U.S. patent application number 13/233727 was filed with the patent office on 2012-03-15 for apparatus for providing convenience services to vehicles.
This patent application is currently assigned to CONVOY SOLUTIONS LLC. Invention is credited to Michael M. Fielden.
Application Number | 20120060975 13/233727 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45805503 |
Filed Date | 2012-03-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120060975 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fielden; Michael M. |
March 15, 2012 |
Apparatus For Providing Convenience Services To Vehicles
Abstract
A convenience service unit for providing convenience services to
vehicles parked in a parking lot includes a base located outside a
peripheral boundary of the parking lot, and a boom coupled to the
base and extending over the parking lot. The apparatus further
includes a service module located outside the parking lot and
configured to provide at least one convenience service to a
vehicle. A conduit supported on the boom has a first end coupled to
the service module, and a second end extending into the parking lot
for connection to a vehicle.
Inventors: |
Fielden; Michael M.;
(Powell, TN) |
Assignee: |
CONVOY SOLUTIONS LLC
New York
NY
|
Family ID: |
45805503 |
Appl. No.: |
13/233727 |
Filed: |
September 15, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61383155 |
Sep 15, 2010 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
141/98 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60H 1/00257
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
141/98 |
International
Class: |
B65B 3/00 20060101
B65B003/00 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for providing convenience services to vehicles
parked in a parking lot, comprising: a base located outside a
peripheral boundary of the parking lot; a boom coupled to said base
and extending over the parking lot; a service module located
outside the peripheral boundary of the parking lot, said service
module configured to provide at least one convenience service; a
conduit supported on said boom and having a first end operatively
coupled to said service module and a second end extending into the
parking lot for operative connection to the vehicle such that said
convenience service is provided to the vehicle.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said convenience service
comprises at least one of electrical power, conditioned air,
telephone communication, internet communication, video signals, or
radio signals.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said convenience service is
conditioned air and wherein said service module includes an
evaporator for providing said conditioned air to the vehicle, said
evaporator supported on said base.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said evaporator is operatively
coupled to a compressor for providing conditioned air to the
vehicle, and wherein said compressor is not supported on said
base.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said compressor is, in turn,
operatively coupled to at least one other evaporator of a separate
apparatus for providing convenience services, including conditioned
air, to vehicles.
6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said compressor is further
operatively coupled to a ground-source heat exchange system.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary power
source supported on said base, said auxiliary power source
comprising at least one of a solar power source, a wind power
source, a geothermal source for providing heating and/or cooling
and/or power generation, or a battery power source.
8. A system for providing convenience services to vehicles parked
in a parking lot, comprising: a plurality of convenience service
units for providing convenience services to respective vehicles
parked in the parking lot, each convenience service unit
comprising: a base located outside a peripheral boundary of the
parking lot, a boom coupled to said base and extending over the
parking lot, a service module located outside the peripheral
boundary of the parking lot, said service module configured to
provide at least one convenience service, and a conduit supported
on said boom and having a first end operatively coupled to said
service module and a second end extending into the parking lot for
operative connection to a respective vehicle such that said
convenience service is provided to the vehicle.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein said convenience services
comprise at least one of electrical power, conditioned air,
telephone communication, internet communication, or
television/cable communication.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein said convenience service
comprises conditioned air and wherein each said service module
includes an evaporator for providing said conditioned air to a
respective vehicle, said evaporator supported on said base.
11. The system of claim 10, further comprising at least one
compressor, said compressor operatively coupled to multiple ones of
said evaporators for providing conditioned air to multiple vehicles
parked in the lot.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/383,155 (pending), filed on Sep. 15,
2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein
in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates to an apparatus for providing
convenience services to a stationary vehicle, allowing the vehicle
to conserve fuel and reduce noise and emissions by shutting off the
engine. Specifically, the invention relates to a system which
provides services such as heating, cooling, electrical, telephone,
internet access, video signals, radio signals, and/or other
convenience services, independent of the vehicle's electrical
system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Over-the-road (OTR) drivers spend many hours on the road.
