WO2019078912A1

WO2019078912A1 - Vehicle occupancy multiple occupancy and parking verification utilizing proximity confirmation

Info

Publication number: WO2019078912A1
Application number: PCT/US2018/015725
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael PAPINEAU; Mark FELTHAM
Original assignee: Papineau Michael; Feltham Mark
Priority date: 2017-10-20
Filing date: 2018-01-29
Publication date: 2019-04-25

Abstract

The present invention is a method and system to verify carpool occupancy compliance (108) for access to High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, High Occupancy or Toll (HOT) lanes, specific parking areas, or other vehicle-occupancy contingent rewards and other incentives (110). The present invention uses software and hardware devices (102, 104) with radio-frequency transmitter modules to permit the determination of rewards or incentives based upon meeting thresholds of occupancy (116), verification of use (100), location within a geofenced physical location (500), or number of points accrued. This driver-rider co-location (146) is performed via push notification (134) and server analysis of driver and rider GPS data. Alternatively, co-location is performed using a combination of GPS data analysis and photographic analysis (142). Occupancy compliance rewards can be communicated directly to the driver and riders within a vehicle (150).

Description

Vehicle Occupancy Multiple Occupancy and Parking Verification Utilizing

Proximity Confirmation

COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CLAIM TO PRIORITY:

This Non-Provisional application claims under 35 U.S.C. § 120, the benefit as a Continuation In Part of the non-Provisional Application 15/789,503, filed 10/20/2017, Titled "Vehicle Occupancy Verification Utilizing Proximity Confirmation" which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

More and more Department of Transportation (DOT) jurisdictions seek to create incentives for carpooling such as access to High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on public highways. Such HOV lanes permit use only when a vehicle is being used to transport multiple occupants. One of the challenges with dedicating a lane to such "carpooling", particularly in the introductory phase when there are not many carpoolers, is the resulting, and politically unpopular, increased congestion in the remaining, regular lanes.

To help mitigate this issue, many jurisdictions are introducing HOV lanes as High occupancy OR Toll (HOT) lanes to provide paid access to the lanes for single-occupant vehicles. While paid access to HOT lanes can be less democratic than access to lanes based solely upon occupancy, use of HOT lanes can be more politically acceptable. This is because overall traffic congestion resolution theoretically becomes self-regulating: some drivers will opt to pay a toll to access a reserved lane when congestion is high.

An additional carpooling incentive can take the form of access to private toll roads, with such access also being based upon paid admission. While carpooling can erode the profitability of toll highways, the availability of carpooling on private toll roads can help to alleviate overall traffic volume while simultaneously leading to lower road maintenance and lane expansion costs.

One of the biggest challenges in a DOT/municipality's introduction of a carpool lane is its being able to enforce a carpool occupancy requirement and, in the case of HOT lane access, knowing the identity of the party to be billed for single occupancy access. While technology exists to use photo confirmation to determine occupancy, these technologies often produce questionable confirmations that subsequently require human operator intervention post lane-access. Periodically, such technologies lead to incorrect billing, resulting in a costly and time-consuming review process.

Alternatively, drivers may employ transponder-based systems that require driver input prior to beginning a shared ride. Before approaching a verification point, a driver using a transponder system must remember to indicate carpool activity, usually by activating a switch on his transponder or change settings on their transponder account. In some cases, the driver is required to switch off the transponder to force a "photo exception" to the existing transponder system. This reliance on driver input can lead to system failure in cases where a driver fails to timely or properly indicate carpool activity.

Separately, municipalities and private organizations may desire to reserve parking spaces in choice locations as "rewards" for certain individuals or to serve as consideration in a pay-per-use revenue generating scenario.

In order to reserve and manage parking spaces, some entities have employed static signage to indicate that select spaces are considered to be "reserved" for use only during certain hours or only by vehicles bearing certain indicia of privilege, such as a decal or tag placed prominently in or on the authorized vehicle. Such a system requires active policing for non-compliance, such policing often taking the form of physical parking wardens who, while performing a circuit of all parking spaces in a given area, write citations to unauthorized users or take other corrective action.

