DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates in general to fuel dispenser units. In particular, but not specifically, the present disclosure relates to method and system for providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispenser Unit (FDU).

BACKGROUND

A typical Fuel Dispenser Unit (FDU) comprises physical locks for securing access of an FDU. Unauthorized access to the control panels may lead to misuse like fuel scams.

The physical locks provided for an FDU enables access to limited number of pre-authorized users as limited keys are associated with the locks. Further, the conventional FDUs do not have a security measure to authorize users to access the one or more units comprising various modules of the FDU. For example, a service person can handover the physical key to an unauthorized user to access the FDU. Thus, the conventional FDU do not provide effective security mechanism to provide a secured access to the FDU. Further in the conventional FDU, a person authorized to access the FDU receives access to all the modules/ units of the FDU, irrespective of the purpose of access. Further, an authorized user can access the FDU and may manipulate fuel prices, as such manipulations are not governed in the existing FDU. Further, an authorized user can access the FDU and alter receipts generated by the FDU.

In case, if the physical lock and key for the access are replaced by digital counter parts, an authorized user who knows the digital key/password may access the FDU at any time and can share the information with any unauthorized user. Either way it is impractical to monitor the chain of custody of the access key and the access of one or more units of an FDU. Therefore, the conventional FDUs are prone to attacks/ manipulations.

The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein is a method for providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispenser Unit (FDU). The method comprises receiving, by an authentication system associated with a FDU, an access event signal from a FDU when one or more units of the FDU are being accessed by a user. Thereafter, the method comprises receiving from the FDU, identification data provided by the user to the FDU for accessing the one or more units of the FDU. Then the method authenticates the user by comparing the received identification data with pre-stored authorized user data of the user. Upon successful authentication ,the method comprises verifying, access permission for the authenticated user to access the one or more units of the FDU at a specific location and for a specific time interval upon successful authentication of the user based on pre-defined access permission associated with the one or more units of the FDU for the user. Upon successful verification of the access permission of the user, the method then comprises transmitting, a signal to the FDU to disengage one or more units of the FDU upon verifying the access permission, to provide access to the one or more units of the FDU.

Further, the present disclosure discloses an authentication system for providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispenser Unit (FDU). The authentication system comprises one or more FDUs communicatively connected through a communication network, a processor and a memory. The memory is communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, cause the processor to receive an access event signal from a FDU when one or more units of the FDU are being accessed by a user. Then, the processor receives identification data provided by the user to the FDU for accessing the one or more units of the FDU and authenticate the user by comparing the received identification data with pre-stored authorized user data of the user. Upon successful authentication of the user based on pre-defined access permission, the processor verifies access permission for the authenticated user to access the one or more units of the FDU at a specific location and for a specific time interval. After verification, the processor, transmit a signal to the FDU to disengage one or more units of the FDU upon verifying the access permission, to provide access to the one or more units of the FDU.

Furthermore, the present disclosure discloses a Fuel Dispenser Unit (FDU). The FDU comprises one or more units configured to perform one or more functions of the FDU, one or more input devices, for receiving identification data and verification data from a user, a transceiver, processor and memory communicatively coupled to the processor.The transceiver is configured to transmit, an access event signal to an authentication system associated with the FDU, when one or more units of the FDU is being accessed by a user. The one or more input devices are configured to receive identification data from the user when the one or more units of the FDU are being accessed by the user. The transceiver is further configured to transmit the identification data and the verification data to the authentication system. Further, the processor is configured to receive, information of access permission for the user from the authentication system for accessing the one or more units of the FDU at a specific location and for a specific time interval upon successful verification of the user based on pre-defined access permission associated with an access event. The processor is further configured to disengage the one or more units of the FDU upon receiving access permission, to provide access to the one or more units of the FDU.

Furthermore, the present disclosure discloses a method for providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispensing Unit (FDU). The method comprises receiving, a identification data and a verification data from the user accessing the one or more units of the FDU. Thereafter, the method comprises transmitting, the identification data and verification data to the authentication system for verification of the user. After authenticating the user, the method further comprises receiving information of access permission for the user from the authentication system for accessing the one or more units of the FDU at a specific location and for a specific time interval upon successful verification of the user based on pre-defined access permission associated with an access event. If the user is verified, the method comprises disengaging, the one or more units of the FDU upon receiving access permission, to provide access to the one or more units of the FDU.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DIAGRAMS

The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

Figure 1 shows an exemplary architecture for providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispenser Unit (FDU), in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 shows an exemplary block diagram of an authentication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 shows a flowchart illustrating a method for providing secured access to a Fuel Dispenser Unit (FDU), in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 4 shows an exemplary block diagram of an FDU in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
Figure 5 shows a flowchart illustrating a method for providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispensing unit (FDU) in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure; and
Figure 6 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.

