Public parking space remote reservation system
First Claim
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1. A method for reserving a parking space for a vehicle using a mobile computing device having a display, a user interface and a positioning system, the method comprising:
- requesting, on the user interface and while the mobile computing device is at a present location, an unreserved parking space from a plurality of unreserved parking spaces in a parking system database thereby defining a selected unreserved parking space, the unreserved parking spaces being in a location which is different from the present location;
computing, by the positioning system, an estimated travel time from the present location of the mobile computing device to the selected unreserved parking space;
based on the estimated travel time, automatically calculating, and proposing on the user interface, an initial reservation period for the selected unreserved parking space;
accepting, on the user interface, the initial reservation period thereby starting a timer for the time remaining in the initial reservation period;
upon the accepting, generating and transmitting, from the mobile computing device, a reservation signal to the parking system database, the reservation signal comprising an ID of, and the initial reservation period for, the selected unreserved parking space and instructions for changing a status of the selected unreserved parking space from unreserved to reserved in the parking system database, wherein the initial reservation period starts when performing the accepting;
during the initial reservation period, generating and transmitting, from the mobile computing device, an occupation signal to the parking system database, the occupation signal comprising the ID of the selected reserved parking space and instructions for changing the status of the selected reserved parking space from reserved to occupied for an occupation period in the parking system database thereby ending the initial reservation period and starting the occupation period, confirmed by an actual position of the mobile computing device as computed by the positioning system, and starting a timer for the time remaining in the occupation period, the timer for the occupation period being distinct from the timer for the initial reservation period; and
after the status of the selected parking space is changed from reserved to occupied, determining, using the positioning system, a location of the mobile computing device relative to the occupied parking space thereby defining a relative location, and determining, using the relative location and time, whether the vehicle has left the occupied parking space without using a fixed physical sensor for each parking space to determine if each parking space is occupied or not.
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Abstract
There is described a method for reserving a parking space for a vehicle using a web-enabled computing device and its positioning system. The method comprises:
- requesting, while the mobile computing device is at a present location, an unreserved and/or unoccupied parking space thereby defining a selected parking space;
- computing an estimated travel time from the present location of the mobile computing device to the selected parking space;
- based on the estimated travel time, automatically calculating, an initial reservation period for the selected parking space;
- accepting the initial reservation period; and
- upon the accepting, generating and transmitting a reservation signal to the parking system database, the reservation signal comprising an ID of, and the initial reservation period for, the selected parking space and instructions for changing the status of the selected parking space from unreserved to reserved.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for reserving a parking space for a vehicle using a mobile computing device having a display, a user interface and a positioning system, the method comprising:
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requesting, on the user interface and while the mobile computing device is at a present location, an unreserved parking space from a plurality of unreserved parking spaces in a parking system database thereby defining a selected unreserved parking space, the unreserved parking spaces being in a location which is different from the present location; computing, by the positioning system, an estimated travel time from the present location of the mobile computing device to the selected unreserved parking space; based on the estimated travel time, automatically calculating, and proposing on the user interface, an initial reservation period for the selected unreserved parking space; accepting, on the user interface, the initial reservation period thereby starting a timer for the time remaining in the initial reservation period; upon the accepting, generating and transmitting, from the mobile computing device, a reservation signal to the parking system database, the reservation signal comprising an ID of, and the initial reservation period for, the selected unreserved parking space and instructions for changing a status of the selected unreserved parking space from unreserved to reserved in the parking system database, wherein the initial reservation period starts when performing the accepting; during the initial reservation period, generating and transmitting, from the mobile computing device, an occupation signal to the parking system database, the occupation signal comprising the ID of the selected reserved parking space and instructions for changing the status of the selected reserved parking space from reserved to occupied for an occupation period in the parking system database thereby ending the initial reservation period and starting the occupation period, confirmed by an actual position of the mobile computing device as computed by the positioning system, and starting a timer for the time remaining in the occupation period, the timer for the occupation period being distinct from the timer for the initial reservation period; and after the status of the selected parking space is changed from reserved to occupied, determining, using the positioning system, a location of the mobile computing device relative to the occupied parking space thereby defining a relative location, and determining, using the relative location and time, whether the vehicle has left the occupied parking space without using a fixed physical sensor for each parking space to determine if each parking space is occupied or not. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for reserving a parking space for a vehicle using a web-enabled computing device having a display, a user interface and a positioning system, the method comprising:
