Patent · US Expired

Electric charging/parking meter

US5297664A · kind A · utility

177Cited by
4References
3Claims
0Family size

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 26, 1992
Grant dateMar 29, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 26, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S194/904
  • WIPO fieldTransport
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A parking meter and an electric charging meter are combined in a single apparatus. The combined charging/parking meter may be coin-operated or may be operated using an information-bearing card such as a cash card, a debit card or an IC card. In particular, the charging/parking meter includes a device for receiving and verifying a medium of payment, a device for selecting and visibly indicating some combination of parking time and electric power to be had in exchange for the medium of payment, and a charging device for connecting to and supplying power to an electric car charger inlet. The charger/parking meter may further include a fast-charge setting device for causing the charging device to operate in a fast-charge mode when an amount of parking time selected is insufficient in accordance with a normal charging mode to supply an amount of electric power selected. In addition, the charging/parking meter may further include a current limiting device for preventing overcharging and a communication device for connecting the charging/parking meter to a remote installation. The meter may be used to read various information from a vehicle and send the information to a government entity.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.