It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The Figures and the following description relate to various embodiments by way of illustration only. It should be noted that from the following discussion, alternative embodiments of the structures and methods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viable alternatives that may be employed without departing from the principles discussed herein. Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. It is noted that wherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used in the figures and may indicate similar or like functionality.

In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, “including” or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device, or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an authentication system [also referred as system] and a method for providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispenser Unit (FDU). At first the authentication system associated with the FDU may receive an access event from the FDU when one or more units of the FDU are being accessed by a user. In an embodiment, the authentication system may be configured in the FDU. In another embodiment, the authentication system may be remotely located in a cloud-based environment. In another embodiment, the authentication system may be located in a network where one or more FDU are connected. The authentication system may determine if there is an access event scheduled for the specific FDU at the specific interval of time. Then the authentication system may receive from the FDU, identification data provided by the user to the FDU for accessing the one or more units of the FDU. In an embodiment, the identification data may comprise but not limited to at least one of name of the user, image of the user, user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, Aadhar number of the user, contact less cards, chip-based card system, sound wave-based user identification system, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and biometric data. Upon receiving the identification data, the authentication system may authenticate the user by comparing the received identification data with pre-stored data of the user. The pre-stored data may comprise name of the user, image of the user, Aadhar number of the user, user ID and password generated for the user, QR code generated for the user, RFID tag information, contact less card, chip based card system, soundwave based user identification system and biometric data of the user.

In an embodiment, the authentication system may provide a notification to one or more pre-authorized users associated with the authentication system upon detecting unsuccessful authentication of the user for accessing the one or more units of the FDU. Upon successful authentication of the user, the authentication system may verify access permission for the authenticated user to access the one or more units of the FDU at a specific location and for a specific time interval. The one or more units may comprise electronic modules and mechanical modules of the FDU. In an embodiment, verifying the access permission comprises verifying a user verification data generated for the access event, for example, the user verification data may comprise One Time Password (OTP).. In an embodiment, the authentication system may provide a notification to one or more pre-authorized users associated with the authentication system upon detecting unsuccessful verification of the user for accessing the one or more units of the FDU. Thereafter, the authentication system may transmit a signal to disengage one or more units of the FDU upon verifying the access permission, to provide access to the one or more units of the FDU. In an embodiment, the authentication system may transmit a signal to engage the one or more units of the FDU thereby restricting access to the one or more units of the FDU upon unsuccessful verification of the user. The access may be restricted when at least one of completion of the specific time interval and completion of service or a transaction, to the one or more units of the FDU by the user. In this manner, the present disclosure provides a secure mechanism to access one or more units of the FDU and thus prevents fraudulent access of one or more units of the FDU.

Figure 1 shows an exemplary architecture 100 for providing a secured access to FDU 106 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The architecture 100 may include an authentication system 101, a communication network 105, one or more Fuel dispensing units (FDU) (106-1,106-2…106-n) and one or more users. For the purpose of illustration, a single user 107 for a single FDU 106 is depicted. However, there may be one or more users (107-1,107-2…107-n) associated with each FDU 106. The user 107 for the purpose of the invention may be any person who intends to access one or more units 401 of the FDU. As an example, the user 107 may be a pre-authorized service user. When a user 107 attempts to access the FDU 106, the user 107 is required to be the pre-authorized user with permission to access the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106. In an embodiment the one or more units 401 may include electronic modules and mechanical modules of the FDU 106.

