Parking system employing remote asset management techniques

• US 8,274,403 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2010
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fybr LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovapark LLC
• Inventors: Groft, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US12/805,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20100328104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/933, 340/539.1, 340/937, 340/938, 340/904, 340/905, 340/942, 340/955, 340/539.13, 340/539.11, 340/928, 701/1, 701/36, 235/381, 235/385, 235/384, 235/378, 705/13, 705/418
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/24 for parking meters
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

The system described is an integrated parking management system which makes use of patented vehicle detectors to collect and transmit data, essentially in near real time, as to all events happening as to single or multiple parking spaces (e.g. current and historic use, length of time of occupancy of current occupant) to a central clearing device for which patent application has been made which serves as a logic core and repository, making use of proprietary software, analyzing, displaying and distributing the data so developed as to a parking plant and all of its components to allow all parties (including prospective users) who are concerned with the various aspects of a parking plant and its components (e.g. determination as to availability of spaces, maintenance and repair of meters, collection of revenues and enforcement of parking regulations) not only to access and make passive use of the information developed, in near real time, to permit them to identify what'"'"'s happening to the plant and its components as to their own particular interest in such plant and so maximize the efficient use both of the resources of the plant and their own resources directed to the particular aspect of their interface with the plant and its components but also to access and make active use of such information for whatever purpose and in whatever fashion using whatever means of access they may wish. While others have made claim to certain of the individual functions described, e.g. vehicle detection, nobody has identified or patented.

Claims

1. An integrated parking management system, comprising:

space monitoring and meter systems (SMMS) including a number of parking meters;

collector nodes dispersed throughout the area in which said meters are deployed and forming a mesh network for receiving data from said SMMS and transmitting data to said SMMS;

gateway devices centrally located within said SMMS for wirelessly receiving data from said collector nodes;

an internet communication system;

said gateway devices wirelessly transmitting data over said internet system to a specific address in the SMMS;

a Command and Control Interface (CCI) for receiving data from said SMMS via said gateway devices, Internet and Collector Nodes and said CCI includes a logic core and a communications interface layer (CIL);

said logic core includes a programmable set of rules to be applied to parking events and requests as the CCI receives notification of them;

said CIL including a presentation engine for generating interactive documents for display in appropriate display devices and enables and allows for the exchange of data to remote devices via cellular, satellite or other long range wireless connections;

said logic core communicating data to said CIL for distribution to the requesting user or remote electronic parking asset; and

wherein the rules of said logic core parses the data stream into applicable data elements for forwarding to the appropriate databases or management systems;

said rules further defining for each data stream markers upon which the data stream is to be parsed;

said rules further dictating which system is to receive those parsed elements and if returned data is expected; and

each data stream is then passed to a specific data base or management system; and

said logic core transmitting data to said CIL;

a programmable set of pre-defined and user-definable rules applied to the parking event data received from the SMMS and a router/firewall device for receiving data delivered to said specific address and preventing unwanted access to the CCI