LOCATION BASED PARKING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20140176348A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Acker, Joel Bennett Jr., Cancro, Richard Neil, Pedley, Douglas James
• Granted Patent: US 9,761,139 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• 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

Abstract

A method to provide an active parking system includes receiving, at a portable computerized device, parking preferences of a user for a parking facility of a retail store, determining, within a parking space index server, an availability status of each of a plurality of parking spaces of the parking facility, identifying, within a computerized device, a preferred parking location for the user based upon the parking preferences and the availability statuses, and displaying, at a computerized display, directions for the user to navigate to the preferred parking location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a portable computerized device, parking preferences of a user for a parking facility of a retail store;

determining, within a parking space index server, an availability status of each of a plurality of parking spaces of the parking facility;

identifying, within a computerized device, a preferred parking location for the user based upon the parking preferences and the availability statuses; and

displaying, at a computerized display, directions for the user to navigate to the preferred parking location.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the parking preferences comprises referencing a saved personal parking profile for the user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving, the parking preferences comprises:

presenting to the user a selectable parking preference; and

monitoring a gesture of the user indicating to the selectable parking preference.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the availability status of each of the plurality of parking spaces comprises monitoring data from a sensor configured to observe parked vehicles in the plurality of parking spaces.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein monitoring the data comprises monitoring an image from a camera device configured to observe the plurality of parking spaces.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the availability status of each of the plurality of parking spaces comprises monitoring data from a plurality of sensors, each sensor configured to observe a parked vehicle in one of the plurality of parking spaces.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying, within the computerized device, the preferred parking location for the user comprises identifying the preferred parking location within the portable computerized device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying, within a computerized device, the preferred parking location for the user comprises identifying the preferred parking location within the parking space index server.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying, at the computerized display, directions for the user comprises displaying the directions upon a display device selected from a smart-phone device, a tablet computer, a navigation device, a head up display of a vehicle of the user, eyeglasses configured to project images upon a view of the user, a computerized sign located in the parking facility, and traffic signals located in the parking facility.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting, at the portable computerized device, a plurality of selectable parking preferences to the user;

receiving a prioritized selection of the selectable parking preferences from the user; and

saving the prioritized selection as a personal parking profile for the user; and

wherein receiving the parking preferences comprises referencing the personal parking profile.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein presenting the plurality of selectable parking preferences comprises presenting one of a handicapped parking space preference, a mommy spot parking space preference, an electric vehicle charging station parking space preference, an oversized vehicle parking space preference, a compact vehicle parking space preference, a low parking density parking space preference, a parking space preference indicated to a particular exit of the store, and a parking space preference indicated to a particular aisle.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein presenting the plurality of selectable parking preferences comprises presenting an option for the user to select an individual preferred parking space.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein presenting the plurality of selectable parking preferences comprises presenting an option for the user to select a range of preferred parking spaces.

14. A server comprising:

a store locator module that determines a store location of a retailer whereat a user is going to park a vehicle;

a parking space database wherein an availability status of a plurality of parking spaces at the retailer is maintained;

a parking space locator module that identifies a preferred parking location for the user based upon the availability statuses and a monitored parking preference of the user; and

a data output module that provides information for display to the user, navigating the user to the preferred parking location.

15. The server of claim 14, further comprising a customer view parking space identification module determining information to graphically present a candidate preferred parking space to the user.

16. A software application for operation of an active parking system, the software application operating upon a portable computerized device, comprising:

receiving, at the portable computerized device, a plurality of parking preferences for a user of the device;

wirelessly transmitting, at the portable computerized device, the parking preferences to a remote parking space index server, wherein the parking space index server stores data for a parking facility regarding currently available parking spaces;

receiving, at the portable computerized device, instructions to navigate to a preferred parking spot at the parking facility, wherein the preferred parking spot is based upon the parking preferences of the user and the stored data; and

displaying, at the portable computerized device, the instructions to navigate to the preferred parking spot.