Other entities employ physical barriers such as walls or toll gates to limit access to privileged parking areas. By tracking the number of vehicles granted admission to such areas and by ensuring that the number admitted in any particular interval does not exceed the maximum number of available spaces, entities can guarantee that drivers of admitted vehicles will secure suitable parking. Verification of occupancy in a vehicle or occupancy of a vehicle in a parking area or parking slot each require an element of determining the occupancy that is verifiable and repeatable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain illustrative embodiments illustrating organization and method of operation, together with objects and advantages may be best understood by reference detailed description that follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a system diagram for an exemplary system operation consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a process flow diagram for the determination of sufficiency of award criteria using mobile device GPS data and communication of same by server operation consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIGURE 3 is a process flow diagram for verification of vehicle occupancy consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a process flow diagram for the determination of sufficiency of award criteria using one or more mobile device digital images and communication of the same by server operation consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIGURE 5 is a process flow diagram for an exemplary parking occupancy system operation consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is a process flow diagram for an exemplary parking occupancy system operation consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIGURE 7 is a system flow diagram for inter-operation of a parking space sensor and a communication beacon consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIGURE 8 is a system flow diagram for operation of a server in communication with the coupled sensor and beacon and a mobile application consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIGURE 9 is a system flow diagram for operation of a sensor and beacon combination in communication with a server, the server configured to take one or more of at least four possible courses of action consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail specific embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure of such embodiments is to be considered as an example of the principles and not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown and described. In the description below, like reference numerals are used to describe the same, similar or corresponding parts in the several views of the drawings.

The terms "a" or "an", as used herein, are defined as one, or more than one. The term "plurality", as used herein, is defined as two, or more than two. The term "another", as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms "including" and/or "having", as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term "coupled", as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically.

Reference throughout this document to "one embodiment", "certain embodiments", "an exemplary embodiment" or similar terms means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of such phrases or in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments without limitation.

References herein to "device" indicate electronic devices that include but are not limited to, a radio frequency (RF) transmitter, a mobile phone, a laptop, an electronic tablet, or any personal digital assistance device.

References to "verification" indicate an objective process for confirming user input to a device.

References to "validation point" indicate any physical location where a request for verification could logically be made.

References to "rewards" indicate special privileges or access to special privileges that result from successful verification of user input.

References to "photo" indicate a digital visual representation of a vehicle's passenger area. References to "GPS" indicate reference to the Global Positioning System (GPS) space-based radio-navigation satellite array and associated technologies.

References to "riders" or "multiple riders" in a vehicle refers to 2, 3, or more riders depending upon the capacity of the vehicle.

Urban and suburban dwellers often seek shared transportation options for reasons as diverse as economy in travel expenses, shared responsibility in vehicle operation, and human companionship during a commute and when parking a vehicle at the end of the commute. In metropolitan areas where traffic congestion is rife, local authorities often incentivize shared transportation options in order to relieve traffic congestion and reduce expensive road maintenance. Setting aside special travel lanes for multi-occupant "carpooling" vehicles is one such incentive that municipalities employ. Vehicles with certain established occupancies are permitted unfettered access to lesser-travelled High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) or High Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lanes, theoretically minimizing travel delays due to traffic congestion. Such delay minimization is a coveted reward for those who choose to carpool.

Because of the desirability of designated HOV and HOT lane access, municipalities prefer to adopt systems and procedures to track, prevent and manage abuse of such lane access. Existing systems of ensuring compliance with rules regarding High Occupancy lane access rely on self-reporting, photographic verification, or post- billing adjudication.

Drivers and riders who wish to carpool may not know of each other or may not share compatible commuting schedules. For instance, even if two commuters are aware of each other, a vehicle driven by Driver A and bound for mid-town at 6:00 am may not prove a suitable match for Rider B needing to arrive in mid-town at 6:00 pm. Consequently, a need exists for a system and method for verifying carpool compliance using software and hardware devices that permit "matchmaking" between suitable drivers and riders while confirming passenger proximity to a driver.

In an embodiment, the invention described herein is a mobile-device application that uses user interfaces and GPS software to provide a list of prospective drivers with known travel itineraries to any number of potential riders. Riders can flag drivers based upon criteria such as exactness of itinerary match and prior rider reviews of drivers. Drivers can accept or reject specific riders as matches. In an embodiment, co-location verification of a driver and all riders within a vehicle takes place at a temporal validation point, at which time the rider receives a push notification to share the GPS data on his device, giving evidence as to the physical location of the device. The driver's GPS coordinates are known to the application (app), since the driver keeps his app open for the duration of a trip. A first server compares the GPS data from both devices and if resulting comparison evidences co-location of devices, the co-location is considered to be verified. Confirmation of such verified co- location can then be submitted to appropriate regulatory bodies for the doling of a reward, such as permitted HOV or HOT access, or permitted preferred parking, or other rewards that may be provided by the transportation authority or additional entities partnering with the transportation authority. The system in in its entirety is referred to as the RideFlag® application.