The cab of the tractor-trailer often serves as home for days at a
time. Accordingly, modern tractor-trailer cabs are well equipped
with amenities to make time on the road more enjoyable. The
amenities are especially important when considering the regulations
imposed upon OTR drivers with regard to the number of hours which
may be legally driven between periods of rest. Full sleeper cabs
allow the driver to stop and rest without having to leave the
tractor-trailer. Often these cabs include televisions and other
amenities to make the driver more comfortable. However, these
amenities require a power source and, typically, that power source
is the electrical system of the tractor-tractor. Accordingly, the
engine must be generally left running during these times. This
period of low-idle operation when the tractor-trailer engine runs
only to provide power to the amenities, such as basic heating and
cooling during sleep periods, has been shown to increase wear on
the engine and result in approximately 60% of all required engine
maintenance. By providing these services externally to the
tractor-trailer, thereby allowing the engine to be shut off during
rest periods, the life of the engine can be improved and fuel
consumption reduced. For example, shutting off the engine during a
rest period can save as much as one gallon of fuel per hour.
Additionally, by shutting off the engine, the particulate matter
(PM-10) emissions and other gaseous pollutants are eliminated which
benefits the environment.
[0004] Conventional systems for providing convenience services to
vehicles, such as tractor trailers, generally involve locating
structures within a parking lot where the vehicles may park for
extended periods of time, such as a truck stop. Such structures may
include concrete supports, posts, framework, and other structures
that occupy physical space within a parking lot. Location of these
structures within a parking lot generally requires tearing up and
repaving of the parking lot or similar construction so that
electrical cables or other equipment may be buried beneath the
parking lot surface. Not only does the location of conventional
structures reduce the usable space in a parking lot, but these
structures also hinder traffic through the parking lot and hinders
the removal of snow and general maintenance of the parking lot.
Moreover, location of these structures within a parking lot may
undesirably affect the aesthetic appearance of the parking lot. A
need therefore exists for improved apparatus for providing
convenience services to parked vehicles which overcomes these and
other drawbacks of the prior art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention overcomes the foregoing and other
shortcomings and drawbacks of systems heretofore known for
providing convenience services to vehicles. While the invention
will be described in connection with certain embodiments, it will
be understood that the invention is not limited to these
embodiments. On the contrary, the invention includes all
alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included
within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0006] In one aspect, a convenience service unit for providing
convenience services to vehicles parked in a parking lot includes a
base located outside or close to a peripheral boundary of the
parking lot, and a boom coupled to the base and extending over the
parking lot. The apparatus further includes a service module
located outside the parking lot and configured to provide at least
one convenience service. A conduit supported on the boom has a
first end coupled to the service module, and a second end extending
over the parking lot for connection to a vehicle.
[0007] In one embodiment, the service module includes an evaporator
for providing conditioned air to a vehicle through the conduit. The
evaporator may be supported on the base. In another embodiment, the
evaporator is operatively coupled to a compressor that is not
supported on the base. The compressor may be shared between
multiple evaporators associated with respective service modules.
The compressor may also be coupled with a geothermal system for
providing heating and/or cooling to a vehicle.
[0008] In another aspect, a system for providing convenience
services to vehicles includes a plurality of convenience service
units as described above.
[0009] Various additional advantages, objectives and features of
the invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill upon
review of the following detailed description of the illustrative
embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system for providing
convenience services to vehicles in accordance with the principles
of the present disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a parking lot incorporating the
system of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a convenience
service unit of FIG. 1.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic elevation view of the convenience
service unit of FIG. 3.
[0014] FIG. 5 is another schematic elevation view of the
convenience service unit of FIG. 3, viewed from a different
side.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] With reference to FIG. 1, a system for providing convenience
services to vehicles includes individual convenience service units
10 that are located outside the peripheral boundary of a parking
lot 12 where vehicles 14, such as tractor trailers, park for
extended periods of time. The convenience service units 10 provide
convenience services to the cabs of the tractor trailers so that
the drivers and/or occupants of the vehicle 14 can be comfortable
and enjoy various entertainment and/or communication services
without requiring the engine of the vehicle 14 to be operating.
[0016] Each convenience service unit 10 comprises a base located
outside the peripheral boundary of the parking lot 12. In the
exemplary embodiment shown, the bases 12 of the convenience service
units 10 are located in a grassy area adjacent the edge of the
parking lot 12. Each base is positioned and arranged to be aligned
with a respective space 20 designated for parking a vehicle 14. In
the embodiment shown, the base 16 comprises a concrete footing that
extends into the ground and which includes a portion extending
above the ground. It will be appreciated, however, that the bases
16 of the convenience service units 10 may comprise other structure
suitable for supporting the components of the convenience service
unit 10 for delivery of the convenience services to a vehicle 14.
The convenience service unit 10 further includes a vertically
extending post 22 secured to the base 16. In the embodiment shown,
the post 22 is secured to the base 16 by a base plate 24 that is
bolted to the base 16. It will be appreciated, however, that the
post 22 may alternatively be imbedded directly into the base 16, or
may be secured to the base 16 by various other methods.
