Patents by Inventor Neil Fitzgerald

Neil Fitzgerald has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11833997
    Abstract: A number of techniques are disclosed for making it more convenient and efficient for customers to conduct various rental vehicle transactions. As an example, a technique for performing an automated pickup of a rental vehicle using a mobile device is disclosed. As another example, a technique for performing an automated return administration of a rental vehicle using a mobile device is disclosed. As another example, a technique for permitting customer to select a particular rental vehicle for a rental vehicle transaction using a mobile device is disclosed. Also disclosed is a technique for permitting a customer to keylessly start a rental vehicle using a machine-sensible item such as his/her mobile device without requiring the customer to possess a smart key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: The Crawford Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan S. Johnson, Scott Stephens, Dave G. Smith, Neil Fitzgerald, Derik Reiser
  • Publication number: 20230303033
    Abstract: A number of techniques are disclosed for making it more convenient and efficient for customers to conduct various rental vehicle transactions. As an example, a technique for performing an automated pickup of a rental vehicle using a mobile device is disclosed. As another example, a technique for performing an automated return administration of a rental vehicle using a mobile device is disclosed. As another example, a technique for permitting customer to select a particular rental vehicle for a rental vehicle transaction using a mobile device is disclosed. Also disclosed is a technique for permitting a customer to keylessly start a rental vehicle using a machine-sensible item such as his/her mobile device without requiring the customer to possess a smart key.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Inventors: Ryan S. Johnson, Scott Stephens, Dave G. Smith, Neil Fitzgerald, Derik Reiser
  • Patent number: 10059304
    Abstract: A number of techniques are disclosed for making it more convenient and efficient for customers to conduct various rental vehicle transactions. As an example, techniques are disclosed for capturing and analyzing images of driver's licenses to assess a validity for the driver's licenses in support of various rental transactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan S. Johnson, Scott Stephens, Dave G. Smith, Neil Fitzgerald, Ryan C. Flynn, Jerome V. Schmitt, Tom McAliney
  • Publication number: 20140278607
    Abstract: A number of techniques are disclosed for making it more convenient and efficient for customers to conduct various rental vehicle transactions. As an example, a technique for performing an automated pickup of a rental vehicle using a mobile device is disclosed. As another example, a technique for performing an automated return administration of a rental vehicle using a mobile device is disclosed. As another example, a technique for permitting customer to select a particular rental vehicle for a rental vehicle transaction using a mobile device is disclosed. Also disclosed is a technique for permitting a customer to keylessly start a rental vehicle using a machine-sensible item such as his/her mobile device without requiring the customer to possess a smart key.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: The Crawford Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan S. Johnson, Scott Stephens, Dave G. Smith, Neil Fitzgerald, Derik Reiser
  • Publication number: 20140278555
    Abstract: A number of techniques are disclosed for making it more convenient and efficient for customers to conduct various rental vehicle transactions. As an example, techniques are disclosed for capturing and analyzing images of driver's licenses to assess a validity for the driver's licenses in support of various rental transactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: The Crawford Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan S. Johnson, Scott Stephens, Dave G. Smith, Neil Fitzgerald, Ryan C. Flynn, Jerome V. Schmitt, Tom McAliney
  • Publication number: 20140136249
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for permitting users to efficiently identify a desired branch location for a rental vehicle reservation. For example, a user-selectable link can be provided on a website page that, upon user selection, restricts a list of available branch locations in an area to only airport branch locations in that area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: The Crawford Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Neil Fitzgerald, Hugues Belanger, Kelli Boruff, Paul Tucker, Jeffrey Lee Everson
  • Patent number: 8706534
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for expediting how rental vehicle reservations can be booked by employing deep-link uniform resource locators (URLs) that encode aspects of a rental vehicle reservation transaction to relieve users of a need to enter reservation data themselves when booking a rental vehicle reservation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: The Crawford Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Neil Fitzgerald, Hugues Belanger, Kelli Boruff, Paul Tucker, Jeffrey Lee Everson
  • Publication number: 20130166331
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for improved control over how customers can interact with a rental vehicle reservation booking site, including user interfaces for defining customer accounts and user interfaces for defining promotional offers with respect to rental vehicle reservations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: THE CRAWFORD GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Neil Fitzgerald, Hugues Belanger, Kelli Boruff, Paul Tucker, Jeffrey Lee Everson
  • Publication number: 20130046565
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a reservation booking website for rental vehicle reservations wherein the customer profiles include “favorite” or “preferred” branch locations for rental vehicle reservations to expedite the customers' rental vehicle reservation booking experiences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Publication date: February 21, 2013
    Applicant: THE CRAWFORD GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Neil Fitzgerald, Hugues Belanger, Kelli Boruff, Paul Tucker, Jeffrey Lee Everson