The RideFlag® system offers a robust, data/rules-based reward system based on a set of parameters defined within the system. The reward system parameters may include defined occupancy, distance, locations, and/or other requirements that trigger one or more rewards or incentives once the defined system parameter has been met. In an exemplary embodiment, the system may provide an incentive for pre-set vehicle occupancy thresholds, where the system may provide an incentive upon verifying the presence of 1, 2, 3 or more occupants in the vehicle. Another incentive may be triggered based upon the proximity of the carpool location to a defined reward point. The system may trigger an incentive based upon the proximity to the driver at the end of a trip. In a non-limiting example, the distance proximity to a driver is useful for college or university campuses where a rider may get dropped at a campus location and the driver proceeds on to another physical location to park the vehicle. The system may also trigger an incentive based upon a total carpool distance travelled as a minimum threshold. In a non-limiting example, a total carpool distance threshold of 50 miles may be set to trigger an incentive.

Additional incentives or rewards may require membership in an organization known as RideFlag circles. The organization membership is required of some or all participants to receive some rewards that have been established for members. The system may also have a set number as a maximum number of rewards to grant. The maximum number of rewards may be associated with a time span, such as weekly or monthly, to individuals, or set as an overall maximum. Rewards may be offered to a driver or to riders within the same vehicle, or to all participants within a registered vehicle. External requirements such as the vehicle also being registered with a parking or highway facility, such as, in a non-limiting example, a registered permit holder or transponder account holder. In partnership with one or more external groups, such as, in a non-limiting example, a university, parking authority, highway authority, or other partner, may validate any external requirements at the time the RideFlag system makes an API call to the partner system with the required information. The parameters identified and configured within the system server give reward grantors a complete set of variables to provide compelling incentives while controlling any reward offering exposure and limiting "cheating", where "cheating" may be defined as a driver or rider attempting to ask for or demand a reward or incentive where the conditions for receiving a reward or incentive have not been met.

Some highway system operators offer different rewards depending on the number of people carpooling at the time of the reward. As a non-limiting example, the express toll highway operator, 95 Express between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, requires 3 or more people carpooling to qualify for toll exemption. Other highway system operators may offer a 50% discount for 2 people and 100% exemption for 3 or more. System operators finally may use "dynamic" pricing to determine the rates based on current demand to help control the flow of traffic.

The RideFlag system dynamically evaluates and verifies the number of occupants in a vehicle at the time of the reward request through an App on a mobile phone or other mobile device at various trigger points during the travel of each vehicle registered with the RideFlag system. In an exemplary embodiment, the verification is usually triggered by the vehicle passing into or through a geo-fenced area. When a reward event is triggered, the RideFlag system server verifies the number of occupants in or near the vehicle and ensures that the rules set by the parameters are all met in order to grant the reward.

In an embodiment, while transponders identify the vehicle, the RideFlag® system identifies vehicle occupancy and location. In an embodiment, the RideFlag® system confirms the presence of two or more occupants within a single vehicle when drivers and riders use the application on HOT lanes, even for free rides with no other incentive than access to the HOV/HOT lane toll free. The RideFlag® system provides the platform to collaborate with jurisdictions, Toll Highway operators, and other partners to confirm occupancy.

The RideFlag® validation system accounts for all RideFlag® participants involved in the carpool/vanpool. The system has the ability to validate the location of every participant at the time of each reward granting opportunity and as such we can offer our very robust incentive structure.

In an exemplary embodiment, riders and drivers may use the RideFlag® application to establish carpools on an as-needed basis with no carpool registration required. The RideFlag® system is totally dynamic in that carpools are created and identified at the singular transaction level. In a non-limiting example, a carpool can exist for a single instance of a paired ride, as well as for other groups of riders and lengths of rides. The identification of the carpool is automatically known by the RideFlag® system. In this exemplary embodiment, the platform identifies the occupants, the route and time of access. The RideFlag® server may then publish this confirmation to each of the relevant highway operators immediately post the access, complementing the existing photo confirmation systems and eliminating the need for human confirmation for RideFlag® application users.

Once drivers and riders have accepted matches, each is notified of the location of the other through use of GPS data associated with the driver's and rider's mobile devices. Once drivers and riders are physically within one vehicle, the GPS data can be analyzed to verify co-location of the driver and rider(s).

In an embodiment, rewards and/or incentives offered to users of the RideFlag® system may include preferred parking at a variety of facilities. The preferred parking spaces are reserved spaces at the best points of egress and are generally the most desired parking spots. As a qualifying vehicle enters the proximity of one of these facilities, our system reaches out to the partner system tracking and managing the parking space inventory to ensure the requirements are currently met for granting the parking upgrade.

