Abstract: A parking management system identifies vehicles in entrance lanes, exit lanes, or both, of a parking facility and provides a real-time vehicle inventory count. One or more beacons locate point of sale (POS) devices assigned to parking attendants to determine which of them are performing vehicle transactions. Vehicles can be associated with specific transactions, as well as the transaction-authorizing attendant and the barrier gate and vehicle travel lane to which the attendant is assigned. To reduce fraud, this transaction information can be monitored in real time by a web or mobile dashboard and analyzed in real time or upon attendant end-of-shift checkout. The parking management system also implements permit parking invitation techniques that provide registration, payment in advance or on demand, or both, for parking of an invitee's vehicle. These tasks are accomplished without an inviter's knowledge about the invitee, the invitee's vehicle, or both.

Abstract: A vehicle parking barrier access control system (10, 40) uses a mobile smart device (46) (e.g., mobile phone) to instantly open any mechanical barrier (12) such as a gate or door to enter and exit a parking area with restricted access without preregistration and prepayment activity and without one or both of interaction with parking attendants and payment system equipment. The vehicle parking barrier access control system is equipment manufacturer agnostic and eliminates a direct need to integrate with gate or door barrier software and hardware.

Abstract: A parking objects or vehicles detection system performs vision-based parking inventory management by monitoring live vehicle ingress and egress traffic and communicating to a backend server changes in instances of vehicle parking events.

Abstract: A parking management system identifies vehicles in entrance lanes, exit lanes, or both, of a parking facility and provides a real-time vehicle inventory count. One or more beacons locate point of sale (POS) devices assigned to parking attendants to determine which of them are performing vehicle transactions. Vehicles can be associated with specific transactions, as well as the transaction-authorizing attendant and the barrier gate and vehicle travel lane to which the attendant is assigned. To reduce fraud, this transaction information can be monitored in real time by a web or mobile dashboard and analyzed in real time or upon attendant end-of-shift checkout. The system partly unburdens the parking attendant processing a parking transaction by implementing a method that eliminates need for a mobile printing device in issuing to a vehicle-driving customer a receipt, multiuse pass, or citation or warning.

Abstract: A parking management system identifies vehicles in entrance lanes, exit lanes, or both, of a parking facility and provides a real-time vehicle inventory count. One or more beacons locate point of sale (POS) devices assigned to parking attendants to determine which of them are performing vehicle transactions. Vehicles can be associated with specific transactions, as well as the transaction-authorizing attendant and the barrier gate and vehicle travel lane to which the attendant is assigned. To reduce fraud, this transaction information can be monitored in real time by a web or mobile dashboard and analyzed in real time or upon attendant end-of-shift checkout. The parking management system also implements permit parking invitation techniques that provide registration, payment in advance or on demand, or both, for parking of an invitee's vehicle. These tasks are accomplished without an inviter's knowledge about the invitee, the invitee's vehicle, or both.

Abstract: A dynamic parking management platform (10) includes a mobile communication device (20), a parking server (12), and an electronic ticket device (30) that cooperate to enable a vehicle driver to effect electronically a secure parking fee payment transaction. The electronic ticket device emits a beacon signal to enable transmission of vehicle parking time and other information to a wireless communication device (40) carried by a parking service provider officer or attendant walking past a parked vehicle and not having to view a display surface on the electronic ticket device. A lock and key capability enables secure parking fee payments and prevents unauthorized parking fee transactions. The parking management platform configured to induce vehicle drivers to purchase a product or service by parking discount inducement or advertisement information from merchants whose stores are located nearby the vehicle parking area.

Abstract: A parking management platform enables an event-based vehicle parking service. Operational features afforded by the vehicle parking service include Waitlist AutoBuy, which automatically purchases a parking space if one becomes available before an event; Waitlist Notification, which notifies a user when a parking space becomes available; Cancel and Buy, which allows a user to cancel a purchased event parking pass before a pre-event deadline and later repurchase the same event parking pass; Transfer to Another Person, which allows transfer of a parking pass to another person; Transfer to Another Event, which allows transfer of an event parking pass for use at a future event; Redemption of Transferred Parking Pass, which allows a recipient of a transferred parking pass to redeem it without payment; and Attendance Confirmation, which allows a user to confirm attendance or to exchange, transfer, or cancel the event parking pass for a different event parking pass.

Abstract: A parking objects or vehicles detection system performs vision-based parking inventory management by monitoring live vehicle ingress and egress traffic and communicating to a backend server changes in instances of vehicle parking events.

Abstract: A parking objects or vehicles detection system (60) uses BLE proximity sensing to identify a vehicle (520) with a beacon ID to within about one vehicle length from an access gate (516) of a vehicle parking surface lot or garage. The system performs vision-based parking inventory management (514) by monitoring live vehicle ingress and egress traffic and communicating to a backend server (70) changes in instances of vehicle parking events.

