Electronic automatic system and method for recording fuel expenses so as to be usable as a fiscal document

Abstract: Each country of the European Community has the problem to recognise, as fiscal deduction, the legitimate expenses incurred in transportation costs related to work activities. This problem has been confronted giving way to several partial solutions that do no resolve the conteinment of a high level of fraud, are fragmented and inprecise and do not allow automated, unmanned operations. The proposed system allows for the electronic registration of all information pertaining to the fuel fill ups, guarantying therefore a legitimate, precise transaction, valid for tax deduction purposes. This is assured by the secure recognition of the authorised driver, vehicle and vehicle owner. At the time of each fill up operation, information of the fuel type, volume, pump location, payment amount, payment method, time of transaction, kilometres of car and any other pertinent data, are registered into an Intelligent Customer Fuel Card ( ICC ) by means of a transportable Customer Fuel Card Terminal ( TCC ) and other devices integrated in the system. All transactions included in the card will provide a summary of information enabling the correct expense deduction claim at the time of the tax declaration. The high level of security provided by the card, may be exploited by the tax authorities in verifying the correct validity of the claim.

Description: The invention relates to the field of fuel purchases for transportation and provides secure proof of the overall fuel consumption related to the work activity of transportation companies and professionals. Fuel consumption expenses may be deducted from the yearly tax declaration, fully or in part, in accordance to the tax laws of the pertinent country. Additionally, the system provides ways apt to the recovery of the VAT charges and allows automatic reductions of the fuel posted price in accordance with specific national or regional tax benefit fiscal rules. Each country, including those of the European Community, has the problem to endorse companies and single professionals with the expenses incurred in the transportation costs when they relate to work activities and not to leisure. This simple concept is very difficult to implement, in practical terms, owing to the innumerable amount of different fiscal subjects, contrasting VAT regulations and various payment methods. Each country has faced this problem in a different way, but always based on theoretical assumptions and has developed reporting methods which are very approximate, giving way to incorrect tax collection and a very high level of tax fraud. Therefore tax collection is inadequate, incomplete and, at the same time, inequitable. US-A-5 579 233 discloses a method for ensuring the delivery of the proper petroleum or similar product, and the accurate recording of the delivery, from a plurality of petroleum and similar products carried on a tank truck, into customer vehicle fuel tanks and later verifying compliance with this method of delivery. The method should make sure that the tank truck driver delivers the volume ordered with a supplier by a client for a given site into the correct tank or container, while respecting tax and environment legislation and also enabling billing to the client. The driver receives from the supplier a client list enabling him to drive to the clients the products ordered and loaded on his truck; said list being also stored in the memory of a hand held probe with all details required to enable the sure delivery described hereinbefore. These details relate to the client, his site, his tanks, the products ordered and the hoses on the tank truck from which the products flow. Only if all this has been checked at the client's site, a product can be delivered. Thereafter all details relating to this delivery are transferred from the probe to an onboard computer for later transfer to the office computer of the supplier. The object of the invention is to provide a system and method allowing correct endorsement of expenses incurred in transportation cost, correct tax collection and elimination of fraud, all to a very high degree of security. According to the invention, these problems are resolved by means of the system and method of the independent claims. Embodiments of the invention are claimed in the dependent claims. The system and method allow the automated electronic registration of the fuel expenses at the time they are incurred and are capable to register each single payment by fully identifying the driver making the payment and the connected authorized vehicle. The system and method can accommodate any type of payment, extending from the manual payments to the fully automated ones. The advantages of the system of the invention are manifold. First, to the government authorities, the full elimination of frauds, the added flexibility to treat diversified fiscal subjects and the full certainty that the expense deductions claimed are in accordance with current regulations. Second, to the individual claimer the assurance of equal treatment and the certainty that all expenses incurred may be registered, no matter the form of payment used. And third, to the oil industry and the associated dealers the advantage to exploit an electronic automated system that, when installed, might be used for other commercial and marketing purposes. Other advantages may become apparent from the description of the invention which follows, which may be used in other fields in which an identical or similar problem exists and should not be considered limited to the use in connection with fuel purchase for transportation purposes, tax declaration of transportation cost and VAT recovery. The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing showing in block form the operation of the system according to the invention. The system includes an Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC), with a high level of security, issued to each individual authorized vehicle and connected driver. The system further includes a chip card of the same type issued to each individual fuel station dealer (IDC); in its memory means the identification of the fuel dealer and fuel station are memorized. The core of the