In an embodiment, rewards and/or incentives offered to users may also include Special highway lane access and preferred access to parking reserved by parking operators. Several toll segments and toll express lanes offer incentives for carpooling (this is especially relevant on highways operated by government agencies). Lanes that have a toll designed less for revenue and more for regulating traffic flow are referred to as "managed lanes"; and in these lanes carpooling is especially relevant as carpooling directly reduces the number of cars causing the congestion that requires management. On these highways, government operators are highly motivated to grant toll-free access to confirmed multiple occupant vehicles. In verifying that a vehicle is eligible to receive such rewards or incentives, the government operators must dynamically determine whether any vehicle qualifies for toll exemption, or discount, based upon occupancy. Additionally, even though riders are motivated to find others with whom to carpool, it is difficult for even motivated commuters to find others who would like to carpool to take advantage of the managed lane toll-free access for carpooling.

In an embodiment, the RideFlag® system dynamic carpooling and validation capability conquers both the challenge of verification of vehicle eligibility and finding motivated commuters with whom to carpool by offering participants an easy way of identifying the most appropriate partners to carpool with and dynamically validating their carpool with the toll operator system to grant the toll-free award.

In an embodiment, the RideFlag® system may identify and grant other rewards or incentives that are based upon points earned during system use. Such points-based rewards may include merchandise, entertainment and direct cash from transportation operators. Additionally, participating corporate citizens interested in reducing congestion and employers who want to reduce their parking requirements for employees may provide points-based rewards and offer these rewards through the RideFlag® system to qualified users. In an embodiment, the invention described herein is a method of verifying commuter vehicle occupancy by establishing communication between a RideFlag® server and one or more mobile devices, determining the physical locations of each of said mobile devices, verifying said mobile devices are co-located, determining whether said proximity conforms to one or more pre-determined values, delivering

communications from the server to a secondary server, such as, in a non-limiting example, one operated by or on behalf of a regulatory body, governmental entity or transportation authority, and delivering communications from the server to said mobile devices. Verification of vehicle occupancy may be affected through analysis of one or more photographic representations of the vehicle passenger compartment.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention, a system of verifying commuter vehicle occupancy is described. The system may include a user interface, a server having a processor in wireless communication with one or more mobile devices, and a software module operative to determine the physical locations of the mobile devices. In use, the server verifies co-location of the mobile devices, delivers communications from the server to a secondary server (like one operated by or on behalf of a regulatory body), and delivers communications from the server to a user interface display on any one of the mobile devices.

The system and method described herein identifies vehicle occupancy and location as a natural product of the RideFlag® transportation application. The application confirms the presence of two or more occupants when drivers and riders simply use the app to match prospective drivers with prospective riders. When used with respect to HOT or HOV lane access, RideFlag® provides the platform to collaborate with jurisdictions and Toll Highway operators to confirm vehicle occupancy.

In an alternative embodiment, the RideFlag® application may permit the use of free or discounted access to HOT lanes to vehicles in which there is only one verified person based upon special considerations. Such special considerations may include, but are not limited to, premium access based upon a specified number of paid uses of the HOT lane, special discounts for particular dates or times, a reward offered by the operator of the HOT lane, or any other special consideration defined by the authority operating the HOT lane. In a non- limiting example, a vehicle with a single driver may be permitted to use the HOT lane after accumulating 10 authorized uses of the HOT lane, meeting all conditions of such use.

Additionally, an authority operating a HOT lane may permit use of the HOT lane to single driver vehicles, or vehicles that do not meet all of the conditions for use of a particular HOT lane, to users with a mobile device in the vehicle that has been certified as having a special premium established by the authority operating the HOT lane even though the user of the mobile device in the vehicle may not be the driver of the vehicle.

In an embodiment, the invention described herein is a mobile-device application that uses user interfaces, geofence locations, parking sensors, with or without electronic beacons to verify that a particular parking space is unoccupied, communicate such unoccupied and available status to parking authorities and authorized users, confirm subsequent authorized use and in the case of unauthorized use, notify parking authorities for corrective action.

In an exemplary embodiment, the passengers in a vehicle may receive preferential parking in areas designated for members of the RideFlag system who enter one or more areas delimited by a geofence location. As the vehicle containing RideFlag users enters a geofenced location, parking lot, or other designated physical area, the RideFlag system may validate parking permission based on a carpooling effort tracked and confirmed at location via a geofence. The devices associated with the driver and all passengers in a vehicle may transmit a verification of location when entering an area delimited by a pre-determined geofence. In a non-limiting example, users may be given a permit for preferred parking when entering a geofenced parking area located at an office building. The driver and passengers will receive a message on their mobile devices that the vehicle in which they are traveling as members of a validated carpool may now park at a preferred parking area. In a non-limiting example, a preferred parking area or facility may have a designated section or dedicated parking slots exclusively for the use of RideFlag users. The RideFlag system will have received information about a carpool vehicle that has been validated for parking in the reserved area, and will manage the inventory of such parking slots available and occupied as vehicles enter and exit the parking area associated with a particular geofence. The RideFlag system may send a report to the company providing the reserved parking slots to verify that authorized carpooling vehicles have accessed the parking area. The company or a Parking Authority providing the reserved parking area may utilize the report to manage the number of parking awards and number of vehicles parked in the reserved area.

