RFID parking tag and method of monitoring vehicle parking

• US 8,302,847 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rfautomotiveid LLC
• Original Assignee: Rfautomotiveid LLC
• Inventors: Johnson, Randall E., Selke, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US11/828,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20090026254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/384, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A system for monitoring the parking status of vehicles incorporating a plurality of wireless identification tags, each tag having a unique tag identifier and having association with a selected vehicle. The system also includes a portable scanner to be used by a parking monitor, the portable scanner having a processor executing instructions thereon, a tag scanner capable of reading a wireless identification tag of a selected vehicle located in relatively close proximity over a wireless link, and a communication device capable of communicating over a wireless wide area network to transmit information about vehicle parking status. A server, having a database with fields for each of the selected vehicles, communicates with the portable scanner over the wireless wide area network to log data related to vehicle parking status. A software program may also be used to facilitate communication between the scanner and the vehicle owner and/or between the scanner and a tow service.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the parking status of vehicles, the system comprising:

a plurality of wireless identification tags, each tag having a unique tag identifier, wherein each of the tags is associated with a selected vehicle;

a portable handheld scanner to be used by a parking monitor, the portable scanner having a processor executing instructions thereon, the portable handheld scanner having a first communication device capable of reading a wireless identification tag of a selected vehicle located in relatively close proximity over a wireless link, the portable handheld scanner having a second communication device capable of communicating remotely over a wireless local area network;

a portable wireless access point providing a third communications device in communication with the handheld scanner to transmit information about vehicle parking status over a wireless wide area network in real time; and

a server having a database with fields for each of the selected vehicles including the tag identifier, vehicle information and vehicle owner, wherein the server communicates with the portable handheld scanner over the wireless wide area network to communicate data related to vehicle parking status.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless access point communicates with a server device, and the said server device is in communication with at least one storage medium.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the at least one storage medium has at least one of the fields from the database encoded thereon.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of wireless identification tags are RFID tags.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of wireless identification tags are passive RFID tags.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the first communication device is a passive RFID tag reader.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the first communication device is a barcode scanner.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is provided with a mail program capable of automatically formulating and sending a e-mail message to a vehicle owner over a network connection related to vehicle parking status.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the portable handheld scanner is further provided with a GPS sensor for transmitting the location of a vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the portable handheld scanner is further provided with a graphical user interface and an input device enabling the parking monitor to input and display information about a vehicle associated with a scanned tag.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the portable handheld scanner is further provided with a vehicle tag database storing tag identifiers and at least limited vehicle information which can be displayed to the parking monitor on the graphical user interface.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a portable ticket printer communicating with the portable handheld scanner.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the portable ticket printer communicates with the portable handheld scanner via a low power local wireless connection.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the portable ticket printer communicates with the portable handheld scanner via a physical cable connection.