U.S. patent number RE43,245 [Application Number 11/603,353] was granted by the patent office on 2012-03-13 for urban parking system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Axxian Technologies Inc.. Invention is credited to Nicholaos Leoutsarakos, Luc Ouimet.
United States Patent |
RE43,245 |
Ouimet , et al. |
March 13, 2012 |
Urban parking system
Abstract
A wireless network covering a large local geographic area is
used to link a large number of payment terminals provided in the
same area. Each payment terminal is located near a plurality of
parking spaces, either at the curbside or in municipal lots.
Parking data is gathered from motorists at the payment terminals,
the parking data including vehicle identification data or parking
space identification data. The parking data is sent from the
payment terminals to the wireless network in response to payment
made at the payment terminals. A plurality of portable terminals
are provided for use by parking wardens inspecting the parking
spaces of the local geographic area. The wireless network is used
to transmit the parking data substantially upon receipt from the
payment terminals to the portable terminals in the local geographic
area.
Inventors: |
Ouimet; Luc (Laval,
CA), Leoutsarakos; Nicholaos (Montreal,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Axxian Technologies Inc.
(Montreal, Quebec, CA)
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Family
ID: |
33436524 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/603,353 |
Filed: |
November 22, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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PCT/CA97/00206 |
Apr 1, 1997 |
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60014531 |
Apr 2, 1996 |
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Reissue of: |
08961553 |
Oct 30, 1997 |
6823317 |
Nov 23, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/13; 235/377;
340/5.8; 705/418; 700/237; 235/382; 340/539.31; 340/932.2;
379/106.11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07B
15/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
17/00 (20060101); G08B 1/08 (20060101); G05B
19/00 (20060101); H04M 11/00 (20060101); G06K
7/10 (20060101); G07B 15/00 (20060101); B60Q
1/48 (20060101); G06K 5/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;705/13,418 ;235/377,382
;340/5.8,539.31,932.2 ;379/106.11 ;700/237 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2 600 448 |
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Dec 1987 |
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FR |
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2284290 |
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Jul 1991 |
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GB |
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2 274 523 |
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Jul 1994 |
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GB |
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2 284 290 |
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May 1995 |
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GB |
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6-68395 |
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Jun 1991 |
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JP |
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93/20539 |
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Oct 1993 |
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WO |
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WO 94/07206 |
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Mar 1994 |
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WO |
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Other References
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.
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Harrison, Arkansas 72601, USA. cited by other .
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Parking Strategy" by Schlumberger Electronic Transactions. cited by
other .
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other .
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Dambach-Werke GmbH, Gaggenay, Germany. cited by other .
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other .
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Amano. cited by other .
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by other .
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by other .
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Engineering-Tel Aviv, Israel. cited by other .
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by other .
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J' 97670, USA. cited by other .
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Innovatron Systemes Urbains, Cavaillon, France. cited by other
.
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subsidiary of Tadiran. cited by other .
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Reinhardt, Chatswood NSW 2067, Australia. cited by other .
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.
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Technology Corporation, Edmonton, Alta, Canada. cited by other
.
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by other .
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Glasgow, N.S. cited by other .
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Inc., Novato, CA 94949, USA. cited by other .
Brochure "Vision pay and display" from Alfia Services Ltd., Bristol
BS15 4PQ, England. cited by other .
Brochure "Parking Vending Machine" by Nagler Metal Technik, 92706
Lube-Wildenau, Germany. cited by other .
Brochure "Micropark Ticket Vendor", by PM Controls Ltd., Stockport,
England. cited by other .
Brochure "The Ultimate for Revenue Collection and Control", by
Metric Parking England GL7 1YG. cited by other .
Brochure "Flexipark 3000" by Wellman West Yorkshire, England HX2
6JB. cited by other .
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Switzerland. cited by other .
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.
Brochure "International Parking Systems" by International Parking
Systems, Inc. Florida 32903-3386, USA. cited by other.
