PROVIDING PARKING AVAILABILITY INFORMATION AND PARKING ALERTS

• US 20140266802A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: LOVE, David D. Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 9,035,799 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space

Abstract

A device may receive map data that identifies a parking facility located in a particular geographic area; identify the parking facility based on the map data; receive parking data that identifies an available or an unavailable parking space located in the parking facility; combine the map data and the parking data to form combined data; and provide the combined data for display. The combined data may cause a map of the particular geographic area to be displayed. The map may have a representation of the parking facility, a representation of a number of available or unavailable parking spaces in the parking facility, or a representation of an entrance of the parking facility.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device, map data that identifies a parking facility located in a particular geographic area;

identifying, by the device, the parking facility based on the map data;

receiving, by the device, parking data that identifies an available or an unavailable parking space located in the parking facility;

combining, by the device, the map data and the parking data to form combined data; and

providing, by the device, the combined data for display;

the combined data causing a map of the particular geographic area to be displayed,

the map having a representation of the parking facility and a representation of a number of available or unavailable parking spaces in the parking facility.

2. The method of claim 1, where the map data is received from a server device or a storage medium.

3. The method of claim 1, where the parking data is derived from one or more sensors,

where receiving the parking data is based on deriving the parking data from the one or more sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the parking data for presentation on a display,

the display being visible from an exterior of the parking facility.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an alert criterion;

identifying an available parking space meeting the alert criterion based on the parking data; and

providing an alert for display based on identifying the available parking space meeting the alert criterion.

6. The method of claim 5, where the alert criterion identifies a parking space type, a time of day, a parking fee, or a threshold distance from a particular geographic location.

7. A system comprising:

a device to;

receive map data that identifies a parking facility located in a particular geographic area;

identify the parking facility based on the map data;

receive parking data that identifies an available or an unavailable parking space located in the parking facility,

the parking data being generated based on data received from one or more sensors implemented in the parking facility;

combine the map data and the parking data to form combined data; and

provide the combined data for display;

the combined data causing a map of the particular geographic area to be displayed,

the map having a representation of the parking facility and a representation of a number of available or unavailable parking spaces in the parking facility or a representation of an entrance of the parking facility.

8. The system of claim 7, where when receiving the map data, the device is to receive the map data from a server device or a storage medium.

9. The system of claim 7, where the device is further to:

provide the parking data for presentation on a display,

the display being visible from an exterior of the parking facility.

10. The system of claim 7, where the first server is further to:

receive an alert criterion;

identify an available parking space meeting the alert criterion based on the parking data; and

provide an alert for display based on identifying the available parking space meeting the alert criterion.

11. The system of claim 10, where the alert criterion identifies a parking space type, a time of day, a parking fee, or a threshold distance from a particular geographic location.

12. A computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors associated with a device, cause the one or more processors to;

receive map data that identifies a parking facility located in a particular geographic area;

identify the parking facility based on the map data;

receive parking data that identifies an available or an unavailable parking space located in the parking facility;

combine the map data and the parking data to form combined data; and

provide the combined data for display; and

the combined data causing a map of the particular geographic area to be displayed,

the map having a representation of the parking facility and a representation of a number of available or unavailable parking spaces in the parking facility or a representation of a parking fee associated with a parking space in the parking facility.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

provide the parking data for presentation on a display,

the display being visible from an exterior of the parking facility.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive an alert criterion;

identify an available parking space meeting the alert criterion based on the parking data; and

provide an alert for display based on identifying the available parking space meeting the alert criterion.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the alert criterion identifies a parking space type, a parking fee, a time of day, or a threshold distance from a particular geographic location.

16. A system comprising:

a user device to;

receive an alert criterion to identify to an available parking space in a parking facility located in a particular geographic area;

receive map data that identifies the parking facility located in the particular geographic area;

identify the parking facility based on the map data;

receive parking data that identifies the available parking space or an unavailable parking space located in the parking facility;

combine the map data and the parking data to form combined data;

provide the combined data for display on the user device;

identify an available parking space meeting the alert criterion based on the parking data;

provide an alert for display based on identifying the available parking space meeting the alert criterion; and

display the combined data and the alert,

the combined data and the alert causing the user device to display a map of the particular geographic area,

the map having a representation of the parking facility and a representation of a number of available or unavailable parking spaces in the parking facility or a representation of a parking fee of the parking facility.

17. The system of claim 16, where the map includes a representation of an entrance associated with the parking facility.

18. The system of claim 16, where when receiving the map data, the user device is to receive the map data from a server device or a storage medium.

19. The system of claim 16, where the criterion identifies a parking space type, a time of day, a parking fee, or a threshold distance from a particular geographic location.

20. The system of claim 16, where when receiving the parking data, the user device is further to receive the parking data from one or more sensors implemented in the parking facility.