The authentication system 101 may include a processor 102, an I/O interface 104 and a memory 103. In an embodiment, the authentication system 101 may be a server configured in a remote location from the FDU 106. The communication network 105 may be a wired or a wireless communication. In an embodiment, for the purpose of pre-authorization, a user may download an application in a mobile device associated with the user 107. The application may be provided/hosted by the authentication system 101. Once the application is downloaded, the user 107 may be pre-authorized with the authentication system 101. During the pre-authorization process, the user 107 may provide identification data 204 such as user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, contact less cards, chip based card system, sound wave based user identification system and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, Aadhar number, image of the user and biometric data of the user. The biometric data may include, but are not limited to, fingerprint, voice, iris and retina. The identification data 204 may be provided to the authentication system 101 through the application. The identification data 204 of each the one or more users 107 pre-authorized with the authentication system 101 is stored in a database associated with the authentication system 101 as pre-stored authorized user data 206.
In an embodiment, once the user 107 is pre-authorized, the user 107 may use any of these identification data 204 to authenticate for accessing the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106. In an embodiment, when the user 107 is accessing the FDU 106, the authentication may receive an access event signal and the information associated with the access event such as location of the FDU 106 and time at which the access is performed.
In an embodiment, the authentication system 101 may look up in the scheduled access events data 203 to determine if there is an access event scheduled for the FDU 106 at the specific location and for the specific time interval. If the access event is not scheduled for the FDU 106 at the specific location and for the specific time interval, the authentication system 101 may notify one or more pre-authorized users and restrict the access to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106. In an embodiment, if the access event is scheduled, the user may be prompted by the authentication system to provide the identification data 204. The identification data 204 may include at least one of user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, contact less cards, chip based card system, sound wave based user identification system Aadhar number, image of the user, biometric data of the user and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. The user may provide the identification data 204 to one or more input device 402 [not shown in Fig.1] of the FDU 106. The FDU 106 may transmit the received identification data to the authentication system 101. The processor may compare the received identification data 204 through the I/O interface 104 with the pre-stored authorized user data 206 of the user 107 in the authentication system 101. If the pre-stored authorized user data 206 match with the received identification data 204, the processor 102 may identify/authenticate the user 107. As an example, the received identification data 204 may be user ID and password. The processor 102 may compare the received user ID and password with the pre-stored user ID and password of the user. If the user ID and the password matches, the processor 102 may authenticate the user 107 as the genuine user.
If the pre-authorized user data 206 does not match with the received identification data 204, the authentication system 101 may prompt the user 107 to provide identification data 204 and the process of identifying the user 107 continues till the user is identified. Further, the authentication system 101 may notify one or more pre-authorized user associated with the authentication system 101 and restrict access upon unsuccessful authentication of the user 107.
In an embodiment, once the user 107 is authenticated, the processor 102 may prompt the user 107 to provide verification data 205. As an example, the user 107may provide One Time Password (OTP) as the verification data 205. The processor 102 may compare the received One Time Password (OTP) with the OTP generated for the specific scheduled access event by the authentication system 101. If the OTP matches, the user may be verified. Once the user 107 is verified, the processor102 may transmit a signal to the FDU 106 to disengage one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 in accordance with the access permission of the user107 for the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106. If the pre-authorized user data 206 do not match with received verification data 205, the authentication system 101 may notify one or more pre-authorized users regarding the unsuccessful verification and restrict the access.

The processor 102 further may transmit a signal to the FDU 106 to engage one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 to restrict access to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 when at least one of completion of the specific time interval and completion of service, to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 by the user 107.

Figure 2 shows an exemplary block diagram of an authentication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
In some implementations, the authentication system 101 may include an I/O interface 104, a communication unit 105, a processor 102, a memory 103, data 202 and modules 209. As an example, the data 202 is stored in the memory 103 as shown in the Figure 2. In the illustrated Figure 2, modules 209 are described herein in detail.

In some embodiments, the data 202 may be stored in the memory 103 in form of various data structures. In an embodiment, the data 202 may include identification data 204, verification data 205, scheduled access event data 203, pre-stored authorized user data 206, access permission data 207 and other data 208. Additionally, the data 202 can be organized using data models, such as relational or hierarchical data models. The other data 208 may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by the modules 209 for performing the various functions of the authentication system 101.
In some embodiments, the data 202 stored in the memory 103 may be processed by the modules 209 of the authentication system 101. The modules 209 may be stored within the memory 103. In an example, the modules 209 communicatively coupled to the processor 102 configured in the authentication system 101 may also be present outside the memory 103 as shown in Figure 2 and implemented as hardware. As used herein, the term modules may refer to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.
In some embodiments, the modules 209 may include, for example, a pre-authorization module 210, a receiving module 211, an authentication module 212, a verification module 213, a transmitting module 214 and other modules 215. The other modules 215 may be used to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of the authentication system 101. It will be appreciated that such aforementioned modules may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules.
Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in an implementation, the one or more modules may be stored in the memory, without limiting the scope of the disclosure. The said modules 209 when configured with the functionality defined in the present disclosure will result in a novel hardware.
In an embodiment, the pre-authorization module 210 may be configured to acquire identification data 204 from the user 107 for pre-authorization and store it as pre-stored authorized user data 206. In order to be pre-authorized, the user 107 may download an application in a mobile device associated with the user 107. The application may be provided/hosted by the authentication system 101. During the pre-authorization process, the user may provide identification data 204 such as user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, contact less cards, chip based card system, sound wave based user identification system and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, Aadhar number, image of the user and biometric data of the user. The biometric data may include, but are not limited to, fingerprint, voice, iris and retina. The identification data 204 may be provided to the authentication system 101 through the application. The identification data 204 of each of the one or more users 107 pre-authorized with the authentication system 101 is stored in a memory 103 associated with the authentication system 101 and stored as pre-stored authorized user data 210. Once the user 107 is pre-authorized, the user 107 may use any of these identification data 204 for accessing the FDU 106. The authentication system 101 may be further configured to schedule access events. In one embodiment the scheduling of the access events may comprise manual scheduling. In another embodiment, the scheduling of the access events may comprise automated scheduling. In an exemplified embodiment, an access event may be scheduled by the authentication system 101 quarterly for regular maintenance of the FDU 106. In another exemplified embodiment, the authentication system 101 may be configured to monitor predefined critical parameters of the FDU 106 and further to schedule an access event automatically when the monitored values of the predefined critical parameters are above/below a predefined threshold value. Scheduling of an access event may involve assigning a pre-authorized user to access a specific FDU 106 at a specific interval of time on a specific date and details of which shall be stored as a scheduled access events data 203. Further, the authorization system 101 further may generate a access permission data 207 and share a copy of the same to the assigned pre-authorized user for the purposes of verification and store the same as access permission data 207.

