Parking stall monitor

• US 5,153,586 A
• Filed: 03/13/1990
• Issued: 10/06/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Innovision Technologies Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Innovision Technologies Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Fuller, Kip L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tumm, Brian R.
• Application Number:
  US07/492,790
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/943, 364/464.01, 364/467, 194/900, 194/902, 49/49, 368/90, 368/92
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• 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 17/246 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: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A parking stall monitor located adjacent a restricted use parking stall detects vehicle presence in the parking stall and activates an alarm to provide a warning in response thereto. A disarm/arm circuit associated with the monitor generates a coded input in response to receipt of an identification signal from an authorized user, thereby to disarm either the detector or the alarm to enable the vehicle of the authorized user to occupy the parking stall without a warning being provided. Subsequently, when the authorized user is ready to leave the parking stall, receipt by the disarm/arm circuit of another identification signal, or removal of the initial identification signal, causes the monitor to rearm. The identification signal may be produced nonautomatically or automatically, either actively or passively, and the capability of originating this signal serves to distinguish a selected group of authorized users from those not permitted to use the stall.

Claims

1. A parking stall monitor for indicating unauthorized use of a parking stall comprising:

means for detecting the presence of a vehicle in said parking stall;

means for providing a warning signal upon detecting said vehicle presence;

a time operatively associated with said detecting means and said providing means and adapted to provide a time delay of predetermined duration after vehicle detection and before providing of said warning signal; and

automatic means at least partially carried by an authorized vehicle for automatically disarming at least one of said detecting means, said timer and said providing means when said authorized vehicle is located in the stall, thereby to automatically enable an authorized vehicle to occupy said parking stall without said warning signal being provided.

2. The parking stall monitor of claim 1 wherein said automatic means for automatically disarming further comprises:

a transmitter carried by said authorized vehicle, said transmitter adapted to periodically transmit a deactivating signal to said monitor to deactivate one of said detecting means, said providing means and said timer, thereby to allow said authorized vehicle to occupy said parking stall without the warning signal being provided.

3. The parking stall monitor of claim 1 wherein said transmitter is adapted to transmit at least one deactivating signal during each time delay.

4. A method of indicating unauthorized use of a parking stall comprising the steps of:

detecting the presence of a vehicle in the parking stall;

providing a warning signal upon detection of said vehicle presence; and

controlling selectively possessed identification means to inhibit one of said detecting and providing steps during parking of an authorized vehicle in the stall and to reactivate said one of said steps upon termination of parking of said authorized vehicle in the stall, thereby to enable the authorized vehicle to occupy the parking stall without said warning signal being provided.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said controlling step further comprises:

inhibiting said one of said steps substantially continuously throughout the duration of authorized parking.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said presence detecting step is performed magnetically.

7. A parking stall monitor for indicating unauthorized use of a parking stall comprising:

means for detecting the presence of a vehicle in said parking stall;

means for providing a warning signal upon detecting said vehicle presence; and

means for selective disarming and rearming of one of said detecting means and said providing means, thereby to enable an authorized vehicle to occupy said parking stall without said warning signal being provided, said selective disarming and rearming means including means for generating an input initiated by selectively possessed identification means, wherein said means for detecting includes a microphone adapted to sense engine noise of a vehicle located in the parking stall.

8. The parking stall monitor of claim 7 and further comprising:

a transmitter adapted to continuously transmit a disarm signal; and

a receiver adapted to receive said disarm signal and to generate a coded input to disarm one of said detecting means and said providing means in response thereto.

9. A parking stall monitor for indicating unauthorized use of a parking stall comprising:

means for detecting the presence of a vehicle in said parking stall;

means for providing a warning signal upon detecting said vehicle presence;

means for selective disarming and rearming of one of said detecting means and said providing means, thereby to enable an authorized vehicle to occupy said parking stall without said warning signal being provided, said selective disarming and rearming means including means for generating an input initiated by selectively possessed identification means, and

a timer associated with one of said detector means and said providing means for providing a time delay after one of said presence detection and before said providing of said warning signal, thereby to provide an authorized user sufficient time to move between the authorized vehicle and the monitor to disarm/rearm the monitor without said warning signal being provided.