Park Assist Files Patent Infringement Action Against User of INDECT
Parking System
Park Assist LLC, a world leader and innovator in camera-based parking guidance systems (“PGS”), announces that it has filed a patent infringement action against the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority and ACE Parking in the United States District Court – Southern District of California.
Park Assist’s camera-based PGS technology is protected in part by U.S. Patent No. 9,594,956 and other pending patent applications. The suit asserts that San Diego Airport Regional Authority and ACE Parking infringe Park Assist’s “956 patent rights through defendants” use of a camera-based PGS manufactured and sold by INDECT USA and its affiliate INDECT Electronics and Distribution GmbH, of Austria. The suit seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief.
The suit followed Park Assist’s effort to alert the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority to potential patent issues early in the RFP process. In response to an RFP issued by San Diego County Regional Airport Authority in 2016 and procured in 2017, Park Assist advised the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, its contractors and consultants, that the technology and system Park Assist was offering to meet the RFP requirements was then the subject of a pending application that subsequently issued as a patent. Despite having notice of the patent application and later issued patent, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority undertook construction of a competing PGS system that Park Assist alleges infringes on its patent. As a result, Park Assist filed suit in the Southern District of California to enforce its patent rights
Passport Advances Mobility Platform with NuPark Acquisition
Passport announced it has acquired NuPark, a leading parking management technology company. NuPark’s advanced LPR-based enterprise management solution for enforcement and permitting will help complement Passport’s strong base of mobile payment solutions to create a comprehensive mobility platform. Approximately 1 in 3 vehicles in the United States are processed through the combined system network, making Passport and NuPark leading players in the transportation industry. The NuPark combination brings Passport’s client count to over 550, and strengthens its ability to serve universities, hospitals and airports.
‘With NuPark, we see an opportunity to create a differentiated offering for our clients, enabling them to further automate their operations under a single platform,” said Passport CEO, Bob Youakim. “Our technologies are very complementary, and we are aligned by a shared vision. We see this as a unique opportunity to fundamentally change the mobility space and the industry for the better.”
The transportation industry continues to experience tremendous changes at an unprecedented pace. Cities, universities and operators are facing an incredible amount of pressure to keep up with technological change. New modes of transportation are introduced quickly, and citizen expectations continue to increase. The proliferation of new technologies means that transportation administrators need to rely on software-based solutions more, in order to support all modes of transportation and to drive higher efficiencies among their own operations.
“This combination accelerates our ability to empower our customers with next generation management solutions,” said Kevin Uhlenhaker, NuPark CEO. “Our shared vision, to leverage technology to create a better customer experience and enable one-to-one connections, align perfectly. Ultimately, our goal is to create transportation solutions that work and provide added value.”
The addition of NuPark enables Passport to better serve clients by offering an integrated suite of software solutions, backed by the industry’s strongest payments backbone, processing over $400M in transportation payments per year. “The NuPark acquisition will bring a passionate team of industry veterans with deep industry knowledge to Passport’s client base. Both of our teams share a drive to create innovative technology-based solutions for our clients,” explained Youakim.
PARKWHIZ BRINGS ITS PARKING PLATFORM TO CANADA
ParkWhiz – the leading mobile parking platform – is coming to Canada and providing drivers in the Greater Toronto Area with a solution. Starting in October, Toronto drivers can find, book and pay for parking with their phones, saving them time, effort and money.
ParkWhiz, known as the fastest and most convenient way for drivers to find and book parking, is adding Toronto parking inventory to its two apps, ParkWhiz and BestParking. Users of the apps, as well as its distribution partners like Ford and Groupon, can reserve parking while planning a night out on the town or at Scotiabank Arena. ParkWhiz plans to expand quickly to other Canadian cities.
“Expansion into Canada is a very natural step forward for ParkWhiz,” said Yona Shtern, the CEO of ParkWhiz. “We’ve made significant investments in Toronto over the past few months to ensure that we are everywhere drivers need us to be. In fact, we’re proud to say that it’s our largest new market launch to date.” Prior to joining ParkWhiz, Shtern was co-founder and CEO of Beyond the Rack, a Montreal-based e-commerce marketplace.
ParkWhiz will power over 150 parking locations for airport travelers and in the downtown core for commuters and event-goers through partnerships with local real estate companies. ParkWhiz will also provide sports fans the ability to purchase parking when buying tickets or planning their trips to hockey and basketball games, or concerts at Scotiabank Arena via team websites, apps and ticketing platforms.
ParkWhiz is also working in collaboration with local parking operators, such as TargetPark, to roll-out new, innovative services in Toronto. In the coming months, drivers who did not pre-book parking will also have the option to wirelessly enter and exit select Target Park garages, or simply pull a ticket at the gate and pay by scanning in their ParkWhiz app of choice.
“TargetPark has watched ParkWhiz save U.S. drivers time, money and ease the frustrations of finding a parking space since 2007. For these reasons, TargetPark has selected ParkWhiz as its preferred parking reservation provider for their upcoming Toronto launch,” said Hercules Modopoulos, CEO and owner of TargetPark. “We are excited to access ParkWhiz’s extensive customer-base and platform partners, and to provide new, innovative ways for TargetPark customers to purchase parking in Toronto and throughout Canada.”
Lancaster Parking Authority Releases New Strategic Plan
The Lancaster Parking Authority (LPA) has approved a new strategic plan to guide its direction and operation through 2021. The plan, approved by the Board of Directors at its Aug. 23 meeting, is available by visiting the www.lancasterparkingauthority.com, selecting the General Info tab on the top navigation bar, and choosing Strategic Plan.
The plan has four focus areas: communications and hospitality; long-term planning; human resources development, and strategic engagement. Each area includes priorities, action steps, and ways to measure success.
“This plan was developed with extensive public input,” said Larry J. Cohen, CAPP, executive director of the Lancaster Parking Authority. “We asked the public to tell us what they think, and we used what we heard to help plan our future direction.”
Public input was gathered at a spring public meeting and from more than 300 completed online-surveys, said Cohen. Stakeholder interviews, a Board planning session, and work by LPA staff were also part of the process, he said. The Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) led the planning process.
“Our new board is directing the LPA to be a partner to help promote the City in specific ways that benefit residents, businesses and the people who visit,” said Cohen.
The LPA also made changes to its mission, now focusing on “supporting the livability, growth and development of the city for the benefit of residents, businesses and visitors.”
“It was a lengthy planning process, but well worth the time and investment. This plan will guide our direction through 2021,” said Cohen, who added that this is the third strategic plan produced under his leadership.
As Lancaster continues to grow, we want to be strategic in our planning and be seen as a valued partner and resource for the city,” said Cohen.