In an embodiment, the receiving module 211 may be configured to receive the identification data 204 and verification data 205 of the user 107 from the FDU 106.
In an embodiment, the authenticating module 212 may be configured to authenticate the user 107 to access one or more units 401 of the FDU 106. The authentication module 212 may compare the received identification data 204 with the pre-stored authorized user data 206. If the identification data 204 matches with the pre-stored authorized user data 206, the authentication module 212 authenticates the user 107 and transmits information of authentication to the FDU 106. If the identification data 204 does not match with the pre-stored authorized user data 206 of the user, the authentication system 101 may prompt the user 107 to provide the identification data 204 and continue the process of authenticating the user for a predefined number of times before notifying one or more authorized users regarding the unsuccessful authentication and restrict the access to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106.

In an embodiment, the verification module 213 may be configured to verify the user access permission for the access event. The verification module 213 upon receiving the data for verification may store it as verification data 205. The verification module 213 may compare the received verification data 205 with the access permission data 207. If the verification data 205 matches with the access permission data 207 for the access event, the verification module 213 confirms verification of the user 107. If the verification data 205 does not match with the access permission data 207, the authentication system 101 may prompt the user 107 to provide the identification data 204 and continues the process of authenticating the user 107 for a predefined number of times before notifying one or more authorized users regarding the unsuccessful verification and restricting access. As an example, the verification data 205 may be OTP generated for the access event.

In an embodiment, the transmitting module 214 may be configured to transmit the information of authentication and information of verified access permission for the user 107 to the FDU 106. Further, the transmitting module 214 may be configured to transmit signal to the FDU 106 to disengage one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 upon verification. The transmitting module 214 in another embodiment may be configured to transmit a signal to the FDU 106 to engage one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 to restrict access to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 when at least one of completion of the specific time interval and completion of service or transaction, to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 by the user 107.
Figure 3 shows a flowchart illustrating method of providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispensing unit (FDU) 106 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the method includes one or more blocks illustrating a method for providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispensing unit (FDU) 106. The method may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform specific functions or implement specific abstract data types.

The order in which the method is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

At block 301, the method may include receiving an access event signal from a FDU 106 when one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 are being accessed by a user 107. The one or more units 401may comprise electronic modules and mechanical modules of the FDU 106. The authentication system 101 may look up in the scheduled access events data 203 to determine if there is any access event scheduled for the FDU 106 of the specific location and for the specific time interval. The authentication system 101 may notify one or more pre-authorized user and restrict access if there isn’t any access event scheduled for the FDU 106. Further, a display unit 404 of the FDU 106 may display that there is no access event scheduled for the specific FDU 106 of specific location and for specific time interval. If there is an access event scheduled for the specific FDU 106 at specific interval of time, the method may proceed to block 302.

At block 302, the method may include receiving from the FDU 106, identification data 204 provided by the user 107 to the FDU 106 for accessing the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106. The identification data 204 may comprise at least one of name of the user, image of the user, user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, Aadhar number of the user, contact less cards, chip-based card system, sound wave-based user identification system, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and biometric data.

At block 303, the method may include, authenticating, the user 107 by comparing the received identification data 204 with pre-stored authorized user data 206 of the user 107. The pre-stored authorized user data 206 may comprise name of the user, image of the user, Aadhar number of the user, user ID and password generated for the user, QR code generated for the user, RFID tag information, contact less card, chip based card system, soundwave based user identification system and biometric details of the user. If the received identification data 204 matches with the pre-stored authorized user data 206, the authentication system 101 may authenticate the user 107. If the user 107 is authenticated, the method may proceed to block 304 via “YES”. If the user 107 is not authenticated, a display unit 404 of the FDU 106 may display about unsuccessful authorization of the user and the method may proceed to block 307 via “NO” wherein the authentication system 101 may notify one or more pre-authorized user associated with the authentication system 101 and restrict access upon detecting unsuccessful authentication of the user 107 for accessing the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106.

At block 304, the method may include verifying access permission for the authenticated user to access the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 at a specific location and for a specific time interval upon successful authentication of the user 107 based on pre-defined access permission associated with the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 for the user 107. Verifying the access permission may comprise verifying a user verification data 205 generated for the access event, wherein the user verification data 205 comprises One Time Password (OTP). If the received verification data matches with the access permission data generated for the specific scheduled access event, the authentication system 101 may confirm verification of the user 107. If the user 107 is verified, the method may proceed to block 305 via “YES”. If the user 107 is not verified, a display unit 404 of the FDU 106 may display about unsuccessful verification of the user 107 and the method may proceed to block 307 via “NO” wherein the authentication system 101 may notify one or more pre-authorized user associated with the authentication system 101 and restrict access upon detecting unsuccessful verification of the user 107 for accessing the one or more units 404 of the FDU 106.

