Real time parking location navigator

• US 8,843,307 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kolodziej, Kris
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US13/154,970
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/209, 701/210, 701410-414, 701/416, 701/423, 701/425, 701/430, 340/932.2
• US Class Current: 701/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre

Abstract

A real time parking location navigator may automatically locate an available parking location and provide navigation information indicative of how to navigate to this location. Payment for the available parking location may also be automatically made. Either or both of these may be done at the time the vehicle is in proximity to a programmed destination.

Claims

1. A real time parking location navigator comprising:

a navigation system configured to provide navigation information indicative of how to navigate a vehicle to;

a programmed destination; and

an available parking location that is near but different from the programmed destination;

a data processing system configured to;

receive the programmed destination;

cause the navigation system to provide the navigation information to the programmed destination;

determine when a current location of the vehicle is in proximity to the programmed destination;

in response to determining that the current location of the vehicle is in the proximity to the programmed destination;

query a parking location database containing information indicative of available parking locations near the programmed destination;

identify the available parking location from among the available parking locations in the parking location database responsive to the query; and

in response to identifying the available parking location, cause the navigation system to provide further navigation information including turn-by-turn information indicative of how to navigate from the current location of the vehicle to the identified available parking location.

2. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the data processing system is configured to offer a user-settable parking option governing whether the data processing system queries and provides the navigation information about an available parking location.

3. The real time parking location navigator of claim 2 wherein the data processing system is configured to offer a user-setting that makes a parking option setting applicable to all programmed destinations.

4. The real time parking location navigator of claim 2 wherein the data processing system is configured to offer the parking option at or about a time when the programmed destination is programmed.

5. The real time parking location navigator of claim 2 wherein the data processing system is configured to offer the parking option at or about a time when the vehicle is first detected to be in proximity to the programmed destination.

6. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the data processing system is configured to:

calculate an estimated arrival time at the programmed destination; and

determine when the vehicle is in proximity to the programmed destination based on the estimated arrival time.

7. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the data processing system is configured to:

calculate a remaining travel distance the vehicle is to travel to reach the programmed destination; and

determine when the vehicle is in proximity to the programmed destination based on the remaining travel distance.

8. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the data processing system is configured to determine when the vehicle is in proximity to the programmed destination based on data in the parking location database indicative of how quickly parking spaces at the available parking location remain available.

9. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the data processing system is configured to determine that the vehicle is in proximity to the programmed destination by detecting that the vehicle has circled an area at slow speeds.

10. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the available parking location is a location of a parking lot.

11. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the available parking location is a location of a specific parking space.

12. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the data processing system is configured to offer a person a purchase option to purchase a parking space at the available parking location.

13. The real time parking location navigator of claim 12 wherein the data processing system is configured to offer a user setting that makes the purchase option setting applicable to all programmed destinations.

14. The real time parking location navigator of claim 12 wherein the data processing system is configured to offer the purchase option at a time the programmed destination is programmed.

15. The real time parking location navigator of claim 12 wherein the data processing system is configured to offer the purchase option at a time the vehicle is determined to be in close proximity to the programmed destination.

16. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the data processing system is configured to re-query the parking location database after identifying the available location from the parking location database to determine if the identified available parking location is still available and, if not:

to re-query the parking location database for a different available parking location that is near the programmed destination; and

cause the navigation system to provide navigation information indicative of how to navigate to the different available parking location.

17. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the data processing system is configured to:

receive information indicative of how long the vehicle desires an available parking space; and

select the available parking location that is indicated by information in the parking location database as being available for as long as the available parking space is desired by the vehicle.

18. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the data processing system is configured to:

receive information indicative of how long the available parking location is available; and

after the vehicle has begun to use the available parking location but before the available parking location is no longer available, issue a warning to a user of the real time parking location navigator of the approaching unavailability of the available parking location.

19. The real time parking location navigator of claim 18 wherein the data processing system is configured to issue the warning without the user having to manually set a timer.

20. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the data processing system is configured to store a location at which the vehicle is parked and, upon request, cause the navigation system to provide navigation information to a user about how to navigate to the parked vehicle.

21. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the real time parking location navigator is part of a wireless mobile communication device.

22. The real time parking location navigator of claim 1 wherein the real time parking location navigator is located within the vehicle.

23. Non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable media containing a program of instructions that cause a computer system running the program to:

receive a programmed destination for a vehicle;

provide navigation information indicative of how to navigate to the programmed destination;

determine when a current location of the vehicle is in proximity to the programmed destination;

in response to determining that the current location of the vehicle is in the proximity to the programmed destination;

query a parking location database containing information indicative of available parking locations near but different from the programmed destination;

identify the available parking location from among the available parking locations in the parking location database responsive to the query; and

provide further navigation information including turn-by-turn information indicative of how to navigate from the current location of the vehicle to the identified available parking location.

24. A real time parking location navigator comprising:

a navigation system configured to provide navigation information indicative of how to navigate a vehicle to;

a programmed destination; and

an available parking location that is near but different from the programmed destination;

a data processing system configured to;

receive the programmed destination;

cause the navigation system to provide the navigation information to the programmed destination;

determine when the vehicle is in proximity to the programmed destination;

in response to determining that the vehicle is in the proximity to the programmed destination;

query a parking location database containing information indicative of available parking locations for an available parking location that is near the programmed destination;

receive the available parking location from the parking location database; and

cause the navigation system to provide navigation information indicative of how to navigate to the available parking location,

wherein the data processing system is configured to at least one of;

a) offer a user-settable parking option governing whether the data processing system queries and provides the navigation information about an available parking location,

b) determine when the vehicle is in proximity to the programmed destination based on data in the parking location database indicative of how quickly parking spaces at the available parking location remain available, or

c) receive information indicative of how long the vehicle desires an available parking space, and

select the available parking location that is indicated by information in the parking location database as being available for as long as the available parking space is desired by the vehicle.