GB2208188A

GB2208188A - Pay-and-display-security

Info

Publication number: GB2208188A
Application number: GB8816028A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicholas Peter Threlfall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-07-08
Filing date: 1988-07-06
Publication date: 1989-03-08
Also published as: GB8816028D0; GB8716106D0

Abstract

Authorisation dispensing apparatus applicable to pay-and-display parking ticket dispensing apparatus comprises a keyboard (22) for user-entry of information related specifically to the user's authorisation, specifically to the user's vehicle such as the registration number, and means for causing said information to appear on tangible dispensed authorisation, specifically printing on a parking ticket. <IMAGE>

Description

Pay-and-Display-Security This invention relates to apparatus operative to dispense a ticket or other tangible authorisation for display purposes and has specific application to so-called pay-and-display vehicle parking systems usually operative by inserting coins to a prescribed value in order to issue a ticket to display printed with information (often including date, place, time and permitted period of parking or expiry time).

Many such pay-and-display systems have ticket costs biassed in favour of longer term parking, or intended to be used only for long-term parking, say up to one day. The intention is that the ticket is displayed by the purchaser on the vehicle in which the purchaser arrives. However, adhesives used on the tickets, and by which they are intended to be stuck onto inside window surfaces of the vehicle concerned, are usually such as to make the tickets easy to remove.

There is a consequent temptation, often not resisted, for a single long-term ticket to be exchanged between different vehicles as one leaves and another enters the car park. A loss of revenue to the car park operators, often local authorities, then results.

It is an object of this invention to provide a way of removing or reducing the incidence of such losses of revenue.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided dispensing apparatus for authorisations, the apparatus comprising means for user-entry of information related specifically to the user's authorisation, and means for causing same to appear on a tangible dispensed authorisation. According to another aspect of this invention there is provided pay and display parkin ticket dispensing apparatus comprising means for user-entry of vehicle-related in-formation and means for causing said information to appear on the corresponding dispensed ticket.

It is proposed that embodiments of this invention be incorporated into a ticket dispensing apparatus by way of a keyboard or equivalent for entering vehiclerelated information, preferably with an associated display for checking the input information. Then, it is convenient and advantageous for the ticket dispensing apparatus when enabled, say by insertion of coins, first to require operation of the keyboard or equivalent and to proceed to printing and ticket dispensing only after entry of an expected or remissible number of characters and/or operation of a verification key or equivalent. It is further proposed that re-tries be permitted at least up to a certain number.

It will be a simple matter for a car-park attendanc to go round inspecting tickets and checking that they are on the vehicle designated at the time of purchase.

Specific impleaentation of this invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic front view of application of the invention to a typical ticket dispenser; Figure 2 shows a typical ticket for display; and Figure 3 is a block diagram for operation of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing, referring first to Figure 1, apparatus. casing 10 should be familiar, as should the typical legends it bears. Basically, there is a coin entry slot 12 and associated display 14 for amount entered, usually of liquid crystal device (LCD) type or of light emitting diode (LED) type; a ticket dispenser slot 16; press-button enable 18 for ticket dispensing; and a rejected coin return tray 20.

In addition, Figure 1 shows a keyboard 22 and associated display 24 for entry of vehicle-related information, assumed to be a complete registration as shown. The keyboard can be of any suitable type, whether having individual movable keys or of touch or pressure sensitive types, say membrane type. The keyboard has a reset key 26 for re-tries where the display 24 does not correspond with the intended information.

If desired, the keyboard could be limited to digits only, thereby simplifying the apparatus, and with only a small risk of cheating by way of cars with the same registration digits but different letters.

A typical ticket is shown in Figure 2, and differs from a standard ticket only by further inclusion of the registration information entered via the keyboard 22.

Turning to Figure 3, items of or related to Figure 1 carrying the same or related references.

Thus, a coin mechanism is shown as 12M and has an electric signal output 12S shown going to the keyboard 22 with its associated display 24. The ticket-issue button is shown as a push-button switch 18S by which electric signals from outputs 22S of the keyboard 22 can go to the print and issue mechanism 16M.

As shown in Figure 3, there is a two-position switch 30, which may be key-operated by car-park supervisory staff and may serve to by-pass the keyboard mechanism, say to enable operation as hitherto in the event of a fault developing and pending its repair (though that is not considered likely, given achievable reliability of keyboards these days).

A further refinement could be for a time-out 24T to be associated with the display 24, for example so that rude messages could not be left illuminated.

Alternatively, the keyboard display could be interlocked with the coin mechanism 12M, say so as only to be operable after insertion of some acceptable amount of money and disabled after operation of the push-button 18. Such interlock could be no more than a signal being on line 12S only after insertion of money, or the push-button 28 might be in line 12S, then with customer verification via a key (26) either as a switch in line 225 or as an enable for signals to be put onto line 22S.

Claims

1. Dispensing apparatus for authorisations, the apparatus comprising means for user-entry of information related specifically to the user's authorisation, and means for causing same to appear on a tangible dispensed authorisation.

2. Pay and display parking ticket dispensing apparatus comprising means for user-entry of vehicle-related information and means for causing said information to appear on the corresponding dispensed ticket.

3. Ticket dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for user-entry of information comprises a keyboard.

4. Ticket dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the means for causing includes means for printing said information.

5. Ticket dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the means for printing is part of a ticket prånt-and-issue mechanism.

6. Ticket dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the print-and-issue mechanism is operative only after entry of an expected or permissible number of characters.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising display means and associated means for causing user-entered information to be displayed for checking purposes.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising means for enabling operation of said means for user-entry of information.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the means for enabling comprises money or token receiving means.

10. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for user-entry of information is operative a limited number of times for each user-entry.

11. Ticket dispensing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.