Patent ID: 7114651

Claim:
A method of controlling parking of vehicles in a parking system by which a mobile telephone is used to commence and to terminate parking of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of: sending by mobile telephone at least one user-specific code directly to a receiving computer associated with the parking system when beginning and terminating a parking period for computing the cost for the parking period upon termination of the parking period, whereby the receiving computer contains parking system usage data that is continuously updated concerning vehicles that have commenced a parking period within the parking system as a result of each parking system user sending an associated user-specific code to the receiving computer upon entering the parking system, at the beginning of a parking period sending directly to the parking system receiving computer by mobile telephone the identity of the parking zone concerned and a vehicle-specific code, storing the parking zone identity and the vehicle-specific code in said receiving computer for each parking system user who has sent a user-specific code when parking is commenced and associating them with the user-specific code, providing a control unit including a mobile telephone having a unique telephone number for direct wireless communication with said receiving computer to fetch directly from the receiving computer stored information as to the identity of those vehicles that have commenced but not yet terminated a parking period in the parking zone concerned, which control unit is capable of transmitting a voice message from a parking attendant to the parking system receiving computer, and wherein the control unit mobile telephone serves for sending to a receiving telephone device coupled to said receiving computer a voice message from said attendant which includes an observed vehicle registration number, comparing the observed vehicle registration number with stored registration numbers of logged-in vehicles, and sending to the attendant via the control unit a voice message in which the observed registration number understood by the receiving computer is repeated to the attendant by the control unit and which includes information as to whether the vehicle with which the observed registration number is associated is logged-in or not, and detecting the unique telephone number of the mobile telephone of the parking attendant and storing it in said receiving computer.