Parked vehicle location system

• US 7,382,278 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2005
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steven Buschman
• Original Assignee: Steven Buschman
• Inventors: Buschman, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland; Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US11/253,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20070090971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 340/933, 340/932.2
• US Class Current: 340/933
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A parked vehicle location system including a plurality of detectors, where each detector is operative to detect whether or not a vehicle is present in at least one of a plurality of parking spaces, and provide a notification characterizing the detection, and parking status apparatus operative to receive a plurality of the notifications from the detectors, record the notifications in a data store, and identify any of the parking spaces for which a notification was received indicating the presence of a vehicle and for which no subsequent notification was received indicating the absence of a vehicle.

Claims

1. A parked vehicle location system comprising:

a plurality of detectors, wherein each detector is operative to;

detect whether or not a vehicle is present in at least one of a plurality of parking spaces, and

provide a notification characterizing said detection; and

parking status apparatus operative to;

receive a plurality of said notifications from said detectors,

record said notifications in a data store, and

identify, responsive to a query generally indicating a parking time, any of said parking spaces for which any of said notifications was received during said parking time indicating the presence of a vehicle in said parking space and for which no subsequent one of said notifications was received indicating the absence of a vehicle from said parking space.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said parking status apparatus is operative to perform said identification for any of said parking spaces for which said presence notification indicates a detection that occurred within a designated area.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein said notification includes an identification of said parking space.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein said notification includes either of the time and the date of said detection.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein said parking status apparatus is operative to record a received notification together with either of the time and the date of the receipt of said notification.

6. A method for locating parked vehicles, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of notifications from a plurality of detectors indicating whether or not a vehicle is present in a plurality of parking spaces;

recording said notifications in a data store; and

identifying, responsive to a query generally indicating a parking time, any of said parking spaces for which any of said notifications was received indicating the presence of a vehicle during said parking time and for which no subsequent one of said notifications was received indicating the absence of a vehicle from said parking space.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said identifying step is performed for said detections that occurred within a designated area.

8. A method according to claim 6 wherein said detecting step comprises recording an identification of said parking space.

9. A method according to claim 6 wherein said detecting step comprises recording either of the time and the date of said detection.