Single space parking meter

A single space parking meter assembly for retrofitting onto an existing coin vault assembly, the coin vault assembly comprising a coin vault housing, the parking meter assembly comprising:

• at least one battery for supplying power for the parking meter assembly;
• a display;
• at least one payment means for accepting payment for parking time selected from the group comprising a coin chute, a card slot and a contactless payment reader;
• a radio transceiver;
• and
• a protective outer covering that at least partially houses the at least one battery, the display, the at least one payment means, and the radio transceiver, wherein the protective outer covering is rotatably or slidably engageable along a first axis with one or more structures secured to the coin vault assembly when a bottom surface of the protective outer covering is positioned against or adjacent to an upper surface of the coin vault assembly, the one or more structures secured to the coin vault assembly preventing separation between the protective outer covering and the coin vault assembly along a second axis different from the first axis when engaged with the protective outer covering;
• and
• a locking mechanism at least partially housed within the protective outer housing,
• the locking mechanism comprising:
• at least one opening, cutout or recess within which at least one of the one or more structures can be received;
• at least one bar, rod, rail, plate, or tube member moveable between:
• an unlocked position in which the protective outer covering is free to rotate or slide along the first axis to disengage the at least one opening, cutout or recess at least partially housed within the protective outer covering from the one or more structures secured to the coin vault assembly;
• and
• a locked position in which the at least one bar, rod, rail, plate, or tube member prevents relative movement between the at least one opening, cutout or recess at least partially housed within the protective outer covering and the one or more structures secured to the coin vault assembly to prevent further rotation or sliding of the protective outer housing along the first axis, thereby securing the protective outer covering to the coin vault assembly when the protective outer covering is engaged with the coin vault assembly.