Patent ID: 8610597

Claim:
A computer-implemented system for tagging a parking space for a motor vehicle through a gesture, 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 that are each located proximate to and which correspond to least one of the parking spaces, each of the smart parking devices interfaced with the server via the computer network; a plurality of vehicle occupancy sensors that are also each located proximate to and which correspond to at least one of the parking spaces, each of the vehicle occupancy sensors interfaced with the server via the computer network; and a plurality of parking availability indicators that are each associated with each of the parking spaces, each of the parking availability indicators interfaced with the server via the computer network; and a reservations module executed by the server and configured to reserve through the server one of the parking spaces by a motorist, comprising: a tracking module configured to continuously track a location of an in-transit motor vehicle driven by the motorist as a driver; an identification module configured to identify those parking spaces that are located nearby the identified location of the in-transit motor vehicle, unoccupied based on their respective vehicle occupancy sensors, and currently available over any other reservations stored in the server; a query module configured to provide a query comprising at least one of a list of the identified unoccupied parking spaces and a region where the identified unoccupied parking spaces located, to the driver of the in-transit motor vehicle; a gesture recognition module configured to recognize a gesture by the driver as a response to the query for selecting one of the unoccupied parking spaces in the list and to reserve the selected unoccupied parking space according to the driver's gesture; an occupancy module configured to sense occupancy of the reserved unoccupied parking space through the nearest vehicle occupancy sensor following parking of the motor vehicle; and a verification module configured to verify the identity of the motorist against the reservation through the nearest smart parking device.