Parking meter communications for remote payment with updated display

• US 9,424,691 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IPS Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IPS Group Incorporated
• Inventors: King, David William, Randall, Chad P.
• Primary Examiner(s): GIRMA, FEKADESELASS
• Application Number:
  US14/185,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20140172518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/933, 340/693.12, 340/309.7, 340/539.13, 340/693.9, 340/8.1, 340/907, 340/908, 340/988
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• 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 17/24 for parking meters

Abstract

A parking meter receives data indicative of a remote payment being completed and displays an amount of time purchased by the remote payment for a parking session. The parking meter determines an amount of time remaining in the parking session and powers down at least a portion of a meter communication subsystem subsequent to receiving the data indicative of the remote payment being completed. The parking meter wakes up the powered down portion of the communication subsystem upon determining that the amount of time remaining is below a threshold time, and can receive an indication of additional time being paid for remotely, and can update the displayed time remaining to reflect the additional time.

Claims

1. A meter device comprising:

a. an internal clock;

b. a display;

c. a communication subsystem configured to provide two-way wireless communication;

d. a controller module coupled to the internal clock, the display and the communication subsystem, the controller configured to control the communication subsystem to receive data indicative of a remote payment being completed, control the display to display an amount of time purchased by the remote payment for a parking session, monitor the clock to determine a first amount of time remaining in the parking session, control the display to display the first amount of time remaining, power down at least a portion of the communication subsystem subsequent to receiving the data indicative of the remote payment being completed, wake up the powered down portion of the communication subsystem upon determining that the first amount of time remaining is below a threshold time prior to expiration of the parking session, receive an indication of additional time being paid for remotely, and control the display to update the displayed time remaining to reflect the additional time in a second amount of time remaining.

2. The meter device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, upon waking up the powered down portion of the communication subsystem, control the communication subsystem to transmit a message to a remote management system indicating the time remaining is about to expire.

3. The meter device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, upon waking up the powered down portion of the communication subsystem, control the communication subsystem to transmit a message to a wireless device of a user that made the remote payment indicating the time remaining is about to expire.

4. The meter device of claim 1, wherein a portion of the communication subsystem that is not powered down by the controller enables the communication subsystem to receive an incoming signal.

5. The meter device of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to control the portion of the communication subsystem that is not powered down to receive the incoming signal and to wake up the powered down portion of the communication subsystem in response to receiving the incoming signal.

6. The meter device of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to control the communications subsystem to receive data indicative of another remote payment being completed subsequent to receiving the incoming signal, and to control the display to update the displayed time remaining to reflect additional time purchased by the another remote payment.

7. The meter device of claim 1, further comprising:

a reader device configured to read identification information from a user identifier in close proximity to the reader device;

wherein the controller is configured to receive the identification information from the reader device, and control the communication subsystem to transmit the identification information to the remote management system, the identification information being linked to a user that is making the remote payment and the identification information being transmitted to the management system prior to receiving the data indicative of the remote payment being completed.

8. The meter device of claim 7, wherein the reader device is a RFID reader and the user identifier is a RFID tag.

9. The meter device of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a presence of a vehicle in a parking space associated with the meter device, and read identification information from the vehicle present in the parking space;

wherein the controller is further configured to control the communication subsystem to receive the identification information from the sensor, the identification information being linked to a user that is making the remote purchase, and control the communication subsystem to transmit the identification information to the remote management system, the identification information being transmitted to the management system prior to receiving the data indicative of the remote payment being completed.

10. The meter device of claim 9, wherein the sensor comprises an RFID reader configured to read the vehicle identification information from a RFID tag coupled to the vehicle.

11. A method of operating a parking meter, the method comprising:

a. responding to activation of a reader by reading a user identifier;

b. activating communication circuitry of the parking meter and communicating user identification information read from the user identifier to a management system for associating a registered user with the user identification information, the communication circuitry configured to provide two-way wireless communication;

c. receiving time information from the management system indicating a set time for a current parking session and initiating a-countdown of the set time toward zero, and then deactivating at least a portion of the communication circuitry;

d. activating the deactivated portion of the communication circuitry in step c and initiating a communication session with the management system at a predetermined time prior to expiration of the parking session set time to receive information from the management system that determines if additional time should be added to the set time in response to a remote payment by a user;

e. responding to received information that determines that no additional time should be added by continuing the countdown toward zero and adjusting a display of the parking meter accordingly and then deactivating at least a portion of the communication circuitry and resuming the countdown of the set time toward zero;

f. responding to received information that determines that additional time should be added by increasing the time remaining in the current parking session by the additional time determined by the received information and adjusting a display of the parking meter accordingly and then deactivating the at least a portion of the communication circuitry and resuming the countdown of the set time toward zero.

12. The method of operating the parking meter of claim 11, further comprising:

upon initiating the communication session, transmitting a message to the management system indicating the set time remaining is about to reach zero.

13. The method of operating the parking meter of claim 11, further comprising:

upon initiating the communication session, transmitting a message to a wireless device of the registered user indicating the set time remaining is about to reach zero.

14. The method of operating the parking meter of claim 11, wherein a portion of the communication circuitry that is not deactivated enables the communication circuitry to receive an incoming signal.

15. The method of operating the parking meter of claim 14, further comprising receiving the incoming signal and activating the deactivated portion of the communication circuitry in response to receiving the incoming signal.

16. The method of operating the parking meter of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving additional time information from the management system subsequent to receiving the incoming signal, the additional time information indicating that more additional time should be added to the set time;

adjusting the display accordingly to reflect the more additional time added to the set time; and

resuming the countdown of the set time to zero.

17. The method of operating the parking meter of claim 11, wherein the user identifier is a RFID tag and reading the user identifier comprises using a RFID reader.

18. The method of operating the parking meter of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a presence of a vehicle being present in a parking space associated with the meter device with a sensor, reading identification information from the vehicle present in the parking space with the sensor;

receiving the identification information from the sensor, the identification information being linked to the registered user; and

transmitting the identification information to the management system with the communication circuitry prior to receiving the time information from the management system.

19. The method of operating the parking meter of claim 18, wherein the sensor comprises an RFID reader, the method further comprising reading the vehicle identification information from a RFID tag coupled to the vehicle.