Active Display Shield for Secure Fuel Dispenser Payments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel dispenser payment terminals face challenges in providing secure input of personally identifiable information (PII) while also allowing visibility of multimedia content, as physical obstructions that protect privacy often block the view of multimedia from certain angles.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with an electronic display and a touchscreen, coupled with an active display shield that can switch between secure and non-secure modes, allowing secure PII input while enabling multimedia visibility from all angles by restricting the field of view during secure transactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical obstructions (hood, tilted or recessed payment terminal) are used to protect customer privacy and ensure secure PII input, then security and privacy are improved, but the visibility of multimedia content is blocked from certain angles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by implementing a payment terminal that can dynamically change its physical configuration between recessed/tilted positions (for security during PII input) and extended/visible positions (for multimedia visibility). The terminal transitions between different states based on operational requirements, resolving the contradiction between security and visibility through temporal separation of functions.
2Ease of operation
If the payment terminal is positioned to maximize multimedia visibility, then ease of viewing is improved, but security for PII input is compromised due to lack of obstructions
Solution Approach 1:
The payment terminal dynamically adjusts its position and the state of physical obstructions based on the operational phase. During multimedia display, the terminal is positioned for optimal visibility with obstructions retracted. During PII input, the terminal transitions to a recessed/tilted position with obstructions in place, thus resolving the security-visibility contradiction through dynamic reconfiguration.
3Reliability
If a fixed physical obstruction is used to protect PII input security, then security is improved, but the terminal cannot adapt to different operational modes requiring different visibility levels
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic adaptability by allowing the payment terminal to transition between multiple operational states (recessed with obstruction, extended without obstruction, tilted positions) based on the required function. This enables the terminal to adapt to different operational modes while maintaining security when needed and visibility when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical obstruction is segmented into movable components that can be independently positioned or retracted, allowing the terminal to configure the obstruction presence based on operational requirements. This segmentation enables the system to provide security only when PII input is required, while maintaining full visibility during multimedia playback.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for secure payment and providing multimedia at fuel dispensers are provided. In general, a fuel dispenser can include a terminal configured to receive secure information and to show multimedia. The terminal can be configured to switch between a first mode and a second mode. The terminal can include a touchscreen. In the first mode, the touchscreen can have a shield enabled thereon that is configured to reduce a field of view of the touchscreen such that the touchscreen is only visible from specific angle(s). In the second mode, the shield can be disabled such that the touchscreen does not have a reduced field of view.