METHOD OF RESERVATION

• US 20080263147A1
• Filed: 04/22/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Inventors: PONERT, Gregor, FOX, Dirk
• Application Number:
  US12/107,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263147A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• 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: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A method for reserving a service from inside a vehicle (A) at one of several facilities providing such service. The vehicle (A) having a navigation apparatus (1) which is equipped for data communication with a reservation server (3). Each service-providing facility has a reading mechanism (11, 12). The navigation apparatus (1) is adapted to display the service-providing facilities within an area to which the vehicle (A) is traveling. Using the navigation apparatus (1), the user selects one of the displayed service-providing facilities and communicates a reservation for the desired service—together with user identification data—with reservation server (3) at the selected facility. Upon arrival at the selected facility, a reading mechanism (11, 12) reads the identification data and grants access to the desired service, if the user identification data agrees with the data previously communicated to the reservation server (3).

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A method of reserving a service from inside a vehicle (A) from at one of several facilities providing such service, the vehicle (A) having a navigation apparatus (1) configured for data communication with a reservation server (3) and the service-providing facilities each having a reader (11, 12), the method comprising the steps of:

displaying, with the navigation apparatus (1), service-providing facilities located within a selected area,

using the navigation apparatus (1) to select one of the service-providing facilities and communicating to the reservation server (3) a reservation of the service at the selected service-providing facility together with identification data assigned to the user; and

upon arrival at the service-providing facility, reading the user identification data by the reader (11, 12) thereof, and granting the user access to the reserved service if the read user identification data agrees with the user identification data communicated to reservation server (3).

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of issuing to the reservation server (3) a reservation request and identification data associated with the selected service-providing facility, with the reservation server (3) having been informed previously of the services available at the selected service-providing facility, following the selection of the service-providing facility and prior to communicating the reservation of the service by means of navigation apparatus (1) equipped for data communication.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising the step of providing, as identification data associated with the service-providing facility, geographic coordinates thereof as determined by the navigation apparatus (1).

23. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of configuring the navigation apparatus (1) with a navigation device (2) and a communication terminal (9) for data communication with the reservation server (3).

24. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of defining the user assigned identification data as data identifying one of a navigation device (2) and communication terminal (9).

25. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of storing the user assigned identification data on an electronic data storage media which is readable by the communication terminal (9) and the reader (11, 12) at the selected service-providing facility.

26. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of linking at least one of the navigation device (2) and the communication terminal (9) and the electronic data media and the communication terminal (9) by near-field communication.

27. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of defining the user assigned identification data as a license number of the vehicle.

28. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of reading, with the reader (11, 12) at the selected service-providing facility, the user assigned identification data with near-field communication technology.

29. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of enabling the reader (11, 12) at the selected service-providing facility to read vehicle registration plates.

30. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of connecting the reservation server (3) with databases (6, 7) located at each of the plurality of service-providing facilities and storing services available at each of the plurality of service-providing facilities.

31. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of defining the plurality of service-providing facilities as parking areas (4, 5) and the service provided by the plurality of service-providing facilities is parking the vehicle (A) in a parking position within the parking area (4, 5).

32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the step of communicating the user-assigned parking position within the parking area (4, 5) to the user on a display means (8) located at least one of inside the vehicle (A) and at an entrance to the parking area (4, 5).

33. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the step of printing the user-assigned parking position within the parking area (4, 5) on a ticket by means of a printer located at the entrance to the parking area (4, 5).

34. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of defining the service-providing facilities as a facility having one of rooms and seats.

35. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the step of associating the reservation with at least one of a specific parking position, a seat and a room upon arrival at the service-providing facility and after reading the user identification data.

36. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the step of identifying at least one of a specific parking position, a seat and a room as having been reserved by one of optical and mechanical means.

37. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of defining the service-providing facilities as a leisure facility.

38. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of defining the service-providing facilities as a transport facility.

39. A method of reserving, from inside a vehicle (A), a service from one of a plurality of facilities (4, 5) providing a desired service, the method comprising the steps of:

enabling a navigation apparatus (1) of the vehicle (A) to communicate with a reservation server (3);

displaying, on the navigation apparatus (1), the plurality of service-providing facilities (4, 5) located within a selected destination area;

selecting with the navigation apparatus (1) one of the plurality of service-providing facilities (4, 5);

communicating, via the navigation apparatus (1), a reservation with the reservation server (3) for the service at the selected service-providing facility (4, 5);

communicating, via the navigation apparatus (1), with the reservation server (3) to transfer user specific identification data therebetween;

reading the user specific identification data with a reader (11, 12), which is associated with the selected service-providing facility (4, 5), upon arrival of the vehicle (A) at the selected service-providing facility (4, 5); and

granting the user access to the reserved service, if the user specific identification data read by the reader (11, 12) agrees with the user specific identification data previously communicated between the navigation apparatus (1) and the reservation server (3).