Importance

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Abstract

A system (1) for issuing parking permits in pay-for-parking zones, for example, permits for short-term street parking in local authority areas comprises a central control terminal (2) which controls operation of the system. Clients wishing to avail of the system (1) obtain a visual display device (3) for mounting in his or her motor vehicle for displaying the expiry time of the parking permit, and register with the system (1). The central control terminal (2) is controlled by a computer (7) and each client of the system is identified by his or her mobile telephone number, which is cross-referenced with an address code of the visual display device (3) in an ID memory (8) of the central control terminal (2). Each client of the system, in general, maintains a positive credit balance in his or her account in an account memory (14) of the central control terminal (2). On a telephone request being made from the mobile telephone of the client for a parking permit, the computer (7) computes the cost of the parking permit and debits the cost to the client's account in the account memory (14), and relays particulars of the parking permit granted through a telecommunications data link (15) to a radio paging network operator (16) for radio transmission to the visual display device (3) of the client, which is then displayed on a visual display screen (23) of the visual display device (3).

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First Claim