Airport parking communication system

• US 6,522,264 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2000
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gregory M. Stewart
• Original Assignee: Idmicro Incorporated
• Inventors: Stewart, Gregory M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phung
• Application Number:
  US09/653,515
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 340/945,572.1,988,932.2,933,941,994
• US Class Current: 340/945
• 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 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

An improved airport parking communication system is provided. When a customer arrives at a parking lot, the customer is provided a radio frequency identification tag. The customer'"'"'s name and vehicle slot number are electronically written onto the radio frequency identification tag as well as entered into a parking system database. This occurs before the customer enters the courtesy bus for the terminal of the airport. When the customer returns to the airport and gathers their luggage, the customer moves to an island that includes readers that read the information stored in the radio frequency identification tag carried by the customer. The information is transmitted to the parking lot, where the information is used to dispatch a courtesy bus to retrieve the customer, or to communicate with a courtesy bus already en route. This information is also displayed to an attendant so that the attendant may use the information to retrieve the customer'"'"'s vehicle and to deliver the customer'"'"'s vehicle to a delivery area. In this manner, the customer'"'"'s vehicle will be waiting for the customer when the customer arrives at the parking lot. The customer need not take any other action than carrying the RFID tag to the island to be retrieved.

Claims

1. A parking lot communication system, comprising:

an encoder for encoding, on a radio frequency identification tag, information identifying the location of a vehicle parked by or on behalf of a customer in a parking lot, the encoder encoding anew the information identifying the location of the vehicle each time the vehicle is parked by or on behalf of the customer in the parking lot;

an interrogator remotely located from said parking lot for retrieving said information identifying the location of a vehicle from said radio frequency identification tag when said tag is located within the reading proximity of said interrogator; and

a base computer for displaying said information identifying the location of a vehicle and causing a pick-up vehicle to be dispatched to said remote location to pickup said customer.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more antennas connected to said interrogator for receiving said information identifying the location of a vehicle from said radio frequency identification tag.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a computer connected to said interrogator for receiving said information identifying the location of a vehicle from said interrogator and for transmitting said information to said base computer.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said computer is located proximate to said interrogator and wherein said computer is further operative to receive data from said base computer and to display said data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said data received from said base computer comprises the arrival time of said pick-up vehicle.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said information identifying the location of a vehicle comprises a vehicle slot number and wherein said radio frequency identification tag also includes said customer'"'"'s name.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said information identifying the location of a vehicle is stored in a parking system database.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said information identifying the location of a vehicle further comprises an arrival time indicating the time at which a vehicle was parked in the vehicle slot number.

9. A method for displaying the location of a vehicle, comprising:

encoding, on a radio frequency identification tag, data identifying the location of a vehicle parked by or on behalf of a customer in a parking lot, the information identifying the location of the vehicle being encoded anew each time the vehicle is parked by or on behalf of the customer in the parking lot;

retrieving said data identifying the location of a vehicle from said radio frequency identification tag using a radio frequency interrogator located remotely from said parking lot when said customer brings said radio frequency identification tag within the reading proximity of said interrogator;

transmitting said retrieved data identifying the location of a vehicle to a base computer; and

displaying said retrieved data identifying the location of a vehicle at said base computer, said base computer causing pick-up vehicle to be dispatched to said remote location to pick up said customer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein data identifying the location of a vehicle comprises a vehicle slot number.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said radio frequency identification tag is also encoded with the name of said customer.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said radio frequency interrogator comprises an interrogator and one or more antennas connected to said interrogator for receiving data from said radio frequency identification tag.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving data from said base computer at a computer located proximate to said radio frequency interrogator; and

displaying said received data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said data received from said base computer comprises the arrival time of a bus.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing said information identifying the location of a vehicle in a parking system database.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said parking system database comprises a customer name, a vehicle slot number, and an arrival time indicating the time at which a vehicle was parked in said vehicle slot number.

17. A method for dispatching a courtesy vehicle to retrieve a customer, so that the customer can pick up a vehicle parked by or on behalf of the customer in a parking lot comprising:

providing said customer with a radio frequency identification tag encoded with data that uniquely identifies said customer and with data that identifies the location of a vehicle parked by or on behalf of a customer in a parking lot;

decoding said encoded data from said radio frequency identification tag;

transmitting said decoded data to a base computer; and

in response to receiving said encoded data at said base computer, said base computer causing a vehicle to be dispatched to retrieve said customer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said encoded data comprises a unique identification number.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

displaying an estimated time of arrival indicating when said vehicle will arrive to retrieve said customer.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

storing said data that uniquely identifies said customer in a database when said radio frequency identification tag is provided to said customer.