Patent ID: 8799037

Claim:
A computer-implemented system for managing motor vehicle parking reservations, comprising: a server configured to manage a multiplicity of motor vehicle parking spaces disbursed over a plurality of physically-separate and openly-disbursed parking locations through a centrally-located server, the server configured to interface over a computer network and comprising a memory and a computer processor, the computer processor operatively coupled to the memory and configured to execute computer executable program modules; a plurality of smart parking devices interfacing to the server via the computer network, wherein each of the plurality of smart parking devices corresponds to at least one of the parking spaces; a plurality of vehicle occupancy sensors interfacing to the server via the computer network, wherein each of the plurality of vehicle occupancy sensors corresponds to at least one of the parking spaces; a plurality of parking availability indicators interfacing to the server via the computer network that are each associated with each one of the parking spaces, each of the parking availability indicators comprising a plurality of indications that correspond to an availability of each of the associated parking spaces for parking, based upon actual, reserved, and restricted use of the parking space as provided to the parking availability indicator by the server, and by the smart parking device and the vehicle occupancy sensor that both correspond to each of the parking spaces with which the parking availability indicator is associated; the computer processor configured to reserve, through the server, use of one of the parking spaces by a motorist, by performing at least the following steps: accepting a reservation request for the use of the parking space and granting the request if the requested parking space is available; sensing occupancy of the requested parking space by a motor vehicle, through the vehicle occupancy sensor that corresponds to the parking space; and verifying at least one of the identity of the motorist and the motor vehicle against the reservation through the smart parking device that corresponds to the parking space; and the computer processor further configured to indicate parking availability of each parking space through the parking availability indicator that corresponds to each of the parking spaces based upon the combination of any motor vehicle occupancy in the parking space and at least one of applicable parking regulations, an amount of time available for parking at the parking space, a type of permit required for parking at the parking space, and any unfulfilled reservations for the parking space.