Traffic violation processing system

• US 5,948,038 A
• Filed: 07/31/1996
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Transcore LP (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: American Traffic Systems, Inc. (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tuton, James D., Daly, James P., Davis, Clint A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WYCKOFF, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US08/688,832
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 342/66, 340/936, 340/937, 340/933, 364/562, 382/278, 701/117, 701/119, 346/33
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors

Abstract

A traffic violation processing method is disclosed, which includes the steps of monitoring a vehicle; determining whether the vehicle is in violation of a traffic violation and recording the image of the vehicle on a camera when the vehicle is determined to have violated a traffic violation; providing a digital image of the vehicle; recording and storing deployment data corresponding to the violation, wherein the deployment data includes an identifier associated with the traffic violation; assigning the identifier to the digital traffic image; storing the digital image of the vehicle, together with the identifier, on a storage medium; matching the deployment data with the stored digital image by correlating or matching the identifier associated with the deployment data with the identifier associated with the stored digital image; and generating a traffic document that includes the stored digital image and the deployment data.

Claims

1. A traffic violation processing method, comprising the steps of:

monitoring a vehicle;

determining whether the vehicle is in violation of a traffic regulation;

recording a first digital traffic image comprising the image of the vehicle and data corresponding to the traffic violation;

comprising the first digital traffic image to reduce the resolution of the first digital traffic image and provide a low resolution traffic image;

storing the low resolution traffic image in a storage media;

providing a second digital traffic image which is a separate sub-image of the first digital traffic image, having an area smaller than the area of the first digital traffic image and including the license plate having alphanumeric traffic data;

providing a third digital traffic image, which is a separate sub-image of the second digital traffic image, having an area smaller than the area of the second digital traffic image and including the license plate having alphanumeric traffic data;

reading the alphanumeric traffic data from the second or third digital traffic image;

storing the alphanumeric traffic data in the storage media in the form of an ASCII text string;

comparing the stored alphanumeric traffic data from the second digital traffic image with registered vehicle owner information stored in a database to identify the registered owner of the vehicle; and

generating a comprehensive traffic violation document that integrates the first digital traffic image, the name of the registered owner and the alphanumeric traffic data so that the document can be issued to the owner of the vehicle.