BG66656B1 - A method and a system of payment parking taxes by use of a mobile communication facility - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention refers to a method and a system of payment parking taxes for means of transport, more specifically parking of automobiles in urban conditions, and can find application in systems of operation of transportation in urban conditions, including the specification of areas with automobile parking lots. The method involves sent by the consumer SMS message with a short number determined in advance by the mobile operator and containing a combination of letters and figures, representing the registration number of the motor vehicle. Before the expiration of the taxed period, the mobile operator sends a warning message that the paid parking period is expiring, after which sends a SMS message that measures of punishment will be applied upon the vehicle.

Description

Field of application

The invention relates to a method and system for the payment of fees for parking vehicles, in particular car parking in urban conditions and can find application in the organization and implementation of traffic management systems in urban conditions, including the definition of areas with car parking spaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is a system for paying fees for parking cars using mobile phones - patent publication WO 2005050575 A1, which is based entirely on the use of technical capabilities of mobile phones, in particular the ability to send and receive short messages such as SMS or MMS, as well as the use of WAP and GPRS services, through which it is possible to pay fees and or invoices via mobile phone. The invention is based on the use of a digital system for payment of invoices or fees, which uses a communication telephone network and TDMA, CDMA and GSM technologies, as well as any other system that has equivalent technical capabilities. The system includes the use of mobile phones that have the ability to use the services of SMA, WAP, MMS and GPRS and the use of special software installed by telephone operators or a service that controls the services for the payment of these fees. The digital parking fee control and control system works as follows: when a driver of a vehicle finds a free parking space in an area allowed for parking, he must pay for the temporary occupation of this place, using a mobile phone for this purpose, where there are several different options, namely: to send a predetermined number a short SMS message to a mobile operator, which contains a combination of letters and numbers representing the car number and information identifying the area, parking space; to send a short message to a mobile operator to a predetermined number, which should contain a combination of letters and numbers representing the car number, information about the zone, parking place, password and card data / magnetic card, smart card or similar card /, which is used to pay for parking or which has already been used for the purpose of paying fees, and which contains credit facilities to pay a fee; to call a number specially determined by the mobile operator, on which the initial parking period is recorded, for which parking the driver must be pre-registered in the digital system. This way of registering the parking can also be done by automatically confirming the registration, using URA or IVR.

Parking registration of a vehicle can also be done by multimedia, including by recording a clear voice message, a photo, a bar code, as well as any data that can be sent via MMS. The sent message is received and recorded by the mobile operator or the service responsible for the control of the parking areas, sending a return message confirming that the parking is registered and paid. The mobile operator or the parking service later charges the sent short message for registration of the parking and includes it in the account of the owner of the mobile phone. Before the end of the period for which parking is charged, the mobile operator sends a warning message informing the user that the paid parking time is over and that if he wants to continue parking he must make a new registration for a new time period. According to a variant embodiment of the invention, the parking charge can also be performed for real time parking, by registering the start and end moment of parking, whereby a fee is paid for the real time used by the user. It is possible to divide the city parts into separate zones, which are marked with codes, and the digital system allows the charging of the parking to be perceived and charged differently by entering in the telephone message codes for the different urban zones, which correspond to different parking tariffs. .

The digital vehicle parking charging system described above allows parking registration and charging, but it has some drawbacks that can be set out in the following sequence: the system requires the input of data that the user must enter in the conditions of urban dynamics. life, and for this purpose it is necessary to enter in the message additional characters such as the code of the area in which the vehicle is parked, which in fact makes it difficult to register an occupancy of a parking space. This circumstance creates conditions and possibility for the user to enter incorrectly a code of a parking zone, which does not correspond to the actual location of the parking place, where the system will not report and charge for parking. In this situation, it is possible for the consumer to assume that he has correctly registered and charged the occupied parking space, and in fact for the control authorities to establish incorrect charging, in the sense of registering parking with a zone code and charging with a tariff that does not actually correspond to the tariff, in the real parking area.

Another disadvantage of the parking charging system is the fact that by sending a short message (SMS) the user registers and charges a predetermined period of time, for example 1 hour, and the message explicitly specifies the parking space - by entering a code for the area of parking. This way of charging is definitely associated with some inconvenience for the consumer, which is expressed in the following: it is known that in the central part of most large cities are concentrated and located the buildings of various administrative services, such as municipal services, tax offices, courts , banks and other institutions, in which various actions often have to be performed, such as submitting documents, depositing or withdrawing funds, which is often associated with a short stay, for example of the order of 15-20 min. In such cases, the consumer must agree to register his parking in an area for a period of time that is practically longer than the time required, they. he has to pay for parking, when in fact he will not use the real time he has paid for. At the same time, he would not be able to use the rest of the time for which he paid for parking by parking the vehicle elsewhere, as he had already determined the parking area and would have to pay a new amount for parking when moving it.

