AU2015101995A4

AU2015101995A4 - Systems and methods for controlling the utilisation of resources at locations

Info

Publication number: AU2015101995A4
Application number: AU2015101995A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Douglas Michael AITKEN
Original assignee: Dma Systems Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Dma Systems Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2014-10-23
Filing date: 2015-10-21
Publication date: 2021-10-14
Anticipated expiration: 2023-10-21

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for controlling the utilisation of resources at a location the methods including including the steps of: authorising an individual to access the resource; monitoring the location of the individual; and controlling the resource, or controlling the individual's access to the resource, based on their location. 1/1 16 10 14 18 20 30 40 42 \32 44 34 36 Fig1

Description

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SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING THE UTILISATION OF RESOURCES AT LOCATIONS

Technical Field The present invention relates to systems and methods for controlling the utilisation of resources at locations. The invention has various applications including application to use of machines at self serve car wash facilities and for controlling utilisation of resources at accommodation facilities.

Background to the Invention In the case of a self-serve car wash facility, users may be authorised to utilise the car wash facilities in blocks of time. This is typically achieved by the user pre registering an account with the car wash operator. The user is then associated with their account at the time of attending the car wash, such as by presenting a previously provided token such as an rfid tag to a reader at the car wash facility. This entitles the user to use of the facilities for a predetermined period of time for a given fee. For example, a user may present their rfid tag at a vacuum cleaning machine. The vacuum cleaner is then activated for a period of 5 minutes during which time the person can use the vacuum cleaner to clean their car. The user's account is charged a fee. At the end of the allocated time, the vacuum cleaner shuts off. It may be the case that the user has not finished their cleaningjob and requires more time. If the user wishes to continue to use the vacuum cleaner then they must re-scan their tag to pay for, and be allocated, a further period of five minutes. However, they may only require a shorter period of additional use, but are forced to pay for five minutes There remains a need for improved methods to control utilisation of resources at locations.

Summary of the Invention In a first aspect the present invention provides a method of controlling the utilisation of resources at a location including the steps of. authorising an individual to access the resource; monitoring the location of the individual; and controlling the resource, or controlling the individual's access to the resource, based on their location. The individual may be authorised by the detection of a user's device and the location of the individual may be monitored by monitoring the location of their user device. In a second aspect the present invention provides a system for controlling the utilisation of resources at a location including means for authorising an individual to access the resource; means for monitoring the location of the individual; and means for controlling the resource, or controlling the individual's access to the resource, based on their location.

Brief Description of the Drawings An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a system according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to figure 1, a system 10 is shown for controlling the utilisation of resources at locations. The system 10 is embodied in an internet connected server computer 12 running suitably configured software under control of an operating system by way of a typical processor and memory architecture 14. Server 12 is connected to database 16 used for storing and retrieving information used in operating the system. Server 12 communicates via the internet 20 by way of router 18 to receive and transmit information used in the system as will be later described. Self-serve car wash facilities are installed at a number of locations 30, 32, 34, 36. At each location, NFC tag readers are fitted to car wash equipment. The car wash equipment is remotely controllable by server computer 12. Users 40, 42, 44 carry NFC enabled mobile phone devices (smartphones). Each of users 40, 42, 44 have previously established an account with the operator of system 10. As part of the registration process they install an application on their mobile phone. The application is invoked by the user after registration and it remains running as a background application until either stopped by the user or as decided by the application itself. Users present their mobile phones for scanning at the NFC tag readers at the self-serve car wash machines. The application records the current location of the smartphone. This uses the smartphone location services functionality. The location is determined by a combination of GPS, cell base station triangulation and WiFi access point connections. The application simultaneously reports the identity of the smartphone and the current location (if enabled by the user) to the server. The reader reports the transaction or access request to the server and provides the appropriate functionality to the user if their account is validated and qualifies. Eg there is sufficient credit or that access is permitted at the time and date of presentation.

The server advises the application of the relevant geographic boundaries that relate to the function requested. This may be a small area in the case of a carwash bay or a large area such as a parking area or shopping centre. The smartphone application monitors the phone and therefore normally the user's location within the specified boundaries and periodically updates the server with the relevant information. The information is analysed by the server to determine if the user/smartphone is still within the area of interest and what action should be taken when outside that area

Once the user is detected to have moved more than a predetermined distance away from a machine, for example, more than 10 metres, then they are considered to be no longer using the machine. The machine is then de-activated and the user is charged on a time basis for the length of time that they were in the proximity of the machine following scanning their NFC device.

In an alternative implementation, the locations may be accommodation facilities, such as hotels or hostels. The rooms of the facilities are accessible by scanning a phone at an NFC reader mounted outside the door of the room. If a user scans their phone before a reader then the lock of the door momentarily opens allowing the person to access the room. The rooms include electrical appliances such as air conditioners. These are remotely controllable by system 10 such as by switching on or off the electrical supply to the appliances. Following the scanning of an NFC device, the location of the user's mobile phone is monitored by system 10. If the user moves more than a predetermined distance away from their room, such as 500m away then the electrical appliances in the room are deactivated. This minimises energy bills that might otherwise be incurred if electrical appliances such as air-conditioners were switched on for extended period when room occupants were not present in their room. Short term excursions outside may be tolerated depending on the site. A tenant may leave the room for a short time but remain on the site and return to the room within a specified time frame. In other embodiments the location tracking may be instigated by any other form of identification available on the smartphone other than NFC such as RFID. Other identification media include BlueTooth, SBeam and other proprietary communication functions provided on the smartphone. There are various options for tracking location. One option is that the location is continually reported to the server and the server analyses the position and carries out the appropriate actions. This can be reduced to only sending the information when it changes by an amount greater than a preset margin. A second option is that the server advises the mobile application of the relevant boundaries. The mobile then monitors the position and reports to the server when this boundary is traversed either instantly or when outside the boundary for a period of time. A periodic heartbeat packet is sent so that the server will be able to determine if the phone has lost communication or the app has been shut down. It can then decide to terminate the local functionality if appropriate. The second option has the advantage of reducing data traffic and also giving some comfort to the user that their location is not being tracked continually. The reporting will stop once the server has been advised that the boundary has been breached and the site related functionality has been terminated or otherwise dealt with.

It can be seen that embodiments of the invention have at least one of the following advantages: • a user can be charged for use of a resource on the basis of time spent in the vicinity of the resource thereby only paying for the actual time they utilised the resource • resources can be de-activated or shut off in the absence of users, saving the cost

of unnecessary energy consumption

Any reference to prior art contained herein is not to be taken as an admission that the information is common general knowledge, unless otherwise indicated. Finally, it is to be appreciated that various alterations or additions may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method of controlling the utilisation of resources at a location including the steps of: authorising an individual to access the resource; monitoring the location of the individual; and controlling the resource, or controlling the individual's access to the resource, based on their location.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the individual is authorised by the detection of a user's device and the location of the individual is monitored by monitoring the location of their user device.

3. A system for controlling the utilisation of resources at a location including: means for authorising an individual to access the resource; means for monitoring the location of the individual; and means for controlling the resource, or controlling the individual's access to the resource, based on their location.

2015101995 21 Oct 2015