  • Publication number: 20130030847
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for expediting the ability of a customer to book a new rental vehicle reservation after booking a previous rental vehicle reservation. A link can be provided on a screen such as a confirmation page for a previous rental vehicle reservation that, upon customer selection, causes a new reservation transaction to be automatically loaded with data from the previous rental vehicle reservation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: The Crawford Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Neil Fitzgerald, Hugues Belanger, Kelli Boruff, Paul Tucker, Jeffrey Lee Everson
  • Publication number: 20120296681
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for permitting users to efficiently identify a desired branch location for a rental vehicle reservation. For example, a user-selectable link can be provided on a website page that, upon user selection, restricts a list of available branch locations in an area to only airport branch locations in that area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: THE CRAWFORD GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Neil Fitzgerald, Hugues Belanger, Kelli Boruff, Paul Tucker, Jeffrey Lee Everson
  • Publication number: 20120290341
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for expediting how rental vehicle reservations can be booked by employing deep-link uniform resource locators (URLs) that encode aspects of a rental vehicle reservation transaction to relieve users of a need to enter reservation data themselves when booking a rental vehicle reservation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Applicant: The Crawford Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Neil Fitzgerald, Hugues Belanger, Kelli Boruff, Paul Tucker, Jeffrey Lee Everson
  • Patent number: 8234134
    Abstract: A method of processing a reservation transaction between a customer and reservation-booking entity via a computer network inter-connecting a customer computer with an automated reservation transaction processor, the reservation transaction requiring submission of at least three different types of reservation data from the customer for successful completion thereof, each reservation data type having one of a plurality of different values, wherein each reservation data type value is dependent upon other reservation data type values, the method including presenting an initial page for data value entry for a plurality of reservation data types, accepting for partial data entry data values for less than all of said reservation data types, and determining, on the basis of the interdependence of the different data values for the different reservation data types, a list of acceptable data values for any un-entered reservation data types.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: The Crawford Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Neil Fitzgerald, Hugues Belanger, Kelli Boruff, Paul Tucker, Jeffrey Lee Everson
  • Publication number: 20100287062
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for facilitating a buyer driven transaction are provided. The method comprises the steps of registering a seller to receive one or more conditional purchase offers, the seller agreeing to one or more terms to be employed upon entry into a transaction with a buyer upon acceptance of one of the one or more conditional purchase offers, and registering a buyer to submit one or more conditional purchase offers, the buyer agreeing to one or more terms to be employed upon entry into a transaction with the seller upon acceptance of one of the one or more conditional purchase offers. A conditional purchase offer is received from the buyer for a particular defined product, the conditional purchase offer including at least one or more product indicators, a price offer, and an offer expiration. The submitted conditional purchase offer is provided to the seller associated with the particular defined product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: Price Whispers, Inc.
    Inventors: Yufeng Liang, Neil FitzGerald, Chris Anderson
  • Publication number: 20050119921
    Abstract: A method of processing a reservation transaction between a customer and reservation-booking entity via a computer network inter-connecting a customer computer with an automated reservation transaction processor, the reservation transaction requiring submission of at least three different types of reservation data from the customer for successful completion thereof, each reservation data type having one of a plurality of different values, wherein each reservation data type value is dependent upon other reservation data type values, the method including presenting an initial page for data value entry for a plurality of reservation data types, accepting for partial data entry data values for less than all of said reservation data types, and determining, on the basis of the interdependence of the different data values for the different reservation data types, a list of acceptable data values for any un-entered reservation data types.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Publication date: June 2, 2005
    Inventors: Neil Fitzgerald, Hugues Belanger, Kelli Boruff, Paul Tucker, Jeffrey Everson
  • Publication number: 20040039612
    Abstract: A method of processing a reservation transaction between a customer and reservation-booking entity via a computer network inter-connecting a customer computer with an automated reservation transaction processor, the reservation transaction requiring submission of at least three different types of reservation data from the customer for successful completion thereof, each reservation data type having one of a plurality of different values, wherein each reservation data type value is dependent upon other reservation data type values, the method including presenting an initial page for data value entry for a plurality of reservation data types, accepting for partial data entry data values for less than all of said reservation data types, and determining, on the basis of the interdependence of the different data values for the different reservation data types, a list of acceptable data values for any un-entered reservation data types.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2002
    Publication date: February 26, 2004
    Inventors: Neil Fitzgerald, Hugues Belanger, Kelli Boruff, Paul Tucker