Another disadvantage of the described system for charging a parked vehicle is related to the control of charging. The system allows control and establishment of data - when the parking period has started, when it should end, whether at the moment of checking by the controlling employees the vehicle has charged the stay at the parking place. It is not possible to derive from the cited patent publication information on the possible actions taken by the control authorities in respect of a vehicle whose charging period has ended and its stay in the parking area at the time of the inspection constitutes a breach of the parking rules.

A method and system for controlling and paying for vehicle parking are known, patent publication WO 03049041 A2. The method and the system according to the invention allow control and payment of the parking of a vehicle, for which purpose the user must use certain means allowing sending an SMS message, as a result of which the system of control and payment of parking does not require additional investments and the possibilities for confusion are reduced. According to the invention, the user must send a short SMS message indicating the arrival at the parking place, they. the beginning of the parking time, as well as a short SMS message when leaving this place. In this situation, the system compares the identification data submitted via the two short SMS messages, calculates the length of stay and charges the respective amount determined on the basis of the tariff for the respective urban area. In this way, the consumer can park in a place by paying an exact amount corresponding to the real time for which the parking space is used, without the corresponding risk of imposing penalties. The system provides for the possibility for the user to be sent a reminder message that he has parked, as well as to be informed about the amount of parking charged until the moment of the reminder.

The known method and system of control and payment of parking in general are aimed at the benefit and convenience of consumers. The method and system according to the invention have known drawbacks, which can be represented as follows. In most large cities, parking-restricted streets have limited parking spaces, and central parts of cities are usually places where consumers park so that they can do some work or perform their duties. In this regard, municipal services as a rule have adopted parking rules that allow short-term parking, for example 2 hours. In view of this, the described system of control and payment of parking has a limited application, insofar as it provides for the free possibility of parking in one place, noting with a short message the beginning and end of the parking time. This would practically mean that one user would be able to park for a period of 5-6 hours, which would limit the possibilities of other users, thus being a violator of the adopted parking rules. Even in cases where the user parks within the accepted rules, for example for a period not longer than 2 h / for example 1.30 b /, according to the system he must send a second short SMS message, which is both inconvenient and and makes the parking service more expensive, as you practically have to pay for two short SMS messages.

Technical essence of the invention

In view of the stated prior art in the present field, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for parking payment and control which is characterized by the maximum simplification of the actions related to parking registration and charging by improving the reliability and the guarantee that the consumer is informed about the parking fee, as well as about the expiration of the allowed parking time in a given zone, as well as to improve the conditions for parking control, reducing the possibilities for violating the parking rules.

The object of the invention is solved by a method of payment and control of parking, comprising sending by the user a short message from user to mobile operator, the message being sent to a short number predetermined by the mobile operator and containing data for registration and charging of parking , where the mobile operator sends to the user a message confirming the receipt of the first message, registration and parking fee, and before the expiration of the time period for which the user has paid for parking, the mobile operator sends a warning / reminder / message that the deadline expires , for which parking is paid.

According to the invention, each short message sent by the user to the mobile operator contains the registration number of the parked vehicle, and the user sends consecutive short messages for parking charging, the number of which corresponds to a period of time, and after the expiration of the entire allowable period. parking, the mobile operator sends a warning message that the entire permissible parking period has expired, and in case the user does not remove the vehicle from the parking place, the mobile operator sends a notification that the vehicle is parked in violation.

The short message is an SMS, MMS, voice message, video message or other understandable message, and the value of one short message corresponds to the amount of the parking fee for a period of 1 hour.

According to one embodiment, the value of the short message may correspond to a parking fee amount for another, different time period from 30 minutes to 2 hours, wherein the short message is sent to a different telephone number determined by the mobile operator. In this case, the short message is sent to the standard telephone number specified by the mobile operator, containing an additional code.

The object of the invention is also solved by a parking payment and control system according to the described method, comprising a mobile technical means of the user connected via a communication network to a registration system located at a mobile telephone operator, consisting of a registration module connected to an information server. and a parking fee payment module. Preferably, the mobile communication device is capable of providing SMA, WAP, MMS and GPRS services.

