WO2013070093A2

WO2013070093A2 - Web based fine collection system

Info

Publication number: WO2013070093A2
Application number: PCT/NZ2012/000208
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jon David ULRICH
Original assignee: Ulrich Jon David
Priority date: 2011-11-09
Filing date: 2012-11-08
Publication date: 2013-05-16
Also published as: NZ596305A

Description

Web Based Fine Collection System

STATEMENT OF CORRESPONDING APPLICATIONS

This application is based on New Zealand Patent Application Number 596305, dated 9

November 2011 , the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to systems and methods for collection and payment of fines, especially those relating to vehicle use such as parking fines and moving violations. The systems and methods may be of particular use to owners and operators of rental vehicles in recovery of fines incurred during rental of a vehicle.

BACKGROUND ART

A great deal of potential revenue is lost each year through non-payment of fines. While the problem is widespread throughout the legal system, it is of particular concern to local bodies that may lose significant income through unpaid parking fines. Further lost income can arise through vehicle use, such failure to pay fines for speeding or other moving violations. Income from parking fines and moving vehicle fines may typically be applied to offset the cost of policing parking and moving vehicles. This lost income can therefore be reflected in a higher than anticipated cost for policing, as the full cost still has to be met but is now offset by a lower than expected return from fines. In some cases, especially related to local body fines such as those associated with parking fines, the reduced income may result is less money available for community projects.

There are a number of reasons why fines for parking or speeding (for example) may not be recovered. For example the amount of a parking fine is typically relatively low, so that the cost of pursuing and collecting the debt may not be warranted. Knowing this, some people may simply choose not to pay a parking ticket. In other instances an attempt may be made to contact the person responsible for payment of the fine, but this may be frustrated if contact details are not available or not up to date. Again, there may be no financial incentive to carry out further investigations to recover the debt. Clearly any system that may lead to more revenue being recovered from these fines would be an advantage.

Under New Zealand law it is the owner of the vehicle who is responsible for payment of any fines issued against the vehicle, irrespective of who was actually driving or in charge of the vehicle at the time the offence occurred. If the owner was not the driver and knows who was, then the fine can be transferred by the owner filling out a Statutory Declaration to that effect; otherwise the owner is liable for payment of the fine. However the situation may be exacerbated when the owner is not advised of the fine until days or weeks after it has been incurred. In situations (not uncommon) where several people may drive the vehicle on a regular basis, the delay in notification can make it difficult to establish who the driver was at that time.

This situation can be of particular concern to an owner or operator of a rental vehicle, as they are liable (in the first instance) for payment of any outstanding fine incurred while the vehicle is hired out. The contract for hire of a vehicle used by many rental vehicle operators typically includes a clause stating that the hirer is responsible for payment of any fines (parking, speeding etc) incurred during the period of hire. However in many, if not most, cases the hire period will have expired before the rental operator is notified of the Outstanding fine. During this interval the vehicle may have been returned to the rental operator and the driver or drivers moved on. In many instances the hirer may be a tourist and may have left the country by the time the notification of the fine is received by the rental operator.

In instances where there was only one designated driver it may be possible to transfer the debt to the designated driver. However, where a number of people were designated as drivers it may be very difficult for the rental operator to establish who was driving at the time a moving violation occurred, especially when notification of the fine to the rental operator occurs after the period of hire of the vehicle has been completed. In either instance, transferring the debt involves completion of a Statutory Declaration which is time consuming and generally inconvenient for the rental operator. Clearly a system that enabled a rental operator to deal with this issue when the hirer returns the vehicle would be an advantage. US 2009/0281943 A1 (to Yoggerst) discloses a system and method for collecting bonds and fines for warrants and traffic tickets. The system disclosed by Yoggerst includes a wireless credit card/debit card transaction unit which is carried by a law officer. The wireless transaction unit is capable of internet connection to access databases of outstanding warrants and fines and to process payment using the wireless transaction unit. The concept is that a law officer may collect an outstanding fine when serving a warrant or during a traffic stop (using information sent to the wireless unit from the database). The fine may be processed and paid using data input from the wireless transaction unit and may include real time updating of the records in the database.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice. All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the Common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.

