Automated parking director systems and related methods

• US 7,026,954 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2003
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Slemmer, John Blake, Rivenburgh, Neil Fredrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walk, Samuel J
• Application Number:
  US10/457,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20040252034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 701/25, 701/208, 701/211, 705/28
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

Systems and methods of directing parking in a parking lot include: (a) detecting the presence and/or absence of a vehicle in respective parking spaces in a parking lot having a plurality of parking spaces to monitor the availability of parking spaces; (b) identifying the space location of parking spaces that are available for use based on the detecting and monitoring steps; and (c) automatically providing the location of the identified available spaces to prospective users in substantially real-time.

Claims

1. An intelligent parking system for a parking lot comprising a plurality of individual parking spaces, comprising:

at least one object detector configured to identify when an object occupies a respective parking space and/or when the respective parking space is unoccupied;

at least one processor in communication with the at least one object detector, the at least one processor being configured to automatically identify the location of individual parking spaces that are available and/or the parking spaces that are unavailable to a parking lot patron or potential user based on data obtained from the at least one object detector, and

wherein the processor is in communication with an external display that further graphically displays a map illustrating a cluster of available spaces in graphic format of parking spaces in the parking lot and visually contrast the available spaces from the spaces that are unavailable, wherein the processor is configured to generate a textual summary of locations of isolated available spaces, and wherein the processor is configured to communicate with a plurality of individual wireless devices with displays to provide parking patrons and potential patrons the map of the cluster of available and unavailable spaces and the textual summary of locations of isolated spaces that is updated in substantially real time.

2. A parking system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one exterior display sign of a map of parking lot spaces in communication with said processor, wherein, in operation, the processor is configured to visually indicate the available spaces on the map on the display sign, and wherein the system is configured to communicate with a plurality of wireless devices to transmit text messages electronically notifying respective parking lot patrons of available spaces.

3. A parking system according to claim 2, wherein the display sign is sized and configured to reside proximate the parking lot for viewing by drivers approaching and/or in the parking lot.

4. A parking system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to graphically display the map of parking spaces in the parking lot and visually contrast the available spaces from the spaces that are unavailable on the displayed map, said system further configured to relay the map of available spaces to a web page.

5. A parking system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to graphically display the map of parking spaces in the parking lot and visually contrast the available spaces from the spaces that are unavailable on the map, said system further configured to relay the map of available spaces to a plurality of user'"'"'s wireless communication devices.

6. A parking system according to claim 1, wherein the system identifies the locations of the available spaces in substantially real-time, wherein the system is configured to allocate a first available parking space to a first vehicle at a first time entry into the parking lot, then allocate a second different parking space to a second vehicle at a subsequent second time, and update the map and textual summary to exclude the allocated spaces even when the first or second vehicle has not yet parked in the respective allocated space.

7. A parking system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to relay the location of available and/or unavailable parking spaces to prospective users over a computer network, wherein the system is configured to generate auditory navigational instructions to a parking lot patron via an associated wireless device to guide the respective patrons to an open space or a cluster of open spaces.

8. A parking system according to claim 7, wherein the computer network is a global computer network.

9. A parking system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one reader in communication with the processor configured to electronically automatically electronically obtain data in situ from a parking pass mounted to a respective vehicle as a user parks in a space that identifies a user in a respective parking space for each non-assigned parking space available to the general public, and wherein the system is configured to use the user identifier data to correlate the parking space location with a specific user in that parking space.

10. A parking system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one detector comprises a detector that is mounted to a floor of the parking space.

11. A parking system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one detector comprises a detector that is attached to an upstanding rail that is positioned to extend across a forward portion of a respective parking space.

12. A parking system according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to generate aggregate data of the number of spaces available, and wherein the reader is configured to electronically automatically obtain data associated with a user and/or vehicle in a respective parking space without any manual input action by a user in the parking space the data corresponding to at least one of a user'"'"'s name, driver'"'"'s license number and/or license plate number.

13. A parking system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate navigation instructions that can be output as auditory instructions transmitted to a user via a wireless device of the user to guide a user in the parking lot to an available space.

14. A parking system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to assign and/or automatically allocate a first parking space to a first vehicle on a first time entry into the parking lot, and then assign and/or allocate a second parking space to a second vehicle that enters the parking lot thereafter.

15. A parking system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to virtually reserve parking spaces using a web page accessible via the Internet based on pre-orders of users that specify when, date and time parking lot space is desired, and then identify to the users the parking spaces so reserved.

16. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a proximity alignment device that is configured to generate an alignment alert for respective parking spaces.

17. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of emergency alerts that can be activated by patrons of the parking lot, and wherein the system is configured to automatically identify the location that the alert was activated at in the parking lot based on the particular emergency alert activated.

