BICYCLE RENTAL SYSTEM AND STATION

• US 20110161141A1
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: 8D Technologies Inc. (LYFT Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bettez, Isabelle, Bettez, Jean-Sebastien
• Granted Patent: US 9,076,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 2003/005 Supports or holders associated with means for bike rental
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 3/00 Separate supports or holders for parking or storing cycles cycle supports used during maintenance B25H; building aspects E04H
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• 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: G07C 1/30 Parking meters registering or indicating waiting time of vehicles by means driven by the vehicle G07C5/02; coin-freed parking meters G07F17/24
• 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 17/0057 for the hiring or rent of vehicles, e.g. cars, bicycles or wheelchairs car rental G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/10 for means for safe-keeping of property, left temporarily, e.g. by fastening the property
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/244 provided with means for retaining a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 10/20 Systems characterised by their energy storage means H02S40/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• 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: Y10S 194/902 Check-operated device for controlling parking lot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/50 : Special application
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5872 : For cycles

Abstract

A bicycle rental system and automated station that may be integrated with an automobile parking payment and management system. Users may pay for parking and/or rent and pickup bicycles at the station. The station has a meter, bicycle docks, and power plant. Transaction formalities for parking payment and rental may be handled at the meter. The bicycle docks each are adapted to secure a bicycle. The power plant uses a solar panel to collect power and stores it in energy storage device. Low-power operation may be achieved by placing some electronics in a low-power mode. Each bicycle dock may have a trigger mechanism that when activated powers on associated electronics. The bicycle docks may be divided among a number of bicycle modules. The bicycle modules provide flexibility and modularity so that the number of bicycle docks at a station may be changed.

Claims

1. An integrated automated metering system for automobile parking and bicycle rental comprising:

a meter configured to display user selectable options for metered parking of an automobile in at least one automobile parking space and for metered rental of at least one bicycle from at least one bicycle rental unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user selectable options are displayed in a graphical user interface.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the meter is configured to communicate with the at least one bicycle rental unit.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the meter is configured to provide unlocking data to the at least one bicycle rental unit to unlock a bicycle and is further configured to receive status data from the at least one bicycle rental unit to indicate a status of at least one bicycle at the at least one bicycle rental unit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the meter is configured to accept payment or information for a user to authorize rental of the at least one bicycle.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the meter is further configured to provide a rental contract to the user.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the meter is further configured to display user selectable options for modifying an existing rental agreement.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a bicycle station comprising;

at least one bicycle module for docking at least one bicycle;

an energy source configured to provide energy harvested from solar radiation to the meter and the at least one bicycle module; and

communication apparatus to enable communication of electronic data at least between the meter and the at least one bicycle module.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the meter and the at least one bicycle module are configured to operate in a low-power consumption mode.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the meter and the at least one bicycle module are configured to operate in a mode that consumes no power.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the meter and the at least one bicycle module are configured to operate in a high-power consumption mode in response to a trigger signal.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the meter and the at least one bicycle module are configured to communicate with a hosting center for transmitting data to and/or receiving data from the hosting center relevant to the automobile parking and the bicycle renting.

13. Manufactured computer readable medium including computer readable instructions that when executed by at least one processor adapts the at least one processor to perform acts comprising:

displaying, at a meter, user selectable options for metered parking of an automobile in at least one automobile parking space;

displaying, at the meter, user selectable options for metered rental of at least one bicycle from at least one bicycle rental unit;

receiving status information from at least one bicycle module, the status information identifying availability of at least one bicycle docked at the at least one bicycle module.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that adapt the at least one processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving polling information from the at least one bicycle module;

determining from the polling information if a trigger has been activated; and

causing at least a portion of the meter and/or bicycle module to operate in a high-power consumption mode responsive to the polling information.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the trigger comprises a trigger mechanism located on a bicycle dock that docks the at least one bicycle.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the trigger comprises a locking mechanism located on a bicycle dock that docks the at least one bicycle.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the polling information is provided by an ioctl module that is configured to communicate with the at least one bicycle module and the meter.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that adapt the at least one processor to perform an act comprising:

causing at least a portion of the meter and/or the bicycle module to operate in a low-power consumption mode after a predetermined period of inactivity.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that adapt the at least one processor to perform acts comprising:

displaying, at the meter, user selectable options on a graphical user interface; and

accepting information input by a user for authorizing rental of the at least one bicycle or altering an existing rental agreement.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions that adapt the at least one processor to perform acts comprising:

displaying, at the meter, contract information for rental of the at least one bicycle.

21. A method of operating a bicycle rental station comprising:

placing a portion of the station in a low-power consumption mode;

storing solar energy collected by a solar panel in an energy storage device; and

powering on the portion of the station to a higher-power consumption mode from the energy storage device in response to activation of a trigger mechanism,

wherein no power from the energy storage device is consumed by the portion of the station in the low-power consumption mode.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the trigger mechanism is mechanical.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein a pass card activates the trigger mechanism, whereby the portion of the station is powered in the higher-power consumption mode in response to the pass card being read.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein placing a bicycle in a bicycle dock activates the trigger mechanism, whereby the portion of the station is powered in the higher-power consumption mode in response to the bicycle being placed in the dock.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the portion of the station that is powered in the higher-power consumption mode comprises an RFID reader located at the bicycle dock.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

performing a reading with the RFID reader while powering the portion in the higher-power consumption mode.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the portion of the station comprises a locking mechanism located at the bicycle dock, the method further comprising:

locking the locking mechanism to secure the bicycle at the bicycle dock.