US 8,479,258 B2 · Garage management system

Abstract

A garage management and monitoring system defines and manages each operational event in a parking facility. Access events, management events, equipment operation events, equipment malfunction events, security events and defined anomaly events are labeled and parsed into a relational database, which is used for generating reports, creating logs, making management decisions, reconstructing accidents, and so on. The equipment includes a computer terminal, a reader, an identifying item or code capable of being read by the reader to control access to the facility, an IP camera, and a garage door or vehicle gate with safety sensors. Each defined event can be codified on the server and/or local controller to create an event library that is downloaded to the controller. A distributed intelligent system includes: units that gather information about garage, ingresses, and egresses; units that send data to the central server; the central server parses data sent from units and inserts it into a database; the central server formats data and presents it to users; units use unique keys to relate information from several actions the unit has taken to accomplish a task.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A management system for a facility, comprising:

a computer;
a database in communication with said computer;
a task tracking means in communication with said database;
an access management means in communication with said database, for supplying event information to said database;
an inventory tracking means in communication with said database, for supplying event information to said database;
and
an alert means in communication with said database, using said event information;
wherein said inventory tracking means further comprises a camera in communication with said computer, said camera being located to provide images of entry and egress of vehicles at a portal of the facility;
and wherein said alert means further comprises software operated by said computer to associate event IDs with event activities and images captured at the time of the event such that said alerts include data and images captured during a time period immediately surrounding the abnormal event,
whereby said computer uses the event information supplied to said database to compile an event library which can be used to generate alerts, compile reports, and control access to and egress from the facility and uses said alerts to notify management of abnormal events together with data and images surrounding the abnormal events.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Garage management system

Life of this patent

Garage management system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12