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Primary Examiner: Jabr; Fadey
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Anglehart et al.
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation of PCT/CA97/00206 filed Apr. 1,
1997 designating the United States and claiming priority of U.S.
provisional patent application serial No. 60/014,531 filed Apr. 2,
1996.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An urban parking system comprising: a wireless network covering
a large local geographic area; a large number of payment terminals
provided in said area each located near a plurality of parking
spaces, each said payment terminal comprising data collection means
for gathering parking data from a motorist, said parking data
including at least one of vehicle identification data and parking
space identification data; communication means for transferring
said parking data from said data collection means to said wireless
network in response to payment being made at said payment
terminals; a plurality of portable terminals for use by parking
wardens inspecting said parking spaces of said area, said portable
terminals including wireless communication means, a memory for
storing said parking data, and a user interface means; and
broadcast means associated with said wireless network for
transmitting said parking data substantially upon receipt from said
communication means simultaneously to said plurality of portable
terminals in said area; wherein said plurality of portable
terminals for use by parking wardens inspecting said parking spaces
of said area receives said parking data continuously from the
broadcast means in the background without interruption.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said communication
means comprise wireless means communicating directly with said
wireless network.
3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said communication
means provide a group address designating said portable terminals,
whereby said broadcast means respond directly to said communication
means.
4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a central
control computer connected to said wireless network, receiving said
parking data sent to said portable terminals by said wireless
network and receiving citation data from said portable
terminals.
5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said control computer
has means for canceling a parking citation record relating to a
given vehicle if parking is paid at one of said payment terminals
for said given vehicle within a predetermined short grace
period.
6. The system according to claim 4, further comprising a plurality
of docking stations for said portable terminals, wherein said
control computer is in wired communication with said docking
stations for transferring said parking data to said portable
terminals when docked.
7. The system according to claim 4, further comprising a financial
institution electronic funds processing gateway connected to said
central control computer for handling at least one of debit and
credit financial transactions.
8. The system according to claim 4, further comprising a public
access gateway connected to said central control computer for
providing information to the public on parking data and citation
data.
9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said portable terminals
comprise a citation printer.
10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said portable
terminals comprise a security card reader and means to prevent
access to said parking data in absence of a security card placed in
said reader.
11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising means for
entering and verifying a passcode, wherein access to said parking
data is prevented when said passcode is not correctly given.
12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said portable
terminals comprise a video camera input and image analysis means
for recognizing license plate data from a video camera image.
13. The system according to claim 1, wherein any one of said
payment terminals may be used to pay for additional parking time
for a given vehicle.
14. A method of communicating vehicle parking data in an urban
parking system, the method comprising the steps of: providing a
wireless network covering a large local geographic area; providing
a large number of payment terminals provided in said area each
located near a plurality of parking spaces; gathering parking data
from motorists at said payment terminals, said parking data
including at least one of vehicle identification data and parking
space identification data; transferring said parking data from said
payment terminals to said wireless network in real-time as payment
is made at said payment terminals; providing a plurality of
portable terminals for use by parking wardens inspecting said
parking spaces of said area; and using said wireless network to
transmit said parking data received from each motorist upon receipt
from said payment terminals simultaneously to said plurality of
portable terminals In said area; wherein said transferring of said
parking data from said payment terminals to said plurality of
portable terminals is performed continuously without
interruption.
15. An urban parking system for use with a public wireless data
network, said system comprising: a large number of payment
terminals provided in a large local geographic area covered by said
network and each located near a plurality of parking spaces, each
said payment terminal comprising wireless modem means and data
collection means for gathering parking data from a motorist, said
parking data including at least one of vehicle identification data
and parking space identification data, said wireless modem means
transferring said parking data from said data collection means to
said wireless network substantially as payment is made; a plurality
of portable terminals for use by parking wardens inspecting said
parking spaces of said area, said portable terminals including
wireless communication means communicating with said public
wireless data network, a memory for storing said parking data, and
a user interface means; and broadcast means associated with said
wireless network for transmitting said parking data upon receipt
from said wireless modem means simultaneously to said plurality of
portable terminals in said area; wherein said plurality of portable
terminals for use by parking wardens inspecting said parking spaces
of said area receives said parking data continuously from the
broadcast means in the background without interruption.
