Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/493,643 filed Jul. 11, 2016, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The current invention involves a parking system and method to facilitate parking transactions between users. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In many cities today, it is difficult to find parking, and especially affordable parking. One might arrive at a location and drive in circles for a substantial amount of time searching for a parking space. A recent article in the  The Economist  reported an estimate that “cruising for spaces in Westwood village, in Los Angeles, amounts to 950,000 excess vehicle miles travelled per year. Westwood is tiny, with only 470 metered spaces.” ( The Economist , Sacred Spaces, Apr. 8, 2017). Driving in search of parking spaces is not only a waste of time, but congests the roads unnecessarily with extra traffic and can contribute to air pollution. 
         [0004]    Some parking applications have arisen that require paying for parking spots in advance for garages and lots. Yet they do not provide a means of securing free street parking. There is currently no way for a person to easily secure street parking, which is why so many vehicle miles are wasted each year in searching for such parking spaces. 
         [0005]    The present invention solves this problem. It provides a method and system to facilitate coordination between users of the parking system, such that users are able to search for and secure any kind of parking from other users, including free street parking. It is a system that facilitates communication between users and a transaction of exchange. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The invention facilitates coordination between users such that a departing parker can advertise a parking spot, and an arriving parker can find the parking spot through a search in the system, and the two users can enter into a transaction to exchange the spot during a particular time frame. Such a system should include GPS and mapping technology so that real-time location information could facilitate the exchange. The system could be used in various embodiments: through smartphones (a preferred embodiment), tablets, computers, and also through vehicles themselves. The system could also in a preferred embodiment have a system of currency exchange that could include points used within the system to incentivize exchange for parking spots. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a system diagram of an online system for coordinating the exchange of parking spots. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a Login interface screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a Home page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a Sign Up interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a second Sign Up interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a third Sign Up interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a Congratulations interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a Find Parking interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a Map of Available Parking Spots interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is a Pop-up Screen interface page screen with a parking spot selected screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  is a Parking Spot Details interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 12  is a Parker Information interface page screen for the departing parker of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 13  is a Request Spot interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 14  is a Confirmation interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 15  is a Post a Parking Spot interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 16  is a Parking Spot Confirmation interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 17  is a Parking Spot Details interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 18  is a Congratulations: Spot Posted interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 19  is a Receiving Request interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 20  is an Accepting Transaction interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 21  is an Active Transactions interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 22  is a Cancel Transaction interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0029]      FIG. 23  is a Cancel Confirmation interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0030]      FIG. 24  is a Contact User interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0031]      FIG. 25  is a My Profile interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 26  is a Real-Time Route interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0033]      FIG. 27  is a Parking Swap Confirmation interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0034]      FIG. 28  is a Rate User interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0035]      FIG. 29  is a Congratulations interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0036]      FIG. 30  is a Settings interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0037]      FIG. 31  is a Search Settings interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0038]      FIG. 32  is a Posting Settings interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0039]      FIG. 33  is a Settings Saved interface page screen of an embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
       [0040]    The present invention relates to a system facilitating coordination and communication between users of a parking system. The system may be adapted for use with any type of vehicle and with any type of user. The user could be a driver. The user may also be a passenger or an owner of a vehicle. 
         [0041]    The present invention facilitates coordination between users by communicating information about a first user to one or more other users. The system also communicates information about one or more other users to the first user. 
         [0042]    The system would allow a user to search for a parking spot near a location of choice. The parking system could return available parking spots to the user, some of which may be advertised by other users in the system. The available parking spots might be displayed on a map. The user may then book a spot either from another user or from other parking sources within the system. 
         [0043]    Individual departing users may through the system post parking spots that will be vacated when they depart from a spot, such as a street parking spot. Thus, the system can include street parking spots, including free parking. The system can allow an arriving user to select a parking spot from a departing user, and for the two to agree to a transaction of exchange. Note that while street parking is an especially useful type of parking for this system, the type of parking used in the system need not be limited by type: it could include streets, public and private lots, garages, driveways, etc., which could be in different embodiments. 
         [0044]    In one preferred embodiment, the transaction of exchange between users could be incentivized by a swap of points between the users, points that could be used in the parking system to acquire other parking spots. Users may be able to adjust their settings, depending on whether they want for instance to restrict their searches to free parking spots, and whether they want to restrict their searches to only other users with which they have mutual friends. There may be other settings, and those skilled in the art will note that other embodiments may be envisioned with different search filters and other settings. 
         [0045]    As will be described in more detail below, the information exchanged between users may include, but need not be limited to: profile data, vehicle information, location, mutual friends, parking spot information, rating information, route information, and current direction of travel. 
         [0046]    A system  1  for facilitating the parking system is shown in  FIG. 1 . The system  1  includes a web server  2 , a data store  3  and a plurality of user interface devices, such as for example, a tablet computer  4 , a laptop or desktop computer  5 , or a smartphone  6 . The user interface devices may connect to the internet  7  wirelessly via a Wi-Fi router  8 , an LTE data or cellular connection  9  or some other wireless communication method. Alternatively, a desktop computer  5  may connect to the internet  7  directly via a hardwired network connection  10 . Another embodiment could include a computer program and screen that is part of a vehicle itself. Many of the features provided by the present invention are most useful when a user is out in a car. Accordingly, a preferred user interface device will generally be a smartphone  6 , or some other mobile computing device. The remainder of the present description will refer to the user input device as a smartphone  6 ; however, those skilled in the art will recognize that the user interface device may be any suitable computing device capable of sending and receiving data over the internet  7  as well as receiving input data from the user and displaying output data to the user, even including a vehicle itself. Each user&#39;s smartphone  6  includes a software application adapted to present a plurality of interactive user interface pages to the user. As will be described more fully below, the user interface pages are adapted to elicit input data from users. The software application executed by the user&#39;s smartphone is further adapted to communicate the data about the user to the web server  2  over the internet  7 , where it is stored in the data store  3 . 
         [0047]    The data about the user collected by the smartphone and transmitted to the web server  2  and stored in the data store  3 , as well as data about other users pulled from the data store  3  and transmitted to and displayed by the user&#39;s smartphone  6  is most easily understood by reviewing the user interface presented to the user by the user&#39;s smartphone  6 . 
         [0048]    Turning to the user interface,  FIG. 2  is a Login screen  11  that the application executed on the user&#39;s smartphone display screen causes to be displayed on the user&#39;s smartphone display screen when the user opens the parking application on the device. The Login screen includes a Username text field  12 , a Password text field  13 , a Go button  14 , and a Sign Up button  15 . The user interface allows the user to enter text in the Username and Password text fields  12  and  13 , as is well known in the art. Once the user has entered his or her Username and Password into the Username and Password text fields  12 ,  13 , the user may select the Go button  14  to log on to the application and access a previously established user account. The system verifies the username and password entered by the user. If the username and password correspond to a previously established account, the user&#39;s smartphones  6  displays a Home page  16  as shown in  FIG. 3 . If the user is new to the application and has not yet established a user account, the user may select the Sign Up button  15 . 
         [0049]      FIGS. 4-6  are user interface pages associated with the creation of a new user account. The user&#39;s smartphone displays the first Sign Up page  17  shown in  FIG. 4  when the user selects the Sign Up button  15  from the Login screen  11  of  FIG. 2 . The Sign Up page  17  includes a number of text fields for receiving information about the user. The text fields on the first Sign Up page  17  may include but are not limited to: First Name  18 , Last Name  19 , Username  20 , Password  21 , Email  22 , Date of Birth  23 , Gender  24 , Home Address  25 , City, State  26 , Zip Code  27 . A prompt at the top of the page  17  instructs the user to enter the appropriate information into the various text fields  18 ,  19 ,  20 ,  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 ,  26 ,  27 , and to select the Next button  28 . 