In a non-limiting example, a vehicle parked in a sensor-monitored parking spot may trigger one or more sensors associated with the parking spot. Sensor-monitored parking spots may be located within a pre-determined geofenced area and the sensors may be active to verify the award or right of any particular vehicle to park in the reserved parking area maintained by a Parking Authority. The Parking Authority may provide tiered-access parking spaces to users of a preferred parking system such as, in a non-limiting example, the RideFlag system. A RideFlag central server communicates with one or more sensors to determine space availability for assignment of available spaces to authorized users of the system. Additionally, the RideFlag central server continuously monitors the inventory of available parking spaces, their location, and any premiums associated with the parking spaces for incentives that may be provided to authorized users. The sensor may provide an indication that the previously empty parking spot is now occupied by a vehicle. In an embodiment, the RideFlag server may determine if there are cars associated with one or more system users that may be geographically within range to receive a transmission from an activated beacon. Upon determining a parking spot is occupied by a vehicle, the sensor may activate a beacon for a set time period, such as, in a non-limiting example, for one minute. When used, the beacon broadcasts a unique code in a very short range to permit a user smart-phone application to collect the beacon signal and report the signal indication to the RideFlag system server. If there are cars associated with one or more users in the area, the RideFlag system may request users within the cars that are within range of the activated beacon signal and/or within range of the one or more sensors associated with the parking space, to respond to a message from the RideFlag server asking if the car associated with the user is currently parked in the recently occupied parking spot. If the user replies in the affirmative, the RideFlag server next determines if the user is authorized to park in the occupied spot. If the user is authorized, the RideFlag system uses this affirmative reply as verification that an authorized RideFlag system user is parked in the occupied spot. The RideFlag system then flags the space as being occupied by an authorized user, updates the user log with the parking notification and reports the authorized use of the parking spot to a parking authority.

Also, if the RideFlag user has been provided with this parking spot as a reward or incentive by the RideFlag system, the RideFlag server will flag the parking slot as occupied by an authorized user having an incentive for use of the parking slot, along with a timestamp as to the start time of the occupation. The timestamp may be associated with entry into a geofenced area, activation of a sensor associated with a parking area, and/or activation of a beacon associated with one or more parking spots. The RideFlag system will manage and maintain the inventory of such incentive based parking slots and the users who have been awarded such incentives.

In a non-limiting example, if no mobile device belonging to an authorized parking candidate is co-located within a geofenced area, with a sensor, or sensor and beacon combination, the server may determine that the vehicle occupying the parking spot is not authorized to park in the occupied spot. If the user is a member of the RideFlag system, but the user is not authorized to park in the indicated slot, the RideFlag system may then transmit a warning message to the user, that they are not authorized to park in the occupied parking spot for this trip and request that they move from the parking spot. If the car is not authorized to occupy the parking spot, or the user is a member of the RideFlag system but is not authorized to occupy the parking spot and the vehicle has not moved from the parking spot, the server may directly notify parking enforcement for tagging or towing, depending on pre-determined enforcement protocol.

In an embodiment, whether an original occupying vehicle is authorized or unauthorized to occupy a given parking spot, once it is removed from the spot, or the vehicle is moved out of an area bounded by a pre-determined geofence location, the movement, sensors, or sensor and beacon in combination allow for real-time return of the parking spot to available parking spot inventory maintained within the RideFlag central server. In a non-limiting example, the movement of a vehicle out of a geofenced area provides an indication to the RideFlag server that a parking spot in the geofenced area is no longer occupied and is returned to the unoccupied inventory for that given geofenced area. In another non-limiting example, a sensor associated with a parking spot within a designated parking area transmits a message to the RideFlag server to indicate that the parking space is once again unoccupied and available. As such, a subsequent authorized parking candidate may be directed to the now-open-spot by receiving communications via the associated RideFlag mobile application on his or her mobile device.

In an embodiment, the mobile application of the instant innovation may be embedded in any other mobile application to allow for an enhanced pool of authorized parking candidates. Such embedding in other mobile applications may be used by third parties on third party applications to offer privileged parking access within the third parties' own platform and using the third party's own branding.

