Valet Parking System and Method
First Claim
1. A method in a server for ticketless control of valet parking services, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving from a valet employee, a guest identifier assigned to a guest, and a mobile phone identifier of a mobile phone of the guest;
utilizing the mobile phone identifier to send a welcoming message from the server to the mobile phone of the guest with instructions for the guest to utilize the mobile phone to request retrieval of the guest'"'"'s vehicle;
subsequently receiving at the server, a vehicle retrieval request message;
associating the vehicle retrieval request message with the guest; and
sending a retrieval instruction message from the server to the valet employee instructing the valet employee to retrieve the guest'"'"'s vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and server for controlling valet parking services without utilizing valet tickets. When a guest arrives, a valet employee sends the server a guest arrival message containing a guest identifier and an associated mobile phone identifier of the guest. The server sends a welcome message to the guest with instructions for requesting retrieval of the guest'"'"'s vehicle. Communication may be by two-way text messaging or by Internet messaging. For example, the server may generate a temporary webpage for the guest and send instructions for the guest to select a link displayed on the mobile phone of the guest to request retrieval of the guest'"'"'s vehicle. When the server receives the request message, the server matches the mobile phone identifier of the guest with the associated guest identifier, and sends a retrieval message to the valet employee instructing the employee to retrieve the guest vehicle with the associated guest identifier.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method in a server for ticketless control of valet parking services, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving from a valet employee, a guest identifier assigned to a guest, and a mobile phone identifier of a mobile phone of the guest; utilizing the mobile phone identifier to send a welcoming message from the server to the mobile phone of the guest with instructions for the guest to utilize the mobile phone to request retrieval of the guest'"'"'s vehicle; subsequently receiving at the server, a vehicle retrieval request message; associating the vehicle retrieval request message with the guest; and sending a retrieval instruction message from the server to the valet employee instructing the valet employee to retrieve the guest'"'"'s vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A server for controlling valet parking services at a valet parking station, wherein the server includes a processor coupled to a non-transitory memory that stores computer program instructions, wherein when the processor executes the computer program instructions, the processor causes the server to:
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receive from a valet employee, a guest identifier assigned to a guest, and a mobile phone identifier of a mobile phone of the guest; utilize the mobile phone identifier to send a welcoming message from the server to the mobile phone of the guest with instructions for the guest to utilize the mobile phone to request retrieval of the guest'"'"'s vehicle; subsequently receive at the server, a vehicle retrieval request message; associate the vehicle retrieval request message with the guest; and send a retrieval instruction message from the server to the valet employee instructing the valet employee to retrieve the guest'"'"'s vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification