Multispace Parking Pay Stations Linking Mobile Payments to Print Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional parking meters and pay-and-display machines require manual data entry, which can lead to errors, are inconvenient, and necessitate regular servicing, while also failing to provide efficient mobile payment options and printed verification.
Innovation Solution
Multispace parking pay stations with processors, communications elements, and printers that facilitate mobile payments, eliminate manual data entry errors, and provide printed verification through central server integration, allowing for easy identification and reduced maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual data entry is used at pay-and-display machines, then customers can input vehicle information, but errors occur during data entry and enforcement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical data entry with automatic optical character recognition (OCR) technology. The system uses a camera to capture images of license plates and automatically extracts vehicle information, eliminating the need for customers to manually type data and preventing entry errors entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by automatically identifying vehicles through license plate recognition. The pay station captures the license plate image, extracts information automatically, and processes payment without requiring customer interaction for data entry, making the system both easier to use and more reliable.
2Ease of manufacture
If pay-and-display machines are used to service multiple parking spaces, then setup costs are reduced, but it becomes inconvenient and time-consuming for drivers to input vehicle information and select space numbers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual process of inputting vehicle information and selecting parking spaces with automatic license plate recognition technology. The system captures the license plate image, automatically identifies the vehicle, and determines the parking space, eliminating the time-consuming manual data entry process while maintaining the cost-effective multi-space servicing capability.
3Ease of operation
If traditional mobile payment is used for parking, then payment convenience is improved, but printed payment verification cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges traditional mobile payment convenience with printed verification capability by integrating a printer into the pay station. The system processes mobile payments electronically and then provides a printed payment verification receipt, combining the benefits of both digital payment convenience and physical proof of payment.
4Quantity of substance
If parking meters are serviced regularly to empty coins, then cash collection is maintained, but additional costs are incurred and other payment types require additional setup costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal payment system that accepts multiple payment types (cash, credit cards, mobile payments) through a single pay station interface. The system is designed to handle various payment methods without requiring separate meters or additional setup costs, while the centralized design reduces regular servicing requirements compared to individual cash-collecting meters.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are multispace parking pay stations comprising: at least one processor, a memory, a communications element, a printer, and a computer program including instructions executable by the at least one processor to create an application comprising: a software module receiving a unique identifier associated with a parking customer, the parking customer having executed a mobile payment for parking in a space associated with the pay station; a software module transmitting the unique identifier to a central parking management server and querying the central parking management server with the unique identifier to identify the parking customer and verify the mobile payment; and a software module generating and sending instructions to the printer to print a payment verification for the parking customer.