At block 305, the method may include transmitting a signal to the FDU 106 to disengage one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 upon verifying the access permission, to provide access to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106.

At block 306, the method may include transmitting a signal to the FDU 106 to engage one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 to restrict access to all of the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 when at least one of completion of the specific time interval and completion of service, to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 by the user 107.

In this manner, the present disclosure provides a secured access for fuel dispensing unit 106. The user with intension to access one or more units 401 of the FDU is authenticated and verified for access event, prior to providing the access to one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 thereby avoiding fraud.
Figure 4 shows an exemplary block diagram of an FDU 106 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
In some implementations, the Fuel Dispensing Unit (FDU) 106 may include one or more units 401, one or more input devices 402, a transceiver 403, a display unit 404, a processor 405, a memory 406, data 407 and modules 409. As an example, the data 407 is stored in the memory configured in the Fuel Dispensing Unit (FDU) 106 as shown in the Figure 4. In one embodiment, the data 407 may include identification data 204, verification data 205 and other data 408. In the illustrated Figure 4, modules are described herein in detail.

In some embodiments, the data 407 may be stored in the memory 406 in form of various data structures. Additionally, the data 407 can be organized using data models, such as relational or hierarchical data models. The other data 408 may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by the modules for performing the various functions of the FDU 106.
In some embodiments, the data stored in the memory 406 may be processed by the modules 409 of the Fuel Dispending Unit (FDU) 106. The modules 209 may be stored within the memory 106. As an example, the modules communicatively coupled to the processor 405 configured in the Fuel Dispensing Unit (FDU) 106 may also be present outside the memory as shown in Figure 4 and implemented as hardware. As used herein, the term modules may refer to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.
In some embodiments, the modules may include, for example, a receiving module, a transmitting module, a disengaging and engaging module and other modules. The other modules may be used to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of the Fuel Dispensing Unit (FDU) 106. It will be appreciated that such aforementioned modules may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules.
Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in an implementation, the one or more modules 209 may be stored in the memory 406, without limiting the scope of the disclosure. The said modules 209 when configured with the functionality defined in the present disclosure will result in a novel hardware.
In an embodiment, the receiving module 410 may be configured to receive the identification data 204 and verification data 205 of the user 107 from the one or more input devices 402 of the FDU 106. The one or more input devices 402 may include, but not limited to, a camera, a microphone, a biometric sensor, a keypad, an iris scanner, a contactless card reader, a RFID reader and the like. Further the receiving module 410 may be configured to receive information of authentication /verification from the authentication system 101. The receiving module 410 may be further configured to receive signal from the authentication system 101 to disengage / engage one or more units 401 of the FDU 106.
In an embodiment, the transmitting module 411 may be configured to transmit, an access event when a user attempts to access one or more units 401 of the FDU 106. Further the transmitting module 411 may be configured to transmit the received identification data 204 and verification data 205 to the authentication system 101 associated with the FDU 106. The transmitting module 411 may be configured to notify one or more pre-authorized user associated with the authentication system 101 and restrict access upon detecting unsuccessful authentication or verification of the user for accessing the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106.
In an embodiment, the disengage and engage module 413 may be configured to disengage a specific one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 upon receiving information of successful verification of the user 107 from the authentication system 101. Further, the disengage and engage module 413 may be configured to engage the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 to restrict access to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 when at least one of completion of the specific time interval and completion of service, to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 by the user 107.
Figure 5 shows a flowchart illustrating method of securing access to a Fuel Dispensing unit (FDU) 106 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
As illustrated in Figure 5, the method includes one or more blocks illustrating a method for providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispensing unit (FDU) 106. The method may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform specific functions or implement specific abstract data types.

The order in which the method is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

At block 501, the method may include transmitting an access event signal to an authentication system 101 associated with the FDU 106, when one or more units 401 of a FDU 106 is being accessed by a user 107. The FDU may receive information if there is an access event scheduled for the FDU 106 of specific location at specific time interval from the authentication system 101. If there is no scheduled access event, the FDU 106 may receive information and the FDU 106 may display that there is no access event scheduled for the specific FDU 106 of specific location and for specific time interval and proceed to block 509. If there is an access event scheduled for the specific FDU 106 at specific interval of time, the method may proceed to block 502.

At block 502, the method may include receiving, by one or more input devices 401, identification data 204 from the user 107 when the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 are being accessed by the user 107. The identification data 204 may comprise at least one of name of the user, image of the user, user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, Aadhar number of the user, contact less cards, chip-based card system, sound wave-based user identification system, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and biometric data.