Abstract: A vehicle parking and mass transport beacon system (60) implemented with a beacon device (10) configured as a wireless identifier and authentication mechanism offers a user a capability of bypassing infrastructures of commercial parking lots and facilities, mass transit systems, and taxi services when using them. The beacon system includes a source beacon and a user beacon, the latter of which implemented in a user smart device (36) such as a smartphone. The use of a source beacon and user smart device enables elimination of reliance on a cellular communication connection from the time of the user's grant of permission for action to the time of separation of the user smart device and the beacon by a distance outside the range of connectivity between them. Such elimination of reliance on cellular communication connection avoids delay and communication coverage issues stemming from use of a cellular communication network.

Abstract: Systems and methods communicate parking access information between a host application associated with an operator of a parking area and a web application associated with a parking fee management provider for facilitating access, by a user carrying a smartphone, to the parking area secured by an external smart object. The external smart object is controllable through operation of the web application and actuatable through wireless personal area network (WPAN) communications exchanged between the smartphone and the external smart object in response to the operation of the web application causing the host application to generate the WPAN communications.

Abstract: A vehicle parking and mass transport beacon system (60) implemented with a beacon device (10) configured as a wireless identifier and authentication mechanism offers a user a capability of bypassing infrastructures of commercial parking lots and facilities, mass transit systems, and taxi services when using them. The beacon system includes a source beacon and a user beacon, the latter of which implemented in a user smart device (36) such as a smartphone. The use of a source beacon and user smart device enables elimination of reliance on a cellular communication connection from the time of the user's grant of permission for action to the time of separation of the user smart device and the beacon by a distance outside the range of connectivity between them. Such elimination of reliance on cellular communication connection avoids delay and communication coverage issues stemming from use of a cellular communication network.

Abstract: A transaction payment processing system includes a backend transaction system that performs credit and debit processes for multiple user accounts, merchant accounts, and service provider accounts. The backend transaction system is preferably part of backend servers. The transaction payment processing system preferably uses wireless technologies to carry out a method of debiting and crediting multiple ones of each of the user, merchant, and parking service accounts with incremental amounts of money over a set period of time. The transaction payment processing system enables practice of a virtual exchange method of processing transfers of member transaction credits such as, for example, points or monetary units among account holder members of a community of businesses that are allied in support of one another. Transfers of member transaction credits among account holder members stimulates commercial activity by supporting sale of goods and services offered by the members of the community of businesses.

Abstract: A parking objects or vehicles detection system (60) uses BLE proximity sensing to identify a vehicle (520) with a beacon ID to within about one vehicle length from an access gate (516) of a vehicle parking surface lot or garage. The system performs vision-based parking inventory management (514) by monitoring live vehicle ingress and egress traffic and communicating to a backend server (70) changes in instances of vehicle parking events.

Abstract: Systems and methods communicate parking access information between a host application associated with an operator of a parking area and a web application associated with a parking fee management provider for facilitating access, by a user carrying a smartphone, to the parking area secured by an external smart object. The external smart object is controllable through operation of the web application and actuatable through wireless personal area network (WPAN) communications exchanged between the smartphone and the external smart object in response to the operation of the web application causing the host application to generate the WPAN communications.

Abstract: Systems and methods communicate parking access information between a host application associated with an operator of a parking area and a web application associated with a parking fee management provider for facilitating access, by a user carrying a smartphone, to the parking area secured by an external smart object. The external smart object is controllable through operation of the web application and actuatable through wireless personal area network (WPAN) communications exchanged between the smartphone and the external smart object in response to the operation of the web application causing the host application to generate the WPAN communications.

Abstract: Systems and methods communicate parking access information between a host application associated with an operator of a parking area and a web application associated with a parking fee management provider for facilitating access, by a user carrying a smartphone, to the parking area secured by an external smart object. The external smart object is controllable through operation of the web application and actuatable through wireless personal area network (WPAN) communications exchanged between the smartphone and the external smart object in response to the operation of the web application causing the host application to generate the WPAN communications.

Abstract: A transaction payment processing system (150) includes a backend transaction system (152) that performs credit and debit processes for multiple user accounts (75), merchant accounts (68), and service provider accounts (76, 78). The backend transaction system is preferably part of backend servers (12). The transaction payment processing system preferably uses wireless technologies to carry out a method of debiting and crediting multiple ones of each of the user, merchant, and parking service accounts with incremental amounts of money over a set period of time. The method facilitates fast processing of multiple micro-transactions (debits and credits) without storing of funds while reducing the payment of processing costs and fees for individual provider accounts.

Abstract: A modular communication device includes a business telephone dock and a smart device that is implemented with cellular telephone communication capability. The smart device is matable to business telephone dock to provide cellular telephone capability to the business telephone dock and thereby operate it through a cellular telephone communication medium.

Abstract: A dynamic parking management platform (10) includes a mobile communication device (20), a parking server (12), and an electronic ticket device (30) that cooperate to enable a vehicle driver to effect electronically a secure parking fee payment transaction. The electronic ticket device emits a beacon signal to enable transmission of vehicle parking time and other information to a wireless communication device (40) carried by a parking service provider officer or attendant walking past a parked vehicle and not having to view a display surface on the electronic ticket device. A lock and key capability enables secure parking fee payments and prevents unauthorized parking fee transactions. The parking management platform configured to induce vehicle drivers to purchase a product or service by parking discount inducement or advertisement information from merchants whose stores are located nearby the vehicle parking area.