Patent ID: 11878598
Assignee: LIBERTY PLUGINS, INC.
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC B  G  Y | IPC B  G

Claim 11:
12. A multi-space parking meter system for remote control of electric vehicle (EV) charging devices located among multiple parking spaces served by the system, the system comprising:
a controller for metering and controlling a plurality of parking spaces, the plurality of parking spaces having parking spaces of at least two kinds comprising a first parking space kind for parking spaces having an EV charging device and a second parking space kind for parking spaces having no EV charging device, the plurality of parking spaces comprising at least a first parking space that is the first kind with a first EV charging device remote from the controller and a second parking space that is the second kind;
a communication channel for providing communication between the controller and user interfaces on cell phones of motorists; and,
a signaling channel through which the controller communicates to enable and disable the EV charging device of parking spaces of the first kind;
wherein the controller is configured to
prompt a first motorist, with a first user interface on a first cell phone, for an identifier corresponding to one of the plurality of parking spaces;
accept, with the first user interface, a first parking request from the first motorist, the first parking request comprising at least a first identifier from a first indicia at the first parking space, the first identifier corresponding to both the first parking space and the first EV charging device;
on the basis of at least the first request both enable, with the signaling channel, the first EV charging device and record, in a memory having communication with the controller, a first data associated with the first parking space, the first data representative of a first time of expiration;
disable, with the signaling channel, the first EV charging device based on at least the first data when the first time of expiration is not greater than the current time;
prompt a second motorist, with a second user interface on a second cell phone, for an identifier corresponding to one of the plurality of parking spaces;
accept, with the second user interface, a second parking request from the second motorist, the second parking request comprising at least a second identifier from a second indicia at the second parking space, the second identifier corresponding to the second parking space; and,
on the basis of at least the second request record, in the memory, a second data associated with the second parking space, the second data representative of a second time of expiration.