According to the invention, the recording system is connected to a call center, and a mobile personal digital device of the PDA type is connected to the recording module via a communication network. The registration module contains data for the registration number of the parked vehicle, the starting time of parking and the parking area.

The method and system for payment and control of parking are characterized by maximum simplification of the method of registration and charging of parking, as registration is carried out by sending only one short message containing only data on the registration number of the vehicle. The system allows the user to park in different places within the paid parking period, which will allow him to make better use of the paid parking time. The system is characterized by increased opportunities for parking control, respectively correct application of parking rules in designated parking areas, including central urban areas, with the ability to control and apply sanctions against violators of these rules. The system allows for the provision of improved control of charging, as well as minimizing the possibilities for committing violations or evading fees. In addition, the parking payment system allows the introduction and implementation of automated management and monitoring of the work and workload of employees in urban areas, as well as derivation of analyzes and reports on the load and traffic on the roads to be used for future forecasting and organization of road traffic in urban conditions, as well as the load on the parking area.

Explanation of the attached figures

Hereinafter, examples of implementation of the parking payment and control system are presented, which are illustrated using the drawings accompanying the description, as follows:

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a parking system by sending a short message from a mobile communication means;

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the operations for implementing the method of payment and control of parking.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the parking payment method and control method and system will be presented and described, and this exemplary embodiment does not restrict the use of other similar, equivalent parking payment systems by sending short messages that have identical functionality and result of their implementation.

The method and system for payment and control of parking can be applied through the mediation of a mobile telephone operator, which has the ability to accept, confirm the payment of parking, including the relevant fees in the monthly statements of its subscribers who use such services.

The method and the system can also be applied by a separate service, which is assigned to provide parking areas in urban areas, for which purpose the mediation of a mobile operator will again be used.

The method of payment for parking involves sending a short message by some means of communication from the user to the mobile operator or to the service, the message being sent to a short number pre-defined by the mobile operator and containing only a combination of letters and numbers representing the registration number of the vehicle, which is simultaneously registered by the mobile operator in a registration module connected to a user database, which allows it to identify it, respectively to register and charge a parking fee, as well as to keep it through its monthly statement of due taxi. The user has the opportunity to send short messages, the number of which corresponds to the time allowed to stay in a park, determined in advance by the municipal / city / services. For example, if the parking rules allow parking in the central part of the city for a period not exceeding 2 hours, the user has the right to send, respectively the system will accept only two charges, each for one hour, which can be sent separately , i.e. a second message to be sent when the user receives the first reminder message or by sending two messages in succession, thus paying for the maximum period of stay.

In response to each sent short message, the user receives a confirmation message from the same technical device from which the first message was sent and confirms the registration, respectively the actual payment of parking, as the confirmation message contains data on the registration number of the vehicle, parking the field of motor vehicles; the duration of the paid parking period; price of the parking service per hour; date and time of the beginning of the paid period, including determination of the final time of charging.

In case of incorrectly entered registration number (incorrect input format), the user receives a message informing the mobile operator of a possible input error (eg the presence of spaces between letters and numbers), after which the user must enter the data again.

A few minutes before the end of the paid time period, e.g. 5 min, the mobile operator sends a reminder message informing the user about the end of the charged parking period, and the latter has the opportunity to continue using the occupied parking space for a new period by sending the next short message. The mobile operator registers the new charge for a new period, and when it expires, it sends a reminder message again. After the expiration of the entire permitted parking period, the mobile operator shall send a warning message that the currently charged period has expired and a sanction is pending. As already stated, before the expiration of the time period for which the user has paid for parking, the mobile operator sends a warning / reminder / message that the period for which parking is paid expires, thus the user is warned and can take appropriate measures - to continue the vehicle's stay in the parking lot by sending a new short message or before the expiry of the deadline for which parking is charged - to vacate the parking space.

It is appropriate to note that the mobile operator registers the charging of the vehicle by entering its registration number, whereby special software monitors and does not allow continued charging of the same vehicle registration number, as the message is sent, for example, from another mobile phone number. . In this way it is possible to monitor the strict observance of the parking rules, respectively to prevent a prolonged stay of a vehicle in the central part of the city in parking lots defined as a zone for short-term paid parking.

In case the user does not take the vehicle out of the parking place or does not pay for a new period by sending a new short message, there are practically conditions for the car to be considered parked in violation of the adopted parking rules. In this situation, the mobile operator sends a second warning message informing the user that the car is parked in violation and is subject to sanctions as provided for in the relevant parking rules, such as blocking the vehicle or forcibly moving it from the occupied parking space. and moving it to a penal parking lot.