[0017] While convenience service unit 10 has been described above
as having a base 16 located outside the peripheral boundary of a
parking lot 12, it will be appreciated that base 16 may
alternatively be located at or close to the peripheral boundary of
the parking lot 12, as may be desired, whereby the usable space of
the parking lot 12 is maximized and generally unobstructed by
convenience service unit 10.
[0018] The convenience service unit 10 further includes a boom 26
coupled to the post 22 at a first end 28, and having a second end
30 extending into the parking lot 12 and a distance above the
parking lot 12, adjacent a respective parking space 20. A conduit
32 is supported on the boom 26 and has a first end 34 located
proximate the post 22 and a second end 28 extending into the
parking lot 12 for coupling to a vehicle 14. In the embodiment
shown, the boom 26 extends into the parking lot 12 a distance
sufficient to facilitate coupling the second end 36 of the conduit
32 to a vehicle 14. The conduit 32 may comprise multiple sections,
some of which may be sufficiently rigid to facilitate securing the
conduit 32 to the boom 26 and to guide the conduit 32 along the
boom 26. Other sections of the conduit 32 may be flexible to
facilitate maneuvering the second end 38 of the conduit 32 for
coupling to the vehicle 14. In the embodiment shown, conduit 32
comprises a flexible first section 32a proximate the post 22, a
rigid second section 32b extending along the boom 26, and a
flexible third section 32c extending between the second section 32b
and the second end 36 of the conduit 32. The distal end of the
rigid second section 32b, proximate the second end 30 of the boom
26, includes an elbow portion 38 for directing the conduit 32 from
the boom 26 toward the parking lot 12 for coupling with the vehicle
14.
[0019] The second end 36 of the conduit 32 may be configured to
facilitate coupling the conduit 32 to a vehicle 14, such as through
an open window or another opening providing communication with the
interior of the vehicle 14. In one embodiment, the second end 38 of
the conduit 32 may include a head unit 40 as shown and described in
U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,938, or a supply panel as shown and described
in U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,080 or U.S. Pat. No. 7,753,765 for providing
the convenience services to the vehicle. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,482,080;
6,705,938; and 7,753,765 are assigned to the assignee of the
present invention and are incorporated by reference herein in their
entirety. The convenience services provided to the vehicle 14 by
the convenience service unit 10 may include one or more of
conditioned air (cooling and/or heating), telephone communications,
radio signals, video signals, electricity, internet communications,
and/or various other convenience services.
[0020] The conduit 32 may also be configured such that one or more
portions of the conduit 32 are coupled together, or are coupled to
other components of the convenience service unit 10, such that the
coupled connections may break away from one another when a
predetermined force is applied to the connection. For example, the
second end 36 of conduit 32 may be configured to break away from a
head unit/supply panel 40 coupled thereto in the event that a
vehicle is inadvertently driven away without uncoupling the head
unit/supply panel 40 from the vehicle, to minimize or avoid damage
to the components of the convenience service unit 10. The first end
34 and/or other portions of conduit 32, such as first, second, and
third sections 32a, 32b, 32c, may also be coupled to their
respective components with break-away connections.
[0021] The convenience service unit 10 may further include a
service module 42 for providing convenience services to a vehicle
14 through the conduit 32. In the embodiment shown, the service
module 42 includes an evaporator and blower assembly 44 in
communication with the first end 34 of the conduit 32 for providing
conditioned air to the interior of the vehicle 14 through the
conduit 32. The evaporator/blower assembly 44 is supported on the
post 22 and is dedicated to provide conditioned air to a single
vehicle 14 through the conduit 32. The evaporator/blower assembly
44 is in communication with a compressor 46 through a branch line
48 and a trunk line 50 extending therebetween. In the embodiment
shown, the branch and trunk lines 48, 50 are only depicted
schematically. In practice, the branch and trunk lines 48, 50
provide supply and return paths between the compressor 46 and
evaporator/blower assembly 44 to complete the refrigeration circuit
of an air conditioning system, as known in the art.
[0022] In the embodiment shown, the compressor 46 is shared between
multiple evaporator/blower assemblies 44 associated with respective
convenience service units 10. Accordingly, each separate
convenience service unit 10 includes a dedicated evaporator/blower
assembly 44 communicating with the common compressor 46 through
respective branch lines and trunk lines 48, 50. In an exemplary
embodiment, a single compressor 46 may be shared with as many as
eight or more separate convenience service units 10.
