US 5,351,187 A · Automatic debiting parking meter system

Abstract

An apparatus for automatic payment of parking fees in a parking zone includes a stationary RF transmitter unit transmitting a signal encoding the parking fee rate per unit time and, in some embodiments, the maximum parking period and time and date to cooperate with a transponder carried in the vehicles to be parked. A portable transponder in each vehicle includes a receiver for receiving the broadcast signal from the stationary transmitter, a memory which can be preloaded with monetary amounts to generate a prepaid credit, a data processor for controlling the activity of the responder and decoding incoming signals, and a display for indicating to the vehicle operator or to a traffic monitoring person external to the vehicle, the status of the memory in the transponder as to the whether the vehicle is validly parked at any given time. Upon parking, the operator actuates the transponder and, if it receives and recognizes a broadcast signal from a stationary transmitter, it so indicates on the display, proceeds to debit the prepaid amount stored in the memory of the transponder decreasing the balance in the transponder memory by the amount per unit time over the time period and displaying an invalid parker indication when either the credit amount in the transponder memory is reduced to zero or the vehicle has remained in the parking zone beyond the maximum allowed time.

Claims29

Dependent claims

Apparatus for automatically debiting vehicular parking fees in a specified area comprising,

a stationary transmitter broadcasting a signal over said specified area including zones for pay parking, wherein said broadcast signal includes information indicating a monetary fee per unit time for parking in said zones, and
a portable transponder to be carried by a vehicle, said transponder including,
a) a receiver for receiving said broadcast signal,
b) a read/write memory for storing information indicative of a monetary amount,
c) means for providing information external to said transponder of said monetary amount in said memory at a given time, and
d) a data processor coupled to both said read/write memory and said receiver, said data processor responding to said broadcast signal being sensed by said receiver by decreasing said monetary amount in said memory by said monetary fee per unit time for the time duration of parking, said memory providing a specific output signal indicative of the status of said monetary amount in said memory, or said parking status being invalid, said data processor providing for entering into said memory a signal indicative of a specified monetary value in response to an externally applied signal.

3 more elements

Apparatus for automatically debiting parking fees for vehicles in a specified area comprising,

a stationary transmitter broadcasting an RF signal over said specified area including zones for pay parking, wherein said broadcast signal includes information indicating a monetary fee per unit time for parking in said zones, and a signal indicating current date and time, and
a portable transponder located within said vehicle, said transponder including,
a) a receiver for receiving said broadcast RF signal,
b) a read/write memory for storing information indicative of a monetary amount,
c) means included within said transponder for providing information external to said transponder of said monetary amount in said memory at a given time, and
d) a clocking source;
e) a data processor coupled to said read/write memory, said clocking source and said receiver, said data processor being activated to respond to said RF broadcast signal being sensed by said receiver by decreasing said monetary amount in said memory by said monetary fee per unit time for parking in accordance with a time derived from said clocking source, said memory providing a specific output signal indicative of the status of said monetary amount in said memory, or said parking status being invalid, said data processor providing for entering into said memory a signal indicative of a specified monetary value in response to an externally applied signal.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Automatic debiting parking meter system

Life of this patent

Automatic debiting parking meter system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29