Method for control of parked vehicles

• US 20050086099A1
• Filed: 01/15/2003
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Modul-System Sweden AB
• Original Assignee: Modul-System Sweden AB
• Inventors: Hjelmvik, Torbernt
• Granted Patent: US 7,114,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• 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 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• 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

Abstract

A method of controlling vehicles parked in a parking system. A user sends a user-specific code to a parking system computer via a mobile telephone system when beginning and terminating a parking period. The identity of the parking zone concerned is sent to the computer, in which a vehicle-specific code is stored and is tied to the user-specific code. A parking attendant uses a control unit for wirelessly fetching information concerning vehicles that have commenced but not terminated a parking period in the zone concerned. The control unit sends to a telephone coupled to the computer a voice message from the parking attendant that includes a vehicle registration number. The computer compares that registration number with the registration numbers of logged-in vehicles and sends to the control unit a voice message repeating the registration number and including information as to whether the vehicle is logged-in.

Claims

1. A method of controlling parking of vehicles in a parking system by which a mobile telephone is used to commence and to terminate parking of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

sending by telephone at least one user-specific code to a receiving computer associated with the parking system when beginning and terminating a parking period, at the beginning of a parking period sending to the parking system computer by telephone the identity of the parking zone concerned and a vehicle-specific code, storing the parking zone identity and the vehicle-specific code in said computer and associating them with the user specific code, providing a control unit including a mobile telephone having a unique telephone number for wireless communication with said computer to fetch information as to the identity of those vehicles that have commenced but not yet terminated a parking period in the parking zone concerned, which control unit is capable of transmitting a voice message from a parking attendant to the parking system computer, and wherein the control unit includes a mobile telephone unit for sending to a receiving telephone device coupled to said computer a voice message from said attendant which includes an observed vehicle registration number, comparing the observed vehicle registration number with stored registration numbers of logged-in vehicles, and sending to the control unit a voice message in which the observed registration number understood by the computer is repeated in the control unit and which includes information as to whether the vehicle is logged-in or not, and detecting the unique telephone number of the mobile telephone of the parking attendant and storing it in said computer.

2. A method according to claim 1, including the step of informing the parking attendant by voice message in which parking zone an observed vehicle is logged-in.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein when free parking is permitted for a predetermined time period and a vehicle is not deemed to be wrongly parked in a relevant parking zone until the predetermined time period has expired, the additional step of storing the registration number of the observed vehicle together with the time at which the parking attendant reported said registration number, and when the parking attendant thereafter again reports the registration number of the observed vehicle and the vehicle is still parked, the step of sending a voice message to the parking attendant reporting whether the vehicle is still logged-in.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving telephone device includes a voice interpreting device for interpreting a registration number spoken by the parking attendant.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone unit of each parking attendant has a unique telephone number and that number is detected by the receiving telephone device and is stored in the computer together with a message sent by the parking attendant.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the voice interpreting device recognizes and identifies the voice of each parking attendant.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the event of the computer informing the parking attendant, by mobile telephone that an observed vehicle is not logged-in, the step of sending a confirmation message from the control unit to the computer by an entry through a keypad of the control unit mobile telephone.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the event of the computer informing the parking attendant by mobile telephone that an observed vehicle is not logged-in, the step of sending a confirmation message from the control unit to the computer by a voice message.