US RE40,013 E1 | ||
Method and apparatus for detection and remote notification of vehicle parking space availability data | ||
Joseph P. Quinn, 17 Ridge Rd., Norfolk, Mass. 02056 (US) | ||
Filed on Aug. 09, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/501,406. | ||
Application 11/501406 is a reissue of application No. 09/754454, filed on Jan. 04, 2001, now 6,927,700, filed on Aug. 09, 2005. | ||
Claims priority of provisional application 60/174320, filed on Jan. 04, 2000. | ||
Int. Cl. G08G 1/14 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 340—932.2 [340/927; 340/937; 340/942; 340/995; 340/505; 340/506; 340/468; 340/687] | 31 Claims |
1. A parking space locating system comprising:
at least one vehicle detector disposed proximately to an associated parking space and configured to output an occupied/vacant
signal along with an associated space identifier according to whether said vehicle detector detects that a vehicle is present/absent
in/from said associated parking space respectively;
a central processor in communication with said at least one vehicle detector via at least one communication link;
wherein said central processor is programmed to receive at least one of said occupied/vacancy signals along with said associated
space identifiers and maintain an updated database of said occupied/vacant signals along with associated space identifiers,
wherein said central processor integrates said database with geographical map data including a geographical area of said parking
space(s) and generates an electronic street map which is capable of being displayed on a standard computer device screen as
a graphical map, said graphical map having sufficient detail to distinguish individual parking spaces, wherein said occupied/vacant
signal is indicated at a corresponding location on said graphical map;
wherein said central processor is further programmed and configured to quickly communicate updated graphical map data structures
including updated occupied/vacant signal indication to a network.
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