         [0050]    Upon entering the appropriate information in the text fields  18 ,  19 ,  20 ,  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 ,  26 ,  27 , and selecting the Next button  28 , the user&#39;s smartphone  6  displays the second Sign Up page  29  as shown in  FIG. 5 . The text fields in the Second Sign Up page include but are not limited to: Vehicle information including Type of Car  30 , Color of Car  31 , and License Plate #  32 . The prompt at the top of the Second Sign Up page  29  instructs the user to enter the appropriate information into the text fields, and then to answer the question of the second vehicle Yes  33  or No  34 . If No  34  is selected, then the user&#39;s smartphones  6  displays the Congratulations page  35  shown in  FIG. 7 . If Yes  33  is selected from the Second Sign Up Screen  29 , then the user&#39;s smartphone  6  displays a Third Sign Up page  36 . The text fields in the Third Sign Up page  36  include: Type of Car  37 , Color of Car  38 , and License Plate #  39 . The prompt at the top of the Third Sign Up page  36  instructs the user to enter the appropriate information in the text fields  37 ,  38 ,  39 , and to select the Next button  40 . Upon entering the appropriate information in the text fields  37 ,  38 ,  39 , and selecting the Next button  40 , the user&#39;s smartphone  6  displays the Congratulations page  35 . 
         [0051]    Returning now to the Home Screen  16  as shown in  FIG. 3 , when a user selects the Find a Parking Spot button  41 , the user&#39;s smartphone  6  displays the Find Parking page  42  as shown in  FIG. 8 . The text fields in the Find Parking page  42  include but are not limited to: Address  43 , Date  44 , Start Time  45 , and End Time  46 . A prompt at the top of the Find Parking page  42  will instruct the user to fill in the appropriate text in the fields  43 ,  44 ,  45 ,  46 , and to select the Go button  47 . 
         [0052]    A Home button  48  is available at the top of the Find Parking screen  42 . If the Home button  48  is selected, it will cause the user&#39;s smartphone to display the Home screen  16  as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0053]    Returning to the Find Parking screen  42  as shown in  FIG. 8 , if the user fills in the appropriate texts in the fields  43 ,  44 ,  45 ,  46 , and then selects the Go button  47 , then the user&#39;s smartphone will display the Map of Available Parking Spots screen  49  as shown in  FIG. 9 . The Map of Available Parking Spots will contain data from the Data Store  3 . The Map of Available Parking Spots screen  49  may include a Map  50 , arrows displaying available Parking Spots  51 ,  52 ,  53 ,  54 ,  55 ,  56 , and an arrow pointing to the address searched for  57 . The prompt  58  instructs users to touch a Parking Spot arrow to view its details. Upon selecting Parking Spot  51 , the user&#39;s smartphone displays a Map Pop-Up screen  59  as shown in  FIG. 10 . This page  59  may include a pop-up  60  that displays details of Parking Spot  51 . Note that if the user had selected Spot  52  instead of Spot  51  from the Map of Available Parking Spot page  49  of  FIG. 9 , then a similar pop-up would be displayed in the Pop-up Screen  59 , containing information on Spot  52  instead of Spot  51 , and similarly for any other spot selected in the Map screen  49 . Note that as instructed by the prompt on the Map Pop-Up Screen  59 , the user may also click on an alternative spot such as spot  62 , and on this screen  59  a pop-up appropriate to spot  62  would display in place of the old pop-up  60 . 
