Vehicle parking system
First Claim
1. A parking system, including;
- a parking meter for location in proximity to a parking bay;
the parking meter having communication means for receipt and/or transmission of data to a remote location; and
wherein in order to operate the parking meter a user is able to transmit information via a transmitter means so as to active the parking meter and make payment for parking time spent in the parking bay controlled by the parking meter.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A parking system is disclosed which includes a parking meter (10) which has a transceiver (12) and (14) for transmitting and receiving information and which in one embodiment may comprise an over the air telephone, fixed land line telephone or the like. The transmitter receiver (12, 14) communicates with a host central station (50) for receiving and transmitting information. In order to park at the meter a user telephones a telephone number associated with the parking meter and connects with the host station (50). Commands are input into the user'"'"'s telephone to provide an indication of the amount of parking time required and payment for the parking time and information is downloaded from the station (50) to the parking meter (10) to indicate that parking has been paid for and the parking meter should activate to indicate that parking has been paid for. Parking bays associated with meters may include sensors (22) for indicating the presence of a vehicle and for providing a signal to the parking meter (10) in the event that parking time expires and car is still present in the parking place so that appropriate action can be taken. Other embodiment include communication to the central station via the parking meter (10) rather than direct to the central station (50) and also a system in which parking takes place in a garage or parking station in which communication takes place from a user'"'"'s telephone to the central station (50) to enable payment and downloading of relevant data to the garage (100) to indicate that parking has been paid for.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A parking system, including;
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a parking meter for location in proximity to a parking bay;
the parking meter having communication means for receipt and/or transmission of data to a remote location; and
wherein in order to operate the parking meter a user is able to transmit information via a transmitter means so as to active the parking meter and make payment for parking time spent in the parking bay controlled by the parking meter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A parking system, including;
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a parking meter for location in proximity to a parking bay, the parking meter having communication means for receiving and transmitting data;
a central control station for communicating with the communication means of the parking meter; and
wherein, in use, a user is able to transfer information via a transmitter means to the central control station and input information relating to the parking meter via the transmitter means to the control station whereby the control station transmits data to the communication means of the parking meter to cause the parking meter to indicate that payment has been made for the parking space for a particular time period. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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14. A parking meter for a parking system, said parking meter including;
a communication means for communicating with a remote location so that information can be transmitted from a remote location to the parking meter and received by the communication means to activate the parking meter to show parking has been paid for a predetermined time period.
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21. A parking station including;
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a central control station including receiver means for receiving communication from a user;
a transmitter at the central control station for transmitting data to a parking station;
a receiver at the parking station for receiving the date from the central control station to provide a data code identifying the user. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29)
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24. A parking payment method including the steps of:
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providing a central facility to which a user can make a telephone call to request parking;
taking payments for the parking which is required; and
transmitting information to a parking facility relating to the parking which is required by the user.
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27. A parking payment method including the steps of:
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providing a parking meter which includes communication means for receiving a telephone call from a user;
receiving a call from a user to initiate parking at the parking meter;
taking payment for the parking which is required; and
activating the parking meter to indicate that the parking meter is active and that payment has been made for parking.
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Specification