The disclosed technology relates to Spend Limit Systems for gas-station refuel transactions. An exemplary system may receive vehicle information identifying a customer's vehicle and identify associated vehicle characteristics (e.g., gas tank size). The system may identify a known gas-station transaction geographic region for the customer. When the customer (or a fraudster) attempts to purchase gas, the system may receive a transaction request and, in response, set a single transaction limit sufficient to fill the gas tank size with gas and an associated spend limit. The system may also determine whether the merchant location falls within the known gas-station transaction geographic region. When it does, the system may approve the transaction request up to the spend limit. Otherwise, the system may perform one or more fraud prevention actions to authenticate the customer and either approve or deny the transaction request up to the spend limit and/or selectively perform fraud mitigation action(s).

A system for operating an electric-vehicle charging station is proposed. The system is capable of preventing a general vehicle other than an electric vehicle from being parked in a parking station where the charging module for charging the electric vehicle is installed, preventing an electric vehicle from being parked in a charging station at a higher level than necessary, and eliminating the need for the driver of a subsequent vehicle to wait for charging in the charging station when there is a vehicle that is in a charging state in the charging station.

A system for operating an electric-vehicle charging station is proposed. The system is capable of preventing a general vehicle other than an electric vehicle from being parked in a parking station where the charging module for charging the electric vehicle is installed, preventing an electric vehicle from being parked in a charging station at a higher level than necessary, and eliminating the need for the driver of a subsequent vehicle to wait for charging in the charging station when there is a vehicle that is in a charging state in the charging station.

Utility distribution and payment systems and methods are described in which a financial institution individually bills and collects from individual utility users and provides batch payment to the utility company. The financial institution facilitates the aggregate utility billing by agreeing with a utility company to serve as a billing service for a subset of utility and banking customers. The utility company provides the utility to the customers via smart meters located at the properties receiving the utility (e.g., the customer's home, business, or other property). The smart meters provides individualized usage information to both the utility company and the financial institution. At the end of a billing cycle, the financial institution sends one aggregate payment for all users of the subset to the utility company. The financial institution then collects funds from the utility customers associated with the batch payment by performing internal transfers within the financial institution.

A method described herein is performed by a utility meter lacking an integrated display. The method includes measuring consumption of a resource and, further, generating consumption data based on measuring the consumption of the resource. Via a communication device, the utility meter wirelessly connects directly to an external device having a display. The utility meter verifies that the external device is authorized to access the utility meter. The utility meter transmits the consumption data to the external device to utilize the display of the external device as an interface to the utility meter. The utility meter receives an instruction via manual entry at the display of the external device, and the utility meter executes the instruction.

A vending system consisting of a proprietary Programmable Control Board (PCB), which controls an electrically actuated solenoid valve, igniter, timing unit, flame sensor, main burner, and audible alarm. The PCB interfaces with ancillary cash or cashless vending for the system with associated telemetry, as needed, with Customers or users initiating heat and/or flame distribution through user inputs. Upon successful funding, the PCB initiates an ignition sequence, timed flow, audible alert, and user input through a Human-Machine Interface (HMI), and the telemetry of data, followed by a shutdown sequence. Clean burning fuels such as propane, natural gas, butane and other combustible fuels can be utilized to provide flame and or heat for patio heaters, barbecue grills, camp fire pits in public settings such as parks, restaurants, camp grounds, or other areas where patrons may wish to procure propane flame and heat for cooking, ambiance, and warmth.

A vending system consisting of a proprietary Programmable Control Board (PCB), which controls an electrically actuated solenoid valve, igniter, timing unit, flame sensor, main burner, and audible alarm. The PCB interfaces with ancillary cash or cashless vending for the system with associated telemetry, as needed, with Customers or users initiating heat and/or flame distribution through user inputs. Upon successful funding, the PCB initiates an ignition sequence, timed flow, audible alert, and user input through a Human-Machine Interface (HMI), and the telemetry of data, followed by a shutdown sequence. Clean burning fuels such as propane, natural gas, butane and other combustible fuels can be utilized to provide flame and or heat for patio heaters, barbecue grills, camp fire pits in public settings such as parks, restaurants, camp grounds, or other areas where patrons may wish to procure propane flame and heat for cooking, ambiance, and warmth.

A utility meter has a multiprocessor architecture including (i) a microprocessing unit (MPU) for executing multiple software applications and (ii) another processing unit for performing core metrology functions in real time. For instance, the utility meter includes a metrology engine, an MPU, and one or more metrology applications. The metrology engine measures consumption of a resource and generates consumption data based on the consumption of the resource. The metrology engine includes a metrology processor, a dedicated memory, and a real-time operating system run by the metrology processor to enable the metrology engine to run time-critical metrology functions in real time. The MPU is coupled to the metrology processor and includes one or more processor cores. The MPU runs the one or more metrology applications over a primary operating system of the MPU, and the one or more metrology applications utilize the consumption data.

A method described herein is performed by a utility meter lacking an integrated display. The method includes measuring consumption of a resource and, further, generating consumption data based on measuring the consumption of the resource. Via a communication device, the utility meter wirelessly connects directly to an external device having a display. The utility meter verifies that the external device is authorized to access the utility meter. The utility meter transmits the consumption data to the external device to utilize the display of the external device as an interface to the utility meter. The utility meter receives an instruction via manual entry at the display of the external device, and the utility meter executes the instruction.

The present invention provides a gas recharge management method based on a compound Internet of Things (IoT) and an IoT system, and relates to the field of an IoT. The gas recharge management method based on a compound Internet of Things (IoT) and an IoT system provided by the present invention can facilitate the user to recharge in time before the purchased gas is depleted, so as to effectively avoid the sudden stop of gas supply during use because the user does not recharge in time.