PARKING METER SYSTEM WITH AUTOMATED TICKET GENERATION FOR A VIOLATION

• US 20120158466A1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: American Gardens Management Company
• Original Assignee: American Gardens Management Company
• Inventors: John, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US13/282,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158466A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/13
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to parking meters, and in particular, to an automated parking meter that recognizes a parker by reading an identification card, such as a car registration, insurance card, license, etc., and is configured to visually display the current status of the vehicle and is configured so that in the event that the meter expires or payment is not made, a ticket can be generated and delivered to the parker.

Claims

1. A parking meter system with automated ticket generation for a parking violation comprising:

a base portion that has a user interface that allows a user to enter parking space information and enter payment instructions to pay for a prescribed time period of parking and enter vehicle or user identification information;

a controller that is in communication with the user interface;

a sensing means for determining whether a vehicle is within a designated packing spot, the means being configured to determine whether an object sensed within the parking spot is a vehicle by determining a distance to the object from the base portion and by evaluating whether the object occupies both a forward zone and rearward zone of the parking spot; and

wherein when the prescribed time period of parking expires, the controller determines whether the vehicle is still within the parking spot by information received from the sensing means and if so, a parking violation is automatically generated and sent to an address that is known from either the vehicle or user identification means;

wherein if the sensing means determines that a vehicle is not present in the parking spot,t the parking spot is classified as vacant and ready for payment by a next customer.