System and method for identifying parking spaces for a community of users

• US 8,576,092 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anagog Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Anagog Ltd.
• Inventors: Levy, Gil, Aizenbud, Yaron
• Primary Examiner(s): CROSLAND, DONNIE L
• Application Number:
  US12/936,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20110140922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

A mobile communications device includes a locator unit to receive and process information regarding a current location for the mobile communications device, a parking status determination unit to determine a parking status for the device based on at least changes in the current location, and a communication unit to forward the parking status to a parking community processor. A method includes determining a parking status of a vehicle associated with a person as a function of movement of a personal mobile communications device.

Claims

1. A method implementable in software for participating in a parking community comprising:

establishing a current location for a mobile communications device;

calculating a speed for said device based on time and distance between said current location and a previously stored location;

determining, by a processor, said parking status as a function of;

said speed,

at least one previously calculated speed, and

at least one previously determined parking status; and

forwarding said parking status to said parking community.

2. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising:

storing a history of said current locations as said previously stored locations; and

analyzing said history to identify recurring patterns indicative of an expected change in said parking status.

3. The method according to claim 2 and where said recurring patterns are a “

retracing of steps”

toward a parking location at a said speed consistent with a user of said device returning to said parking location on foot, said parking location identified as said current location for said device at a time when said parking status of “

parked”

was most recently determined for said device.

4. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising receiving parking status reports from said parking community.

5. The method according to claim 1 and wherein said parking status reports are in the form of at least one of:

an indicator to indicate an available parking space within a given radius, a screen display of a map indicating recently vacated parking spaces near said current location and an audio signal.

6. The method according to claim 4 and wherein said parking status reports are received via at least one of a web page, an email, an SMS, and an instant message (IM).

7. The method according to claim 4 and also comprising proactively requesting said parking status reports.

8. The method according to claim 1 and also comprising locating a parked car based on a location for which a said parking status of “

parked”

was most recently determined.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said device comprises said processor.