Parking meter with contactless payment

• US 9,406,056 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2012
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: J.J. MacKay Canada Limited (137954 Canada Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: J.J. MacKay Canada Limited (137954 Canada Ltd.)
• Inventors: MacKay, George Allan, Chauvin, Gregory Emile, O'Neil, Adrian Ignatius
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): TARDIF, DAVID P
• Application Number:
  US13/546,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20120292385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 235/33, 235/375, 235/383, 235/384, 235/435
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0704 the battery being rechargeable, e.g. solar batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/248 Housing construction casings for coin-freed apparatus G07F9/10
• 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: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A parking meter is described that comprises components for providing parking meter functionality and a display for displaying parking information and a metal housing for protecting the parking meter components from an environment that has a display aperture through which the display is visible. The parking meter also comprises an antenna for a contactless payment reader arranged in or on the parking meter in close proximity to the display.

Claims

1. A parking meter comprising:

components for providing parking meter functionality;

a display for displaying parking meter information;

a metal housing for protecting the parking meter components from an environment, the housing comprising a display aperture through which the display is visible; and

an antenna for a Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless payment reader arranged in or on the parking meter at least partially surrounding or covering at least a portion of the display.

2. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the antenna comprises a small diameter of conductive wire.

3. The parking meter of claim 2, wherein at least some of the portion of the antenna comprising the small diameter of conductive wire is arranged in front of the display.

4. The parking meter of claim 2, wherein the antenna at least partially surrounds one or more input components that interact with the parking meter.

5. The parking meter of claim 2, wherein the antenna is arranged about a perimeter of the display of the parking meter.

6. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the antenna is arranged about a perimeter of the display of the parking meter.

7. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the antenna is arranged on a front side of the display.

8. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the antenna is arranged behind the display.

9. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the antenna is connected to a contactless reader module via wires.

10. The parking meter of claim 8, wherein the antenna is arranged on a printed circuit board of a contactless reader module arranged behind the display.

11. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the antenna at least partially surrounds one or more input components that interact with the parking meter.

12. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises an additional aperture at least partially surrounding at least a portion of the display and wherein the antenna is located within or about the additional aperture.

13. The parking meter of claim 12, wherein the additional aperture comprises a solar panel aperture housing a solar panel.

14. The parking meter of claim 13, further comprising a solar panel assembly located within the solar panel aperture comprising a stacked assembly of:

the solar panel;

a first transparent covering;

the antenna; and

a second transparent covering.

15. The parking meter of claim 14, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) shielding material located between the bottom of the solar panel aperture and the solar panel assembly.

16. The parking meter of claim 1, further comprising material sealing the aperture in the housing and providing a low attenuation of radio frequency (RF) signals and wherein the antenna is arranged on an interior surface of the material sealing the aperture.

17. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the parking meter is a multi-space type parking meter.

18. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the parking meter is a single space parking meter and the components providing parking meter functionality and the display are provided by a removable parking meter mechanism received within at least a portion of the metal housing.

19. The parking meter of claim 1, further comprising material sealing the aperture in the housing and providing a low attenuation of radio frequency (RF) signals.

20. The parking meter of claim 19, wherein the parking meter is a single space parking meter and the components providing parking meter functionality and the display are provided by a removable parking meter mechanism received within at least a portion of the metal housing, and wherein the antenna is connected to a contactless reader module of the removable parking meter mechanism through a detachable connection to allow separation of at least a portion of the housing supporting the antenna and the removable parking meter mechanism.

21. The parking meter of claim 20, wherein the antenna is arranged on an interior surface of the material sealing the aperture, and wherein the removable parking meter mechanism comprises at least a portion of the housing having the aperture.

22. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the NFC reader reads payment information from one or more of:

a credit card;

a card conforming to ISO 14443 standard;

an NFC enabled mobile phone;

an NFC enabled smartphone;

an NFC enabled wrist watch;

an NFC tag; and

an NFC token.

23. A removable parking meter mechanism comprising:

components for providing parking meter functionality;

a display for displaying parking information; and

an antenna for a Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless payment reader at least partially surrounding or covering at least a portion of the display.

24. The removable parking meter mechanism of claim 23, wherein at least a portion of the antenna comprises a small diameter of conductive wire.

25. The removable parking meter mechanism of claim 23, wherein the antenna is arranged about a perimeter of the display.

26. The removable parking meter mechanism of claim 24, wherein at least some of the portion of the antenna comprising the small diameter of conductive wire is arranged in front of the display.

27. The removable parking meter mechanism of claim 23, wherein the antenna is arranged behind the display.

28. The removable parking meter mechanism of claim 27, wherein the antenna is arranged on a printed circuit board of a contactless reader module arranged behind the display.

29. The removable parking meter mechanism of claim 23, wherein the antenna is arranged on a front side of the display.

30. The parking meter of claim 23, wherein the NFC reader reads payment information from one or more of:

a credit card;

a card conforming to ISO 14443 standard;

an NFC enabled mobile phone;

an NFC enabled smartphone;

an NFC enabled wrist watch;

an NFC tag; and

an NFC token.