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EP-4002248-B1 - AUTONOMOUS REFUELLING SYSTEM BASED ON BLOCKCHAIN

EP4002248B1EP 4002248 B1EP4002248 B1EP 4002248B1EP-4002248-B1

Inventors

  • ROENNOW, TROELS
  • LI, HONGWEI
  • BITAULD, David
  • MARTÍN-LÓPEZ, Enrique
  • PALYUTINA, Karina

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20170616

Claims (17)

  1. An apparatus (1), for use within a vehicle, the apparatus (1) comprising means for: selecting a transaction entity (25) in response to a trigger event, wherein the trigger event comprises; detecting that the vehicle has entered a geographic area associated with one or more transaction entities (25); and detecting a fuel level or battery storage level of the vehicle has dropped below a threshold; assigning one or more items of digital attributes from a digital attribute account associated with the vehicle to the selected transaction entity (25); detecting a new trigger event wherein the new trigger event comprises detecting that the vehicle has entered a new geographic area corresponding to one or more new transaction entities (25); selecting the new transaction entity (25) in response to the detection of the new trigger event; and reassigning the one or more items of the digital attributes from the digital attribute account to the new selected transaction entity (25).
  2. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the means are further configured for selecting the selected or the new transaction entities automatically without any input from a user of the vehicle.
  3. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the means are further configured for selecting a transaction entity (25) based on a predicted route of the vehicle.
  4. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the means are further configured for making one or more micropayments based on the one or more assigned digital attributes between the vehicle and the selected transaction entity (25).
  5. An apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 4 wherein the micropayment comprises a transaction between the vehicle and the selected transaction entity (25) without going through a digital currency network.
  6. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any of claims 4 to 5 wherein the means are further configured for disconnecting the vehicle from the transaction entity (25) after the micropayment has been made and before the transaction has been added to a network database.
  7. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6 wherein the means are further configured for disconnecting the vehicle from the transaction entity (25) after the micropayment has been made and before the transaction has been verified by the digital currency network.
  8. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the means are further configured to use the assignment of the digital attributes to prevent micropayments above the value assigned to the transaction entities so as to prevent fraudulent use of the digital currency and double spending
  9. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the means are further configured for disconnecting the vehicle from the selected transaction entity (25) before a network database is updated.
  10. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the means are further configured for communicating with a network device to maintain a record of transaction entities and quantities of digital attributes that are assigned from the vehicles.
  11. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein digital attributes that have not been assigned to the selected transaction entity (25) can be used in transactions with other transaction entities but digital attributes that have been assigned to a selected transaction entity (25) are prevented from being used in transactions with other transaction entities.
  12. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the one or more items of digital attributes from a digital attribute account associated with the vehicle are temporarily assigned to the selected transaction entity (25).
  13. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the means are further configured for determining that no transaction has occurred with the selected transaction entity (25) and retracting the digital attributes that had been assigned to the selected transaction entity (25).
  14. An apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle.
  15. The apparatus (1) of any preceding claim wherein the means comprises; at least one processor (5); and at least one memory (7) including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code (11) configured to, with the at least one processor (5), cause the performance of the apparatus (1).
  16. A computer implemented method comprising: selecting a transaction entity (25) in response to a trigger event, wherein the trigger event comprises; detecting that the vehicle has entered a geographic area associated with one or more transaction entities (25); and detecting a fuel level or battery storage level of the vehicle has dropped below a threshold; assigning one or more items of digital attributes from a digital attribute account associated with the vehicle to the selected transaction entity (25); detecting a new trigger event wherein the new trigger event comprises detecting that the vehicle has entered a new geographic area corresponding to one or more new transaction entities; selecting the new transaction entity (25) in response to the detection of the new trigger event; and reassigning the one or more items of the digital attributes from the digital attribute account to the new selected transaction entity (25).
  17. A computer program comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, enables: selecting a transaction entity in response to a trigger event, wherein the trigger event comprises; detecting that the vehicle has entered a geographic area associated with one or more transaction entities; and detecting a fuel level or battery storage level of the vehicle has dropped below a threshold; assigning one or more items of digital attributes from a digital attribute account associated with the vehicle to the selected transaction entity (25); detecting a new trigger event wherein the new trigger event comprises detecting that the vehicle has entered a new geographic area corresponding to one or more new transaction entities (25); selecting the new transaction entity (25) in response to the detection of the new trigger event; and reassigning the one or more items of the digital attributes from the digital attribute account to the new selected transaction entity (25).

Description

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD Examples of the disclosure relate to methods, apparatus and computer programs for enabling transactions using digital attributes. In particular they relate to methods, apparatus and computer programs for enabling transactions using digital attributes between mobile entities and transaction stations. BACKGROUND Digital attributes such as digital currencies or digital authentications, enable transactions between two or more entities. For example digital currencies enable value to be digitally transferred between two or more entities. Digital authentications may enable signatures or other identification means to be transferred between different entities. Such transactions may involve verification processes that can take several minutes. This may be particularly problematic for mobile entities which may be required to wait until a transaction has been verified before they can disconnect from a transaction entity. WO 2012/119255 teaches a location enabled mobile wireless device for providing traffic control such as toll station services. The traffic control information is independently processed by a third party provider and sent to a central system. US 2014/0279403 relates to methods and systems which enable mobile transactions involving electronic currency to be passed in a secure manner even if the networks used to pass the messages are insecure. A middleware system is used to receive an electronic currency message relating to a transaction between a sender and a receiver. The message that is sent to the middleware system may include an encrypted security layer. The middleware system decrypts the encrypted message to retrieve the transaction message containing details related to the transaction and cause the transaction to be effected. US 2017/017955 teaches Point-to-Point Transaction Guidance Apparatuses, Methods and Systems ("P2PTG") which may use bitcoin and block chain process BRIEF SUMMARY According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided a method comprising: selecting a transaction entity for a mobile entity wherein a digital attribute account is associated with the mobile entity; and assigning one or more items of digital attributes from the digital attribute account associated with the mobile entity to the selected transaction entity such that the assigned items can only be used for transactions between the mobile entity and the selected transaction entity. The assigned items may comprise a quantity of digital currency and the quantity of digital currency enables a micropayment to be made between the mobile entity and the selected transaction entity so that a transaction can be completed and the mobile entity can disconnect from the selected transaction entity before a network database is updated. The method may comprise maintaining a record of the micropayments and enabling, at least part of, the record to be provided to a digital currency network after the mobile entity has disconnected from the transaction entity. The one or more items of digital attributes may be temporarily assigned to the selected transaction entity. The method may comprise updating the selected transaction entity by selecting a further transaction entity and retracting the one or more items of digital attributes associated with the selected transaction entity and reassigning one or more items of digital attributes to the further transaction entity. A transaction entity may be selected based on at least one of; a predicted route of the mobile entity, a current location of the mobile entity, goods and/or service requirements of the mobile entity, availability of goods and/or services at the transaction entities. The current location of the mobile entity may be obtained using at least one of; one or more location sensors on the mobile entity, one or more observations from an external observation entity. The mobile entity may comprise identification means which enables the mobile entity and the digital attribute account associated with the mobile entity to be identified. The method may comprise restricting transactions from the digital attribute account associated with the mobile entity so that the one or more items of digital attributes assigned to the selected transaction entity cannot be used at any other transaction entity. According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for selecting a transaction entity for a mobile entity wherein a digital attribute account is associated with the mobile entity; and means for assigning one or more items of digital attributes from the digital attribute account associated with the mobile entity to the selected transaction entity such that the assigned items can only be used for transactions between the mobile entity and the selected transaction entity. According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided an apparatus comp