Method and device for space-saving parking of motor vehicles

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to parking of motor vehicles. In particular, the invention relates to a method for parking motor vehicles in an efficient, space-saving manner. The invention further relates to devices for facilitating the parking of motor vehicles in a space-saving manner.

2. The Prior Art

It is known to park multiple motor vehicles, including cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles in defined areas provided for this purpose. Examples of such defined areas include outdoor lots, indoor parking garages and vehicle carrying ferries. Vehicles are generally parked in parallel rows. Each vehicle in a particular row may be parked so that its front portion is facing in the same or in an opposite direction in relation to an adjacent parked vehicle.

A space or stall available for each parked vehicle is typically indicated by painting a series of parallel lines on the surface on which the vehicles are to be parked, wherein the painted lines define the respective parking area for each vehicle. Such lines may be, for example, approximately four inches wide by eighteen feet long and spaced approximately nine feet apart on center. The lines may be laid out at right angles or at some other angle with respect to a perimeter of the total parking area. Additionally, vehicles may be parked in an unmarked area provided for this purpose.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,313 to Vincent shows a calculator for facilitating the layout of parking lot stalls of desired length and width at a desired angle

U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,999 to Stone, Jr. shows multiple level, horizontal parking lanes arranged to increase the self-parking capacity of a parking lot by using inclined automobile drive lanes transverse to the direction of automobile travel so that the same drive lanes affording access to the upper level parking spaces also provide access to spaced, outboard lower level parking spaces.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,972 to Bockler et al. shows a facility for the space-saving parking of cars in which stackable parking spaces are arranged on movable carriages

U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,781 to Doppelmayr et al. shows an installation for parking motor vehicles in a space-saving manner by arranging parking spaces vertically on top of one another. A lifting device mounted on a turntable transports the motor vehicle to the vertical parking spaces.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,913 to Erel shows a multi-level parking lot made from prefabricated reinforced concrete modular elements

U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,744 to Namanny shows a parking lot management system including a plurality of rotatably mounted parking space barriers.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,635 to Wilson, Sr. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,751 to Armstrong relate to methods and devices for providing indicia for marking parking surfaces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a method for the space-saving parking of vehicles in a parking area comprises the steps of positioning a first vehicle in the parking area, wherein a driver side of the first vehicle is substantially unobstructed so that an operator may enter and exit the first vehicle. A second vehicle is positioned substantially parallel to the first vehicle, wherein a passenger side of the second vehicle is adjacent to and spaced at a close distance from a passenger side of the first vehicle. A third vehicle is positioned substantially parallel to the second vehicle, wherein a driver side of the third vehicle is adjacent to and spaced at a close distance from a driver side of the second vehicle.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method for the space-saving parking of vehicles in a parking area comprises the steps of positioning a first vehicle in the parking area facing in a first direction, wherein a first side of the first vehicle is substantially unobstructed so that an operator may enter and exit the first vehicle; A second vehicle is positioned substantially parallel to the first vehicle and facing in a second direction opposite the first direction, wherein a first side of the second vehicle is adjacent to and spaced at a close distance from a second side of the first vehicle. A third vehicle is positioned substantially parallel to the second vehicle and facing in the first direction, wherein a first side of the third vehicle is adjacent to and spaced at a close distance from the second side of said second vehicle.

Adjacent driver sides of vehicles may be spaced at a distance from one another which is sufficient for an operator to enter and exit a driver side of adjacent vehicles, while maintaining a close spacing. For example a driver side of a vehicle may be spaced approximately two and one half to three feet from an adjacent driver side of an adjacent vehicle.

Adjacent passenger sides of vehicles may be spaced at a distance of approximately four inches to twelve inches from an adjacent passenger side of an adjacent vehicle. A spacing between adjacent vehicle driver or passenger sides may be adjusted accordingly depending on the particular application and the parking area requirements.

In another embodiment of the invention, a system for facilitating the space saving parking of vehicles comprises a plurality of pairs of spaced apart visible parallel lines disposed on a surface of the parking area. Each pair of spaced apart visible lines is for aligning a pair of sides of a vehicle and adjacent pairs of spaced apart visible lines are spaced to position a side of a vehicle in close proximity to an adjacent side of an adjacent vehicle. Visual indicia associated the pairs of lines regulate the direction a particular parked vehicle is to be faced. Each visible indicia indicate a parking direction opposite to each adjacent visual indicia.

The spaced apart parallel lines may be solid or dotted lines. The visible indicia may indicate the position of a front of a vehicles or a driver or passenger side of a vehicle.

One advantage of a method and a system according to an embodiment of the invention is that a greater number of vehicles can be parked or stored in the same area which would accommodate fewer vehicles parked in a conventional manner. A method and system according to the invention thereby increases the capacity of any parking area such as an outdoor lot, indoor parking garage or vehicle carrying ferry. In the case of commercial parking facilities, the increase in capacity results in an increase in revenue for a fixed parking area.

