Parking meter system

• US 10,134,201 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Municipal Parking Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Municipal Parking Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Hudson, Thomas G., Caldwell, Joseph M., Gage, Richard C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trail, Allyson
• Application Number:
  US15/714,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20180025550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 235384, 235381, 705 13, 705 1458, 705 18
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/246 provided with vehicle proximity-detectors detecting hidden masses, e.g. metal detectors, G01V, e.g. G01V3/00; proximity switches per se H03K17/00; traffic control systems G08G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations

Abstract

A parking meter includes a housing, processor, memory, network interface, display screen, first camera facing outward from the first side of the housing, second camera facing outward from the housing towards a parking space, and a payment acceptor. The meter is configured to sense a vehicle'"'"'s presence in the parking space, capture an identification of the vehicle, transmit the identification to a remote networked computer system, determine that a parking violation has occurred, transmit the notice to the remote computer system, accept payment of fines, transmit notice of fine payment to the remote computer system, reset the parking time period to zero upon the vehicle'"'"'s exit from the parking space, and receive updated parking rate parameters by the processor from the remote computer system via the network interface.

Claims

1. A parking meter, comprising:

a weather resistant housing, the housing having a first side and a second side;

a processor disposed inside of the housing

a memory disposed inside of the housing and coupled to the processor;

a network interface disposed in the housing and coupled to the processor;

a display screen disposed in the housing and facing outward from the first side of the housing;

a first camera disposed in the housing and facing outward from the first side of the housing, the first camera coupled to the processor;

a second camera disposed in the housing and facing outward from the second side of the housing towards a first parking space, the second camera coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to;

recognize when a vehicle first occupies a vacant space;

determine that a parking violation for the vehicle has occurred;

transmit notice of the parking violation to a remote computer system via the network interface, the notice including an identification for the vehicle and a time of the violation; and

receive an updated parking parameter from the remote computer system via the network interface.

2. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the updated parking parameter is a parking prohibited mode setting.

3. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the updated parking parameter is an event parking rate.

4. The parking meter of claim 1, further including an electric vehicle charging port provided to the housing.

5. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the updated parking parameter is a maximum parking time limit.

6. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the updated parking parameter is a grace period length.

7. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to display via the display screen, after a violation is determined, a notice that the fine can be paid at a discount rate prior to the vehicle exiting the first parking space.

8. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to define a plurality of parking class rules, and determine which class rule applies to the vehicle in the first parking space.

9. The parking meter of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to determine which class rule applies based upon a class designation associated with the vehicle'"'"'s identification either as maintained in the memory or as communicated by the remote computer system.

10. The parking meter of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to determine which class rule applies based upon a class code input to the meter during an initial grace period.

11. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to display a message to members of the public on the display screen in response to a command received from the remote computer system.

12. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect the expiration status of an identification plate or tag for the vehicle, and then issue a corresponding violation notice when the identification plate or tag is determined to have expired.

13. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether an unpaid violation is associated with the vehicle, and then to automatically switch to a no parking condition if it is determined that at least one unpaid violation is associated with the vehicle.

14. The parking meter of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a grace period during which the at least one unpaid violation can paid via the parking meter, and whereupon receipt of payment for the at least one unpaid violation the processor will then remove the no parking condition.

15. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect a vehicle type for the vehicle in the first parking space and then display at least one of an advertisement and a particular coupon on the display screen that corresponds to the vehicle type.

16. The parking meter of claim 1, further including an impact sensor disposed within the housing and coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to report an impact to the remote computer system when the impact sensor senses an impact force above a set threshold.

17. The parking meter of claim 16, further including an alarm provided to the housing and coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to actuate the alarm when the impact sensor senses an impact force above a set threshold.

18. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform a self-diagnostic routine and report a result of the self-diagnostic routine to the remote computer system.

19. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

calculate a total parking fee in response to a selected amount of time, wherein the total parking fee comprises a first parking rate for a first portion of the selected amount of time and a second parking rate for a second portion of the selected amount of parking time, the second parking rate being different than the first parking rate; and

display simultaneously on the display screen, the first parking rate and first subtotal for the first portion of the selected amount of time, the second parking rate and a second subtotal for the second portion of the selected amount of time, and the total parking fee.

20. A method of monitoring and managing parking via a parking meter comprising:

a housing;

a processor disposed inside of the housing;

a memory disposed inside of the housing and coupled to the processor;

a display screen coupled to the processor; and

a network interface disposed in the housing and coupled to the processor, the method comprising;

sensing a vehicle'"'"'s presence in a first parking space;

communicating via the network interface the identification of the vehicle to a remote networked computer system;

determining by the processor that a parking violation has occurred;

communicating notice of the parking violation to the remote networked computer system;

displaying on the display screen that a violation has occurred;

resetting the parking time period to zero upon the vehicle'"'"'s exit from the first parking space; and

receiving updated parking parameters by the processor from the remote computer system via the network interface.