[0023] Each convenience service unit 10 further includes a control
52 supported on the base 16 and configured to control operation of
the convenience service unit 10. The control 52 directs operation
of the convenience service unit 10 to provide convenience services
to the vehicle 14, and may also provide communication and/or
recording of use data, billing information, or various other
functions associated with the operation of the convenience service
unit 10. In the embodiment shown, the control 52 is mounted to the
vertically extending post 22. It will be appreciated, however, that
the control 52 may alternatively be located at various other
locations on the convenience service unit 10.
[0024] In other embodiments, the convenience service unit 10 may be
configured to provide convenience services including electrical
power to a vehicle 14. Electrical power (such as 110/220/-120/240
line voltage) may be provided through the conduit 32 by electrical
cables, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,482,080 and
6,705,938. It will be appreciated, however, that various other
methods for providing electrical power to the vehicle through the
conduit may alternatively be used. As a non-limiting example,
electrical power may also be provided by one or more electric
service outlets 54 supported on post 22 or base 16 for use by
vehicle occupants. Cables (not shown) providing electrical power to
each convenience service unit 10 may be routed underground. Because
the bases 16 of the convenience service units 10 are located
outside of the parking lot 12, installation and/or servicing the
electrical cables does not require tearing up the asphalt or
concrete surfaces the parking lot 12.
[0025] The convenience service unit 10 may further include one or
more auxiliary power sources for providing electrical power to the
vehicle 14 and/or power to the other components of the convenience
service unit 10, such as the evaporator/blower assembly 44 that
provides conditioned air to the vehicle 14. In the embodiment
shown, a solar panel 60 is mounted atop the vertical post 22 for
generating electrical power from sunlight. The convenience service
unit 10 may further include a battery 62 to provide auxiliary
power, such as during instances when electrical power cannot be
provided through the main power source. It will be appreciated,
however, that other forms of auxiliary power, such as wind power,
hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, or other power sources may
be utilized by the convenience service unit 10. In the embodiment
shown in FIG. 1, the compressor 46 is illustrated as including a
connection for coupling the compressor 46 to a geo-exchange or
ground surface heating and cooling system (not shown) that utilizes
the earth as a heat sink or heat source.
[0026] While the exemplary convenience service unit 10 has been
shown and described above as having a single conduit 32 for
providing convenience services to a single vehicle 14, it will be
appreciated that convenience service units of other embodiments may
alternatively include two, or even more, conduits 32 for providing
convenience services to multiple vehicles 14. In such embodiments,
each conduit 32 may be coupled to a separate service module 42, or
may be coupled to a shared service module 42 configured to provide
convenience services to the respective vehicles 14. Other
components of a multi-vehicle convenience service unit may be
similar to those described above with respect to convenience
service unit 10 depicted in FIGS. 1-5.
[0027] In use, a driver of a vehicle 14 may park the vehicle 14 in
a designated parking space 20 of a parking lot 12, adjacent a
selected convenience service unit 10. The driver may then couple
the second, free end 36 of the conduit 32 to the vehicle 14 to
receive convenience services into the interior of the vehicle 14.
When the convenience services are no longer required, the driver
may uncouple the second end 36 of the conduit 32 from the vehicle
14. To facilitate coupling and uncoupling the second end 36 of the
conduit 32 from the vehicle 14, the convenience service unit 10 may
include one or more retraction mechanisms 70 that retain the second
end 36 of the conduit proximate 32 the post 22, and permits a user
to move the second end 36 of the conduit 32 toward a vehicle for
coupling to the vehicle as described above. In the embodiment
shown, a retraction mechanism 70 includes a retractable line or
cable 72 having a first end 74 coupled proximate the second end 38
of the conduit 32, and a second end 76 coupled proximate the post
22. In the embodiment shown, a reel 78 for automatically winding
the line or cable 72 is secured to the vertical post 22 and
automatically winds the line or cable 72 such that the second end
38 of the conduit 32 is drawn toward the post 22 when not in use.
While only a single retraction mechanism 70 is illustrated, it will
be appreciated that additional retraction mechanisms of a similar
or different configuration may also be utilized to retain the
second end 36 of conduit 32 proximate post 22 when the convenience
service unit 10 is not in use.
[0028] While the present invention has been illustrated by the
description of one or more embodiments thereof, and while the
embodiments have been described in considerable detail, they are
not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the
appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and
modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The
invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the
specific details, representative apparatus and method and
illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures
may be made from such details without departing from the scope or
spirit of the general inventive concept.
* * * * *