.Iadd.16. The urban parking system as defined in claim 1, wherein
said parking payment terminal comprises: a payment machine
comprising at least one of: a coin acceptor; and a card reader for
resolving payment of parking; a payment data collector for
obtaining payment data representing one of: desired parking
duration; desired parking end time; and payment amount; and parking
data entry interface for entering parking data comprising at least
one of: vehicle identification data; and parking space
identification data; wherein said wireless network comprises a
public wireless network modem for transmitting said parking data
and said payment data to central control system..Iaddend.
.Iadd.17. The urban parking system as defined in claim 16, wherein
said payment terminal comprises a printer and a corresponding
output slot..Iaddend.
.Iadd.18. The urban parking system as defined in claim 16, wherein
said payment terminal comprises a service access door, and said
payment terminal sending a wireless alarm message upon unauthorized
opening of said door..Iaddend.
.Iadd.19. An urban parking system comprising: a wireless network
covering a large local geographic area; a plurality of payment
terminals provided in said area and using said wireless network for
conveying parking data, each of said plurality of payment terminals
including a data collector for gathering parking data from at least
one motorist in respect of a corresponding large number of parking
spaces, said parking data including at least one of vehicle
identification data and parking space identification data for any
of said parking spaces, said data collector making use of a former
parking meter mounting post; a wireless modem for transferring said
parking data from said data collector to said wireless network in
response to payment being made by each said motorist at one of said
payment terminals; a plurality of portable terminals for use by
parking wardens inspecting said parking spaces of said area, each
of said portable terminals including a wireless modem for conveying
parking data using said wireless network, a memory for storing said
parking data, and a user interface; and wireless broadcast
transmitter associated with said wireless network for transmitting
said parking data substantially upon receipt from said data
collector wireless modem simultaneously to said plurality of
portable terminals in said area, wherein said plurality of portable
terminals for use by parking wardens inspecting said parking spaces
of said area receives said parking data continuously from the
wireless broadcast transmitter in the background without
interruption..Iaddend.
.Iadd.20. The urban parking system according to claim 19, said
plurality of payment terminals being configured to enable at least
one motorist to select one of at least two of said plurality of
payment terminals to input parking data into a data collector of
said payment terminal..Iaddend.
.Iadd.21. The urban parking system according to claim 19 further
comprising a wireless modem for transferring said parking data from
said data collector to said wireless network substantially upon
receipt of payment being made by each said motorist at one of said
payment terminals..Iaddend.
.Iadd.22. The system according to claim 19, wherein said data
collector wireless modem provides a group address designating said
portable terminals, whereby said wireless broadcast transmitter
responds directly to said data collector wireless
modem..Iaddend.
.Iadd.23. The system according to claim 19, further comprising a
central control computer connected to said wireless network,
receiving said parking data sent to said portable terminals by said
wireless network and receiving citation data from said portable
terminals..Iaddend.
.Iadd.24. The system according to claim 23, wherein said control
computer is configured to cancel a parking citation record relating
to a given vehicle if parking is paid at any one of said payment
terminals for said given vehicle within a predetermined short grace
period..Iaddend.
.Iadd.25. The system according to claim 23, further comprising a
financial institution electronic funds processing gateway connected
to said central control computer for handling at least one of debit
and credit financial transactions..Iaddend.
.Iadd.26. The system according to claim 23, further comprising a
public access gateway connected to said central control computer
for providing information to the public on parking data and
citation data..Iaddend.
.Iadd.27. The system according to claim 19, wherein said portable
terminals comprise a citation printer..Iaddend.