The combination of geofenced designation, a sensor, or sensor coupled with a beacon, a mobile-device application, and a server with tracking, geo-location, inventory management, and real-time messaging to parking authorities can allow municipalities and private entities to offer privileged parking to qualification-verifiable drivers through the use of the disclosed system and process. The system may also allow drivers to receive privileges or rewards based upon pre-determined criteria, and may allow parking enforcement authorities to raise additional revenue through fines levied against vehicles parked where unauthorized to do so.

Turning now to Figure 1, a system diagram for an exemplary system operation consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention is shown. During matchmaking 100, driver's device 102 and rider's device 104 are paired based upon data provided by the users of the devices, such as destination, desired times of departure and arrival, and fee amounts. Once paired 105, driver's device 102 and rider's device 104 enter commence travel phase 106. Commence Travel phase 106 includes driver and rider meeting in physical space and beginning travel to a mutually-agreed upon destination. Upon reaching discrete validation points 108, driver's device 102 and rider's device 104 are triggered by a first server 109 to provide first server 109 with GPS coordinates to determine whether devices are co-located. If the devices associated with the driver and one or more riders are determined to be co-located at 107, and if first server 109 determines that reward requirements are met, first server 109 confirms reward status with second server (owned or controlled by the reward grantor, such as a regulatory agency, transportation authority, or a partner to these entities) and with at least driver's device 102. Upon confirmation of the reward status, rewards may be transmitted to a driver 110.

Turning now to Figure 2, a process flow for the determination of award criteria consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention is shown. In an embodiment, a rider verifies his GPS coordinates at a validation point 112. At 114, the system server compares rider's GPS coordinates to driver's known GPS coordinates. From this information, the server may determine if the driver and rider(s) are currently co-located 115. At 116, the server determines if the necessary reward criteria have been met. Most commonly, reward criteria would involve the number of occupants in a car associated with a time of day. The number of occupants in a car may be determined by the number of RF signals detected at a validation point, or by photo evidence provided by any one of the detected mobile devices associated with an RF signal that is collocated with the driver's mobile device. At 118, the server sends determination regarding satisfaction of reward criteria to the appropriate regulatory authority, transportation authority or partner, the rider(s), and the driver.

Turning now to Figure 3, a process flow diagram for verification of vehicle occupancy is shown. In an embodiment, at 130, the ride commences, with the driver and rider beginning the trip to any reward point or rider destination. At 132, the driver's device comes within detection distance of a validation point which may then trigger a server request for verification of the number of car occupants. In a non- limiting example, such a validation point would typically be positioned immediately prior to HOV or HOT lane access. In the case where the reward is a preferred parking spot instead of special lane access, the validation point may be positioned at a parking lot entrance or parking garage entrance.

In an embodiment, at 134, in cases where the number of RF transmitter- equipped devices (i.e.: smartphones, or other RF transmitting devices) equals the number of individuals collocated in a vehicle, which includes the driver and all riders, the first server sends a push notification to each individual to provide notification of a verification action. GPS coordinates of the location of each RF transmitter-equipped device are collected by the RideFlag system. This response from each individual device permits the RideFlag® server to determine the device proximity, and, by extension, the rider proximity, to the driver of the vehicle. At 136, if all riders are determined to be within a set distance that indicates they are close enough to the driver that they are within the driver's vehicle, the RideFlag® system may verify that the occupancy requirements have been met for the driver's vehicle 138. These responses provide for the verification of the number of riders within the vehicle and provide a verification step for occupancy in the vehicle.

In an embodiment, at 140, in cases where the number of RF transmitter- equipped devices is smaller than the number of riders, a different method of verification may be required. In this exemplary embodiment, one of the riders (passengers) may be instructed to send a photo of vehicle occupants time-stamped with the time of the driver's device that triggered the verification request at the encountered validation point 142. Uploading the time-stamped photo to the server permits the photo verification of the number of occupants in a vehicle utilizing existing photo verification systems 144. The server may utilize the photo verification of the occupants of the vehicle to provide the occupancy verification step for the vehicle.

In this exemplary embodiment, at 146, if the first server determines that the driver and the riders have met occupancy requirements by verifying the proximity of each occupant to the driver of the vehicle, a reward may be triggered 148. If the first server determines that the driver and riders have failed proximity requirements, a failure notice is triggered. If the reward grantor suspects that the driver has falsified the proximity requirements the server may label this action as "cheating" the system. In a non-limiting example, and not by way of limitation, one condition the server may label as "cheating" may be using multiple phones not associated to physical individuals to attempt to establish that there are an equal number of RF-transmitting devices and individuals collocated within a single vehicle. If the server determines that an action or activity that may be labeled as "Cheating" has occurred, the server may require the performance of a dual validation activity, such as requiring both GPS push notification responses and photo identification. At 146, the server performs dual validation with post-event reply requests during a time interval when it would be unlikely or illogical for two or more devices associated with separate, physical individuals to be co-located.