Throughout this specification, the word "comprise", or variations thereof such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of collecting rental vehicle related fines from a lessee, the method including the steps of: providing a main database of outstanding vehicle related fines where searchable fields of the database include a registration number of the vehicle involved and a date when the fine was incurred, wherein the data contained in the main database is derived from data provided by a first party user- providing a rental vehicle operator with a second party user ID enabling access to the main database; using the second party user ID to access the main database and to search for outstanding fines relating to the registration number of a rental vehicle within a specified time period; providing the rental vehicle operator with a record of any outstanding fines relating to the registration number of the rental vehicle during the specified time period; and if there are recorded outstanding fines, collecting the recorded fines from the lessee.

One object of the present invention is to provide a method whereby a rental vehicle operator (the lessor) may determine whether or not there are any outstanding fines relating to a particular rental vehicle incurred during the period of its hire by a lessee, thus enabling the rental operator to recover the amount of the fine (if any) at the time the lessee returns the vehicle. A possible advantage of the method is that the rental vehicle operator may reduce the costs and inconvenience of trying to recover the amount of the fine (the debt) from the lessee some time after the vehicle has been returned. Recovery of the debt when the vehicle is returned may also reduce any loss that can occur in instances where the lessor is unable to recover the debt from the lessee after the vehicle has been returned.

Reference to a database throughput this specification should be understood to relate to a database hosted on a computer or computer network (e.g. Internet or Cloud computing system). The main database of outstanding vehicle related fines may be a single database, for example a national database, or it may be a plurality of interlinked databases, such as (without limitation) a group of databases each containing data relating to a particular body responsible for the issue of a fine.

In a preferred embodiment the main database is controlled by a main database operator. The main database operator may, without limitation, be a person or a company that operates the main database and controls access to and from data contained in the main database.

Preferably the first party user includes the authority that issues the fine or their nominee.

In this embodiment the first party user (representing the authority issuing the fine) enters the initial data into a database. This may be done in a number of ways, including, without limitation, initially entering the data into a first party database (e.g. a database controlled and operated by the authority issuing the fine) and subsequently transferring the data to the main database. In some embodiments the data may be entered directly into the main database by the first party user or it could be downloaded to the main database by action of the main database operator..

Preferably the main database contains information relating to vehicle related fines where the vehicle only is identified (i.e. the driver details are unknown). While the main database in some embodiments may contain information on fines issued to the driver of a vehicle, which typically occur when a driver is apprehended for such offences as speeding, careless driving and so on, in the context of the present invention it is important that the main database includes data on fines where the driver is not necessarily identified as such fines are typically levied against the owner of the vehicle. Fines which typically fall within the latter category include parking fines and moving vehicle fines where the offence is typically caught on a camera, e.g. for speeding when detected by a speed camera or for driving through a red light when detected by a camera at an intersection.

Preferably data is entered into the main database via a website (or equivalent) by the authority that issues the fine or their nominee. For parking fines this will typically be a local authority, while moving vehicle fines may typically be issued by a Traffic Control authority, which may be a local or national control authority depending on the country. In New Zealand for example, local authorities (City or Regional Councils) issue parking fines, while moving vehicle fines are issued by Police.

Preferably first party user access to the main database to record or alter data is via authorised first party user ID and is password protected.

Preferably a verification system is operated to check the validity of the data inputted by the first party user.. Clearly it is important that access to the website to record data is strictly controlled and that the information recorded is accurate. Similarly, it is important that the information in the main database is kept up to date, including removing data relating to paid fines. The data recorded may cover a number of fields, including at least the registration number (licence plate) of the vehicle and the date the fine was incurred. Depending on local requirements it may also include information on the time and place where the offence leading to the fine occurred, as well as identification of the person issuing the fine, among other information. In other embodiments the data provided by the first party user is uploaded to the main database by an operator of the main database or by the first party user or their nominee.

In such embodiments the data for the main database may initially be stored in a database operated by the first party user and subsequently uploaded to the main database. This may be done at intervals through a batch processing arrangement or it could be on demand from the main data base operator.

The information stored in the main database may be accessed also by authorised second party users, using a password protected user ID, through a main database website. This website may be the same as used by first party users to input data or may be a different website.

Second party users are not authorised to input or alter data in the main database; i.e. they have read only status. Moreover, they may not necessarily have access to all of the data stored in the main database.

A second party user according to the present invention includes a rental vehicle operator and/or their employee(s) and/or their agents. A rental vehicle operator may be a sole operator.

However, more typically the rental vehicle operator may be a company having many

employees, and in many instances the rental vehicle operator may be a large multinational company.