At block 503, the method may include transmitting, by the transceiver 403, the identification data 204 to the authentication system 101 for authentication of the user 107. The identification data 204 may comprise at least one of name of the user, image of the user, user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, Aadhar number of the user, contact less cards, chip-based card system, sound wave-based user identification system, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and biometric data. If the user 107 is authenticated based on comparison of the received identification data 204 with the pre-stored authorized user data 206 of the user 107, the FDU 106 may receive information of the same and the method may proceed to block 504 via “YES”. If the user is not authenticated, the FDU 106 may receive information from the authentication system 101 to display about unsuccessful authorization of the user 107 and the method may proceed to block 509 via “NO” wherein the FDU 106 may notify one or more pre-authorized user associated with the authentication system 101 and restrict access upon detecting unsuccessful authentication of the user 107 for accessing the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106.

At block 504, the method may include receiving a verification data 205 from the user 107 for accessing the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106. As an example, the verification data 205 may be a One Time Password (OTP).

At block 505, the method may include transmitting, by the transceiver 403, the verification data 205 to the authentication system 101 for verification of the user 107. If the user 107 is verified, the FDU 106 may receive information of the same from the authentication system 101 and the method may proceed to block 506 via “YES”.

At block 506, the method may include receiving, access permission for the user 107 from the authentication system 101 for accessing the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 at a specific location and for a specific time interval upon successful verification of the user based on pre-defined access permission associated with an access event. If the user 107 is not verified, the FDU may receive information regarding the unsuccessful verification of the user 107 and the FDU may display about same. The method may proceed to block 509 via “NO” wherein the Fuel dispensing unit (FDU) 106 may notify one or more pre-authorized user associated with the authentication system and restrict access, upon detecting unsuccessful verification of the user 107 for accessing the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106.

At block 507, the method may include disengaging, one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 upon receiving access permission, to provide access to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106. The one or more units 401 may comprise electronic modules and mechanical modules of the FDU 106. If a signal to disengage one or more units 401 of an FDU 106 is received, the FDU 106 may disengage only the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 for which the user got verified.

At block 508, the method may include engaging the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 to restrict access to one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 when at least one of completion of the specific time interval and completion of service, to the one or more units 401 of the FDU 106 by the user 107.

Computer System

Figure 6 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 600 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the computer system 600 may be peripheral device, which is used for authenticating a user 107. The computer system 600 may include a central processing unit (“CPU” or “processor”) 604. The processor 604 may comprise at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user or system-generated business processes. The processor 604 may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc.

The processor 604 may be disposed in communication with one or more input/output (I/O) devices via I/O interface 603. The I/O interface 603 may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Radio Frequency (RF) antennas, S-Video, Video Graphics Array (VGA), IEEE 802.n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Global System For Mobile Communications (GSM), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or the like), etc. Using the I/O interface, the computer system 600 may communicate with one or more I/O devices. In some implementations, the I/O interface 603 may be used to connect to a FDU 106 to receive and transmit information.

In some embodiments, the processor 604 may be disposed in communication with a communication network via a network interface 605. The network interface 605 may communicate with the communication network 105. The communication unit may employ connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc.

The communication network can be implemented as one of the several types of networks, such as intranet or Local Area Network (LAN) and such within the organization. The communication network 105 may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of several types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other. Further, the communication network 409 may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc.

In some embodiments, the processor 604 may be disposed in communication with a memory 609 (e.g., RAM 607, ROM 608, etc. as shown in FIG. 6) via a storage interface 606. The storage interface 606 may connect to 609 including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fiber channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.

The memory 609 may store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, user /application, an operating system, a web browser, mail client, mail server, web server and the like. In some embodiments, computer system may store user /application data, such as the data, variables, records, etc. as described in this invention. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as OracleR or SybaseR.

The operating system may facilitate resource management and operation of the computer system. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE MACINTOSHR OS X, UNIXR, UNIX-like system distributions (E.G., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTIONTM (BSD), FREEBSDTM, NETBSDTM, OPENBSDTM, etc.), LINUX DISTRIBUTIONSTM (E.G., RED HATTM, UBUNTUTM, KUBUNTUTM, etc.), IBMTM OS/2, MICROSOFTTM WINDOWSTM (XPTM, VISTATM/7/8, 10 etc.), APPLER IOSTM, GOOGLER ANDROIDTM, BLACKBERRYR OS, or the like. A user interface may facilitate display, execution, interaction, manipulation, or operation of program components through textual or graphical facilities. For example, user interfaces may provide computer interaction interface elements on a display system operatively connected to the computer system, such as cursors, icons, check boxes, menus, windows, widgets, etc. Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) may be employed, including, without limitation, APPLE MACINTOSHR operating systems, IBMTM OS/2, MICROSOFTTM WINDOWSTM (XPTM, VISTATM/7/8, 10 etc.), UnixR X-Windows, web interface libraries (e.g., AJAXTM, DHTMLTM, ADOBE® FLASHTM, JAVASCRIPTTM, JAVATM, etc.), or the like.
Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present invention. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, hard drives, Compact Disc (CD) ROMs, Digital Video Disc (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

Advantages of the Present Disclosure:

In an embodiment, the present disclosure may be used to manage access to service personnel for one or more FDUs.

