System and method for direct transfer of electronic parking meter data

1. A single space electronic parking meter mechanism for inserting into an outer parking meter housing comprising:

an inner housing;

a payment receiving structure supported by the inner housing;

an electronic display screen supported by the inner housing;

a wireless communication subsystem supported by the inner housing configured to wirelessly communicate with a parking management system;

an electronic meter control system controlling the electronic display and the wireless communications subsystem;

a memory device receiving port externally accessible through the inner housing; and

a read-write removable memory device physically accessible from outside of the inner housing and configured to be coupled to the memory device receiving port, the removable memory device including operation mode information that is read by the electronic meter control system to select an operation mode of the meter mechanism.

2. The single space electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 1 , wherein operation mode information includes:

location ID information representative of the physical, geographic location of the outer parking meter housing;

payment information representative of parking payments received by the payment receiving structure; and

meter configuration information utilized by the control system to control operation of the display.

3. The single space electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 2 , wherein the electronic meter control system is configured to store the payment information, the location ID information and the meter configuration information to a non-volatile memory associated with the electronic meter mechanism.

4. The single space electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 2 , wherein the meter control system is configured to control the wireless communication subsystem to communicate the location ID information received from the removable memory device to the parking management system.

5. The single space electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 2 wherein the payment receiving structure includes a currency reader and a credit-card reader and payment information includes at least one of audit data representative of currency received by the currency reader and batched credit card transaction data representative of credit card payment information received by the credit-card reader.

6. The single space electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 2 wherein meter configuration information further includes parking rate data.

7. The single space electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 1 wherein operation mode information includes a diagnostic mode ID that when read by the meter control system causes the meter mechanism to operate in a diagnostic mode, wherein upon reading the diagnostic mode ID the meter control system controls the wireless communications subsystem to transmit data to a diagnostic database maintained by the parking management system.

8. The single space electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 1 wherein operation mode information includes a spare mode ID that when read by the meter control system causes the meter mechanism to operate in a low power standby mode.

9. The single space electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 1 wherein operation mode information includes a data extraction ID that when read by the meter control system causes the meter control system to save data to the removable memory device.

10. The single space electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 9 , wherein the data saved to the removable memory device includes batched credit card transaction data.

11. The single space electronic parking meter mechanism of claim 1 comprising:

a memory device reader having at least one electrical contact;

wherein the removable memory device includes at least one electrical contact for coupling to electrical contact of the memory device reader when received within the memory device receiving port.

12. A single space electronic parking meter mechanism configured for replacement of a current single space meter mechanism located within an outer parking meter housing, the single space electronic parking meter mechanism comprising:

an inner housing;

a payment receiving structure supported by the inner housing;

an electronic display screen supported by the inner housing;

a wireless communication subsystem supported by the inner housing configured to wirelessly communicate with a parking management system;

a non-removable memory device;

a port extending through the inner housing and configured to receive a removable memory device of the current single space meter mechanism, the removable memory device including location identification information representative of the physical, geographic location of the current single space meter mechanism; and

an electronic meter control system controlling the electronic display and the wireless communications subsystem;

wherein the electronic meter control system is configured to access the location identification information from the removable memory device, to copy the location identification data from the removable memory device to the non-removable memory device, and to control the wireless communication subsystem to transmit the location identification information to the parking management system.