system is a movable Customer Fuel Card Terminal (TCC) associated with each single authorized driver, the function of which will be described later. Finally, a series of small identification elements (TAG) of simple installation and very high reliability are provided to be integrated in the context of the overall system as described below. The payment for the fill ups is performed in the usual ways with an important variant: the collection, verification and registration of the purchase are performed at the same time of the physical filling. The authorized car or vehicle is equipped with a passive identification element (TAG1), made solid with the vehicle, capable to uniquely identify this vehicle and to register the i.d. code thereof via the customer fuel card terminal (TCC) into the ICC card inserted therein. A second passive identification element (TAG2), solidly attached to the fuel pump, identifies the fuel pump island and the fuel station and is capable of registering the i.d. code and other relevant station information thereof into the ICC card, inserted into the customer fuel card terminal (TCC). Payment may take the form of any of the current payment methods, like cash payments credit cards, bank cards, company cards, fidelity cards, etc. For those stations equipped with automatic card acceptors, allowing unmanned self service, the automated acceptor is equipped with a device capable to recognize the driver and the connected authorized vehicle and to transfer the fill up information into the ICC card together with identification data of the fuel station and dealer. The fundamental element of the system for the data collection and storage is the ICC chip card, i.e. the Customer Card, carried by each single driver, and the IDC chip card, i.e. the Dealer Card, carried by each single fuel dealer. The fundamental control of each transaction is performed by the Intelligent Customer Card Fuel Terminal (TCC), in adoption to each authorized customer/vehicle and equipped with a high level security module.. The terminal (TTC) is capable to identify the authorized vehicle by receiving information from the vehicle identification element (TAG1), the station equipment by receiving information from the identification element (TAG2) of the fuel station, to verify the station and dealer information by matching them with the data incorporated inside the dealer card (IDC) and to record the data pertaining to the fuel transaction into the customer card (ICC). The system according to the invention operates as follows: Step 1): Recognition by the terminal (TCC) of the station pump island and dealer via its identification element (TAG2); Step 2): Recognition by the terminal (TCC) of the driver by reading its customer card (ICC), the authorized vehicle via its identification element (TAG1) and verification of their validity and compatibility; Step 3): Fill up operation. Before filing, the fuel station and dealer information, previously inserted into the movable fuel card terminal (TCC), by means of the TAG2, are verified by the insertion of the dealer card (IDC) into the movable fuel card terminal (TCC). After confirmation of the fuel station and dealer information previously entered via the identified element (TAG2) of the station pump island with that read from the dealer card (IDC) the fill up operation may be stared and completed. Step 4): Payment and payment registration. The recording of the payment into the customer card (ICC) is performed through different procedures according to the payment method used. In case of any form of cash payment, the dealer will enter into the movable fuel card terminal (TCC), containing the customer card, the payment information by hand. In case of payment by the usage of a POS terminal, different procedures will take place according to the level of system integration between the pumps and the POS terminal. In any case, the payment transaction is recorded into the customer card (ICC) and matched with the fill up data previously recorded. In case of money and card acceptors of any type, which are connected directly to the pumps so to unable unmanned fill ups (self service), fuel station, dealer and payment information are recorded into the customer card (ICC) directly by the acceptor, when the customer card (ICC) is introduced into the acceptor by the customer, before performing the fill up. In this particular case the fill up can only start after the card and money acceptor has verified after the insertion of the customer card (ICC), the fuel station and dealer information written onto the customer card by the card terminal (TCC) during step 1 matches with that installed in the acceptor. Only upon establishment of this match the fuel fill up can be stared and completed. Step 5): End of transaction By approaching the movable fuel card terminal (TCC) to the car, the customer verifies via the identification element (TAG1) thereof that the car is the same that has initiated the transaction and that the allowable time between start and end of the transaction has not expired. By giving the movable fuel card terminal (TCC) the command of "end of transaction", the customer validates the payment and all data related to the entire translation into the customer card (ICC). Each single step is authorized only when the preceding step has been correctly executed. Operations not fully completed or aborted due to various causes are recorded with a specific code for identification. The use of the customer card (ICC) as a hand carried personal register of the various phases of the purchase, including the payment, and as a cumulative file of all operations effected in the time period of the card validity, guaranties the true correspondence between the individual driver an the correlated authorized vehicle, the odometer reading, the payment amount, the location and timing of the purchase. A system as the one described above offers the possibility to include, in the customer card (ICC) the features related to the electronic fund transfer, as a payment method, and to purchase recognition, as a marketing tool providing points for volume purchase. A system as the one described may be in addition include the feature for physical identification of the driver, e.g. by means of biometric technology or other methods.

