PARKING REWARD SYSTEM

• US 20130185115A1
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Leigh Vernon Regan
• Original Assignee: Leigh Vernon Regan
• Inventors: Regan, Leigh Vernon
• Application Number:
  US13/876,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185115A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0232 Frequent usage rewards other than merchandise, cash or travel
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/24 for parking meters

Abstract

A combination parking and shopping system comprising a data collection system for collecting purchase data of a user of the system, a parking entry machine comprising a portable user device dispenser, and a parking station comprising an identity input device and a data input device. The data collection system comprises a data input device for receiving the purchase data from a portable user device, an identity input device for receiving a user identification input in association with the purchase data, and a communication interface for communicating with a user database adapted to store user records corresponding to respective users of the system. The records comprise purchase data of the respective users. The communication interface is adapted to output to the user database the purchase data received by the data input device in association with a user identifier comprising or derived from the user identification input received by the identity input device, for storage in a user record of the user database corresponding to the user identifier.

Claims

1. A data collection system for collecting purchase data of a user of the system, the system comprising:

a data input device for receiving the purchase data from a portable user device;

an identity input device for receiving a user identification input in association with the purchase data; and

a communication interface for communicating with a user database adapted to store user records corresponding to respective users of the system, said records comprising purchase data of the respective users,

wherein the communication interface is adapted to output to the user database the purchase data received by the data input device in association with a user identifier comprising or derived from the user identification input received by the identity input device, for storage in a user record of the user database corresponding to the user identifier.

2. The data collection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the purchase data is indicative of a payment for one or more products.

3. The data collection system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the products comprise goods or services.

4. The data collection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user identification input is an alphanumeric code.

5. The data collection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein receiving the user identification input immediately before or after the purchase data constitutes receiving the user identification input in association with the purchase data.

6. The data collection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein outputting the purchase data immediately before or after the user identifier constitutes outputting the purchase data in association with the user identifier.

7. The data collection system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one data output device, each data output device being adapted to output purchase data to the portable user device.

8. The data collection system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a portable user device dispenser for dispensing the portable user device to the user.

9. The data collection system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the portable user device is a smart card adapted to store the purchase data, the data input device is a smart card reader adapted to read the purchase data from the smart card, the portable user device dispenser is a smart card dispenser adapted to dispense the smart card, and each data output device is a smart card writer adapted to write purchase data on the smart card.

10. The data collection system as claimed in claim 1, comprising the user database.

11. The data collection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to collect purchase data of a plurality of users of the system, and the communication interface is adapted to output to the user database purchase data of respective users in association with user identifiers comprising or derived from respective user identification inputs.

12. A parking system comprising a data collection system as claimed in claim 8, the parking system comprising:

a parking entry machine comprising the portable user device dispenser; and

a parking station comprising the identity input device and the data input device,

wherein the portable user device is adapted to store parking data and purchase data.

13. The parking system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the parking station is adapted to retrieve purchase data corresponding to the user identifier from the user database.

14. The parking system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the data input device is adapted to receive parking data from the portable user device.

15. The parking system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the parking station is adapted to determine a parking fee based on the purchase data retrieved from the user database, the purchase data received from the portable user device, and the parking data received from the portable user device.

16. The parking system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each smart card writer is connected to a point of sale device.

17. The parking system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the identity input device comprises a keypad.

18. The parking system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the identity input device comprises a touch screen for allowing the user to select one of a plurality of user identification inputs.

19. The parking system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the purchase data is purchase data of the user.

20. The parking system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the purchase data is purchase data of another user.

21. A method of collecting purchase data of a user using a data collection system comprising a data input device, an identity input device and a communication interface, the method comprising:

receiving the purchase data from a portable user device in association with a user identification input, the user identification input and the purchase data being received respectively by the data input device and the identity input device; and

outputting the purchase data in association with a user identifier comprising or derived from the user identification input using the communication interface to a user database for storage in a user record of the user database corresponding to the user identifier.

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)