For clarity, reference to a rental vehicle operator throughout this specification should be understood to include the rental vehicle operator and/or their employees and/or their agents or anyone else authorised by the rental vehicle operator, and reference to a rental vehicle operator only should not be seen as limiting.

Similarly, reference to a rental vehicle throughout this specification should be understood to include any vehicle which is leased by a lessee through a rental vehicle operator. Such vehicles include, without limitation, cars, trucks, utilities (utes), vans, and camping vans.

Generally the lessee enters into a formal contract with the rental vehicle operator for lease of the rental vehicle for a period of time, although other arrangements may be made.

It is envisaged that the main database will usually be accessed by an employee of the rental vehicle operator processing the lease agreement with the lessee around the time the vehicle is returned. In such instances each employee may be a second party user with their own user ID and password which may be used to access the main database and to search specific information, particularly that relating to a specific vehicle (i.e. through the registration number) and to any fine incurred during a specified time period. The specified time period of interest in the present instance will be the period during which the vehicle is on hire to the lessee.

According to the method of the present invention a rental vehicle operator accesses the main database website using their second party user ID and searches the main database for entries relating to a rental vehicle during a specified time period.

Preferably the specified time period is the period of the rental contract relating to the rental vehicle. However, the specified time period may also be any time from the time and date when the vehicle was hired by the lessee up to when it is returned to the rental vehicle operator.

Preferably the main database is accessed by the rental vehicle operator at or near the time the lessee returns the vehicle to the rental vehicle operator. While the main database may be accessed at any time during the lease of the vehicle, there is an advantage in accessing the main database at or near the end of the hire period. This could be while the lessee is with the rental vehicle operator, or, conveniently, the main database may be accessed near the end of the hire period, for example the day before or at the start of the day on which the vehicle is to be returned. This may enable the rental vehicle operator to have any information on outstanding fines ready when the lessee returns the vehicle, thus saving time when completing the details of the rental agreement with the lessee and collecting the outstanding fine at the same time.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is a method substantially as outlined above including the step of: charging the rental vehicle operator for access to the main database.

Clearly there are costs associated with operating and maintaining the main database. While the main database may be used for various purposes by a range of end users, the specific use by rental vehicle operators should be charged for.

Preferably the second party user ID includes a rental vehicle operator ID,

A rental vehicle operator may be a sole operator, in which case the user ID for that operator is unique. However, where the second party users includes employees of the rental vehicle operator as described above, each employee's user ID preferably contains a rental vehicle operator ID which is common to all user IDs of employees of the company.

Preferably the rental vehicle operator ID is used to calculate the charge to the rental vehicle operator for access to the main database.

In this embodiment each time a rental vehicle operator or one of their employees accesses the main database the rental vehicle operator ID is detected and software associated with the main database website increments a count of the number of times the rental vehicle operator has accessed the main database by one. This count may be used to determine the second party user charge to be levied on the rental car operator for access to the main database.

In some embodiments of the present invention the method includes the step of charging the first party user a fine collection fee.

As discussed previously, first party users currently may lose money due to non-payment of fines relating to rental vehicles. The method of the present invention provides a way of identifying the fines when the vehicle is returned and of arranging payment. This may be a net gain for the first party user and it is envisaged that they will contribute to the cost to the main database operator of providing the system.

In a preferred embodiment the second party user collects the outstanding fine(s) and pays the collected fine(s) to the main database operator. The main database operator passes on to the first party user the collected fine(s) less the second party user charges and the first party user charges. The method of the present invention may provide a number of advantages over prior art methods of collecting rental vehicle charges by providing a real time data base of outstanding fines incurred by the rental vehicle during the hire period. This may lead to a much higher recovery rate of fines by the issuing authority as well as reducing the liability of rental vehicle operators for unpaid fines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in Which: shows a flow chart of an initial step of method according to one embodiment of the present invention; and shows a flow chart of another step of the method according to one embodiment of the present invention; and shows a flow chart of another step of the method according to one embodiment of the present invention; and shows a flow chart of another step of the method according to one embodiment of the present invention; shows a schematic representation of a system for implementing the method according to one embodiment of the present invention; shows a schematic representation of a system for implementing the method according to another embodiment of the present invention; and shows a schematic representation of a system for payment according to one embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The following description of one embodiment of the method of the present invention, and a system for implementing the method, are provided by way of example only. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be many other ways in which the general method may be carried out, and other systems capable of performing the steps of the method, and therefore that the features of the present example should in no way be considered limiting.

