Hotel Folio Transit Payment Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Out-of-town visitors face difficulties in using transit systems due to the inconvenience of purchasing fare media cards, which often require a minimum preload, deterring them from using public transit.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows hotel customers to use a proprietary contactless payment application on a portable device to pay for transit fares, with the charges being consolidated and billed to their hotel folio, eliminating the need for preloading and facilitating communication between hotel management systems and transit systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If out-of-town visitors use traditional fare media cards, then transit payment is available, but they must spend significant time and effort learning how to purchase cards and dealing with minimum preload requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hotel management system as an intermediary between out-of-town visitors and the transit system. The hotel system automatically handles fare media card provisioning, preload management, and transit payment processing, eliminating the need for visitors to directly interact with complex transit purchasing procedures. The hotel acts as a mediator that simplifies the entire payment process for its guests.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the hotel management system to automatically provision and manage fare media cards for guests without requiring manual intervention from the visitors themselves. The hotel system autonomously handles card issuance, preload allocation, and payment processing, making the transit payment process automatic and hassle-free for out-of-town visitors.
2Adaptability or versatility
If transit operators require minimum preload amounts, then fare media cards can be issued, but out-of-town visitors with low transit needs are deterred from using the system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic preload management where the required preload amount is not fixed but adjusts based on the guest's specific transit needs and the hotel's pricing model. The system can dynamically allocate different preload amounts to different guests based on their anticipated usage patterns, allowing flexible adaptation to various transit requirements without imposing rigid minimum thresholds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of preload requirements from fixed minimum amounts to variable, need-based allocations. By modifying this parameter dynamically based on guest profiles, transit history, and hotel policies, the system makes transit payment accessible to visitors with varying transit needs rather than imposing a uniform minimum threshold that would deter low-usage visitors.
3Device complexity
If separate transit and hotel billing systems are used, then each system can operate independently, but out-of-town visitors must manage multiple separate payments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the transit payment system and hotel billing system into a unified integrated billing structure. The hotel management system consolidates both transit fares and hotel charges onto a single bill, allowing out-of-town visitors to settle both types of payments simultaneously. This merging eliminates the complexity of managing separate payments while maintaining the operational independence of the underlying transit and hotel systems through controlled integration interfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of the invention is directed to a system comprising a database and a server computer coupled to the database, wherein the server computer comprises a processor and a computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor, the computer readable storage medium comprising code executable by the processor for implementing a method comprising: receiving transit transaction data, determining a hotel based on the transit transaction data, and sending the transit transaction data to the hotel, wherein the hotel places a transit charge based on the transit transaction data onto a hotel folio. Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method, the method comprising receiving transit transaction data, determining a hotel based on the transit transaction data, and sending the transit transaction data to the hotel, wherein the hotel places a transit charge based on the transit transaction data onto a hotel folio.