SYSTEM FOR MONITORING ARRIVAL OF A VEHICLE AT A GIVEN LOCATION AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20170200322A1
• Filed: 01/13/2016
• Published: 07/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parkhub, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Parking Genius, Inc.
• Inventors: Baker, SR., George Frederick
• Granted Patent: US 11,455,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• 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 17/24 for parking meters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/246 provided with vehicle proximity-detectors detecting hidden masses, e.g. metal detectors, G01V, e.g. G01V3/00; proximity switches per se H03K17/00; traffic control systems G08G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction

Abstract

A system is for monitoring arrival of a vehicle at a given location. The system includes a server, and a vehicle sensing device. The vehicle sensing device is configured to sense arrival of the vehicle to the given location, and to cause information about the vehicle to be transmitted to the server in response to sensing arrival of the vehicle to the given location. The server is configured to determine a context of the vehicle based upon the information about the vehicle, and take action based on the context of the vehicle. The system may be installed at parking lots, shipping yards, restaurants, stores, and other locations.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring arrival of a vehicle at a given location, comprising:

a server;

a vehicle sensing device configured to sense arrival of the vehicle to the given location;

cause information about the vehicle to be transmitted to the server in response to sensing arrival of the vehicle to the given location;

wherein the server is configured to determine a context of the vehicle based upon the information about the vehicle; and

take action based on the context of the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to transmit parking lot inventory information to a parking lot operator;

wherein the vehicle sensing device is configured to read vehicle payment information from a mobile wireless electronic device in the vehicle;

wherein the context of the vehicle determined based upon the information about the vehicle is whether payment for a parking space for the vehicle has been received;

wherein the action taken is to update the parking lot inventory information and transmit the updated parking lot inventory information to the parking lot operator, if payment for the parking space has been received;

wherein the action taken is to send a prompt requesting payment for the parking space to the mobile wireless communications device if payment for the parking space has not been received.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the action taken is also to, in response to sending the prompt requesting payment for the parking space to the mobile wireless communications device and not receiving the payment within a given period of time, determine whether the vehicle has left the given location, and to alert the parking lot operator about theft if the vehicle has not left the given location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle sensing device is configured to communicate with mobile wireless communications devices present in the vehicle;

wherein the information about the vehicle is a number of mobile wireless communications devices present in the vehicle;

wherein the context is a number of passengers in the vehicle; and

wherein the action taken is to send the number of passengers in the vehicle to a parking lot operator.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle sensing device is configured to communicate with a mobile wireless communications device present in the vehicle;

wherein the information about the vehicle is that the vehicle has arrived at the given location and that the mobile wireless communications device is present in the vehicle;

wherein the context of the vehicle is an identity of a vehicle occupant; and

wherein the action taken is to send the identity of the vehicle occupant to a parking lot operator.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the vehicle sensing device is further configured to send a parked location of the vehicle to the server;

wherein the server is further configured to determine whether the parked location of the vehicle is authorized, and to notify the parking lot operator of unauthorized parking if the parked location of the vehicle is not authorized.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle sensing device is also configured to sense departure of the vehicle from the given location;

wherein the information about the vehicle includes an arrival time and a departure time of the vehicle;

wherein the context of the vehicle is an amount to be paid as a function of the arrival time and the departure time; and

wherein the action to be taken is to effectuate a transfer of funds from a user account associated with the vehicle to a merchant account associated with a parking lot operator.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle sensing device is configured to read vehicle payment information from a mobile wireless electronic device in the vehicle;

wherein the context of the vehicle determined based upon the information about the vehicle is whether payment for a parking space for the vehicle has been received and whether that payment is valid for the vehicle at a time of the arrival of the vehicle;

wherein the action taken is to update the parking lot inventory information and transmit the updated parking lot inventory information to the parking lot operator, if payment for the parking space is valid for the vehicle at the time of arrival.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the information about the vehicle includes at least one of vehicle size, vehicle weight, and vehicle configuration;

wherein the context of the vehicle is an amount to be paid as a function of the information about the vehicle; and

wherein the action to be taken is to effectuate a transfer of funds from a user account associated with the vehicle to a merchant account associated with a parking lot operator.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the information about the vehicle is the given location;

wherein the context of the vehicle is whether the vehicle is authorized to be parked at the given location; and

wherein the action taken is to notify a parking lot operator if the vehicle is not authorized to be parked at the given location.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the action taken is also to notify a mobile wireless communications device associated with the vehicle that the vehicle is not authorized to be parked at the given location.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the information about the vehicle is a unique identifier for the vehicle;

wherein the context of the vehicle is valet parking information for the vehicle; and

wherein the action taken is to transmit the valet parking information to a parking lot operator.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is also configured to receive a vehicle retrieval request, and to notify the parking lot operator of the vehicle retrieval request.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the information about the vehicle is that the vehicle has arrived at the given location;

wherein the context of the vehicle is an amount to be paid as a function of the information about the vehicle and a remaining parking space inventory; and

wherein the action to be taken is to effectuate a transfer of funds from a user account associated with the vehicle to a merchant account associated with a parking lot operator.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the action taken based on the context of the vehicle is to send the context of the vehicle to a retail establishment associated with the given location.

16. The system off claim 15, wherein the information about the vehicle is profile information read from a mobile wireless communications device within the vehicle;

and wherein context of the vehicle is an order associated with the profile information.

17. The system off claim 1, wherein the information about the vehicle is that the vehicle has arrived at the given location;

wherein the context of the vehicle is directions to an open parking space; and

wherein the action taken is to cause the directions to be displayed in the vehicle.

18. A method, comprising:

sensing arrival of a vehicle at a given location, using a vehicle sensing device;

causing information about the vehicle to be transmitted to a server in response to sensing the arrival of the vehicle to the given location;

determining a context of the vehicle based upon the information about the vehicle, using the server;

taking action based on the context of the vehicle, using the server.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting parking lot inventory information from the server to a parking lot operator;

further comprising reading vehicle payment information from a mobile wireless electronic device in the vehicle, using the vehicle sensing device;

wherein the context of the vehicle determined based upon the information about the vehicle is whether payment for a parking space for the vehicle has been received;

wherein the action taken is to update the parking lot inventory information and transmit the updated parking lot inventory information to the parking lot operator, if payment for the parking space has been received; and

wherein the action taken is to send a prompt requesting payment for the parking space to the mobile wireless communications device if payment for the parking space has not been received.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising communicating with a mobile wireless communications device present in the vehicle, using the vehicle sensing device;

wherein the information about the vehicle is that the vehicle has arrived at the given location and that the mobile wireless communications device is present in the vehicle;

wherein the context of the vehicle is an identity of a vehicle occupant; and

wherein the action taken is to send the identity of the vehicle occupant to a parking lot operator.