts as a conduit for information from the computers  40  to pass through. 
     Docking station  50  is better understood through reference to FIG.  4 . In the preferred embodiment, the docking station  50  is a fueling environment with multiple information dispensers  54  dispersed in the forecourt. While a fueling environment is preferred, other dedicated docking stations, roadside kiosks, or other vehicle accommodating retail establishments could work comparably. A full fueling environment  50  may include a Quick Serve Restaurant  56 , one or more fuel dispensers  58 , a car wash  60 , a convenience store  62 , and perhaps a dedicated information terminal  64 . Each such element within the fueling environment  50  may include an information dispenser  54 . Each information dispenser  54  may be communicatively coupled to the site controller  52  and through the site controller  52  to the remote information providing computers  40 , such as through the network  44 . 
     As better seen in  FIG. 5 , an information dispenser  54  may include a control system  66  that communicates with the site controller  52  and operatively controls a transceiver  68 . Transceiver  68  may not be a true transceiver, but includes at a minimum a transmitter adapted to communicate with the vehicle  10  through wireless communication received by the vehicle  10  through the antenna  14 . This wireless communication, because it is at relatively short distances compared to the distances involved in network  30  may be much greater bandwidth communications links. With the greater bandwidth, transmission times are reduced and the consumer economizes the time spent downloading the information. 
     When the consumer, and vehicle  10 , first arrive in the docking station  50 , the vehicle  10  must identify itself to the information dispenser  54 . To this end, the onboard computer  12  may perform a radio frequency “handshake” such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,259, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Transponders or the like may be used or other equivalent technologies, such as are used in automated fuel purchasing transactions. 
     As discussed in commonly invented application Ser. No. 09/483,281, entitled MULTISTAGE FORECOURT DATA ORDER AND/OR PURCHASE, previously incorporated by reference, the data transfer may be to an intermediate device, such as a portable playback device, a portable memory device or the like. 
     The communication links between the respective information dispensers  54  and the site controller  52  may also be wireless, a dedicated line, a local area network, or the like. In the preferred embodiment, after the vehicle  10  has identified itself to the site controller  52  through an information dispenser  54 , the site controller  52  activates the appropriate information dispenser  54  within the docking station  50  as needed to complete the information transfer. As further described in previously incorporated application Ser. No. 09/483,281, entitled MULTISTAGE FORECOURT DATA ORDER ANT/OR PURCHASE, the information may be dispensed from a plurality of information dispensers  54  as the consumer moves the vehicle  10  about the fueling environment forecourt. To this end, the site controller  52  must keep track of the whereabouts of the vehicle  10  within the docking station  50 . This may be accomplished with appropriate transponder technology as was explained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,259, previously incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the consumer may be issued a receipt or other indicia that indicates that the consumer has already purchased the information, but still needs to receive the information so purchased. For example, as part of the receipt from a fueling transaction, the consumer could receive a bar code, or be provided an electronic code number that the vehicle onboard computer  12  then transmits as needed to secure an information download. While not preferred, the consumer could swipe a credit card, a smart card, or other payment means at a second information dispenser  54 . The account number associated with the payment means would then act as authorization for an information download, even though no additional financial activity took place. Rather the account number is merely an identification mechanism that the docking station  50  could use to make sure that the appropriate person was receiving the information download. 
     With the components of the present invention explicated, the preferred method may now be explained with reference to FIG.  6 . Initially, a consumer decides that she needs to access and/or purchase a particular bit of information (block  100 ). As noted above, this information may be an airline ticket, a hotel reservation, other travel arrangements, travel information, weather information, music, video, movies, software such as games, MP3 or the like equivalents of audio books, or the like as needed or desired by the consumer. As the sources of information continue to proliferate on the World Wide Web, so to will the types of information that consumers desire to purchase proliferate. Thus, information as used herein is meant to be construed broadly. The consumer then orders the desired information through a wireless device in the vehicle  10  (block  102 ). This may be the onboard computer  12  or other comparable device, and may be done over wireless network  30 . 
     Typically, it will be inefficient to use the network  30  to deliver the purchased information because of bandwidth concerns, thus the information will not be delivered thereby. However, payment authorization may be done through the network  30  (block  104 ). Payment authorization may be prepaid and debited from the account, by a credit card account or the like as needed or desired. That is, as part of the information purchase request, the wireless device, such as the onboard computer  12 , communicates payment account information, such as a credit card number. Appropriate communications take place to secure payment as is well understood in the art. 
