Vehicle parking system
First Claim
1. A parking system, including:
- a parking meter for location in proximity to a parking bay;
the parking meter having communication means for receipt and/or transmission of data to a remote location;
wherein in order to operate the parking meter a user is able to transmit information via a transmitter means so as to activate the parking meter and make payment for parking time spent in the parking bay controlled by the parking meter; and
wherein the transmitter means comprises a user'"'"'s mobile telephone and the user telephones a telephone number associated with the parking meter in order to initiate payment and activate the parking meter to indicate that parking has been paid for.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A parking system is disclosed which includes a parking meter (10) which has a transceiver (12) and (14) for transmitting and receiving information and which in one embodiment may comprise an over the air telephone, fixed land line telephone or the like. The transmitter receiver (12, 14) communicates with a host central station (50) for receiving and transmitting information. In order to park at the meter a user telephones a telephone number associated with the parking meter and connects with the host station (50). Commands are input into the user'"'"'s telephone to provide an indication of the amount of parking time required and payment for the parking time and information is downloaded from the station (50) to the parking meter (10) to indicate that parking has been paid for and the parking meter should activate to indicate that parking has been paid for. Parking bays associated with meters may include sensors (22) for indicating the presence of a vehicle and for providing a signal to the parking meter (10) in the event that parking time expires and car is still present in the parking place so that appropriate action can be taken. Other embodiment include communication to the central station via the parking meter (10) rather than direct to the central station (50) and also a system in which parking takes place in a garage or parking station in which communication takes place from a user'"'"'s telephone to the central station (50) to enable payment and downloading of relevant data to the garage (100) to indicate that parking has been paid for.
98 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A parking system, including:
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a parking meter for location in proximity to a parking bay;
the parking meter having communication means for receipt and/or transmission of data to a remote location;
wherein in order to operate the parking meter a user is able to transmit information via a transmitter means so as to activate the parking meter and make payment for parking time spent in the parking bay controlled by the parking meter; and
wherein the transmitter means comprises a user'"'"'s mobile telephone and the user telephones a telephone number associated with the parking meter in order to initiate payment and activate the parking meter to indicate that parking has been paid for. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A parking system, including;
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a parking meter for location in proximity to a parking bay;
the parking meter having communication means for receipt and/or transmission of data to a remote location;
wherein in order to operate the parking meter a user is able to transmit information via a transmitter means so as to activate the parking meter and make payment for parking time spent in the parking bay controlled by the parking meter; and
wherein a central control station is provided which communicates with each of the parking meters in the system and the user telephones the central control unit which deducts payments from the user'"'"'s account or otherwise initiates payment and transmits data to the parking meter to indicate that payment has been made and to activate the parking meter to display that payment has been made.
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4. A parking system, including;
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a parking meter for location in proximity to a parking bay;
the parking meter having communication means for receipt and/or transmission of data to a remote location;
wherein in order to operate the parking meter a user is able to transmit information via a transmitter means so as to activate the parking meter and make payment for parking time spent in the parking bay controlled by the parking meter; and
wherein the communication means includes a telephone terminal for receiving telephone calls from a user so that the user can make a direct telephone call to the parking meter to pay for parking time. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A parking system, including;
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a parking meter for location in proximity to a parking bay;
the parking meter having communication means for receipt and/or transmission of data to a remote location;
wherein in order to operate the parking meter a user is able to transmit information via a transmitter means so as to activate the parking meter and make payment for parking time spent in the parking bay controlled by the parking meter; and
wherein the communication means includes a telephone terminal and a central control station is includes in the system and wherein, in order to pay for parking, the user makes a telephone call to the central station which in turn transmits a telephone call to the parking meter to activate the parking meter and to indicate that payment has been made for parking.
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7. A parking system, including;
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a parking meter for location in proximity to a parking bay, the parking meter having communication means for receiving and transmitting data;
a central control station for communicating with the communication means of the parking meter;
wherein, in use, a user is able to transfer information via a transmitter means to the central control station and input information relating to the parking meter via the transmitter means to the control station whereby the control station transmits data to the communication means of the parking meter to cause the parking meter to indicate that payment has been made for the parking space for a particular time period; and
wherein the transmitter means comprises a mobile telephone but other devices such as pagers or unique over the air transmitters for communicating with the central control station could be utilised. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A parking meter for a parking system, said parking meter including;
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a communication means for communicating with a remote location and for receiving information transmitted back from the remote location to activate the parking meter to show parking has been paid for a predetermined time period; and
wherein the communication means communicates with a telephone associated with a user of the parking space in order to initiate payment for the parking space. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A parking payment method including the steps of:
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providing a central facility to which a user can make a telephone call to request parking;
taking payments for the parking which is required; and
transmitting information to a parking facility relating to the parking which is required by the user. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A parking payment method including the steps of:
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providing a parking meter which includes communication means for receiving a telephone call from a user;
receiving a call from a user to initiate parking at the parking meter;
taking payment for the parking which is required; and
activating the parking meter to indicate that the parking meter is active and that payment has been made for parking. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A parking meter for location in proximity to a parking bay in which a vehicle can park, the parking meter including;
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communication means for receiving a mobile telephone call from a user intending to park in a parking bay associated with the meter;
an input means for allowing input of data by the user; and
the communication means being for transmitting information to a central station relating to the required parking by the user so the central station can attend to billing in relation to the parking. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A parking system including;
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a central facility;
a plurality of parking meters each located in proximity to one or more parking bays in which a vehicle can park, each parking meter including;
a communication means for receiving a mobile telephone from a user to initiate parking within a bay associated with the parking meter, the communication means also being for transmitting data relating to parking to the central facility; and
input means for receiving user input relating to the required parking.
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Specification