Bicycle rental system and station

• US 7,898,439 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Isabelle Bettez, Jean-Sebastien Bettez
• Inventors: Bettez, Isabelle, Bettez, Jean-Sebastien
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US12/052,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 340/999, 340/432, 340/543, 340/568.1, 340/825.35, 705/1, 194/205, 194/247, 194/902, 235/381, 235/382, 702/33, 70/57
• US Class Current: 340/999
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 2003/005 Supports or holders associated with means for bike rental
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 3/00 Separate supports or holders for parking or storing cycles cycle supports used during maintenance B25H; building aspects E04H
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• 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: G07C 1/30 Parking meters registering or indicating waiting time of vehicles by means driven by the vehicle G07C5/02; coin-freed parking meters G07F17/24
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0057 for the hiring or rent of vehicles, e.g. cars, bicycles or wheelchairs car rental G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/10 for means for safe-keeping of property, left temporarily, e.g. by fastening the property
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/244 provided with means for retaining a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 10/20 Systems characterised by their energy storage means H02S40/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 194/902 Check-operated device for controlling parking lot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/50 : Special application
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5872 : For cycles

Abstract

A bicycle rental system and automated station that may be integrated with an automobile parking payment and management system. Users may pay for parking and/or rent and pickup bicycles at the station. The station has a meter, bicycle docks, and power plant. Transaction formalities for parking payment and rental may be handled at the meter. The bicycle docks each are adapted to secure a bicycle. The power plant uses a solar panel to collect power and stores it in energy storage device. Low-power operation may be achieved by placing some electronics in a low-power mode. Each bicycle dock may have a trigger mechanism that when activated powers on associated electronics. The bicycle docks may be divided among a number of bicycle modules. The bicycle modules provide flexibility and modularity so that the number of bicycle docks at a station may be changed.

Claims

1. A bicycle rental station adapted for use in conjunction with a payment station, the bicycle rental station comprising:

a solar panel;

a trigger mechanism configured for activation by user action;

an energy storage device coupled to receive energy from the solar panel;

a wireless transmitter operable in a low-power consumption mode and a higher-power consumption mode; and

a plurality of bicycle docks, each bicycle dock comprising an electronic element operable in the low-power consumption mode and the higher-power consumption mode, wherein,

each electronic element and the wireless transmitter are coupled to receive energy from the energy storage device; and

the bicycle rental station is configured to, in response to activation of the trigger mechanism, place at least one of the electronic elements and the transmitter in the higher-power consumption mode from the low-power consumption mode to transmit information from the bicycle dock to the payment station.

2. The bicycle rental station of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bicycle docks are divided among one or more bicycle modules, each bicycle module adapted to connect to one or more adjacent bicycle modules.

3. The bicycle rental station of claim 2, wherein the electronic element comprises a receiver for short-range wireless communications, each receiver positioned to receive wireless communications from a tag affixed to a bicycle.

4. The bicycle rental station of claim 1, in combination with the payment station, the payment station being configured to receive power from the energy storage device and comprises a user interface to facilitate bicycle rental and parking payment.

5. The bicycle rental station of claim 4, further comprising:

an ioctl module that polls the plurality of bicycle docks to determine if the trigger mechanism has been activated.

6. The bicycle rental station of claim 5, wherein:

the wireless transmitter is within the ioctl module, the wireless transmitter further for receiving authorization data from the payment station.

7. The bicycle rental station of claim 4, wherein the payment station further comprises a modular display socket, the modular display socket adapted to couple to and mechanically secure any display of a group, the group comprising at least two displays.

8. The bicycle rental station of claim 7, wherein the group comprises a monochrome display and a full-color display.

9. The bicycle rental station of claim 7, wherein the group comprises a first display and a second display, the first display having a smaller screen size than the second display.

10. A method of operating a bicycle rental station, the method comprising:

placing a portion of the bicycle rental station in a low-power consumption mode, the portion comprising electronics configured to operate in the low-power consumption mode and a higher-power consumption mode;

storing solar energy collected by a solar panel in an energy storage device;

powering the electronics of the portion of the bicycle rental station from the energy storage device in the higher-power consumption mode in response to activation of a trigger mechanism.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the trigger mechanism is mechanical.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a pass card activates the trigger mechanism, whereby the portion of the station is powered in the higher-power consumption mode in response to the pass card being read.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein placing a bicycle in a bicycle dock activates the trigger mechanism, whereby the portion of the station is powered in the higher-power consumption mode in response to the bicycle being placed in the dock.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the portion of the station that is powered in the higher-power consumption mode comprises an RFID reader located at the bicycle dock.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

performing a reading with the RFID reader while powering the portion in the higher-power consumption mode.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the portion of the station comprises a locking mechanism located at the bicycle dock, the method further comprising:

locking the locking mechanism securing the bicycle at the bicycle dock.