     Meanwhile, the network computer  38  proceeds to locate the purchased information on the remote information providing computers  40  (block  106 ). Additionally, the network host computer  38  may act as the “intelligence” of the transaction and work to accept the information order, secure payment authorization and the like, or the network host computer  38  can act as a conduit to an e-commerce provider or the like as needed or desired. The remote information providing computers  40  will have a list of authorized docking stations  50  at which the consumer may receive delivery of the purchased information. This may be comparable to a Neighbor List in cellular phone technology. From this list, or comparable information, the decision will be made, either by the network computer  38  or the remote information providing computer  40  which is an appropriate docking station  50  and where it is located (block  108 ). Alternately, a list of a few alternate docking stations  50  may be provided, with the consumer selecting the desired location either through a prompted response or by showing up at one of the indicated docking stations  50 . It may be desirable from a vendor point of view to provide the docking station information only after payment is secured. The onboard computer  12  may additionally send positional location such as is provided by a Global Positioning System (GPS)  29 . From this information, the computer deciding which docking station  50  is appropriate may make a more informed decision. Additionally, consumer preferences may be indicated and taken into account in deciding what docking station  50  the consumer is informed of (block  110 ). For example, the consumer may have indicated a preference for a certain brand of docking station  50 , such as BP®, SHELL®, or EXXON®. Such consumer preferences may also take the form of certain types of docking stations  50 . For example, the consumer may prefer to receive information from a docking station  50  that is compatible with a particular type of network  30  or that the consumer already has an established account with. In the preferred embodiment, such preference predefined by the consumer are stored in the onboard computer  12  and transmitted by the transmitter  18  during a purchase before the network  30  sends back the particular docking station  50  for the consumer to retrieve purchased information. In an alternative embodiment, the preferences may be entered into the onboard computer  12  by the consumer at the time of purchase either at the consumer&#39;s own initiative or by query from the network  30  if such feature is provided by the network  30 . 
     As part of informing the consumer of the nearest appropriate docking station  50  (block  110 ), the consumer may additionally be provided with directions thereto (block  112 ). Many GPSs are integrating maps and directional aids that would be useful for this purpose. The consumer must then decide whether to proceed with the transaction (block  114 ). If the answer is no, then the transaction may be canceled, and the consumer receive a refund to her payment account (block  116 ). This may occur when the docking station is substantially out of the intended travel path of the consumer, or in a location to which the consumer does not with to travel. 
     However, if the consumer decides to consummate the transaction, the consumer may then travel to the indicated docking station  50  (block  118 ). It is possible that payment accounting could be done at this point rather than prior to providing directions to the docking station  50 . In this manner, the information purchase could potentially be integrated into another transaction or more conveniently performed without the risk of a credit card number being compromised over a cellular network or the like. At the docking station the consumer may approach an information dispenser  54 , such as a fuel dispenser  58  and download the information to the onboard computer  2  (block  120 ). This may be done wirelessly as previously discussed, the consumer could pick up a portable storage medium such as a disk with the information contained thereon, or the consumer could provide a portable storage device or portable playback device. In the event that the information dispenser  54  provides a disk, the disk would have been purposefully prepared with the customized ordered information in the time it took for the consumer to travel to the, docking station  50 . The consumer could place the disk into the disk drive  26  and proceed about her merry way. 
     While it is assumed that the consumer proceeds with some degree of haste to the docking station  50 , there is no absolute requirement that this be done. The consumer may leisurely arrive the next day at the designated docking station  50  and retrieve the information is so desired. However, to prevent excessive demands on the memory at the docking station  50 , there may be a time limit imposed on the consumer to retrieve the information. Thus, for example, the information may be deleted after six hours regardless of whether the information has been retrieved. 
     Also there are permutations on the technique used to select an appropriate docking station  50 . The docking station  50  may be selected by the type of information ordered. That is, only certain docking stations  50  can provide the type of information ordered, so the consumer is directed to only those sorts of docking stations  50 . Alternatively, if any docking station  50  can provide the consumer with the ordered information, then the closest docking station  50  may be indicated. Still further, docking stations  50  may form alliances similar to ATMs, and have brand names like HONOR®, PLUS®, CIRRUS®, MAC®, PULSE®, AFFN®, or the like. The consumer may only be able to use a subset of the total number of docking stations  50 , and thus the directions provided are to one of the approved docking station  50 . Yet further, the consumer may indicate a preference for a particular type of docking station  50 . For example, if the consumer owns BP® stock and wishes to patronize BP® docking stations  50 , the directions may indicate the closest BP® docking station  50 , even though that is not the closest available docking station  50 . 
     An alternate methodology is presented in FIG.  7 . In contrast to the method of  FIG. 6 , wherein the consumer was alerted to potential docking stations  50 , the consumer in the alternate methodology arrives at a docking station  50 , informs the docking station of her arrival, and then proceeds to download the purchased information. Turning now to  FIG. 7 , the consumer decides that she needs information (block  200 ). The consumer orders the information through a wireless device within the vehicle  10 , such as the onboard computer  12  (block  202 ). This is done over the wireless network  30 . As discussed above, some computer authorizes payment (block  204 ) and secures the desired information. 
     Meanwhile the consumer travels to a docking station  50  (block  206 ). This may be the next encountered docking station  50 , or the closest one with which the consumer is familiar or the like. In contrast to the previous methodology, the consumer arrives at the docking station  50  without prompting by the information provider. At the docking station  50 , the consumer identifies herself as the purchaser of the information (block  208 ). This may be done with a “handshake” or other appropriate identifying information. The identifying information may be provided by the remote information providing computers  40  or other computer as needed. The identifying information may be provided to the information dispenser  54  or to the site controller  52  or the like as needed or desired, but the docking station  50  then retrieves the information over a high speed communications link (block  210 ) such as a T-1 or T-3 line. The consumer then receives the ordered information (block  214 ) in any of the aforedescribed techniques or their equivalents. 
     It should be appreciated that this alternate methodology results in some delay before the information may transferred to the consumer, however, this may be undetectable if an appropriate high speed communications link is in place. This allows the consumer to select a desired docking station, such as one they are previously familiar with, and arrive at their convenience rather than at the instruction of a third party or computer. 
     The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.