Claims: An electronic automated system for recording of fuel expenses so as to be usable as a fiscal document, characterized by an Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) intended for use by a car driver adapted to identify the car driver and the car he is authorized to drive, an Intelligent Fuel Station Dealer Chip Card (IDC) intended to identify a fuel station dealer, an identification element (TAG1) intended to identify a car and fixedly mounted to said car, an identification element (TAG2) intended to identify a fuel pump of the fuel station of the fuel station dealer and fixedly mounted to said fuel pump, and a movable or hand carried customer fuel card terminal (TCC) adapted so as to enable before the filling of fuel into a car to identify the car via its identification element (TAG1), the pump via its identification element (TAG2), the driver by reading the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC), the fuel station dealer by reading the Intelligent Fuel Station Dealer Chip Card (IDC) and to receive information on the payment of the purchased fuel and to write the pertinent data related to the filling operation into the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card whereby it becomes usable as a fiscal document. The electronic automated system according to claim 1, comprising a POS terminal at the fuel station adapted to receive and read from the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) the pertinent data related to the fuel filling operation to use them for the payment transaction and to write into the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) the payment data. The electronic automated system according to claim 1, comprising a card acceptor adapted for unmanned self-service, said card acceptor being further adopted to receive and read the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) to compare pump and dealer identification written on the card by the customer card terminal (TCC) with pump and dealer identification stored in the card acceptor, and to write into it the pertinent data of the fuel filling including at least the fuel dealer identification, the amount of fuel filled and the payment made. The electronic automated system according to any of the claims 1 to 3, including means for physical identification of the driver using, e.g., biometric technology. A method for electronic automated recording of fuel expenses so as to produce a record thereof usable as a fiscal document, characterized by : using an Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) intended for use by a car driver adapted to identify the car driver and the car he is authorized to drive, using an Intelligent Fuel Station Dealer Chip Card (IDC) intended to identify a fuel station dealer, using an identification element (TAG1) intended to identify a car and fixedly mounted to said car, using an identification element (TAG2) intended to identify a fuel pump of the fuel station of the fuel station dealer and fixedly mounted to said fuel pump, and using before the filling of fuel into a car a movable or hand carried customer fuel card terminal (TCC) to identify the car via its identification element (TAG1), the station pump and dealer via its identification element (TAG2), the driver by reading the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC), and the fuel station dealer by reading the Intelligent Fuel Station Dealer Chip Card (IDC) to store the station pump and dealer identification on the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) to start fill up when the fuel station dealer identifications by the identification element (TAG2) and the Intelligent Fuel Station Dealer Chip Card (IDC) match, and using the customer fuel card terminal (TCC) after termination of the fuel fill up to receive information on the payment of the purchased fuel to write the pertinent data related to the filling operation into the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) whereby it becomes usable as a fiscal document. The method according to claim 5, comprising using a POS terminal at the fuel station to receive and to read from the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) the pertinent data related to the fuel filling operation, to use them for the payment transaction and to write into the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) the payment data related thereto. The method according to claim 1, comprising using a card acceptor adapted for unmanned self-service having the pump station and dealer identification stored therein and adapted to receive and read the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) to establish a match between the stored pump and dealer identification and that read from the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) to enable start of the fill up operation and to write after termination of the fill up operation into the Intelligent Fuel Customer Chip Card (ICC) the pertinent data of the fuel filling including at least the fuel station and dealer identification, the amount of fuel filled and the payment made. The method according to any of the claims 1 to 3, including the feature of physical identification of the driver using, e.g., biometric technology.

Inventors: PERI GIANNI, PERI, GIANNI
Applicants: CONSALDI SRL
Application year: 1998
Main classification: G07F7
IPC codes: G07F7, G07F13, B67D7