The first step of the method of the present invention involves the provision of a main database of outstanding vehicle related fines. The form of the main database is created using software methods as are well known in the art. The fields of the main database include at least a registration number and a date. Other fields that may preferably be in the main database include a unique identifier for each fine issued, an identifier for the nature of the offence leading to the fine being issued (e.g. parking ticket, speed camera record or intersection camera record), an identifier for the issuing officer or camera involved, the time and place of the offence and an identifier for the authority issuing the fine. Other fields may be included as required or desired by legal/local requirements. The main database is located on a computer which is connected to the internet.

The main database is provided and maintained by a main database operator who can levy charges for use of the main database.

Data is entered into the main database through a main database input website on the internet, the website also owned and operated by the main database owner. Access to the website for data input or alteration, and for searching and outputting information, is controlled by authorised user ID and is password protected. Authorisation of users is provided by the authority issuing the fine or by the main database owner.

Maintenance of the data in the main database can be broken into a number of initial steps as generally indicated by arrow 100 in the flowchart shown in Figure 1. The first action 101 is the issuance of a vehicle related fine. In the case of a parking ticket the issuing officer enters details relating to the offence, including a registration number (licence plate number), a date and time when the offence occurred, an identification reference (number, name etc) identifying the issuing officer, and such other information as may be required into an electronic data recording device which is wirelessly connected via an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to the internet. The officer's data recording device is set up to input the data directly into the main database via the main database input website.

In other embodiments data relating to parking tickets issued by the issuing officer may be received by an employee of the authority responsible for issuing the ticket and collecting the fine. The employee uses a unique (first party) user ID to access the main database input website and to enter the data. Depending on the method used by the issuing office to record the information, this may be by downloading the data from a programmed electronic data recording device, or the data may need to be entered manually (e.g. when a paper based ticketing system is used).

For fines relating to moving vehicle offences detected by camera some further processing is generally required to ensure the data is reliable. This may include correct identification of the registration number/licence plate, which could involve using image recognition software to determine the number, or visual assessment. When the data has been verified it is entered into the main database via the main database input website as discussed above.

To keep the information stored in the main database up to date it is also necessary to receive information on paid fines. Upon receipt of official verification that a fine has been paid, the main database input website is accessed and the entry relating to the fine is deleted. This is carried out by an employee of the issuing authority using a unique (first party) user ID and password. Access to the website for inputting or altering data (including deletion) relating to a particular issuing authority is restricted to people authorised by the issuing authority or the main database owner. This is required to preserve the validity and integrity of the data in the main database. The website and main database include state-of -the -art security software systems to prevent or minimise unauthorised access to the main database.

In some embodiments the data may be inputted initially onto a database operated by the first party user, and subsequently uploaded to the main database.

The main database owner authorises second party users to access the main database for the purpose of searching and outputting records from the main database, through assigning a second party user ID, as indicated by arrow 200 in Figure 2. Second party users according to the present invention include rental vehicle operators. Preferably the website used to search and output data is the same website as used to input data. However, second party users cannot input or alter data.

The rental vehicle operator may use a single user ID to access the main database through a website, although it is envisaged that the rental vehicle operator will authorise employees to access the main database, in which case each employee has a unique user ID. The second party user ID includes a code which is used to identify the rental vehicle operator. This code is used to measure and record the number of times users representing the rental vehicle owner access the main database. The main database owner then charges the rental vehicle operator for their use of the main database.

An authorised second party user then enters their user ID and password to access the website and search for data relating to a rental vehicle, as generally indicated by arrow 300 in Figure 3. The user enters data via the website into a search query. The fields of the search query include at least the registration number of the rented vehicle in question and a time period. Generally the time period will be from the time and date that the vehicle was picked up (usually indicating the beginning of the rental period) up to the date and time of the query being lodged. In some instances the search query may be lodged "live", i.e. when the vehicle is returned and details of the rental agreement are being settled with the lessor. However, some may find this time consuming (especially at airports and other locations where time may be important to the lessor). In such cases it may be convenient for both the rental vehicle operator and the lessor to carry out the search before the car is returned - for example the day before or on the morning of the day the vehicle is to be returned.

If an entry relating to the rental vehicle is found during the search a record containing details of the fine is output via the website. This may be output to a computer monitor and/or printer. The rental vehicle operator may then discuss the fine with the lessor and seek evidence that the fine has been paid. If no such evidence is forthcoming then the rental vehicle operator may claim the amount of the outstanding fine from the lessee under the conditions of the rental agreement.