18. A method of directing parking in a parking lot, comprising:

detecting the presence and/or absence of a vehicle in a respective parking space in a parking lot having a plurality of parking spaces to thereby monitor for the availability of parking spaces;

identifying the space location of parking spaces that are available for use based on the detecting and monitoring steps;

automatically providing the location of the identified available spaces to at least one output device in substantially real-time; and

correlating a specific user with a specific parking space based on data obtained automatically from a pass mounted to a vehicle in the specific parking space while or after the specific user parks the vehicle in the parking space.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the automatically providing step comprises graphically displaying the location of available spaces using at least a partial map of the parking lot to show clusters of open spaces and textually indicating the location of isolated open spaces.

20. A method according to claim 18, wherein the automatically providing step comprises textually identifying the location of at least one available space and outputting the textual identification to a wireless device associated with the user via text messaging.

21. A method according to claim 18, wherein, wherein the correlating step comprises obtaining data before the user is permitted to enter the parking lot, the data associated with a respective parking space user'"'"'s name, driver'"'"'s license number and/or license plate number, and wherein the user data is correlated to the parking pass and the parking pass has a unique electronic identifier associated therewith.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the automatically providing step displays the available spaces grouped by spatial relationship where there are clusters of open spaces.

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein the automatically providing step comprises displaying a selected parking region having a cluster of open regions in a graphic format proximate a parking lot entry site and textually displays parking lot locations for isolated available spaces.

24. A method according to claim 18, wherein the automatically providing step comprises displaying identified parking spaces on at least one exterior display board or sign.

25. A method according to claim 18, wherein the display sign is sized and configured to reside proximate the parking lot for viewing by drivers approaching and/or in the parking lot.

26. A method according to claim 18, further comprising relaying the identified available spaces to a global computer network.

27. A method according to claim 18, further comprising displaying the location of the identified available spaces on a web page accessible via a global computer network.

28. A method according to claim 27, further comprising transmitting the location of at least one available space to a personal communication and/or computer device.

29. A method according to claim 18, further comprising virtually reserving at least one parking space based on a pre-order of a user that specifies date and time that a parking lot space is desired and relaying to the user the location of the parking space so reserved.

30. A method according to claim 18, further comprising visually displaying a map of parking spaces in the parking lot and visually contrasting the available spaces from unavailable spaces and allowing parking lot patrons to access the map via wireless devices, and wherein the map is updated in substantially real time.

31. A method according to claim 18, further comprising generating auditory navigational instructions guiding a prospective parking customer to an available parking space.

32. An intelligent parking system for a parking lot comprising a plurality of individual parking spaces, comprising:

at least one object detector configured to identify when an object occupies a respective parking space and/or when the respective parking space is unoccupied;

at least one processor in communication with the at least one object detector, the at least one processor being configured to automatically identify the location of individual parking spaces that are available and/or the parking spaces that are unavailable to a parking lot user or potential user based on data obtained from the at least one object detector; and

at least one reader in communication with the processor, the reader configured to automatically electronically interrogate a parking pass mounted on a vehicle in or entering a parking space to provide user-specific data to correlate a particular user to a particular parking location.

33. A system according to claim 32, wherein the system is configured to optically or via RFID automatically obtain user identifier data from the parking pass to electronically identify a user'"'"'s parking location to that user after a user has parked to thereby allow a user to find his or her car if that user subsequently forgets where his or her parking space is located.

34. A system according to claim 32, wherein the system is configured to generate a unique identifier associated with the parking pass and wherein the reader is configured to electronically read the parking pass that is assigned to a particular user after the respective user enters or parks in a parking space without requiring physical action on the part of the user in the parking space to initiate the reading.

35. A system according to claim 34, wherein the reader is configured to automatically read the pass from at least one predefined position on the vehicle when the user is in a parking space to provide the user-specific data, and wherein the system is configured to automatically correlate a specific user to the location of the parking space based on the user-specific data and the location of the parking space where the specific user has parked.

36. A system according to claim 32, wherein the system is configured with anti-theft control that employs the user-specific data to confirm that a vehicle exiting or leaving the parking lot has an authorized driver.

37. A system according to claim 32, wherein the system is configured with anti-theft control that employs the user-specific data to confirm that the driver in the vehicle is authorized for that vehicle before the vehicle is allowed to exit the parking lot.

38. A system according to claim 33, wherein the system is configured with anti-theft control that employs the user-specific data to confirm that the vehicle has the proper license plate before the vehicle is allowed to exit the parking lot.

39. A system according to claim 32, further comprising a plurality of emergency alerts that are activatable by patrons of the parking lot and wherein, when activated the system is configured to electronically automatically identify a parking space location that the alert was activated at and/or proximate to.