A method and system for the space-saving parking of vehicles according to an embodiment of the invention is particularly suitable for professional or valet parking applications wherein only a single driver needs to exit and enter a vehicle which has been positioned in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Similarly, a method and system according to an embodiment of the invention can be advantageously implemented for the storage of rental vehicles and new or used vehicles for sale or lease.

A method and system according to an embodiment of the invention may also provide significant environmental benefits as less space is required for the parking or storage of a fixed number of vehicles. Accordingly, less open space and resources are taken up for vehicle storage and more open space and resources can be conserved or preserved.

Another advantage of a method and system for the space-saving parking of vehicles according to the invention is that a simple and easy to implement method and system are provided which are adaptable to almost any type of vehicle parking area and which are inexpensive to employ.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other benefits and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 shows a prior art vehicle parking configuration;

FIG. 2 shows a parking configuration according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a system for facilitating a space-saving parking configuration according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a system for facilitating a space-saving parking configuration according to another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 shows a system for facilitating a space-saving parking configuration according to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now in detail to the drawings and, in particular, FIG. 1 shows a top view of a typical vehicle parking configuration according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, vehicles are typically parked between parallel solid lines which may be painted or otherwise applies to a parking surface. The lines may be, for example yellow lines approximately four inches in width, approximately eighteen feet in length and spaced approximately eight and one half to nine feet apart on center. Adjacent vehicles are generally parked parallel to one another and facing in the same direction or in random directions. Vehicle sides are generally spaced approximately equidistant from one another.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of a space saving vehicle parking configuration according to an embodiment of the invention. A first vehicle 1 is positioned in a parking area, so that a driver side 10 of first vehicle 1 is substantially unobstructed permitting an operator (not shown) of vehicle 1 to enter and exit from driver side 10. A second vehicle 2 is positioned substantially parallel to first vehicle 1, wherein a passenger side 21 of second vehicle 2 is adjacent to and spaced at a close distance, for example four to twelve inches, from a passenger side 11 of first vehicle 1. A third vehicle 3 is positioned substantially parallel to second vehicle 2, wherein a driver side 30 of third vehicle 3 is adjacent to and spaced at a close distance, for example two and one half to three feet, from a driver side 20 of second vehicle 2. This pattern may be repeated, as shown by vehicles 4 and 5, by aligning passenger side 41 of vehicle 4 with passenger side 31 of vehicle 3 and driver side 50 of vehicle 5 with driver side 40 of vehicle 4. Of course the distance between adjacent driver and passenger sides may be adjusted depending on the requirements of the particular application.

In a preferred embodiment wherein all of the vehicles to be parked comprise either left hand drive vehicles (as prevalent, for example, in the United States) or right hand drive vehicles (as prevalent, for example, in the United Kingdom) adjacent vehicles are positioned in opposite directions such that a front of a vehicle is facing in one direction and a front of any adjacent vehicle is facing in an opposite direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, adjacent passenger sides of adjacent vehicles are spaced in close proximity to one another. For example, vehicles 1 and 2 may be positioned such that passenger side 21 of vehicle 2 is spaced approximately four to twelve inches from passenger side 11 of vehicle 1. A spacing between adjacent vehicle passenger doors according to an embodiment of the invention may not permit passenger doors of adjacent vehicles to be opened to a sufficient degree to allow passengers to exit a parked vehicle from a passenger side of the vehicle. Accordingly, it is contemplated that vehicle passengers may exit a vehicle before it is positioned or parked and enter a vehicle after a vehicle is retrieved from a parking position. Additionally, vehicle passengers may exit and/or enter a vehicle via a driver side of a vehicle even when a vehicle is positioned or parked in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, adjacent driver sides of adjacent vehicles may be spaced at a distance from one another which is sufficient for an operator to enter and exit the driver side of adjacent vehicles, while maintaining a close spacing between vehicles. For example, vehicle 3 may be positioned so that driver side 30 is spaced approximately two and one half to three feet from adjacent driver side 20 of adjacent vehicle 2.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, vehicles are positioned such that adjacent passenger sides of adjacent vehicles are spaced closer together than adjacent driver sides of adjacent vehicles.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the positioning of vehicles according to an embodiment of the invention increases the number of vehicles which may be positioned, parked or stored in a given area. For example, FIG. 2 shows five vehicles parked in an area which is the same size as that required for only four similarly sized vehicles positioned in a conventional configuration as shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show various embodiments of systems for facilitating the space-saving parking arrangement according to the invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, a system for facilitating a space-saving vehicle parking arrangement may include a plurality of pairs of spaced apart visible parallel lines 60, 70, 80, 90, 100. Each of the pairs of parallel lines 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 may be disposed on a surface of the parking area in a manner so that they may be seen by a vehicle operator positioning a vehicle. Pairs of parallel lines 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 may be solid, dashed or dotted lines which are painted or otherwise applied to a surface of a parking area, for example, a cement, blacktop or asphalt parking area. Pairs of parallel lines 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 may be applied or disposed in a permanent or temporary manner depending on a particular parking application. Individual lines in a pair of parallel lines 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 may be spaced apart at an appropriate width for aligning a pair of tires of a vehicle to be positioned.