A system for implementing the above method is generally indicated by arrow 500 in Figure 5. One or more first party users (501 ) input data via a computer or other electronic communication device into the main database via a website hosted on the internet (502). Second party users search the data using a computer or other electronic communication device (e.g. via a cell phone connected to the internet) and output (503) a record of any outstanding fines. The output record may be displayed on a screen (computer monitor, cell phone screen etc) and /or printed on a printer connected to the internet.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated schematically in Figure 6. In this embodiment the first party user is an issuing authority (601 , 602) (local body, city council, police etc.)that issues parking tickets. For simplicity only two issuing authorities are shown in Fig.6; however it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that any number of issuing authorities could be included, and indeed in a preferred embodiment all issuing authorities nationwide ould be included, and therefore reference to only two issuing authorities in Fig. 6 ishould not be taken as limiting.

Authorised personnel from the issuing authority check the data relating to each parking ticket and enter the data on a database hosted on a server (603, 604) under the control of the local authority. The data is transferred from the local authority server (603, 604) to the operator server (605) where it is incorporated into the main database.

The main database is accessed via an operator controlled web site (606) which can be accessed by the operator and by the second party users (rental vehicle operators) (607-609) using a second party user ID in order to search the main database for any fines incurred against the rental vehicle during the hire period. Where an outstanding fine is identified the amount of the fine may be recovered from the lessee by the rental car operator when the vehicle is returned.

In this embodiment the operator server and operator web site are maintained and controlled by the main database owner. In other embodiments these services may be outsourced. Figure 7 shows a schematic flow chart of how at least a portion of the money for the fine may be paid to the issuing authority. In this embodiment the rental vehicle operator (607-609) collects the outstanding fine and pays it, via the website, into the bank account of the main database operator.

The main database operator levies the rental vehicle operators for each time they access the main database^ In other embodiments the main database operator may levy the rental vehicle operator a flat fee for each recovered fine (separately from or as well as the previous levy).

The money for payment of the fine, less any fees, is transferred from the operator bank account to the relevant issuing authority. Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT I CLAIM IS:

A method of identifying outstanding fines incurred within a specified time period by a lessee of a rental vehicle and, where appropriate, collecting the outstanding fines from the lessee, the method including the steps of: providing a main database of outstanding vehicle related fines where searchable fields of the main database include a registration number of the vehicle involved and a date when the fine was incurred, wherein the data contained in the main database is derived from data provided by a first party user; providing a rental vehicle operator with a second party user ID enabling access to the main database; using the second party user ID to access the main database and to search for

Outstanding fines relating to the registration number of a rental vehicle within the specified time period; providing the rental vehicle operator with a record of any outstanding fines relating to the registration number of the rental Vehicle during the specified time period; and if there are recorded outstanding fines, collecting the outstanding fines from the lessee.

A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first party user includes the authority that issues the fine or their nominee.

A method as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein access to the main database to record or alter data is via an authorised first party user ID and is password protected.

A method as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the data provided by the first party user is uploaded to the main database by an operator of the main database or by the first party user Or their nominee.

A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein searchable fields of the main database include one or more of : a unique identifier for each fine issued; an identifier for the nature of the offence leading to the fine being issued; an identifier for the issuing officer or camera involved; the time and place of the offence; or an identifier for the authority issuing the fine.

A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein a verification system is operated to check the validity of the data provided by the first party user.

7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 including the step of: charging the second party user for access to the main database.

8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the specified time period is the period of the rental contract relating to the rental vehicle.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the main database is accessed by the rental vehicle operator or their employee(s) at or near the time the lessee returns the vehicle to the rental vehicle operator.

10. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the second party user includes a rental vehicle operator and/or their employee(s).

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the second party user ID includes a rental vehicle operator ID.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the rental vehicle operator ID is used to

calculate the charge to the rental vehicle operator for access to the main database.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the rental vehicle operator ID is used to

calculate the charge to the rental vehicle operator for arranging payment of the fine to the first party user.

14. A method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 13 wherein the operator of the main

database is authorised to charge the first party user a fee.

15. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14 wherein the specified time period includes at least a portion of the period of hire of the rental vehicle by the lessee.

16. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15 wherein any of the outstanding fines are collected from the lessee when the lessee returns the vehicle to the rental vehicle operator.