Parking indication sign for vehicles for disabled persons

• US 6,819,262 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2003
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Georg Moser, Josef Moser
• Original Assignee: Georg Moser, Josef Moser
• Inventors: Moser, Josef, Moser, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walk, Samuel J.
• Application Number:
  US10/333,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20030141968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/903, 340/463, 340/825.19, 340/435, 340/436, 340/691.1, 340/691.6
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/48 for parking purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/503 using luminous text or symbol displays in or on the vehicle, e.g. static text
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/544 for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle occupants, e.g. for indicating disabled occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated

Abstract

In an indication device for a motor vehicle used by a disabled person, in particular a person in a wheelchair, with the indication device including an illuminated sign which displays information that for parking of vehicles, sufficient space should be maintained to the entry door of the motor vehicle, at least one distance sensor or movement detector is fitted to the motor vehicle, such that vehicles which are parking too near are registered by distance measuring, and subsequently, illumination of the sign and an acoustic signal transmitter are activated for a specified period of time.

Claims

1. An indication device for a first motor vehicle used by a disabled person, said device comprising:

a sign affixed to the first motor vehicle and adapted to display information intended to dissuade an other motorist from parking a second motor vehicle adjacent to a door of the first motor vehicle;

an acoustic signal transmitter affixed to the first motor vehicle;

at least one detector affixed to the first motor vehicle and adapted to detect a presence of the second motor vehicle adjacent to the door of the first motor vehicle, wherein the at least one detector is adapted to generate a signal upon detecting the second motor vehicle; and

communication means for communicating the signal from the at least one detector to the sign and the acoustic signal transmitter, prompting the sign to illuminate and display the information and the acoustic signal transmitter to emit an audible warning intended to dissuade the other motorist from parking the second motor vehicle adjacent to the door of the first motor vehicle.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one detector comprises at least one distance sensor and/or at least one movement detector.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein two coupled detectors are affixed to the first motor vehicle at a distance from each other sufficient to minimize simultaneous signal generation by the two detectors in response to adjacent objects smaller than a motor vehicle.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic signal transmitter is a loudspeaker.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the communication means comprises at least one electrically conductive cable.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the communication means comprises wireless transmitters and wireless receivers.