.Iadd.28. The system according to claim 19, wherein each said
portable terminal further comprises a security card reader and is
further configured to lock said portable terminal to prevent access
to said parking data in absence of a security card placed in said
reader..Iaddend.
.Iadd.29. The system according to claim 28, further comprising a
terminal user interface and further configured to verity a
passcode, wherein access to said parking data is prevented when
said passcode is not correctly given..Iaddend.
.Iadd.30. The system according to claim 19, wherein said portable
terminals comprise a video camera input and configured to perform
image analysis for recognizing license plate data from a video
camera image..Iaddend.
.Iadd.31. The urban parking system according to claim 19 further
comprising: a parking control computer associated with said
wireless network for transmitting said parking data to said
plurality of portable terminals in said area, wherein said parking
data is available to be received by said plurality of portable
terminals for use by parking wardens inspecting said parking spaces
of said area substantially upon receipt from said payment
terminals..Iaddend.
.Iadd.32. An urban parking system for use with a public wireless
data network, said system comprising: a large number of payment
terminals provided in a large local geographic area covered by said
network and each located near a plurality of parking spaces, each
said payment terminal comprising a wireless modem and data
collector for gathering parking data from a motorist, said parking
data including at least one of vehicle identification data and
parking space identification data, said wireless modem transferring
said parking data from said data collector to said wireless network
substantially as payment is made; a plurality of portable terminals
for use by parking wardens inspecting said parking spaces of said
area, each said portable terminal including a wireless modem
communicating with said public wireless data network, a memory for
storing said parking data, and a terminal user interface; and
wireless broadcast transmitter associated with said wireless
network for transmitting said parking data upon receipt from said
data collector wireless modem simultaneously to said plurality of
portable terminals in said area; wherein said plurality of portable
terminals for use by parking wardens inspecting said parking spaces
of said area receives said parking data continuously from the
wireless broadcast transmitter in the background without
interruption..Iaddend.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an urban parking system. More
specifically, the present invention relates to an urban parking
system in which a wireless network is utilized to communicate
vehicle parking status information from a payment terminal to
portable checking terminals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the present urban parking systems in use in North America,
parking is paid for on most urban streets and many city lots by
inserting coins into a parking meter assigned to each parking
space. A parking warden or checker periodically checks each parking
meter and each corresponding parking space to determine if a
citation should be written up.
For the motorist, the convenience of being able to pay at the curb
and then be on one's way is of great importance.
It is known in the art from U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,805 to LaChat et
al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,540 to Berthon et al. to provide
portable terminals which receive vehicle parking status data pairs
(i.e. vehicle ID number and expiration time) from curbside payment
terminals, and to provide a low energy consumption data
communication system among the payment terminals. Such an
electronic urban parking system is able to comply with the basic
requirements for an efficient system, namely, the motorists may pay
at a curbside payment terminal and may then be free to go without
returning to their vehicle to place a proof of payment instrument,
and the portable terminals may be provided with sufficiently
accurate data to determine with reasonable accuracy whether a
vehicle's parking is paid for.
However, in larger urban areas, Applicants have determined that a
large number of payment terminals are required for motorists'
convenience, especially when harsh climate conditions of cold, heat
and precipitation are common. Motorists may, for convenience, wish
to pay for parking indoors or at a payment terminal not immediately
associated with the parking space occupied. Since payment may take
place far away from the parking space, it is no longer sufficient
for a parking warden to acquire local information from neighboring
curbside payment terminals. For these reasons, it is desirable to
make large areas, such as entire business districts, into
individual parking zones and permit payment of parking from any
terminal in the zone, or even from outside the zone. To accommodate
such marketing, a large number of payment terminals needs to
provide data to a large number of portable terminals and at longer
distances.
