Parking meter with contactless payment

• US 10,424,147 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: J.J. MacKay Canada Limited (137954 Canada Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: J.J. MacKay Canada Limited (137954 Canada Ltd.)
• Inventors: MacKay, George Allan, Chauvin, Gregory Emile, O'Neil, Adrian Ignatius
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tardif, David
• Application Number:
  US15/783,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20180061172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 235380
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0704 the battery being rechargeable, e.g. solar batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/248 Housing construction casings for coin-freed apparatus G07F9/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A parking meter is described that comprises components for providing parking meter functionality and a display for displaying parking information and a metal housing for protecting the parking meter components from an environment that has a display aperture through which the display is visible. The parking meter also comprises an antenna for a contactless payment reader arranged in or on the parking meter in close proximity to the display.

Claims

1. A removable single space parking meter mechanism comprising:

an internal structure to be at least partially and removably received within a lower housing of a single space parking meter;

components for providing parking meter functionality including a contactless payment reader;

a display; and

an antenna for the contactless payment reader arranged in close proximity to the display,

wherein the contactless payment reader is operable to read a payment device.

2. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 1 further comprising a front housing, to be exposed to an external environment, coupled to the internal structure.

3. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 1 wherein the display presents payment information when parking time is being purchased.

4. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 3, wherein the payment information comprises payment instructions for payment using the contactless payment reader antenna.

5. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 2, wherein the front housing comprises a display opening through which the display is visible.

6. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 2, further comprising additional payment components comprising one or more of:

a card slot in the front housing for receiving a payment card; and

a coin slot for receiving coins.

7. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a solar panel coupled to the internal structure.

8. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 2, further comprising input components located on the front housing.

9. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 1, wherein the contactless payment reader comprises at least one of:

a Near-Field Communications (NFC) reader;

a RadFrequency Identification (RFID) reader; and

an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14443 reader.

10. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 1, wherein the antenna is arranged adjacent to the display of the removable parking meter mechanism.

11. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 1, wherein the antenna is arranged adjacent to one or more input components of the removable parking meter mechanism.

12. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 1, wherein the antenna is arranged adjacent to a card slot of the removable parking meter mechanism.

13. The removable single space parking meter mechanism of claim 1, wherein the antenna is at least partially surrounding or covering at least a portion of the display.

14. A single space parking meter comprising:

a metallic lower housing;

a removable single space parking meter mechanism comprising;

an internal structure to be at least partially and removably received within the lower housing;

components for providing parking meter functionality including a contactless payment reader; and

a display;

an antenna for the contactless payment reader, wherein the antenna is arranged in close proximity to the display; and

a metallic meter housing secured to the lower housing and securing the removable single space parking meter mechanism at least partially within the lower housing,

wherein the contactless payment reader is operable to read a payment device.

15. The single space parking meter of claim 14, wherein the removable single space parking meter mechanism further comprises a front housing, to be exposed to an external environment, coupled to the internal structure.

16. The single space parking meter claim 14 wherein the display presents payment information when parking time is being purchased.

17. The single space parking meter of claim 16, wherein the payment information comprises payment instructions for payment using the contactless payment reader antenna.

18. The single space parking meter of claim 15, wherein the front housing comprises a display opening through which the display is visible.

19. The single space parking meter of claim 14, wherein the meter housing comprises a display opening through which the display is visible.

20. The single space parking meter of claim 15, further comprising additional payment components comprising one or more of:

a card slot in the front housing for receiving a payment card; and

a coin slot for receiving coins.

21. The single space parking meter of claim 14, further comprising a solar panel coupled to the internal structure of the removable single space parking meter mechanism.

22. The single space parking meter of claim 15, further comprising input components located on the front housing.

23. The single space parking meter of claim 14, wherein the contactless payment reader comprises at least one of:

a Near-Field Communications (NFC) reader;

a RadFrequency Identification (RFID) reader; and

an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14443 reader.

24. The single space parking meter of claim 14, wherein the antenna is arranged adjacent to the display of the parking meter.

25. The single space parking meter of claim 14, wherein the antenna is arranged adjacent to one or more input components of the parking meter.

26. The single space parking meter of claim 14, wherein the antenna is arranged adjacent to a card slot of the parking meter.

27. The single space parking meter of claim 14, wherein the antenna is arranged within a display aperture of the parking meter.

28. The single space parking meter of claim 14, wherein the antenna is at least partially surrounding or covering at least a portion of the display.