VIDEO DISPLAY CAP FOR PARKING PAY STATION

• US 20180322534A1
• Filed: 05/02/2018
• Published: 11/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IPS Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IPS Group Incorporated
• Inventors: KING, David William, SCHWARZ, Alexander, RANDALL, Chad P.
• Granted Patent: US 11,100,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• 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 17/248 Housing construction casings for coin-freed apparatus G07F9/10
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2023/0008 on parking meters
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/00 Advertising on or in specific articles, e.g. ashtrays, letter-boxes on or in vehicles G09F21/00

Abstract

Disclosed are parking pay stations, media display caps for parking pay stations, parking pay station advertising platforms including a housing, wherein at least one side of the housing comprises at least one transparent window and at least one media display screen visible through the window, wherein the media display screen is configured to display media to parking users and others, including pedestrians. Also disclosed are methods of retrofitting existing parking pay stations to upgrade them to include media display capability.

Claims

1. A parking pay station media display cap comprising:

a) a housing comprising a top and four sides forming an interior open at the bottom, at least one side of the housing comprising at least one transparent window;

b) a network communications element configured to receive media via the network; and

c) at least one media display screen positioned in the interior and visible through the window, the media display screen configured to display the media received via the network.

2. The parking pay station media display cap of claim 1, comprising two media display screens.

3. The parking pay station media display cap of claim 2, wherein the media display screens comprise a first media display screen configured to display media to a parking user and a second media display screen configured to display media to pedestrians.

4. The parking pay station media display cap of claim 1, further comprising an adapter on a bottom surface of the media display cap configured to interface between the media display cap and a parking pay station.

5. The parking pay station media display cap of claim 4, wherein the adaptor is removable.

6. The parking pay station media display cap of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors.

7. The parking pay station media display cap of claim 6, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, a vehicle sensor, a pedestrian sensor, or a combination thereof.

8. A parking pay station comprising:

a) a network communications element configured to receive media via the network; and

b) a media display cap comprising;

i) a housing comprising a top and four sides forming an interior, at least one side of the housing comprising at least one transparent window; and

ii) at least one media display screen positioned in the interior and visible through the window, the media display screen configured to display the media received via the network.

9. The parking pay station of claim 8, wherein the media display cap comprises two media display screens.

10. The parking pay station of claim 9, wherein the media display screens comprise a first media display screen configured to display media to a parking user and a second media display screen configured to display media to pedestrians.

11. The parking pay station of claim 8, further comprising an adapter on a bottom surface of the media display cap configured to interface between the media display cap and a parking pay station.

12. The parking pay station of claim 11, wherein the adaptor is removable.

13. The parking pay station of claim 8, wherein the media display cap further comprises one or more sensors.

14. The parking pay station of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, a vehicle sensor, a pedestrian sensor, or a combination thereof.

15. A parking pay station advertising platform comprising:

a) a plurality of parking pay stations, each parking pay station comprising;

i) a network communications element configured to receive at least first media and second media via the network; and

ii) a media display cap comprising;

1) a housing comprising;

a top and four sides forming an interior;

a first transparent window in a first side of the housing; and

a second transparent window in a second side of the housing;

2) a first media display screen positioned in the interior and visible through the first window, the first media display screen configured to display the first media received via the network; and

3) a second media display screen positioned in the interior and visible through the second window, the second media display screen configured to display the second media received via the network; and

b) a server processor configured to provide a centralized advertising application comprising;

i) a software module identifying a parking user engaged with one of the parking pay stations;

ii) a software module determining the first media based on at least the identity of the parking user and transmitting the first media via the network to the parking pay station; and

iii) a software module determining the second media based on at least the location of the pay station and transmitting the first media via the network to the parking pay station.

16. The platform of claim 15, wherein the first media is displayed to the parking user on the first media display screen and the second media is displayed to pedestrians on the second media display screen.

17. The platform of claim 15, wherein each parking pay station further comprises one or more sensors, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, a vehicle sensor, a pedestrian sensor, or a combination thereof.

18. The platform of claim 17, wherein the one or more sensors comprises a camera, the network communications element is further configured to transmit camera data via the network, and the centralized advertising application further comprises a software module performing biometric recognition on the camera data to determine the identity of the parking user.

19. The platform of claim 17, wherein the one or more sensors comprises a camera, the network communications element is further configured to transmit camera data via the network, the centralized advertising application further comprises a software module applying one or more computer vision algorithms to the camera data to determine one or more characteristics of at least one pedestrian, and the second media is further determined based on the one or more characteristics of the at least one pedestrian.

20. A method of upgrading a parking pay station, the method comprising:

a) disengaging an upper portion of an existing parking pay station;

b) removing the upper portion; and

c) replacing the upper portion with a media display cap comprising;

i) a housing comprising a top and four sides forming an interior open at the bottom, at least one side of the housing comprising at least one transparent window;

ii) a network communications element configured to receive media via the network; and

iii) at least one media display screen positioned in the interior and visible through the window, the media display screen configured to display the media received via the network;

thereby upgrading the existing parking pay station.