US 2014/0156183 A1 · METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR LOCATING AVAILABLE PARKING SPOTS

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for reporting occupied and unoccupied parking spaces are disclosed. The techniques include determining that a mobile computing device has entered a parking area and determining whether the mobile computing device has entered a pedestrian mode. The pedestrian mode is indicative of a user of the mobile computing device parking a vehicle and exiting the vehicle. When the mobile computing device has entered the pedestrian mode, the technique includes determining a first location of the mobile computing device at a first time corresponding to the mobile computing device entering the pedestrian mode, and providing an occupied notification to a remote computing device, the occupied notification including the first location and indicating that a parking spot corresponding to the first location is occupied. Techniques are further disclosed for reporting unoccupied parking spaces to the mobile computing device.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

determining, at a processing device of a mobile computing device, that the mobile computing device has entered a parking area;
determining, at the processing device, whether the mobile computing device has entered a pedestrian mode, the pedestrian mode being indicative of a user of the mobile computing device parking a vehicle and exiting the vehicle;
and
when the mobile computing device has entered the pedestrian mode:
determining, at the processing device, a first location of the mobile computing device at a first time corresponding to the mobile computing device entering the pedestrian mode, and
providing, at the processing device, an occupied notification to a remote computing device, the occupied notification including the first location and indicating that a parking spot corresponding to the first location is occupied.

3 more elements

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a processing device of a parking server having a processing device, a request for available parking from a mobile computing device at a first time, the request including a current location of the mobile computing device;
obtaining, at the processing device, a set of available parking spots within a vicinity of the current location, each available parking spot in the set of available parking indicating a location of the available parking spot and having a timestamp associated therewith, the timestamp being indicative of a time when the available parking spot was reported as being available;
and
for each available parking spot of the set of available parking spots:
determining, at the processing device, a score of the available parking spot based on the first time and the timestamp, the score being indicative of a degree of likelihood that the available parking spot remains available;
providing, at the processing device, the location of the available parking spot and a score indicator of the available parking spot to the mobile computing device, the score indicator being indicative of the score of the available parking spot.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Methods and system for locating available parking spots

Life of this patent

Methods and system for locating available parking spots

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17