         [0054]    The pop-up  60  displayed on the Map Pop-Up screen  59  may include but is not limited to such information as: address and location specifics, time of spot availability, time the user is willing to wait, and number of points needed for the spot. When the user selects the Continue button  61 , then the user&#39;s smartphone displays the Spot Details page  63  as shown in  FIG. 11 . The Spot Details page may include but is not limited to the date of the parking spot, the location of the parking spot, the time the spot is available, the time the user is willing to wait, the points for the spot, and whether the user has a connection such as mutual friends. If the user selects the Parker Info button  64 , the user&#39;s smartphone displays the Parker Information page  66  as shown in  FIG. 12 . This page may include details about the parker such as name (in this case Brooke C.), mutual friends, gender, rating information, a picture, as well as the parking spot details that may include, date, time, time the parker is willing to wait, location, and points for the spot. It the user selects the Return to Map button  67 , the user&#39;s smartphone will display the Map of Available Parking Spots Screen  49 , as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0055]    Alternatively, if the user (who in this case we shall name “Fred. B.”) instead clicks the Request Spot button  68  on the Parker Information screen  66  of  FIG. 12 , or clicks the Request Spot button  65  on the Spot Details screen  63  of  FIG. 11 , then the user&#39;s smartphone will display the Request Spot screen  69  as shown in  FIG. 13 . This screen  69  may include the parking spot details such as date, location, time available, time parker willing to wait, points for spot in one embodiment, price of spot in another embodiment, and information. The screen  69  may also include the number of points available on the user&#39;s account in an embodiment that includes points as a medium of transaction (other embodiments could include other forms of currency such as actual currency, Bitcoin, electronic currency, credit cards, PayPal, or other forms of payment not listed here). In one preferred embodiment the screen  69  may include a button  70  for the user to add more points to his or her account, and when this button is clicked, the user&#39;s smartphone would display a page to purchase more points, which may be in the form of any embodiments commonly known in the art of electronic payments. When the user (“Fred”) has sufficient points to complete the transaction to acquire the spot from the other user, “Brooke C.” in our example, and the user “Fred” clicks the button Send Spot Request  71  on the Request Spot screen  69  of  FIG. 13 , then the spot request is sent to the other user, in this example Brooke C. Once the Send Spot Request button  71  is selected, the user Fred&#39;s s smartphone displays a Confirmation page  72  shown in  FIG. 14 , which informs the user Fred that his spot request was sent, in this case to “Brooke C.”. When the user Fred clicks the Home button  73 , the user Fred&#39;s smartphone  6  displays the Home screen  16  as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0056]    Next we shall turn to the user who is posting a parking spot (in our example, this is “Brooke C.”). One of the buttons on the Home screen  16  of  FIG. 3  is the Post a Parking Spot button  74 . When the user selects this button  74 , the user&#39;s smartphone  6  displays the Post a Parking Spot page  75  as shown in  FIG. 15 . The prompt on the screen directs the user to drag the arrow  76  to the location of his or her parking spot on the map, or to enter the address of the parking spot in the text field  77 . Once the user has followed the instructions of the prompt of this screen  75  and either dragged the arrow or entered an address, and pressed the Continue button  78 , it causes the user&#39;s smartphone  6  to display a Spot Confirmation screen  79 , as shown in  FIG. 16 . This screen  79  has a prompt to confirm the location of the parking spot, and two buttons ‘Yes. Continue’  80 , and ‘No. Go Back’  81 . When the user clicks the No button  81 , the user&#39;s smartphone  6  displays the first Post a Parking Spot page  75  as shown in  FIG. 15 , where the user is able to again drag the arrow on the map or enter an address. 
         [0057]    Alternatively, if the user on the Spot Confirmation screen  79  of  FIG. 16  selects the Yes button  80 , then the user&#39;s smartphone displays the Spot Details page  82  as shown on  FIG. 17 . 
         [0058]    The Spot Details page  82  includes a number of text fields for receiving information about the user&#39;s parking spot. The text fields on the Spot Details page  82  may include but are not limited to: Date of Parking Spot Availability  83 , Address of Parking Spot  84 , Time Parking Spot Available  85 , Time User is Willing to Wait for the Arriving Parker  86 . There will also be a directions field for what side of the street the parking spot is on  87 —North, South, East, or West, where the user can select the appropriate direction. A prompt at the top of the page  82  instructs the user to enter the appropriate information into the various fields  83 ,  84 ,  85 ,  86 ,  87  and to select the Continue button  88 , which causes the user&#39;s smartphone to display the Congratulations page  89  as shown in  FIG. 18 . The Congratulations page  89  can confirm that the spot has been posted, and the details of the spot including but not limited to the date, location, time, time to wait, and points for the spot. When the user clicks the Home button  90 , the user&#39;s smartphone  6  displays the Home screen  16  of  FIG. 3 . Let us again assume, as before, that the user who has just posted a spot is “Brooke C.” 