Pairs of spaced apart visible lines 60, 70, 80, 90 100 are for aligning adjacent vehicles and adjacent pairs of spaced apart visible lines, for example 60 and 70 are spaced to position a side of a vehicle in close proximity to an adjacent side of an adjacent vehicle.

The system may further include a plurality of visible indicia 61, 71, 81, 91, 101 for regulating a direction a particular parked vehicle is to be faced. Each of said visible indicia is disposed in proximity to and associated with an individual pair of spaced apart visible lines and each of said visible indicia indicate a direction opposite to each adjacent visible indicia.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, visible indicia 61 is associated with and disposed near a terminal end of pair of parallel lines 60 and comprises a printed message indicating a direction which a front of a vehicle to be positioned using pair of parallel lines 60 is to face. Visible indicia or message 61 may read for example “FRONT”, “FRONT ONLY”, “FRONT OF CAR ONLY” or any other indicia which conveys to a vehicle operator the proper orientation of a vehicle to be positioned. As with parallel lines 60, visible indicia 61 may be painted or otherwise applied or disposed on a surface of a parking area in a permanent or temporary manner. Adjacent visible indicia 71 is oriented so that adjacent vehicles are positioned in alternating directions.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively, visible indicia may also comprise indicia indicating a positioning of a driver side or passenger side of vehicle, such that adjacent vehicles are aligned with driver sides and passenger sides adjacent to one another.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, visible indicia 62 is associated with and disposed near one of pair of parallel lines 60 and comprises a printed message indicating a direction which a driver side of a vehicle to be positioned using pair of parallel lines 60 is to face. Visible indicia or message 62 may read for example “DRIVER”, “DRIVER ONLY”, “DRIVER SIDE ONLY” or any other indicia which conveys to a vehicle operator the proper orientation of a vehicle to be positioned. Adjacent visible indicia 72 is associated with adjacent pair of visible lines 70 and disposed such that a passenger side of a vehicle positioned using pair of parallel lines 60 is adjacent to a passenger side of an adjacent vehicle positioned using pair of parallel lines 70.

As shown in FIG. 5, visible indicia 63 is associated with and disposed near one of pair of parallel lines 60 and comprises a printed message indicating a direction which a passenger side of a vehicle to be positioned using pair of parallel lines 60 is to face. Visible indicia or message 62 may read for example “PASSENGER”, “PASSENGER ONLY”, “PASSENGER SIDE ONLY” or any other indicia which conveys to a vehicle operator the proper orientation of a vehicle to be positioned. Adjacent visible indicia 73 is associated with adjacent pair of visible lines 70 and disposed such that a passenger side of a vehicle positioned using pair of parallel lines 60 is adjacent to a passenger side of an adjacent vehicle positioned using pair of parallel lines 70.

EXAMPLE

A test of a method of parking vehicles according to an embodiment of the invention was conducted using an outdoor high school parking lot. The parking lot included five rows with each row marked to accommodate thirteen vehicles. Each of the five rows measured approximately 113.5 feet in length and each individual marked parking space measured approximately eight feet six inches wide.

Vehicles were positioned adjacent and substantially parallel to one another in one of the five rows. A first vehicle was positioned so that its driver side door was substantially unobstructed and its passenger side was adjacent to a passenger side of a second vehicle. Additional vehicles were parked such that passenger sides of adjacent vehicles were adjacent to and in close proximity to one another and driver sides of adjacent vehicles were adjacent to and spaced in close proximity to one another. Passenger sides of adjacent vehicles were spaced more closely together than driver sides of adjacent vehicles such that an operator could exit a driver side of a vehicle, but persons could not exit a passenger side.

Using this method, seventeen vehicles were parked in a single 113.5 foot long row which would normally accommodate only thirteen vehicles parked in a conventional manner. This represented a net gain of four vehicles and extrapolated to the five rows of the test parking area would give a net gain of twenty vehicles. Presuming the test parking area was a commercial parking facility and charged $35.00 per vehicle per shift, implementation of a method according to an embodiment of the invention would result in an increased revenue of $700.00 per shift.

Accordingly, while several embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.