At 150, if the reward grantor is satisfied that that the occupancy of the vehicle has been properly verified, and that the driver is not "cheating" in some fashion, the reward grantor may then transmit the reward certificate, notification, validation, or permission to the driver of the vehicle.

Turning now to Figure 4, a process flow for an alternate determination of award criteria consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention is shown. In an embodiment, a device having an RF transmitter and associated with a driver communicates its physical location to an application server at 160. At 164, a rider sends a verification photo of all vehicle occupants to the application server from the GPS coordinates corresponding to a validation point. At 168, the application server determines the number of occupants that are present in the vehicle in the verification photo. At 172 the application server determines if the number of occupants satisfies the reward criteria. At 176 the application server sends a determination regarding satisfaction of reward criteria to the appropriate regulatory authority, transportation authority or other authorized entity, the rider, and the driver. The regulatory authority, transportation authority, or other authorized entity may then issue a certificate or any other verification acknowledgement instituted for use by the issuing authority that the reward will be provided to a person associated with the vehicle, where the person associated with the vehicle may include a driver, a rider, or other authorized person such as, in a non-limited example, the owner of the vehicle.

Turning now to Figure 5, a process flow diagram for an exemplary system operation consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention is shown. At 500, a Parking Authority, such as a municipality or a private entity offering vehicle parking spaces to the driving public or a sub-set of the driving public offers Tiered- Access Parking Spaces. Tiered-Access parking may be associated with a particular physical location of a parking area as delimited by an established geofence. In an embodiment, such Tiered-Access may be based upon a variety of differentiating criteria, including but not limited to payment of a fee, granting of a reward, or determination of a disability. At 502, the Parking Authority marks each Tiered-Access Space with an electronic Sensor coupled with an electronic Beacon. At 504, Preferred Guests Use an Application pre-downloaded on each guest's mobile device to register for Authorized Space Access. At 506, the Sensor and Beacon communicate the Availability of any given Tiered-Access Space to a Server. At 508, the Server communicates the locations of available Tiered-Access Spaces to Preferred Guests. The Preferred Guest may then elect to occupy one of the identified spaces.

Turning now to Figure 6, a process flow diagram for an exemplary system operation consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention is shown. At 600, a Parking Authority, such as a municipality or a private entity offering vehicle parking spaces to the driving public or a sub-set of the driving public offers Tiered- Access Parking Spaces. In an embodiment, such Tiered-Access may be based upon a variety of differentiating criteria, including but not limited to payment of a fee, granting of a reward, or determination of a disability. At 602, the Parking Authority marks each Tiered-Access Space with an electronic Sensor or and electronic Sensor coupled with an electronic Beacon. At 604, a Vehicle Occupies a Tiered-Access Space. At 606, the Sensor and/or Beacon communicate the New Occupancy of the space to a Server. At 608, the Server makes a Co-Location Determination of the Tiered-Access Space and an Authorized Application-Bearing Mobile Device to determine whether the vehicle occupying the space is authorized to do so. In an embodiment, each Sensor and/or Beacon and Sensor combination is uniquely identified as being associated with a particular parking space of known location. In a non-limiting embodiment, the location of an Authorized Application-Bearing Mobile Device may be determined wholly or in part by use of GPS. The Server compares location data from the Sensor or Beacon and Sensor combination to location data from the Mobile Device to determine Co-Location of the Sensor or Beacon and Sensor combination and the Mobile Device.

Turning now to Figure 7, a system flow diagram for inter-operation of a parking space sensor and a communication beacon consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention is shown. In an embodiment, Sensor 702 detects the presence of a vehicle (such as, in a non-limiting example, a car) that has entered a pre-defined geofenced area containing a parking facility and at 706 Sensor activates a Beacon. The Beacon may communicate with a Server via wired or wireless technology. In an embodiment, once the Beacon has communicated with the Server, the Sensor may Deactivate the Beacon to, by way of non-limiting example, preserve battery life.

