Parking management method and automated parking system for vehicles

• US 8,374,910 B1
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konstantyn Spasokukotskiy
• Original Assignee: Konstantyn Spasokukotskiy
• Inventors: Spasokukotskiy, Konstantyn
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US12/491,185
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13
• US Class Current: 705/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00

Abstract

Disclosed are an automated system for the parking of vehicles and methods for the management of a parking facility. The system comprises a communication center module for interacting with a consumer, a payment module for processing payments, a data storage module, an analysis module for detecting potential parking violations and producing one or more enforcement alerts that are communicated to enforcement officers by a parking authority. The communication center module may recognize previous users of the system using at least one of: consumer identity data, consumer biometric data, and consumer behavioral data. Parking unit identity data and consumer identity data may be conveyed by consumer contact with the parking facility. The management method comprises the steps of: communicating with a consumer, receiving parking facility controlling parameters from a parking authority, storing data, processing payments, analyzing a current operational state, detecting a potential parking violation, generating an enforcement alert, communicating the alert to a parking authority, and generating a dispatch order for parking enforcement.

Claims

1. An automated system for managing a parking facility including a plurality of parking units suitable for the parking of a vehicle comprising:

a) a means for uniquely identifying each parking unit in said parking facility;

b) a first communication means;

c) a communication center module operably connected to said first communication means wherein said communication center module comprises a computer system including at least one processor, said communication center module operated by a first entity, the communication center module adapted to interact with a consumer and receive data from the consumer comprising;

i) consumer identity data,

ii) parking unit identity data, and

iii) consumer payment data;

d) a second communication means;

e) a parking authority operated by a second entity separate from the first entity, the parking authority adapted to interact with said communication center module through said second communication means to provide data comprising;

preferred communication methods, identification information for each parking unit under management in said parking facility, predetermined parking facility use data, enforcement authorization, and parking violation threshold data;

f) a third communication means;

g) a fourth communication means;

h) a fifth communication means;

i) a data storage module comprising a computer system operated by said first entity, said data storage module adapted to interact with said communication center module through said third communication means, said data storage module further adapted to interact with a payment processing module through said fourth communication means, and said data storage module further adapted to interact with an analysis module through said fifth communication means;

wherein the data storage module interactions with said communication center module, said payment processing module, and said analysis module comprise receiving, storing, retrieving, and sending data, said data comprising;

i) parking violation threshold data,

ii) predetermined parking facility use data,

iii) current parking facility use data,

iv) historical parking facility use data,

v) current consumer identity data,

vi) historical consumer identity data,

vii) current consumer payment data, and,

viii) historical consumer payment data,

ix) current enforcement report data,

x) historical enforcement report data;

j) said payment processing module comprising a computer system adapted to process a payment using data received from said data storage module and generate a payment transaction with said consumer as payor;

k) said analysis module comprising a computer system operated by said first entity, said analysis module adapted to analyze data from said data storage module, wherein at least one item of said data represents a current operational state, wherein the analysis module is adapted to use said current operational state to issue a first enforcement alert in response to detecting a potential parking violation of said parking facility;

l) a sixth communication means operably connected to said analysis module and to said parking authority and wherein said first enforcement alert is communicated to said parking authority via said sixth communication means;

m) a seventh communication means operably connected between said parking authority and at least one enforcement officer;

n) said parking authority adapted to;

i) receive said first enforcement alert, and generate a dispatch order for at least one enforcement officer based on said first enforcement alert, and communicate said dispatch order to said enforcement officer through communication means seven;

ii) produce a first enforcement report summarizing the actions taken and results obtained by said enforcement officer in the course of an enforcement officer response to said first enforcement alert, and,

iii) communicate said first enforcement report to said communication center module through said second communication means.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said parking unit identity data is located in close proximity to the parking unit to which it pertains, said parking unit identity data is in human readable form, and said parking unit identity data is positioned to be readable while the vehicle occupies the parking unit to which said parking unit identity data pertains.

3. The system of claim 2 additionally comprising:

contact information indicating how said consumer is to initiate communication with said communication center module;

said contact information further including said parking unit identity data, and wherein said communication center module is further adapted to receive data further comprising some of the contact information used by said consumer.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication center module interaction with said consumer comprises a check-in interaction at the commencement of a parking period, wherein the parking period is an amount of time, and, wherein the time and date of said check-in interaction is stored in said data storage module.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication center module interaction with said consumer comprises a check-out interaction at the termination of said parking period, wherein the parking period is an amount of time, and, wherein the time and date of said check-out interaction is stored in said data storage module.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said consumer identity data comprises at least one item selected from a group consisting of consumer biometric data and consumer behavioral data.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the communication center module is adapted to identity a mismatch between a first item of consumer identity data and a second item of consumer identity data, produce a second enforcement alert, and communicate said second enforcement alert to said parking authority through said second communication means, and wherein said parking authority is adapted to

