Parking management system related to street cleaning

• US 9,202,376 B1
• Filed: 08/28/2013
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Anthony Evans
• Original Assignee: David Anthony Evans
• Inventors: Evans, David Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US14/012,727
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 705/13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/30 Arrangements interacting with transmitters or receivers otherwise than by visible means, e.g. using radar reflectors or radio transmitters E01F11/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/00 Removing undesirable matter from roads or like surfaces, with or without moistening of the surface for snow or ice E01H5/00; cleaning tramway rails E01H8/00; obstruction removers on vehicles B60R19/00; in combination with application of bitumen or the like E01C19/16; in combination with application of traffic line E01C23/16 ; Sweeping apparatus, particularly for lawns A01G20/30, A01G20/40; removing undesirable matter from floors and similar surfaces A47L5/00 - A47L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/142 external to the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/148 Management of a network of parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/149 coupled to means for restricting the access to the parking space, e.g. authorization, access barriers, indicative lights

Abstract

A parking management system and method with regard to street cleaning and parking regulations. A data collection method and system. A system and method to make available multiple parking spots at a time.

Claims

1. A system for altering and notifying users of changes in parking restrictions comprising:

one or more signs indicating parking restrictions on a street;

a changeable visual indicator located near each sign to indicate the status of the posted parking restrictions; and

a street cleaning vehicle in communication with the changeable visual indicators and a remote central processing unit wherein when the vehicle passes by each changeable visual indicator the street cleaning vehicle sends a signal to the visual indicators to change the status of the indicator to permit parking on the street and sends a second signal to the remote central processing unit to update a database in the central processing unit that determines the current parking restrictions on the streets.

2. A system for altering parking restrictions as recited in claim 1 further comprising the central processing unit, wherein the central processing unit notifies drivers of areas with permissible parking.

3. A system for altering parking restrictions as recited in claim 2 wherein the central processing unit automatically notifies drivers of a change in status.

4. A system for altering parking restriction as recited in claim 1 further comprising the central processing unit, wherein the central processing unit is in communications with the changeable visual indicators and is able to remotely change the parking restrictions.

5. A system for altering parking restrictions as recited in claim 3, further comprising the central processing unit, wherein the central processing unit is also able to notify drivers of the reasons for changing a parking status.

6. A system for altering parking restrictions as recited in claim 1, wherein the street cleaning vehicle operator can inhibit communications by the vehicle and maintain the parking restriction when moving past the visual indicator.

7. A method for changing the parking status of a street and notifying users of the status comprising:

placing at least one sign with parking restrictions on a street;

placing a changeable visual indicator near each sign to indicate if the parking restrictions are currently valid; and

moving a street cleaning vehicle along the street and sending a signal to change the status of each sign as the vehicle passes by each sign and sending a second signal to a remote processing unit with a database to keep track of the changed status of each sign and street.

8. A method for changing the parking status of a street as recited in claim 7, further comprising the step of making the database information available to drivers in real time.

9. A method for changing the parking status of a street as recited in claim 8, wherein the database information is automatically sent to driver devices to assist the driver in locating an available parking space.

10. A method for changing the parking status of a street as recited in claim 8, wherein the information includes reasons for the current parking status.

11. A method for changing the parking status of a street as recited in claim 7, wherein the street cleaning vehicle operator can inhibit communications by the vehicle and maintain the parking restriction when moving past the visual indicator.