The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 31, 2000
Filed:
Jan. 17, 1997
Douglas Dwyer, Brea, CA (US);
Stephen J Feitelson, Corona, CA (US);
Jeanne M Perales-Herdt, Long Beach, CA (US);
Gary S Gallagher, Oceanside, CA (US);
Roger O'Connor, Dove Canyon, CA (US);
Thomas L McDaniel, Crystal Bay, NV (US);
Edward Broad, Fountain Valley, CA (US);
Raytheon Company, Lexington, MA (US);
Abstract
A cashless toll collection system and method that detects vehicles using transponders for prepaid customers and cameras for casual or non-transponder equipped vehicles. The system has a plurality of roadside toll collectors, one or more toll transaction processors, and a revenue management system. Each roadside toll collector has a vehicle to roadside communications system that communicates with transponders disposed in transponder equipped vehicles and generates entry and exit transaction reports indicating the entry and exit locations and times of the transponder equipped vehicles. Each roadside toll collector has a plurality of license plate cameras that selectively provide video images of license plates of vehicles that are not equipped with a transponder. Each roadside toll collector has a vehicle detector and classification system that detects the presence of vehicles, controls the cameras to capture the video images of the license plates, and generates entry and exit transaction reports indicating the entry and exit locations and times, and the license plate images of each detected vehicle that is not equipped with a transponder. The toll transaction processor processes the transaction reports to generate tolling transactions for each vehicle. The revenue management system processes the tolling transactions to generate tolls for each vehicle and generate bills for use of the toll road.