         [0059]    For purposes of example, the other hypothetical user “Fred B.” has requested a spot posted by “Brooke C.” by clicking as described earlier on the button Send Spot Request  71  on the Request Spot screen  69  of  FIG. 13 . At this point turning again to Brooke C&#39;s screen, the departing parker user, Brooke C. will receive a notification and her smartphone  6  may display the Receiving Request screen  91  of  FIG. 19 . This screen  91  can detail which user has requested her spot (in this case “Fred B.”), the date, location, time Fred B. expects to arrive, points (or price) for the spot, Fred B&#39;s rating, mutual friends, and a link to Fred B&#39;s profile. The user Brooke may click on Fred&#39;s Profile link  92  to view his profile and mutual friends, which would lead to a profile page similar to the Parker Information Screen  66 , as shown in  FIG. 12 , except the profile information would be of Fred instead of Brooke. Returning to the Receiving Request screen  91  of  FIG. 19 , the user Brooke when she decides if she would like to transact with Fred, may click on one of two buttons, the Accept Transaction button  93 , or the Deny Transaction button  94 . If user Brooke clicks the Deny Transaction button  94 , then her smartphone will display a simple screen stating the transaction has been denied. If user Brooke instead clicks the Accept Transaction button  93  on the Receiving Request Screen  91 , her smartphone will display an Accepting Transactions page  95  as shown in  FIG. 20 . This page can congratulate the user Brooke and summarize the details of the spot including date, location, time of arrival, vehicle type of user Fred&#39;s car, and points for spot. Here, user Brooke may click on the Home button  96  to return to the Home screen  16  as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0060]    Note that now our user Brooke has an active transaction. From the Home Screen  16  of  FIG. 3 , user Brooke may click on the View Active Transactions button  97 , which would cause her smartphone to display the Active Transactions page  98  as shown in  FIG. 21 . This page can contain details of the transaction including date, time, arrival time, and points for the spot. Near the bottom of the page is a Contact User button (in this case “Contact Fred B.”)  99 . If the hypothetical user Brooke clicks the “Contact Fred” button  99 , the user Brooke&#39;s smartphone displays the Contact User page  100  as shown in  FIG. 24 . Here the Phone button  101  will direct the smartphone  6  to the user Fred&#39;s phone number. The user Brooke could also press the Back button  104  to return to the previous screen. Alternatively, the user Brooke could enter text in the field beneath the Message prompt  102  and click the Send Message button  103 , which would send a message to the web server  2 , which in turn would retransmit the message to the user Fred, and also display a confirmation to user Brooke&#39;s smartphone that the message was sent. 
         [0061]    Returning to the Active Transactions page  98  of  FIG. 21 , user Brooke C. can click the View User&#39;s Real-Time Location button  105  (in this case Fred B&#39;s location), which will cause user Brooke C&#39;s smartphone to display the Real-Time Route page  106  as shown in  FIG. 26 . Here a map can show Fred B&#39;s car as an icon  107  traversing a path along the map, and arrows  108  will indicate the direction of travel. Clicking the Contact button  109  of  FIG. 26  will direct the user Brooke&#39;s smartphone to display the Contact screen  100  as shown in  FIG. 24 , from which the user Brooke may phone or email the other user Fred. 
