US 10,141,629 B2Granted

Single space wireless parking with improved antenna placements

AssigneeJ.J. MacKay Canada Limited

InventorsGeorge Allan MacKay, Gregory Emile Chauvin, Neil Stuart Erskine, Darren Scott Cameron, Donald Wesley Church, Ben Garvey, Josh Michael Bablitch, Matt Gonia, Glenn Eric Pederson, Robert Thomas Buczkiewicz

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Abstract

A wireless parking meter with an improved antenna location is described. The antenna may be located within a covering protruding from the top of the parking meter, allowing radio frequency (RF) signals to be transmitted through a portion of the parking meter with high permittivity to the RF signals. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna may be located within the parking meter housing above a lower parking meter mechanism housing so that RF signals can be transmitted through the dome covering of the parking meter, which may have a high permittivity to the RF signals.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A parking meter comprising:

a meter mechanism comprising components for providing metering functionality and a display;
a radio communication module coupled to at least one of the components of the meter mechanism;
a parking meter housing enclosing the meter mechanism, the parking meter housing comprising:
an upper housing comprising a display opening for viewing at least a portion of the display;
and
a lower housing enclosing a lower portion of the meter mechanism;
an antenna coupled to the radio communication module to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals, the antenna at least partially located externally to the meter mechanism and at least partially located externally to the parking meter housing;
and
an antenna cover secured to at least a portion of the parking meter housing and enclosing the antenna to provide protection from an external environment, the antenna cover providing a low attenuation transmission path for the RF signals separate from the display opening.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/348,785Filed 10 Nov 2016 · continuation
Priority: 23 Dec 2008
Published: US 2017/0062902 A12 Mar 2017
Granted: 27 Nov 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

H01Q 1/225
By structural association with other equipment or articles: used in level-measurement devices, e.g. for level gauge measurement
G04C 11/026
By radio: the time-piece preparing itself on set times on the reception of the sychronising signal
G04G 7/026
By radio: the time-piece preparing itself on set times on the reception of the synchronising signal
G06Q 30/0284
Price estimation or determination: time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters

Family

Application61/140,543Us provisional application · filed 23 Dec 2008
PCT/CA2009/001657Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Nov 2009
US 2017/0062902 A1Pre-grant publication · published 2 Mar 2017
Application13/141,977Parent of this continuation
US 9,494,922 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2011/0276519 A1Published application
US 10,141,629 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.