Under such circumstances, the amount of vehicle data received from
the payment terminals and transferred to portable checking
terminals requires special consideration for efficient handling. It
has been determined that the known handling of parking data, i.e.
either transmission from the payment terminal periodically to an
individual portable terminal or transmission from the payment
terminal upon request to the requesting portable terminal, cannot
efficiently handle the required large amount of data transfer when
a large number of payment terminals are used and when parking zones
encompass a number of payment terminals. In addition, data
transferred locally from a payment terminal to portable terminals
periodically and upon request is neither complete nor up to date
when motorists are allowed to park anywhere within a zone including
many payment terminals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an urban
parking system of the type having curbside payment terminals and
portable electronic wireless terminals in which data relating to
parking payment is efficiently handled.
It is a further object of the present invention to make use of a
public wireless network in such an urban parking system.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an
urban parking system of the type having curbside payment terminals
and portable electronic wireless terminals in which, in response
payment made at one of the payment terminals, data is automatically
transmitted concerning the payment made to all portable terminals
by wireless means.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an urban parking
system of the type having curbside payment terminals, a central
control system connected to a wireless transmitter and portable
electronic wireless terminals, which cooperate in unison to handle
data relating to parking payment efficiently.
According to the invention, there is provided an urban parking
system comprising: a wireless network covering a large local
geographic area; a large number of payment terminals provided in
the geographic area each located near a plurality of parking
spaces, each payment terminal comprising data collection means for
gathering parking data from a motorist, the parking data including
at least one of vehicle identification data and parking space
identification data; communication means for transferring the
parking data from the data collection means to the wireless network
in response to payment made at the payment terminals; a plurality
of portable terminals for use by parking wardens inspecting the
parking spaces of the geographic area, the portable terminals
including wireless communication means, a memory for storing the
parking data, and a user interface means; and broadcast means
associated with the wireless network for transmitting the parking
data substantially upon receipt from the communication means to the
portable terminals in the geographic area.
The invention also provides a method of communicating vehicle
parking data in an urban parking system, the method comprising the
steps of: providing a wireless network covering a large local
geographic area; providing a large number of payment terminals
provided in the local geographic area each located near a plurality
of parking spaces; gathering parking data from motorists at the
payment terminals, the parking data including at least one of
vehicle identification data and parking space identification data;
transferring the parking data from the payment terminals to the
wireless network in response to payment made at the payment
terminals; providing a plurality of portable terminals for use by
parking wardens inspecting the parking spaces of the local
geographic area; and using the wireless network to transmit the
parking data substantially upon receipt from the payment terminals
to the portable terminals in the local geographic area.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood by way of the following
description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with
reference to the appended drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the urban parking system
according to the preferred embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a basic flow chart illustrating the steps carried out
during a parking payment in the system according to the preferred
embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the parking payment terminal according to
the preferred embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the parking payment terminal according
to the preferred embodiment; and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the portable terminal according to
the preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in FIG. 1, the urban parking system 10 according to the
preferred embodiment has a large number of payment terminals 12
schematically illustrated as being numbered from 1 through N. The
payment terminals 12 include wireless communication means for
communicating bidirectionally with a public wireless transmitter 14
of a public wireless network. The wireless network in the preferred
embodiment is a packet data wireless network, and in particular in
North America this may be an ARDIS network.
The parking system 10 has a central control computer 16, which in
the preferred embodiment is a network of computers, for recording
parking data in a database 17. The parking data is broadcast from
transmitter 14 to a number of mobile terminals 18 used by parking
wardens. The terminals 18 are illustrated as being numbered from 1
through N. In the preferred embodiment, a payment terminal 12 sends
parking data for each vehicle parked to all mobile terminals by
sending a packet to a group address shared by the mobile terminals
18 as well as the central computer 16. In this way, the payment
terminal 12 controls the flow of data to the mobile terminals 18
and the central computer has no control over directing data
transmission. For security purposes, the parking data is encrypted
before transmission.