         [0062]    Returning again to the Active Transactions page  98  of  FIG. 21 , when the Cancel Transaction button  136  is clicked, then the user Brooke&#39;s smartphone will display the Cancel Transaction page  109  as shown in  FIG. 22 . The top of this screen  109  will prompt the user to select one of the buttons below: Yes. Cancel the Transaction  110 , Do not Cancel  111 , Contact Fred  112 , Home Screen  113 , or My Profile  114 . If the user selects Contract Fred  112  on the Cancel Transaction screen  109 , the user&#39;s smartphone will display the Contact screen  100  as shown in  FIG. 24 . If the user Brooke on screen  109  clicks the ‘Yes. Cancel the transaction’ button  110 , her smartphone will display a Cancel Confirmation page  115 , which can explain that the transaction has been canceled and that the other user Fred. B. will be notified automatically. Alternatively, if the user Brooke on screen  109  of  FIG. 22  clicks the Do Not Cancel button  111 , the transaction with Fred. B. will not be canceled, and user Brooke C.&#39;s smartphone will display the Active Transactions page  98  of  FIG. 21 . 
         [0063]    On nearly all of the screens in this application, one should note that a Home Screen button would be present, as for example, in Home button  113  of the Cancel Transaction screen  109  of  FIG. 22 , or the Home button  90  of the Spot Posted screen  89  of  FIG. 18 , or the Home button  137  of the Active Transactions screen  98  of  FIG. 21 , or Home buttons  138 ,  149 ,  48 ,  90 ,  140 ,  141 ,  142 ,  149 , etc. Even if the Home screen button is not specifically listed on every screen Figure does not mean there could not be one. Similarly, the My Profile button  114  of the Cancel Transaction screen  109  of  FIG. 22  or the My Profile button  116  of the Active Transactions screen  98  of  FIG. 21 , or the My Profile button  117  on the Home screen  16  of  FIG. 3 , could be present on any screen to aid the user in editing his or her profile. When the user clicks the My Profile button  114 ,  116 , or  117 , the user&#39;s smartphone displays the My Profile page  118  as shown in  FIG. 25 . Here the page may display such information as name  126 , age  127 , username  125 , interest in types of parking spots  120 , users interested in exchanging spots with  119 , and points  121 . These settings could be adjusted by the user clicking on the Edit button  123 , and then clicking on any of the profile fields (such as Picture  124 , username  125 , Exchange spots  119 , Interested in Parking Spots setting  120 , etc.) and typing text or selecting a radio button where applicable. For instance, if a user wants to only exchange spots with other users with which the user has mutual friends, the Exchange Spots setting  119  could be changed from ‘All Users’ to a more restrictive setting of users that are friends or users that have mutual friends with the user. Similarly, the Interested in Parking Spots setting  120  could be adjusted depending on if the user is interested in paid garage parking, lot parking, street parking, and/or free parking. The Number of Points Field in one embodiment  121  would display the number of points the user currently has in his or her account. In other embodiments this page might display other forms of currency. The Purchase More link  122  may be clicked by the user, causing the user&#39;s smartphone to display a payment page, which may include electronic payment services such as Paypal or a simple credit card transaction or subscription, in different embodiments, as those skilled in the art will be familiar with. The Profile page  118  may also display a Picture of the user  124 , which the user may change as desired by clicking on the Picture  124 . 
