Patent ID: 6155744
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: E01F

Abstract:
A parking lot management system comprising, in combination:a fence including a plurality of vertical posts mounted to a parking lot and extending upwardly therefrom and a pair of vertically spaced horizontal members coupled between each of the vertical posts, the fence defining an elongated rear wall, a pair of side walls, and a front wall defining an enclosed interior with a rectangular configuration, the front wall having a pair of square inset portions defined by a pair of perpendicular inwardly extending walls for affording a pair of handicap spaces, the front wall having an entry opening formed between a first one of the inset portions and a midpoint of the front wall, a divider wall positioned in perpendicular relationship with the front wall and spaced between the first inset portion and the midpoint of the front wall for defining a shopping cart passageway and a vehicle entryway, a peripheral wall coupled to the front wall at the midpoint thereof and extending therefrom in perpendicular relationship therewith for confining the vehicle entryway, and a shopping cart subdivider wall mounted between the divider wall and the first inset portion in parallel relationship therewith for dividing the shopping cart passageway into a shopping cart storage area and shopping cart passageway, wherein the rear wall includes an exit opening with a sensor for indicating an exit of a vehicle therethrough;a tire puncture strip mounted along a ground surface of the parking lot at the exit opening for puncturing tires of a vehicle attempting entry via the exit opening;a pay station including a module mounted within the vehicle entry adjacent to the divider wall for accepting a predetermined amount of money and a barricade arm having an inboard end pivotally coupled to the divider wall for raising upon the acceptance of the predetermined amount of money to allow the entrance of a vehicle through the vehicle entryway, wherein the pay station is further adapted to calculate a difference between a number of times the barricade arm raises and a number of vehicles that exit through the exit opening and further providing an indication upon the difference surpassing a predetermined amount, thereby indicating that the parking lot is full; anda plurality of parking space barriers mounted to the parking lot along inner sides of the side walls of the fence and each including a vertical member, an annular flange coupled to a central extent of the vertical member and extending radially outwardly therefrom, and an arm defined by a pair of linear horizontal rods each having an inboard end with a sleeve mounted thereon for rotatably receiving the vertical member and a pair of vertical cross bars coupled between outboard ends of the horizontal rods and central extents thereof, wherein the arm is adapted to be pivoted between a deployed orientation in perpendicular relationship with the side walls of the fence and a stored orientation in parallel relationship with the side walls of the fence;said parking space barriers each including a first diametrically disposed bore formed in the vertical member, a second diametrically disposed bore formed in the sleeve of a bottommost one of the horizontal rods of the arm, and a pin having a first end with a disk-shaped head including a chain connected thereto which is in turn connected to the vertical member, wherein a second end of the pin may be releasably mounted within the bores for fixedly maintaining the arm in the deployed orientation.