ELECTRONIC PARKING VALIDATION

• US 20110233274A1
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Christopher B. Tillotson, Frank M. Flanagan
• Inventors: Tillotson, Christopher B., Flanagan, Frank M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,356,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/377
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• 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 17/0021 Access to services on a time-basis
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/242 provided with token dispensing devices

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for providing electronic parking validations. The method and system involve providing a parking ticket with a unique identifier to a patron upon arrival to a parking facility, where the unique identifier is associated with parking information. The method and system further involve using a web-based electronic parking validation system to confirm the parking ticket parking information with electronically stored parking information and to provide an electronic parking validation for the parking ticket. In order to confirm the parking ticket information with the electronically stored parking information and to provide an electronic parking validation for the parking ticket, a validator inputs into the web-based electronic parking validation system the unique identifier that is associated with the parking ticket. In some embodiments, the validator uses an electronic bar code scanner to scan electronically the unique identifier into the system.

Claims

1. A method of providing electronic parking validation, the method comprising:

providing a parking ticket with a unique identifier to a patron upon arrival to a parking facility, wherein the unique identifier on the parking ticket is associated with parking information;

confirming, with the use of a web-based electronic parking validation system, the parking ticket parking information with electronically stored parking information; and

providing, with the use of the web-based electronic parking validation system, an electronic parking validation for the parking ticket.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier on the parking ticket is a barcode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is stored using an encoding card technology of at least one of the following:

magnetic stripe, smart card, and optical card.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a human readable alpha-numeric string that is printed on the parking ticket.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a uniquely identifiable passive radio frequency identifier (RFID) device embedded in the parking ticket.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the unique identifier on the parking ticket is used to confirm the parking ticket parking information and to provide electronic parking validation for the parking ticket.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the parking ticket includes time and day information relating to the arrival of the patron to the parking facility.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein in order to confirm the parking ticket parking information with the electronically stored parking information and to provide an electronic parking validation for the parking ticket, a validator inputs into the web-based electronic parking validation system the unique identifier that is associated with the parking ticket.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein in order to input the unique identifier into the web-based electronic parking validation system, the validator electronically scans the unique identifier with an electronic barcode scanner.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein in order to input the unique identifier into the web-based electronic parking validation system, the validator manually types into a keyboard an alpha-numeric string.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein in order to input the unique identifier into the web-based electronic parking validation system, the validator reads the unique identifier with a reading device for the appropriate encoding card technology.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein in order to input the unique identifier into the web-based electronic parking validation system, the validator reads the unique identifier using a passive RFID reading device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the validator is associated with a validation provider that uses the parking facility for its patrons.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the validation provider is at least one of the following:

a business entity, a tenant, and a department.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the validator is a validation administrator user, and wherein the validation administrator user uses the web-based electronic parking validation system to create and manage validation associate user accounts.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the validator is a validation associate user.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a facility manager user uses the web-based electronic parking validation system to create and manage validation administrator user accounts.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a facility manager user uses the web-based electronic parking validation system to create and manage validation provider profiles.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the facility manager user simultaneously creates, in the web-based electronic validation system, the validation provider profile and a first validation administrator user account for that validation provider.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the validation administrator user is able to replenish validation funds for a validation provider or pay a portion of a credit balance by providing a personal form of payment over an internet which will deposit funds into a validation provider account, and wherein the funds are used to provide electronic parking validations for the parking tickets of the validation provider'"'"'s patrons.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the validation provider has a predetermined line of credit of funds, and wherein the funds are used to provide the electronic parking validations for the parking tickets of the validation provider'"'"'s patrons.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the facility manager user is able to configure the web-based electronic parking validation system such that the validation provider prepurchases validation funds that are deposited into a validation provider account or the validation provider has a predetermined line of validation fund credits, and wherein the funds are used to provide the electronic parking validations for the parking tickets of the validation provider'"'"'s patrons.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the web-based electronic parking validation system is configured to send the facility manager user an electronic-mail (email) when the validation administrator user requires and requests additional validation funds.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the web-based electronic parking validation system is configured to send the facility manager user an electronic-mail (email) replenishment request when funds in a validation provider account fall below a predetermined threshold limit.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein when the validation administrator user desires to deposit funds into a validation provider account, the validation administrator user sends a request to replenish funds over the web-based electronic parking validation system, and

wherein, in response, the web-based electronic parking validation system sends an electronic mail (email) to the facility manager user containing a web link that allows the facility manager user to approve or reject the request.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein a facility manager user is able to configure the web-based electronic parking validation system to establish parking validation default settings for the validation provider'"'"'s validators that represent the most common type of parking validation.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the validators are able to use the parking validation default settings to provide one-click electronic parking validations.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the validator uses an appropriate reader device to scan electronically the unique identifier of the parking ticket in order to provide the one-click electronic parking validation.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the facility manager user is able to configure the web-based electronic parking validation system to provide at least one and any combination of the following types of validations:

cash, aliases, time, percentage, and rate reduction.

30. The method of claim 17, wherein the facility manager user is able to configure the web-based electronic parking validation system to establish unique aliases for cash validation amounts.

31. The method of claim 18, wherein the facility manager user is able to configure the web-based electronic parking validation system to allow the validation providers to provide validations in the form of virtual time denomination tickets.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the facility manager user sells virtual validation ticket books to the validation providers, wherein each virtual validation ticket book includes a predetermined number of the virtual time denomination tickets.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the virtual time denomination tickets each have a predetermined denomination of time.

34. The method of claim 18, wherein the facility manager user is able to configure the validation provider to be charged for over validating.

35. The method of claim 18, wherein the facility manager user is able to configure the validation provider not to be charged for over validating.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the web-based electronic parking validation system provides to the facility manager user a report including the difference between the over validation amount and the actual parking fees.

37. The method of claim 18, wherein the validation administrator user is able to configure the web-based system to display a patron details entry form.

38. The method of claim 8, wherein after the parking ticket parking information is confirmed with the electronically stored parking information, an elapsed time from a time of entry of the patron into the parking facility to present is displayed to the validator.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic parking validation includes an additional predetermined amount of time to allow for the patron to return to their vehicle and exit the parking facility.

40. The method of claim 8, wherein after an electronic parking validation is provided for the parking ticket, a validation confirmation number is displayed to the validator.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein after a validation confirmation number is displayed to the validator, the validation confirmation number continues to be displayed until the validator provides another electronic parking validation.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying a message if there is a disruption in service that causes the web-based electronic parking validation system not to be able to provide electronic parking validations.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the message includes a description of a cause of the disruption in service.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein if the disruption in service is caused by a disconnect in internet service, the web-based electronic parking validation system will attempt to reconnect to the internet for a predetermined number of times over a predetermined time period.

45. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises transferring pertinent parking information to a database at a location remote from the parking facility.

46. The method of claim 8, wherein the validator can use a mobile device to provide parking validations to patrons.

47. The method of claim 1, wherein the web-based electronic parking validation system can manage multiple parking facilities.

48. The method of claim 1, wherein the web-based electronic parking validation system can validate parking tickets from multiple parking facilities.

49. The method of claim 1, wherein the patron uses the web-based electronic parking validation system to create and manage their own personal user account to be used for their own parking validations.

50. A system for providing electronic parking validations, the system comprising:

an entry machine, wherein the entry machine provides a parking ticket with a unique identifier to a patron upon arrival to a parking facility, wherein the unique identifier is associated with parking information; and

a web-based electronic parking validation system,

wherein the web-based electronic parking validation system confirms the parking ticket parking information with electronically stored parking information, and

wherein the web-based electronic parking validation system provides an electronic parking validation for the parking ticket.