         [0064]    After a scheduled parking swap transaction time has passed, both parties to the transaction may be prompted for a confirmation. Each user&#39;s smartphone will display the Parking Swap Confirmation page  127  shown in  FIG. 27 . This page will have a prompt asking the user if the swap was successful. If the user clicks the Yes button  128  or the No button  129 , the user will be directed to the Rate User page  130  shown in  FIG. 28 . Here the user may be prompted to click on the stars to select a star rating  131  for the other user (in this case “Fred. B”), and to write in the comments  132  how the transaction went. Once all fields are completed on the Rate User screen  130  of  FIG. 28 , and the Submit button  133  is pressed, and if the Yes button  128  had also been clicked on the previous Parking Swap Confirmation page  127  of  FIG. 27 , then the user&#39;s smartphone will display the Congratulations page  134 . The Congratulations page  134  will congratulate the user on the successful transaction and list the points involved in the transaction. Alternatively, if all the Rate User page  130  fields of  FIG. 28  were completed and the Submit button  133  clicked by the user, but the user had clicked the No button  129  on the previous Parking Swap Confirmation page  127  of  FIG. 27 , then the user&#39;s smartphone would display a similar page to  134  of  FIG. 29 , except it would not display Congratulations but would merely in text relate the transaction in terms of points exchanged or reduced. Once the Continue button  135  is clicked on screen  134 , it would cause the user&#39;s smartphone to display the Home screen  16  of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0065]    Note that various settings can be changed by the user. When the Settings button  143  is clicked on the Home Screen  16  as shown in  FIG. 3 , then the user&#39;s smartphone will display the Settings page  145  as shown in  FIG. 30 . When the first Edit button  147  is clicked, then the user&#39;s smartphone displays a Search Settings screen  148  as shown in  FIG. 31 . (Note another way to arrive at this screen: when the user clicks the ‘Change Search Settings’ link  146  of the Find Parking Screen  42 , shown in  FIG. 8 , the user&#39;s smartphone will also display the Search Settings screen  148  as shown in  FIG. 31 .). Here on the Search Settings Screen  148  of  FIG. 31  the user may select from one or more check boxes to answer the screen prompt of where the user is interested in parking: Garages  150 , Parking lots  151 , Street Parking Paid  152 , and Street Parking Free  153 . The user may also select check boxes to answer the prompt of parking spots the user is interested in, including All Users  154 , Users with Mutual Friends  155 , and The Parking Application itself  156 . The spots available from the application itself could include spots that are not necessarily posted by specific users but that the parking program has acquired knowledge of from other sources, such as for instance, paid garages, lots, etc., and added to the data store  3 . The screen could also include a selection on the mileage distance surrounding the search address that the user would like a search to include when displaying parking spots  157 . This can be updated by clicking the underlined text and filling in the appropriate number. Once the user has finished editing the settings on this page  148 , and the user selects the Save button  158 , then the user&#39;s smartphone displays the Settings Saved page  163 , as shown in  FIG. 33 . 
         [0066]    Returning again to the Settings Screen  145  as shown in  FIG. 30 , when the user clicks the second Edit button  165 , the user&#39;s smartphone  6  displays the Posting Settings page  161 , as shown in  FIG. 32 . (Note another way of arriving at this screen: when the Edit Posting Settings link  144  is clicked on the Spot Details screen  82  of  FIG. 17 , then the user&#39;s smartphone will also display the Posting Settings page  161  of  FIG. 32 ). On the Posting Settings page  161  the user has the choice of selecting one of two radio buttons to answer the prompt at the top of the screen describing who the user is interested in posting parking spots for: All Users  159 , or Users with Mutual Friends  160 . Note that alternate embodiments may have further choices. Once the user has made this selection of button  159  or button  160  and clicked the Save button  162 , then the user&#39;s smartphone  6  will display the Settings Saved page  163 , as shown in  FIG. 33 . Here the page will inform the user that the changes have been saved. The user may click the Return to Settings button  164 , which would cause the user&#39;s smartphone to display the Settings page  145  as shown in  FIG. 30 . Alternatively, the user may click the Home button  142  on the Settings Saved page  163  as shown in  FIG. 33 , which would cause the user&#39;s smartphone  6  to display the Home page  16 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0067]    Note that when a user posts a parking spot, this information is communicated to the web server  2 . Similarly, when a user books a parking spot, this information is communicated to the web server  2 . Furthermore the information related to the user&#39;s online status including GPS updates and direction of travel on the day of a parking transaction may be forwarded to other users. In the real-time route page  106  of  FIG. 26 , for instance, real-time GPS updates may be relayed from the web server  2 . Note also that data from the data store  3  could also be stored in a cloud as is well known in the art. 
         [0068]    Embodiments of the present invention could include self-driving vehicles, where users could be passengers in such cars, owners of such cars, or the self-driving vehicles could be the users of the system themselves. In one embodiment, the user interface screen could be part of the vehicle itself and GPS information collected by way of the vehicle itself, rather than from a smartphone. 
         [0069]    The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous techniques which, although not explicitly described herein, embody the principles of the invention and are thus within the scope of the invention, as defined by the claims.

Technology Category: g