In an embodiment, the present disclosure may be used to prevent fraudulent use of FDU by a user.

In an embodiment the present disclosure may be used to prevent illegal manipulation in one or more units of FDU by providing a secured mechanism to authenticate and verify the user for accessing the FDU.
A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.

When a single device or article is described herein, it will be clear that more than one device/article (whether they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether they cooperate), it will be clear that a single device/article may be used in place of the more than one device or article or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the invention need not include the device itself.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Referral Numerals:

Reference Number Description
100 Architecture
101 Authentication system
102 Processor
103 Memory
104 I/O interface
105 Communication Network
106 Fuel Dispensing Unit
107 User
201 Communication unit
202 Data
203 Scheduled access events data
204 Identification data
205 Verification data
206 Pre-stored authorized user data
207 Access permission data
208 Other data
209 Modules
210 Pre-authorization module
211 Receiving module
212 Authenticating module
213 Verification module
214 Transmitting module
215 Other modules
401 One or more units
402 One or more input devices
403 Transceiver
404 Display unit
405 Processor
406 Memory
407 Data
408 Other data
409 Modules
410 Receiving module
411 Transmitting module
412 Other modules
413 Disengaging and engaging module
600 Exemplary computer system
601 Input devices
602 Output devices
603 I/O Interface of the exemplary computer system
604 Processor of the exemplary computer system
605 Network interface
606 Storage interface
607 RAM
608 ROM
609 Memory of the exemplary computer system
610 User /Application
611 Operating system
612 Web browser
613 Mail Client
614 Mail Server
615 Web Server
,CLAIMS:1. A method of providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispensing Unit (FDU), the method comprising:
receiving, by an authentication system associated with a FDU, an access event signal from a FDU when one or more units of the FDU are being accessed by a user;
receiving, by the authentication system, from the FDU, identification data provided by the user to the FDU for accessing the one or more units of the FDU;
authenticating, by the authentication system, the user by comparing the received identification data with pre-stored authorized user data of the user;
verifying, by the authentication system, access permission for the authenticated user to access the one or more units of the FDU at a specific location and for a specific time interval upon successful authentication of the user based on pre-defined access permission associated with the one or more units of the FDU for the user; and
transmitting, by the authentication system, a signal to the FDU to disengage one or more units of the FDU upon verifying the access permission, to provide access to the one or more units of the FDU.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 comprises transmitting a -signal to the FDU to engage one or more units of the FDU to restrict access to the one or more units of the FDU when at least one of completion of the specific time interval and completion of service, to the one or more units of the FDU by the user.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 comprises providing a notification to one or more pre-authorized user associated with the authentication system upon detecting unsuccessful authentication or verification of the user for accessing the one or more units of the FDU.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification data comprises at least one of name of the user, image of the user, user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, Aadhar number of the user, contact less cards, chip-based card system, sound wave-based user identification system, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and biometric data.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pre-stored authorized user data comprises name of the user, image of the user, Aadhar number of the user, user ID and password generated for the user, QR code generated for the user, RFID tag information, contact less card, chip based card system, soundwave based user identification system and biometric details of the user.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein verifying the access permission comprises verifying a user verification data generated for the access event, wherein the user verification data comprises One Time Password (OTP).

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more units comprises electronic modules and mechanical modules of the FDU.

8. An authentication system for providing a secured access to a Fuel Dispensing Unit (FDU), the system comprising:
one or more FDUs communicatively connected through a communication network;
a processor;
a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores processor-executable instructions and identification data, which, on execution, cause the processor to:
receive an access event signal from the FDU when one or more units of the FDU are being accessed by a user;
receive identification data provided by the user to the FDU for accessing the one or more units of the FDU;
authenticate the user by comparing the received identification data with pre-stored authorized user data of the user;
verify access permission for the authenticated user to access the one or more units of the FDU at a specific location and for a specific time interval upon successful authentication of the user based on pre-defined access permission associated with the one or more units of the FDU for the user; and
transmit a signal to the FDU to disengage one or more units of the FDU upon verifying the access permission, to provide access to the one or more units of the FDU.
9. The authentication system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor transmits a signal to engage one or more units of the FDU to restrict access to the one or more units of the FDU when at least one of completion of the specific time interval and completion of service to the one or more units of the FDU by the user.

10. The authentication system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to provide a notification to one or more pre-authorized user associated with the authentication system upon detecting unsuccessful authentication or verification of the user for accessing the one or more units of the FDU.