a) receive said second enforcement alert and dispatching at least one enforcement officer in response to said second enforcement alert,

b) produce a second enforcement report summarizing the actions taken and results obtained by said enforcement officer'"'"'s response to said second enforcement alert, and,

c) communicate said second enforcement report to said communication center module through said second communication means.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication center module is adapted to recognize previous consumers of the parking facility, identify consumers of the parking facility who provide faulty consumer payment data, produce a third enforcement alert, and, communicate said third enforcement alert to said parking authority, wherein said parking authority is further adapted to:

a) receive said third enforcement alert and dispatching at least one enforcement officer in response to said third enforcement alert.

9. The system of claim 1 additionally comprising an eighth communication means, and additionally comprising at least one parking unit that comprises parking unit occupancy sensing equipment, and wherein said occupancy sensing equipment is adapted to communicate an occupancy state of said parking unit through said eighth communication means to said communication center module.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said parking authority is further adapted to:

a) dispatch said enforcement officer to audit the actual occupancy state of at least one or more of said parking units though said seventh communication means,

b) produce an occupancy report summarizing the occupancy state of one more parking units,

c) communicate said occupancy report to said communication center module through said second communication means.

11. A method of managing a parking facility via computer processor comprising the steps of:

a) receiving, by a communication center module using a processor operated by a first entity, consumer data from a consumer of said parking facility, said consumer data comprising;

consumer identity data, parking unit identity data, and consumer payment data;

b) storing said consumer data received from said consumer in a data storage module operated by said first entity;

c) processing payments from said consumer of said parking facility;

d) receiving, by said communication center module, parking facility controlling parameters from a parking authority operated by a second entity separate from said first entity, wherein said parking facility controlling parameters comprise;

preferred communication methods, identification information for each parking unit under management in said parking facility, predetermined parking facility use data, and parking violation threshold data;

e) analyzing, by an analysis module using a computer processor operated by said first entity, a set of data, wherein said set of data comprises;

a current operational state, said predetermined parking facility use data, and, said parking violation threshold data, wherein at least one item of the data stored in said data storage module represents the current operational state;

f) detecting, by said analysis module, a potential parking violation;

g) generating, by said analysis module, a first enforcement alert based on the detection of the potential parking violation;

h) communicating, by said analysis module, said first enforcement alert to said parking authority;

i) generating, by said parking authority, a dispatch order for parking enforcement;

j) communicating, by said parking authority, said dispatch order to a parking enforcement.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of receiving consumer data further comprises receiving consumer identity data comprising at least one item from a group consisting of consumer biometric data and consumer behavioral data, the method additionally comprising the steps of:

a) comparing said consumer identity data with data stored in said data storage module;

b) detecting a difference between said consumer identity data and data stored in said data storage module;

c) generating, by a computer processor, a second enforcement alert based on said difference;

d) communicating said second enforcement alert to said parking authority;

e) generating a dispatch order for parking enforcement.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

a) receiving enforcement report data from said parking authority, and

b) storing enforcement report data in said data storage module.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of receiving consumer data further comprises:

a) a first communication with said consumer, and

b) a second communication with said consumer.

15. The method of claim 11 additionally comprising the steps of:

a) recognizing previous consumers of said parking facility;

b) detecting consumers who provide faulty consumer payment data;

c) generating, by a computer processor, a third enforcement alert based on detection of said faulty consumer payment data;

d) communicating said third enforcement alert to said parking authority; and

,

e) generating a dispatch order for parking enforcement.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

a) adjusting the predetermined parking facility use data using data acquired through operation of said parking facility, wherein the data used for adjusting comprises at least one item of data from the group consisting of;

i) parking violation threshold data,

ii) current parking facility use data,

iii) historical parking facility use data,

iv) current consumer identity data,

v) historical consumer identity data,

vi) current consumer payment data,

vii) historical consumer payment data,

viii) current enforcement report data, and,

ix) historical enforcement report data.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

a) adjusting the parking violation threshold data using data acquired through operation of said parking facility, wherein the data used for adjusting comprises at least one item of data from the group consisting of;

i) predetermined parking facility use data,

ii) current parking facility use data,

iii) historical parking facility use data,

iv) current consumer identity data,

v) historical consumer identity data,

vi) current consumer payment data,

vii) historical consumer payment data,

viii) current enforcement report data, and,

ix) historical enforcement report data.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

a) using, by the consumer, contact information to communicate with the communication center module, said contact information additionally comprising parking unit identity data; and

b) receiving, by said communication center module, data comprising at least some of the contact information used by the consumer.