Vehicle parking space occupancy verification and use authorization
View Patent ↗The present invention is a method and system to verify the availability of and qualification for parking and ride-sharing incentives. In an embodiment the present innovation uses a variety of technologies to reliably count the number of live humans purportedly in a given vehicle and ascertain their simultaneous co-location. The present invention may be used to implement means-based incentive programs for registered users of modest means. The described system may use, by way of non-limiting example, mobile communications devices such as cell phones, tablets, smart phones, or transponders, each of which may be incidental to or integrated within a given vehicle.
1. A method of verifying vehicular reward availability and confirming authorized vehicular reward use, comprising:
collecting facial signatures as biometric data for all occupants in a passenger compartment utilizing one camera;
validating individual occupants of a vehicle through analysis of biometric data collected from said occupants;
evaluating and pre-approving the vehicle based in part on the validating;
broadcasting location information from one or more sensors;
verifying a user's one or more mobile devices and said one or more sensors are co-located;
delivering communications from a data server to said one or more mobile devices authorizing access to a reward to park in a particular parking spot;
selectively permitting access to said reward to any one of said occupants of a vehicle validated through analysis of biometric data for that occupant; and
updating the inventory of reward availability in an electronic database maintained within said data server.
2. The method of claim 1 where the mobile devices include a device equipped with a radio frequency (RF) transmitter module.
3. The method of claim 1 where said one or more sensors operate on optic detection principles, magnetic detection principals, or both.
4. The method of claim 1 where the validating of vehicle occupants is achieved using biometric readings, or infra-red readings, or a combination of biometric and infra-red readings.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising said data server receiving communication from a beacon associated with said one or more sensors.
6. The method of claim 1 where communications to said one or more mobile devices from said data server are received through a mobile application.
7. The method of claim 1 where the rewards consist of privileged access to designated parking spaces or designated vehicle lanes or both.
8. The method of claim 6 where the mobile application may be integrated into other mobile applications.
9. The method of claim 1 where said verifying co-location of said one or more mobile devices, said one or more sensors and/or a beacon is performed using a Global Positioning System (GPS).
10. A system of verifying vehicular reward availability and confirming authorized vehicular reward use, comprising:
a user interface;
a data server having a processor in wireless communication with one or more mobile devices;
one camera collecting facial signatures as biometric data for all occupants in a passenger compartment;
validating individual occupants of a vehicle through analysis of biometric data collected from said occupants;
evaluating and pre-approving the vehicle based in part on the validation;
broadcasting location information from one or more sensors;
verifying said one or more mobile devices and said one or more sensors are co-located;
delivering communications from said data server to said one or more mobile devices authorizing access to a reward to park in a particular parking spot;
selectively permitting access to said reward to any one of said occupants of a vehicle validated through analysis of biometric data for that occupant; and
updating the inventory of reward availability in an electronic database maintained within said data server.
11. The system of claim 10 where the mobile devices include a device equipped with a radio frequency (RF) transmitter module.
12. The system of claim 10 where said one or more sensors operate on optic detection principles, magnetic detection principals, or both.
13. The system of claim 10 where the validating of vehicle occupants is achieved using biometric readings, or infra-red readings, or a combination of biometric and infra-red readings.
14. The system of claim 10 , further comprising said data server receiving communication from a beacon associated with said one or more sensors.
15. The system of claim 10 where communications to mobile devices from said data server are received through a mobile application.
16. The system of claim 10 where the rewards consist of privileged access to designated parking spaces or designated vehicle lanes or both.
17. The system of claim 15 where the mobile application may be integrated into other mobile applications.
18. The method of claim 10 where said verifying co-location of said one or more mobile devices, said one or more sensors and/or a beacon is performed using GPS.