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showing, on the display, a map taking into account a present location of the web-enabled computing device; the web-enabled computing device accessing a parking system database to obtain; a status of parking spaces on the map indicative of; an occupancy, thereby defining occupied parking spaces and unoccupied parking spaces; and from the unoccupied parking spaces, a reservation status, thereby defining reserved parking spaces and unreserved parking spaces; an ID of unreserved parking spaces; a location of each of the unoccupied parking spaces on the map; selecting, on the user interface, an unreserved parking space from the unreserved parking spaces; computing, by the positioning system, an estimated travel time from the present location of the web-enabled computing device to the selected unreserved parking space; based on the estimated travel time, automatically calculating, and displaying on the display, an initial reservation period for the selected unreserved parking space; accepting, on the user interface, the initial reservation period thereby starting a timer for the time remaining in the initial reservation period; upon the accepting, generating and transmitting, from the web-enabled computing device, a reservation signal to the parking system database, the reservation signal comprising the ID of, and the initial reservation period for, the selected unreserved parking space and instructions for changing the status of the selected unreserved parking space from unreserved to reserved in the parking system database;
wherein the initial reservation period starts when performing the accepting;during the initial reservation period, generating and transmitting, from the web-enabled computing device, an occupation signal to the parking system database, the occupation signal comprising the ID of the selected reserved parking space and instructions for changing the status of the selected reserved parking space from reserved to occupied for an occupation period in the parking system database thereby ending the initial reservation period and starting the occupation period confirmed by an actual position of the web-enabled computing device as computed by the positioning system, and starting a timer for the time remaining in the occupation period, the timer for the occupation period being distinct from the timer for the initial reservation period; and after the status of the selected parking space is changed from reserved to occupied, determining, using the positioning system, a location of the web-enabled computing device relative to the occupied parking space thereby defining a relative location, and determining, using the relative location and time, whether the vehicle has left the occupied parking space without using a fixed physical sensor for each parking space to determine if each parking space is occupied or not.
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21. A non-transitory machine readable medium encoded with instructions that cause a web-enabled computing device having a positioning system to perform a method comprising the acts of:
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receiving a request, while the web-enabled computing device is at a present location, for an unreserved parking space from a plurality of unreserved parking spaces in a parking system database thereby defining a selected unreserved parking space, the unreserved parking spaces being in a location which is different from the present location; computing an estimated travel time from the present location of the web-enabled computing device to the selected unreserved parking space; based on the estimated travel time, automatically calculating an initial reservation period for the selected unreserved parking space thereby starting a timer for the time remaining in the initial reservation period; upon receiving an acceptance of the initial reservation period, generating and transmitting a reservation signal, the reservation signal comprising an ID of, and the initial reservation period for, the selected unreserved parking space and instructions for changing a status of the selected unreserved parking space from unreserved to reserved in the parking system database, wherein the initial reservation period starts when performing the accepting; during the initial reservation period, generating and transmitting, from the web-enabled computing device, an occupation signal to the parking system database, the occupation signal comprising the ID of the selected reserved parking space and instructions for changing the status of the selected reserved parking space from reserved to occupied for an occupation period in the parking system database thereby ending the initial reservation period and starting the occupation period confirmed by an actual position of the web-enabled computing device, as computed by the positioning system, thereby starting a timer for the time remaining in the occupation period, the timer for the occupation period being distinct from the timer for the initial reservation period; and after the status of the selected parking space is changed from reserved to occupied, determining, using the positioning system, a location of the web-enabled computing device relative to the occupied parking space thereby defining a relative location, and determining, using the relative location and time, whether the vehicle has left the occupied parking space without using a fixed physical sensor for each parking space to determine if each parking space is occupied or not.
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Specification