Parking meter system
AssigneeMunicipal Parking Services, Inc.
InventorsThomas G. Hudson, Joseph M. Caldwell, Richard C. Gage
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A parking enforcement system can include a weather resistant housing, a processor disposed inside of the housing, a memory disposed inside of the housing and coupled to the processor, a network interface disposed in the housing and coupled to the processor, a first camera disposed in the housing and facing outward towards a first parking space. The processor can be configured to recognize when a vehicle first occupies the first parking space and determine a classification for the vehicle.
Claims20
A method of monitoring and managing parking of vehicles in a parking facility, the parking facility having an entrance, an exit and a plurality of individual parking spaces, the method comprising:
- capturing image data automatically with a first camera of the vehicle entering the parking facility prior to the vehicle entering any of the individual parking spaces;
- transmitting automatically the captured image data of the vehicle entering the parking facility to a remote networked computer system;
- recording automatically a time of entry for the vehicle entering the parking facility;
- determining an identification of the vehicle entering the parking facility prior to the vehicle entering any of the individual parking spaces;
- capturing image data automatically with a second camera of the vehicle exiting the parking facility as the vehicle passes through the exit of the parking facility;
- transmitting automatically the captured image data of the vehicle exiting the parking facility to the remote networked computer system;
- recording automatically a time of exit for the vehicle exiting the parking facility;
- determining an identification of the vehicle exiting the parking facility after the vehicle has already left the individual parking space where the vehicle was parked;
- determining automatically that a parking violation has occurred by the vehicle while the vehicle is located within the parking facility;
- and
- issuing a parking violation notice to an owner of the vehicle corresponding to the parking violation automatically by the remote networked computer system.
A method of automating vehicle parking for a parking facility, the parking facility including an entrance, an exit and a plurality of individual parking spaces, wherein vehicles pass through the entrance to park in one of the plurality of parking spaces and pass through the exit to leave the parking facility, the method comprising:
- capturing image data automatically with a first camera of a vehicle passing through the entrance;
- transmitting automatically to a remote networked computer system the captured image data of the vehicle passing through the entrance;
- recording automatically a time of entry for the vehicle as it passes through the entrance;
- determining automatically an identification of the vehicle that passed through the entrance;
- capturing image data automatically with a second camera of the vehicle as it passes through the exit;
- transmitting automatically the captured image data to the remote networked computer system of the vehicle passing through the exit;
- recording automatically a time of exit for the vehicle exiting the parking facility;
- determining automatically an identification of the vehicle that passed through the exit;
- determining automatically that a parking violation has occurred by the vehicle;
- and
- issuing a parking violation notice to an owner of the vehicle corresponding to the parking violation automatically by the remote networked computer system.
A method of automating vehicle parking for a parking facility, the parking facility including an entrance, an exit, a plurality of individual parking spaces, a first parking gate arm at the entrance, and a second parking gate arm at the exit, wherein vehicles pass through the entrance to park in one of the plurality of parking spaces and pass through the exit to leave the parking facility, the method comprising:
- capturing image data automatically with a first camera of a vehicle when the vehicle is located at the entrance to the parking facility;
- raising the first gate arm automatically to allow the vehicle to pass through the entrance after the entrance image data has been captured;
- transmitting automatically to a remote networked computer system the captured image data of the vehicle at the entrance;
- recording automatically a time of entry for the parking facility for the vehicle at the entrance;
- determining automatically an entrance identification of the vehicle based upon the captured image data at the entrance;
- capturing image data automatically with a second camera of the vehicle when the vehicle is located at the exit to the parking facility;
- raising the second gate arm automatically to allow the vehicle to pass through the exit after the exit image data has been captured;
- transmitting automatically the captured exit image data to the remote networked computer system;
- determining automatically an exit identification of the vehicle based upon the captured image data at the exit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.