Parking suggestions

• US 10,066,954 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spotify AB (Spotify Technology SA)
• Original Assignee: Spotify AB (Spotify Technology SA)
• Inventors: Swanson, Christopher, Oskarsson, Johan
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/721,180
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/141 with means giving the indication of available parking spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles

Abstract

Systems, devices, apparatuses, components, methods, and techniques for navigating a vehicle to a recommended parking area are provided. A method of navigating a vehicle to a parking space includes determining a destination, determining a best available parking space, and routing the vehicle to the best available parking space. Available parking spaces are determined by accessing data for parking facilities, parking meters, and GPS data of other vehicles. The best parking spaces are determined by user preferences that include one or more of distance from destination, cost of parking, and availability of particular types of parking spaces. The method further includes providing media content in the vehicle during navigation to the best available parking space.

Claims

1. A method of navigating a vehicle to a parking space using a computing device, the method comprising:

determining a set of user parking preferences for a user associated with the computing device wherein the user parking preferences define how important each of a plurality of parking area characteristics are to the user;

determining a destination;

determining a best available parking space by;

locating parking areas within a predefined distance of the destination having vacant parking spaces; and

ranking the parking areas based on how well the parking areas having vacant spaces match the user parking preferences; and

routing the vehicle to the best available parking space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a destination comprises receiving input through a user interface from a user in the vehicle, the input specifying the destination.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a destination comprises:

accessing one or more preferences of a user in the vehicle;

determining a current location of the vehicle; and

determining, based on the one or more preferences and the current location, the destination.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a destination comprises receiving input from a user to find nearby parking and determining a current location of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined distance is a radius between 0.25 miles and 2 miles.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein vacant parking spaces are located by accessing one or more of GPS data of other vehicles, parking availability data from parking facilities with sensors, and meter data of street spaces.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user preferences comprise at least distance of parking area from destination and one or more of:

cost of parking, availability of covered parking, availability of secured parking, payment type accepted, and applicability of a parking pass.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user preferences further comprise parking in a particular type of parking space when a particular type of weather is occurring.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the user preferences are selected by the user.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the user preferences are automatically selected to match the parking behavior of other users traveling to the same destination.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking comprises ordering the parking areas based on how closely the parking areas match the user preferences.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking comprises presenting free parking provided by the destination as the best available parking option.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the vehicle to the best available parking space further comprises checking to determine whether the selected parking area is still available during navigation and rerouting the vehicle to the next best available parking space if the best available parking space is no longer available.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the vehicle to the best available parking space further comprises checking to determine whether a better parking space has become available during navigation and rerouting the vehicle to the better available parking space.

15. A computing device for navigating a vehicle to a parking space, the computing device comprising:

a processor;

a location determining device;

an output device configured to play media content items during navigation; and

a memory device encoding instructions that, when executed by the processor cause the computing device to;

determine a set of user parking preferences for a user associated with the computing device wherein the user parking preferences define how important each of a plurality of parking area characteristics are to the user;

determine a destination;

determine a best available parking space by;

locating all parking areas within a predefined distance of the destination;

determining which parking areas have vacant parking spaces;

ranking the parking areas based on how well the parking areas having vacant spaces match the user parking preferences;

selecting a parking area; and

route the vehicle to the best available parking space.

16. The computing device of claim 15, further comprising a user interface for receiving input from a user, wherein the user interface receives input from the user by one or more of a sound-sensing device and a touch screen.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the best available parking space is determined by ranking the parking areas based on distance from destination and one or more of:

availability of covered parking, availability of secured parking, payment type accepted, applicability of parking pass, and cost of parking.

18. The computing device of claim 15, further comprising a network access device configured to access external data sources to determine which parking areas have vacant parking spaces.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the external data source includes GPS data for other vehicles indicating whether the vehicles are entering or leaving parking areas.

20. A system for navigating a vehicle to a parking space comprising:

a media server configured to communicate with a media playback device through a network, the media server comprising;

a media server application for accessing and streaming media content;

a parking application for determining a best available parking area;

a navigation application for determining a route of the vehicle;

a processing device; and

a memory device encoding instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the media server to;

determine a set of user parking preferences for a user associated with the media playback device, wherein the user parking preferences define how important each of plurality of parking area characteristics are to the user;

receive a selection of a destination;

determine a best available parking space for the destination based on how well the parking areas match the user parking preferences; and

send instructions to the media playback device to route the vehicle to the best available parking space.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the media playback device comprises:

a processor;

a location determining device;

an output device configured to play media content items during navigation and present a user interface, the media content items comprising at least audio content; and

a memory device encoding instructions that, when executed by the processor cause the media playback device to;

present the user interface to a user, the user interface configured to facilitate interaction between the user and the media playback device to navigate the vehicle, receive parking recommendations, and play media content items;

send a location of the media playback device to the media server;

receive instructions routing the vehicle to the best available parking space; and

play media content.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the best available parking space is determined by finding a vacant parking space that best matches one or more user parking preferences comprising at least distance of parking area from destination and one or more of:

cost of parking, availability of covered parking, availability of secured parking, payment type accepted, and applicability of parking pass.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the memory device further encodes instructions that, when executed by the processor cause the media server to issue an alert to the media playback device, wherein the alert includes parking availability information.

24. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the computing device to:

receive input of a destination;

locate all parking areas within a predefined distance of the destination;

determine which parking areas have vacant parking spaces by accessing one or more of parking facility data, parking meter data, and GPS data of other vehicles;

rank vacant parking spaces based on user parking preferences the user parking preferences defining how important each of a plurality of parking area characteristics are to the user;

select the best available parking space based on the user parking preferences; and

provide navigation instructions to the best available parking space.

25. The computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the computing device to intermittently check to determine whether the best available parking space is still vacant, and if the best available parking space is no longer vacant, to determine a next best available parking space and provide navigation instructions to the next best available parking space.

26. The computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the computing device to intermittently check to determine whether a better parking space has become available, and if a better parking space has become available, to provide navigation instructions to the better parking space.

27. The computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein user defined preferences include a preference for parking in a particular type of parking space when a particular type of weather is occurring.