11. The authentication system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the identification data comprises at least one of name of the user, image of the user, user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, Aadhar number of the user, contact less cards, chip-based card system, sound wave-based user identification system, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and biometric data.

12. The authentication system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pre-stored authorized user data comprises name of the user, image of the user, Aadhar number of the user , user ID and password generated for the user, QR code generated for the user, RFID tag information, contact less card, chip based card system, sound wave based user identification system and biometric details of the user.

13. The authentication system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor verifies the access permission by verifying a user verification data generated for the access event, wherein the user verification data comprises One Time Password (OTP).

14. The authentication system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more units comprises electronic module and mechanical module of the FDU.

15. A Fuel Dispenser Unit (FDU) comprising:
one or more units configured to perform one or more functions of the FDU;
one or more input devices, for receiving identification data and verification data from a user;
a transceiver;
a processor, and
a memory communicatively coupled to the processor,
wherein the transceiver is configured to:
transmit, an access event signal to an authentication system associated with the FDU, when one or more units of the FDU is being accessed by a user;
the one or more input devices configured to:
receive identification data from the user when the one or more units of the FDU are being accessed by the user;
receive a verification data from the user for accessing the one or more units of the FDU;
the transceiver is configured to:
transmit the identification data and the verification data to the authentication system
receive, information of access permission for the user from the authentication system for accessing the one or more units of the FDU at a specific location and for a specific time interval upon successful verification of the user based on pre-defined access permission associated with an access event; and
the processor configured to:
disengage the one or more units of the FDU upon receiving access permission, to provide access to the one or more units of the FDU.

16. The FDU as claimed in claim 15, wherein the processor engages the one or more units of the FDU to restrict access to the one or more units of the FDU when at least one of completion of the specific time interval and completion of service, to the one or more units of the FDU by the user.

17. The FDU as claimed in claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to provide a notification to one or more pre-authorized user associated with the authentication system upon detecting unsuccessful authentication of the user for accessing the one or more units of the FDU.
18. The FDU as claimed in claim 15, wherein the one or more input devices may comprise one or more of a keyboard, a biometric system, a camera, microphone, a contactless card system, a chip-based system and RFID reader.
19. The FDU as claimed in claim 15, wherein the identification data comprises at least one of name of the user, image of the user, user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, Aadhar number of the user, contact less cards, chip-based card system, sound wave-based user identification system, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and biometric data.

20. The FDU as claimed in claim 15, wherein the pre-stored authorized user data comprises name of the user, image of the user, Aadhar number of the user, user ID and password generated for the user, QR code generated for the user, RFID tag information, contact less card, chip based card system, sound wave based user identification system and biometric details of the user.

21. The FDU as claimed in claim 15, wherein verification data is generated for the access event, wherein the verification data comprises One Time Password (OTP).

22. The FDU as claimed in claim 15, wherein the one or more units comprises electronic modules and mechanical modules of the FDU.

23. The FDU as claimed in claim 15, further comprises a display unit for indicating information of one of successful or unsuccessful authentication of the user.
24. A method of providing a secured access to a Fuel dispensing unit (FDU), the method comprising:
transmitting, by a transceiver of the FDU, an access event signal to an authentication system associated with the FDU, when one or more units of the FDU is being accessed by a user;
receiving, by one or more input devices of the FDU, identification data from the user when the one or more units of the FDU are being accessed by the user;
transmitting, by the transceiver, the identification data to the authentication system for authentication of the user;
receiving, by one or more input devices, a verification data from the user for accessing the one or more units of the FDU;
transmitting, by the transceiver, the verification data to the authentication system for verification of the user;
receiving, by the transceiver, access permission for the user from the authentication system for accessing the one or more units of the FDU at a specific location and for a specific time interval upon successful verification of the user based on pre-defined access permission associated with an access event; and
disengaging, by the processor of the FDU, access to the one or more units of the FDU upon receiving access permission, to provide access to the one or more units of the FDU.
25. The method as claimed in claim 24 comprises engaging the one or more units of the FDU to restrict access to the one or more units of the FDU when at least one of completion of the specific time interval and completion of service, to the one or more units of the FDU by the user.

26. The method as claimed in claim 24, comprises providing a notification to one or more pre-authorized users associated with the authentication system and restrict access, upon detecting unsuccessful authentication of the user for accessing the one or more units of the FDU.

27. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the identification data comprises at least one of name of the user, image of the user, user ID and password, Quick Response (QR) code, Aadhar number of the user, contact less cards, chip-based card system, sound wave-based user identification system, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and biometric data.

28. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the pre-stored authorized user data comprises name of the user, image of the user, Aadhar number of the user, user ID and password generated for the user, QR code generated for the user, RFID tag information, contact less card, chip-based card system, sound wave based user identification system and biometric details of the user.

29. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the verification data is generated for the access event, wherein the verification data comprises One Time Password (OTP).

30. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the one or more units comprises electronic modules and mechanical modules of the FDU.