Patent Document ID: 8265988
Application ID: 13113125
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A computer-implemented method of identifying a vehicle in a toll system, the method comprising: accessing image data for a first vehicle; obtaining license plate data from the accessed image data for the first vehicle; accessing a set of records, each record including license plate data for a vehicle; executing, using at least one processing device, a loosened license plate reading algorithm to: compare the license plate data for the first vehicle with the license plate data for vehicles in the set of records, and identify a set of vehicle candidates from the vehicles having records in the set of records, the set of vehicle candidates being identified based on results of the comparison of the license plate data, wherein the loosened license plate reading algorithm includes loosened license plate matching criteria or a lowered license plate read confidence threshold to enable generation of a larger set of matching vehicle candidates relative to a license plate reading algorithm designed to identify a single and best vehicle candidate match; and selecting, from the set of vehicle candidates, a vehicle candidate as corresponding to the first vehicle by: accessing vehicle fingerprint data for the first vehicle, the vehicle fingerprint data for the first vehicle being based on the accessed image data for the first vehicle, accessing vehicle fingerprint data for the vehicle candidate in the set of vehicle candidates, comparing, using the at least one processing device, the vehicle fingerprint data for the first vehicle with the vehicle fingerprint data for the vehicle candidate in the set of vehicle candidates, and identifying the vehicle candidate in the set of vehicle candidates as the first vehicle based on results of the comparison of vehicle fingerprint data.