The central computer 16 also processes other transactions, such as
credit card and bank card purchases handled via a bank link or
gateway 20. The public can inquire about parking status and
citation status by a public access computer equipped with Internet
capability and/or with DTMF responsive automated voice
communications. The mobile terminals 18 have docking stations 28
for recharging batteries and for providing a continued wired link
between the parking data being received by computer 16 and the
mobile terminals 18.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the method according to the preferred
embodiment can be described as follows. For each payment for
parking, a motorist goes to a payment terminal and enters vehicle
identification data and either (a) a desired parking duration, (b)
a desired parking end time, or (c) a desired amount of money to be
paid. The vehicle identification data may be stored on a motorist's
smart card or on a magnetic stripe card accepted by the terminal,
in which case entering of the data each time a motorist parks is
not required. The payment terminal accepts the data and the funds
either by use of a coin or bill acceptor or by electronic payment.
Electronic payment may be in the form of a credit or debit
transaction, or electronic funds recorded on the smart card or the
mag stripe card. In the case of a credit or debit transaction, the
payment terminal may communicate with a financial institution
transaction processing host to confirm the availability and
transfer of funds. Such additional communication is shown in the
steps of FIG. 2. The payment terminal then sends a data packet
including the parking data with a group address so that the central
computer and all portable terminals receive the parking data. This
is shown in FIG. 2 as two separate transmissions because, in the
preferred embodiment, the payment terminal first transmits the
parking data to the public wireless transmitter, which in turn
relays the packet data to the central computer by land network for
recording the vehicle status data in the central database and to
all mobile terminals over the air waves. At this point, all mobiles
and the central database have received the parking data created by
the parking time purchase carried out at the parking payment
terminal. If a mobile terminal does not acknowledge receipt of a
packet, the packet is resent automatically by the public wireless
transmitter. In the preferred embodiment, resent packets are sent
by individual addressing instead of a group address.
With reference to FIG. 3, details of the payment terminal 12
according to the preferred embodiment will now be described.
Terminal 12 has a vandalism resistant composite shell housing 40
including an upper access panel 30, a touch screen 31, a coin
acceptor slot 32, a smart card acceptor/dispenser slot 33, a coin
return/printer output slot 34, and a lower service door 35.
Internally, there is provided a coin container 37, an electrical
entry 38, and wireless communications electronics 41. The base is
equipped with an anchor 39 for securing the terminal 12 to the
sidewalk. The access door 35 is key locked, and the escrow box 43
requires a separate key. For additional security, an identity smart
card for identifying the service personnel must be inserted into
the reader 33' before opening the door 35 otherwise a wireless
alarm message is sent. The service personnel will also be required
to enter a personal security password. The system may also require
authorization from the central computer 16 before access to the
escrow coin box is permitted.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the payment terminal 12 has the following
basic operating components. A computer controller 42 communicates
by data connection to the touch video screen 31, a smart card
dispenser 33, a smart card reader 33', a printer 34, a wireless
modem 41, and a coin acceptor 37. The coins collected by the
acceptor 37 are delivered into a coin escrow unit 43.
As can be appreciated, in the case that a payment terminal works
only with smart cards already programmed with license plate data
and loaded with funds, a much smaller payment terminal may be
provided which could be mounted to a building wall, a lamp post or
to a former parking meter post. Such a compact terminal would
contain the wireless modem 41, the smart card reader 33' and a much
simpler display screen and key pad entry device. Such a terminal
could be battery powered and powered up only during use. The only
input required from the motorist would be parking time. Of course,
if a motorist needed to load more funds onto a card, the full
featured payment terminal 12 as illustrated would be used.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, each portable terminal 18 according to
the preferred embodiment has an LCD touch sensitive keypad/display
51, a wireless data modem 52, a smart card reader 53, a citation or
ticket printer 54, and a magnetic stripe card reader 55. As can be
appreciated, the terminal 18 is small, portable and hand held.
