Snooper device for regulated parking time-accounting system

• US 5,173,883 A
• Filed: 12/10/1991
• Issued: 12/22/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hello, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hello, Inc.
• Inventors: Marechal, M. Alain, Ilie, M. Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US07/805,112
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 368/90, 364/409, 364/467, 235/377-380
• US Class Current: 368/90
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0652 e-cash with decreasing value according to a parameter, e.g. time
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• 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: G07C 1/30 Parking meters registering or indicating waiting time of vehicles by means driven by the vehicle G07C5/02; coin-freed parking meters G07F17/24
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/24 for parking meters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02

Abstract

A snooper device that can be used to memorize data elements relating to the most recent instances of parking, notably for proof in the event of disputes, in time-accounting devices, and notably time-accounting devices for reckoning periods of parking regulated by rules. This snooper device comprises first means to memorize operation checking data elements in which there are written, at each fresh use of the time-accounting system, data elements corresponding to the time and to the date of commencement of at least each instance of parking and data elements corresponding to the time and to the date of the end of this instance of parking.

Claims

1. A snooper device for a time-accounting system, notably for the reckoning of a period of regulated parking, said device comprising an autonomous integrated clock enabling it to generate information elements on the date, the counting of time and the instant of the current day, said information elements being capable of being updated by external action, wherein said device comprises first means to memorize operation checking data elements in which there are written, at each fresh use of said system, data elements corresponding to the time and to the date of commencement of at least each last instance of parking and data elements corresponding to the time and to the date of the end of said instance of parking, said first memorizing means also containing an operation checking data element, making it possible to verify whether the time resetting mechanism of said system has been activated since the end of said instance of parking.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein each accounting system is formed by a box for the counting of the parking times, working in cooperation with different types of cards or elements containing consumable credit units through reading/writing means, wherein said means for memorizing the operation checking data elements preferably memorize the information element on the type of card used during said instance of parking.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said information element on the type of card is an information element identifying an area of validity of said card, notably a city or town.

4. A device according to claim 2, also including means to memorize an information element on the parking zone that can be selected by the user from among several zones during the activation of said time-accounting system.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said first means for memorizing the operation checking data elements are constituted by a single memory compartment comprising data elements that correspond to the hour and date of the last instance of parking and/or a data element that can be used to check whether the time resetting mechanism of said device has been activated since said last instance of parking and/or a data element indicating the last city or town in which said device has been used.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein said first means for memorizing the operation checking data elements are constituted by a FIFO type table containing at least two memory compartments enabling the memorizing of data elements corresponding at least to the last two instances of parking, each memory compartment comprising data elements corresponding to the time and date of start and end of at least the last instance of parking and/or a data element making it possible to verify whether the time resetting mechanism of said device has been activated between the corresponding instant of the end of parking and the instant of the commencement of the next parking and/or a data element indicating the city or town in which said device has been used.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein said first memorizing means are constituted by a permanent read-only memory of the PROM, EPROM or EEPROM type.

8. A device according to claim 2, wherein said information elements on the parking area and/or parking zone are stored in RAM-type second temporary storage means.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein said second memorizing means are re-initialized by an external updating of the hour and/or the date and/or by an interruption of the supply to said device.

10. A device according to claim 1, including means to supply said operation checking data elements to an external testing device.