Parking ticket enforcement system

• US 5,263,118 A
• Filed: 03/13/1990
• Issued: 11/16/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Voice Technology, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Applied Voice Technology, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Cornelison, Brian N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knepper, David D.
• Application Number:
  US07/492,658
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 395/2, 395/600, 381/41-45
• US Class Current: 704/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• 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: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A system includes a base station computer with memory for storing a data file representative of vehicle license plate numbers and coded violation information associated with the numbers. A plurality of stand-alone computers are compatible with the base station computer and have separate memory capacity into which the data file may be transferred. Each stand-alone computer is equipped with voice-recognition circuitry for receipt and recognition of voiced communications from an enforcement officer via a hand-held unit. The voiced communication relates to a license plate number observed by the officer on duty. Upon receipt and recognition of a voiced signal by the respective stand-alone computer, the stand-alone computer searches the data file for unpaid violations by the observed number, and if any are detected, the officer is informed so that appropriate enforcement steps may be taken.

Claims

1. A parking ticket enforcement system comprising:

a base station computer with memory means for storing a data file of a selected group of license plate numbers and coded violation information associated with each of said numbers;

at least one stand-alone computer with memory means for storing the data file of license plate members and coded violation information, the stand-alone computer being compatible with said base station computer for periodic transfer of said data file therebetween, the system including one stand-alone computer for each of a plurality of officers on duty;

a portable unit associated with each said stand-alone computer, the unit assigned to an officer on duty; and

each stand-alone computer including voice recognition means for receiving and recognizing a voiced message from said officer regarding an observed license plate number, said stand-alone computer adapted to compare said recognized number with said data file stored in the memory means of the stand-alone computer and in response thereto, to generate a status message related to coded violation information containing said data file stored in the memory of the stand-alone computer and associated with the observed license plate number, wherein said officer obtains the violation information via real-time interaction between the respective portable unit and the stand-alone computer while on duty and via interaction between the base station and the stand-alone computer prior to duty.

2. The parking ticket enforcement system of claim 1 wherein the hand-held unit is a transceiver and each said stand-alone computer includes transmitting means for transmitting said status message to the respective transceiver.

3. The parking ticket enforcement system of claim 2 wherein said transceiver further comprises:

means for converting said received status message into an audible signal.

4. A method of enforcing parking tickets comprising the steps of:

maintaining in memory means at a base station computer a data file representative of a select group of vehicle license plate numbers and coded violation information associated with each of said numbers;

transferring, prior to an enforcement duty time period, said data file from said base computer to at least one stand-alone computer with memory means capable of storing said data file therein;

transmitting by voice an observed license plate number from a hand-held unit to the respective stand-alone computer;

receiving and recognizing said voiced transmission at the respective stand-alone computer and comparing said observed number with said data file stored in said stand-alone computer to generate a status message corresponding to coded violation information stored therein associated with said observed license plate number, whereby said coded violation information is received at the hand-held unit via real-time interaction between the hand-held unit and the respective stand-alone computer during said enforcement duty time period based upon interaction between the stand alone computer and the base station prior to said enforcement duty time period; and

updating the data file at the base station after the duty time period.

5. The method of claim 4 and further comprising the step of:

transmitting said generated status message to the respective hand-held unit.

6. The method of claim 5 and further comprising the step of:

converting said received status message into an audible signal at said hand-held unit.

7. The method of claim 4 and further comprising the steps of:

transmitting by voice from the hand-held unit to the respective stand-alone computer an observed vehicle license plate number and an observed violation code associated therewith;

receiving, recognizing and storing said transmitted number and code at said stand-alone computer; and

subsequently transferring said observed, received, recognized, and stored number and code from said stand-alone computer to said base station, thereby to periodically update said data file at said base station.

8. The method of claim 7 and further comprising the steps of:

periodically updating said base station data file from a plurality of stand-alone computers to provide cumulative updating of said base station data file;

subsequently transferring said cumulatively updated base station data file to a plurality of stand-alone computers, thereby to disseminate said cumulatively updated data file to officers on duty.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the updating step is performed by transferring updated violation information accumulated during the duty time period from the memory means of the stand-alone computer back to the base station.

10. A method of enforcing parking ticket comprising the steps of:

maintaining in memory means of a base station computer a data file representative of a select group of vehicle license plate numbers and coded violation information associated with each of said numbers;

transferring, prior to the beginning of a duty shift, said data file from said base station computer to memory means of at least one stand-alone computer capable of storing said data file therein;

communicating to one of said stand-alone computers a voiced signal relates to a license plate number observed by an officer during the duty shift;

generating at the respective stand-alone computer, in response to recognition of said voiced signal, a status message corresponding to coded violation information stored in and retrieved from said memory means of the stand-alone computer and associated with the observed license plate number;

audibly communicating said status message retrieved from said memory means at said stand-alone computer to said officer, thereby to enable the officer to take appropriate enforcement action, whereby the officer obtains the coded violation information via real-time interaction with the stand-alone computer during the duty shift based upon interaction with the base station prior to the duty shift; and

updating the data file at the base station after the duty shift.

11. A method of enforcing parking tickets comprising the steps of:

maintaining in memory means of a base station computer a data file representative of a select group of vehicle license plate numbers and coded violation information associated with each of said numbers;

transferring, prior to an officer'"'"'s serving of a duty shift, said data file from said base station computer to memory means of at least one stand-alone computer capable of storing said data file therein;

communicating to one of said stand-alone computers a voiced signal related to a license plate number observed by an officer during the duty shift;

generating at the respective stand-alone computer, in response to recognition of said voiced signal, a status message corresponding to coded violation information stored in and retrieved from said memory means of the stand-alone computer and associated with the observed license plate number;

displaying, at said stand-alone computer, said status message retrieved from said memory means of said stand-alone computer, thereby to enable the officer to take appropriate enforcement action, whereby the officer obtains the coded violation information via real-time interaction with the respective stand-alone computer during the duty shift based upon interaction with the base station prior to the duty shift; and

updating the data file at the base station after the duty shift.