Turning now to Figure 8, a system flow diagram for inter-operation of a server in communication with the coupled sensor and beacon and a mobile application consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention is shown. In an embodiment, Server 800 determines at 802 whether a particular vehicle is authorized to occupy a particular Tiered-Access Parking Space. In a non-limiting example, the Server may make such a determination based upon a precedent determination of Sensor or Beacon and Sensor combination and authorized Application-Bearing Mobile Device Co-location. In an embodiment, each Sensor, singly or in association with a paired Beacon, is uniquely identified as being associated with a particular parking space of known location. In a non-limiting embodiment, the location of an Authorized Application-Bearing Mobile Device may be determined wholly or in part by use of GPS. The Server compares location data from the Sensor or Beacon and Sensor combination to location data from the Mobile Device to determine Co-Location of the Sensor or Beacon and Sensor combination and the Mobile Device. If the Occupation is determined to be authorized, at 804 the Server makes the appropriate notation in the Authorized User's Mobile Application Account. If the Occupation is determined to be unauthorized, at 806 the Server notifies Parking Enforcement for appropriate corrective action.

Turning now to Figure 9, a system flow diagram for operation of a sensor and beacon combination in communication with a server, the server configured to take one or more of at least four possible courses of action consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention is shown. At 900, the notification of location within a geofenced area may be utilized to manage parking spaces available within a geofenced parking facility. Alternatively, Sensor or Sensor and Beacon combination may communicate with the Server 902. Based wholly or in part on the geofenced data and/or information so communicated, Server 902 may Remove a parking space from Inventory of available spaces at 904. Upon the vacating of an occupied parking space, Server 902 may Return a parking space to Inventory of available spaces at 906. Upon the occupation of a monitored parking space, the Server 902 may Notate in the Account of an Authorized User that the vehicle associated with the user is occupying a monitored parking space at 908. If the vehicle parked in the monitored parking space in not authorized by the Server 902, the Server 902 may Notify Parking Enforcement Authorities of Unauthorized Use within moments of the vehicle entering the geofenced area and/or noccupying the monitored parking space at 910.

While certain illustrative embodiments have been described, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, permutations and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description.

Claims

CLAIMS We claim:

1. A method of verifying commuter rewards based upon vehicle occupancy,

comprising:

establishing communication between a server and one or more mobile devices; determining the physical locations of each of said mobile devices;

verifying said mobile devices are co-located;

determining whether said proximity conforms to one or more pre-determined values;

delivering communications from the server to a secondary server;

determining if a pre-set condition or threshold has been met;

triggering the award of an incentive or reward based upon at least one pre-set condition and/or threshold; and

delivering said incentive or reward from the server to said mobile devices.

2. The method of claim 1, where proximity conforms to the value of being within a pre-determined distance of the driver of a motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, where the determination of said proximity of said

physical locations is made in part through identification GPS coordinates for the physical location of said one or more mobile devices as being within a pre-set physical boundary that corresponds to a motor vehicle

4. The method of claim 1, where the determination of said incentive or reward is based at least in part on the vehicle, driver, and/or riders meeting a pre-set threshold condition and/or being located within a pre-configured geofenced location.

5. The method of claim 1 where the determination of said proximity of said

physical locations is made in part through analysis of a photographic image. The method of Claim 1 where communication to said secondary server serves as communication with a vehicle regulatory body such as a department of motor vehicles, department of transportation, or other identified authority.

The method of Claim 6 where the reward and/or incentive is delivered to the one or more users associated with the co-located mobile devices and are activated for the benefit of said users.

8. A system of verifying commuter vehicle occupancy, comprising:

a server having a processor in wireless communication with one or more mobile devices;

a user interface active on the said one or more mobile devices and associated with users;

determining the physical locations of each of said mobile devices;

verifying said mobile devices are co-located;

delivering communications from the server to a secondary server;

determining if a pre-set condition or threshold has been met;

delivering said incentive or reward from the server to said mobile devices.

9. The system of claim 8, where proximity conforms to the value of being within a pre-determined distance of the driver of a motor vehicle.

10. The system of claim 8, where the determination of said proximity of said physical locations is made in part through identification GPS coordinates for the physical location of said one or more mobile devices as being within a pre-set physical boundary that corresponds to a motor vehicle.

11. The system of claim 8, where the determination of said incentive or reward is based at least in part on the vehicle, driver, and/or riders meeting a pre-set threshold condition and/or being located within a pre-configured geofenced location.

12. The system of Claim 8, further comprising

a camera operative to deliver digital communications from one or more of said mobile devices to said server; and

the server further determining the vehicle occupancy by analyzing said digital communications.

13. The system of Claim 8, where communication to said secondary server serves as communication with a vehicle regulatory body such as a department of motor vehicles, department of transportation, or other identified authority.

14. The system of Claim 8 where the reward and/or incentive is delivered to the one or more users associated with the co-located mobile devices and are activated for the benefit of said users.