According to a variant implementation of the method of payment and control of parking, depending on the size of the city, the size of the permitted parking area, the dynamics of road traffic and other parameters, it is appropriate that the value of the short message corresponds to a fee for parking - for another, different time period, for example from 30 minutes to 2 hours, where the short message must contain in addition to the registration number of the vehicle and an additional code that the system will read and write. According to an alternative embodiment, when the user wishes to request and pay for a time period other than 1 hour, it is possible for the short message to be sent to another telephone number specified by the mobile operator.

According to a variant implementation of the method and the system for payment of parking, it is possible for the user to pay for the parking, using a pre-purchased card, where in the first sent short message besides the vehicle registration number the code / or number / of the prepaid a card in which the mobile operator sends a return message confirming the acceptance, respectively the payment of parking. In case the funds available in the specified card are not sufficient to pay for the parking, the operator sends a message that the parking is not paid, where the user must decide whether to use another method of payment or to take the vehicle out of the parking lot. .

The user can pay the parking fee by combining a short message and using other means of payment - for example, a prepaid coupon, a credit card to form the payment for the entire time period of parking, ie. the user can pay once for the parking with a short message, and the other periods - with a coupon, which indicates the parking period. According to another variant implementation of the method, parking can be announced, respectively paid, by voice call to a pre-announced number, using for this purpose a mobile means of communication, in which the voice call is registered in a parking registration center / Call Center / , as an operator records and charges for parking. The mobile operator records the data from the voice call - phone number from which the call is made, as well as the registration number of the car, and the next call from the same phone number the system automatically finds the vehicle number and accepts the request for parking and payment. In case the user does not confirm the car number, the operator accepts the call as a new parking request. The advantage of this type of request for parking and payment is the higher degree of security of charging, as long as it is done in real time and does not depend on possible technical problems that the mobile operator may have to send a confirmation or reminder message. The control of the parked vehicles is performed physically by employees who use special electronic devices PDA / reader /, connected to the system for registration of parking and its charging for a certain period of time. Employees have the opportunity to check whether each vehicle has paid for parking, and after establishing the fact that the paid period has expired, they have the right to report to the services responsible for the application of the envisaged sanctions for violation of parking rules. The parking payment system includes a communication device, preferably a mobile communication means, with technical capabilities for providing SMA, WAP, MMS and GPRS services, in which the mobile communication means is connected via a communication network to a registration system located at a mobile telephone operator. The registration system includes a registration module connected to an information server and a module for payment of the parking fee. According to the invention, the registration module contains a database with car registration data, user data and is additionally connected to a call center, and a mobile personal digital device of the PDA type is connected to the registration module via a communication network.

Claims (9)

Patent claims A method of payment and control of parking, comprising sending a short message by means of a communication technical device from a user to a mobile operator, the message being sent to a short number predetermined by the mobile operator and containing data for parking registration and charging. the mobile operator sends to the user a message confirming the receipt of the first message, registration and charging of parking, and before the expiration of the time period for which the user has paid parking, the mobile operator sends a warning message that the term for which parking is paid , characterized in that each short message sent by the user to the mobile operator contains the registration number of the parked vehicle, the user sending a consecutive short message for parking charge, and after the expiration of the entire permitted parking period, the mobile operator sends a warning notification that the entire permitted parking period has expired, and if the user does not remove the vehicle from the parking space, the mobile operator shall send a notification that the vehicle has been parked in violation. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the short message is an SMS, MMS, voice message, video message or other intelligible message. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the value of one short message corresponds to the amount of the parking fee for a time period of 1 hour. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the value of the short message may correspond to the amount of the parking fee for a period of time from 30 minutes to 2 hours, wherein the short message is sent to a different telephone number determined by the mobile operator. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the short message is sent to the standard telephone number determined by the mobile operator, containing an additional code. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the consumer uses a combination of a short message and another means of payment to pay for the parking, combining them to form the time period for which he wants to pay for parking, paying a part of the charges period with a coupon, and the rest - by message sent from a mobile phone or similar technical device. 7. A parking payment and control system comprising a mobile technical means of the user connected via a communication network to a registration system located at a mobile telephone operator, comprising a registration module connected to an information server and a parking fee payment module characterized by in that the recording system is connected to a call center, and a mobile personal digital device of the PDA type is connected to the recording module via a communication network. System according to claim 7, characterized in that the mobile communication device is capable of providing the SMA, WAP, MMS and GPRS services. System according to claim 7, characterized in that the registration module comprises data for the registration number of the vehicle, the starting time of parking and the parking area.