External input/output devices are also provided, namely an audio
headset 59 for receiving voice commands/data and relaying audio
signals to the parking warden. A CCD video camera (not shown) may
be connected at 56 for taking images of license plates, which can
be analyzed to obtain license plate number data by OCR methods in
the computer inside the terminal 18. A bar code reader (not shown)
may be connected at 57 for reading bar code stickers placed on the
inside of windshields. A replaceable, rechargeable battery 58
provides the terminal 18 with sufficient power for operation during
a normal inspection run.
For security purposes, the user interface of terminal 18 will only
operate in the preferred embodiment when the parking warden inserts
a personal identification smart card into the reader 53 and then
enters a personal identification code using the key pad 51. If the
smart card is removed from the reader during normal use of the
terminal 18, the terminal is locked out.
The operation of receiving parking data packets via modem 52 from
the public wireless network broadcasts takes place continuously in
the background without interruption. In the preferred embodiment,
the portable terminals 18 have a computer memory able to store data
on all parked vehicles in a jurisdiction or geographical area. The
parking warden enter a license plate number, using one of the
keypad 51, the microphone on the headset 59 or the camera connected
to 56, and the portable terminal return the information available
on the vehicle. If no match is found for the vehicle, the closest
matches in the database are returned. For each vehicle, the data
retrieved and displayed on the LCD screen 51 is that contained in
the database, namely the vehicle plate number, the time when
parking was purchased, the duration, and the payment terminal used.
The warden examines the data and decides whether a citation should
be issued. In the case that a citation is issued, the portable
terminal is used to prepare the citation by filling in extra data,
as would normally be done with a manually prepared citation, such
as vehicle location, vehicle color, make, model, and the exact
nature of the parking violation. The latter is important since even
vehicles having parking paid for may be found in special parking
zones where there is a shorter parking limit, or a restriction to
commercial vehicles only.
The portable terminal 18 also provides the parking warden with the
ability to cancel or correct citations. If a motorist wishes to
settle a citation on the spot, the portable terminal is equipped
with both a smart card reader 53 and a swipe card reader 55 which
may be used to accept funds from the motorist, the financial
transaction being preferably immediately processed by wireless
communication with the banking institutions via the central
computer 16. Whether a parking warden issues a citation, cancels a
citation and/or settles a citation, the citation data can be stored
for communication from the terminal 18 to the central computer 16
for audit and accounting purposes. If a parking warden issues a
citation, and within a short grace period of five minutes or less,
the motorist goes to a payment terminal 12 to pay for parking, the
citation is automatically canceled, according to the preferred
embodiment. This is the case since it is considered plausible that
a motorist may be en route to a payment terminal when the parking
warden checks the vehicle. In the preferred embodiment, the
citation is canceled, although a small surcharge of an extra
amount, for example 25 cents, may be applied, especially if the
time elapsed is close to the maximum grace period limit. The
central computer may also keep a record of such automatically
canceled citations and report any vehicle that regularly receives
such citations, since this would be a sign of likely abuse by a
motorist keeping watch on the vehicle while not having paid for
parking.
As can be appreciated, the motorist could be requested to enter
parking space identification data instead of vehicle identification
data, and spaces could be checked instead of vehicles. In the
preferred embodiment, vehicles are checked instead of curbside
parking spaces, and vehicles may park anywhere within a curbside
parking zone without needing to fit into a predetermined parking
space.
The payment terminals in the preferred embodiment dispense and sell
the parking smart cards. Storage of vehicle identification data in
the cards is optional. The telecommunications system connecting the
central computer to the payment terminals may be used to transmit
video advertising data for display on the screens of the payment
terminals when the terminals are not in use. A schedule for
presenting advertising video may be provided for displaying ads at
specific times of day or at a specific frequency. The schedules and
video data can be updated as desired from the central computer. The
payment terminals may print advertising on the receipts given to
motorists, or the reverse side of the receipts may contain printed
advertising. The central computer may send to the payment terminals
parking tariff tables to change parking rates as desired, or to
accommodate special events.
Although the invention has been described above with reference to a
preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the above
description is intended merely to illustrate the invention and not
to limit the scope of the invention as defined in the appended
claims.
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