Patent ID: 7014109

Claim:
A method of making cash payments for parking in a vehicle parking system, in which a mobile telephone is used by a parking system user to commence and to terminate a parking period of a vehicle and where a parking system user sends via a mobile telephone at least one code to a receiving computer belonging to the parking system upon commencement and upon termination of a parking period, said method comprising the steps of: purchasing by a parking system user of a start packet for use by the parking system user, which start packet includes a user-specific code, a one-time code paired with the user-specific code, a given telephone number to access the parking system computer, and identifies a specific prepaid amount of money available for parking purposes, wherein the start packet is purchased and prepaid by the parking system user at the time of purchase of the start packet; commencing a parking period by the parking system user connecting by use of a mobile telephone to the parking system computer via the given telephone number included in the purchased start packet; transmitting from the parking system user to the parking system computer via the mobile telephone the user-specific code and the associated one-time code included in the purchased start packet; detecting and storing the number of the mobile telephone in the parking system computer; comparing in the parking system computer the user-specific code and the paired one-time code transmitted by the parking system user with paired user-specific and one-time codes previously stored in the parking system computer, and, when agreement is found between the user-transmitted user-specific code and paired one-time code with the paired user-specific and one-time codes previously stored in the parking system computer storing the transmitted user-specific code together with the number of the mobile telephone and the prepaid amount of money associated with the user-specific and one-time codes included in the start packet and available for parking purposes and without withdrawing any amount from the prepaid amount for parking payment purposes until termination of the parking period; terminating the parking period using the mobile telephone to connect to the given parking system telephone number; accessing an account stored in the parking system computer and associated with at least one of the mobile telephone number and the parking system user's user-specific code; and subtracting a relevant parking fee from said prepaid amount stored in the parking system computer upon termination of a parking period, wherein the parking system user is not subsequently separately billed for the cost of a parking period.