The terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and in the claims, and in the drawings, are used for distinguishing between different objects and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential order. Furthermore, the terms "include" and "have," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those steps or elements listed, but may alternatively include other steps or elements not listed, or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by one skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.
The parking space allocation method and device based on the internet of things provided by the embodiment of the invention will be specifically described with reference to fig. 1 to 7.
Fig. 1 is a schematic flow chart of a parking space allocation method based on the internet of things according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The method described in this embodiment includes the steps of:
s101, first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot is obtained, wherein the first vehicle information comprises a first identification of the first vehicle and the type of the first vehicle;
in the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor acquires first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, the internet of things monitor can be arranged right above an entrance and an exit of the parking lot, the internet of things monitor can detect when the vehicle enters the parking lot, and the internet of things monitor can also detect when the vehicle leaves the parking lot.
Optionally, the internet of things monitor may detect whether the vehicle enters the parking lot through a speed sensor or an acceleration sensor. When a vehicle entering a parking lot is detected, first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering the parking lot is obtained, and the first vehicle information may include a first identification of the first vehicle and a type of the first vehicle.
Optionally, the first identifier of the first vehicle is a unique identifier assigned to the first vehicle, for example, the first identifier may be a license plate number of the first vehicle, the types of the vehicles may be divided according to the size of the vehicle, or may be divided according to the functions of the vehicle, for example, the types of the vehicles may be trucks, cars, buses, and the like.
Optionally, the obtaining manner of the internet of things monitor for obtaining the first vehicle information of the first vehicle may be obtained by scanning a graphic code, where the graphic code carries the first identifier of the first vehicle and the type of the first vehicle.
S102, sending a parking space allocation request to an Internet of things server, wherein the parking space allocation request comprises the first vehicle information, and triggering the Internet of things server to allocate a target parking space matched with the type of the first vehicle to the first vehicle according to the first vehicle information;
in the embodiment of the invention, after the internet of things monitor acquires the first vehicle information of the first vehicle entering the parking lot, the internet of things monitor sends the parking space allocation request to the internet of things server, and specifically, optionally, the internet of things monitor can send the parking space allocation request to the internet of things server through the internet or a national mobile communication network.
Optionally, the parking space allocation request includes first vehicle information, and it should be noted that the first vehicle information may be encapsulated in the parking space allocation request through a preset protocol format, so that the internet of things server may analyze the parking space allocation request according to the preset protocol format.
The internet of things server can be used for managing the parking spaces of at least one parking lot, and if the internet of things server manages the parking spaces of at least two parking lots, the parking lot identification needs to be carried in the parking space allocation request, so that the internet of things server can search the parking space information of the corresponding parking lot according to the parking lot identification.
After receiving the parking space allocation request sent by the internet of things monitor, the internet of things server can allocate an empty parking space matched with the type of the first vehicle for the first vehicle according to the remaining parking space condition of the corresponding parking lot and the first vehicle information.
And S103, receiving the parking space information of the target parking space fed back by the Internet of things server, and outputting the parking space information of the target parking space.
In the embodiment of the invention, after the internet of things server allocates the target parking space to the first vehicle, the parking space information of the target parking space is fed back to the internet of things monitor, and the internet of things monitor can output the parking space information of the target parking space in various output modes, for example, the parking space information of the target parking space can be displayed by calling a display device, or the parking space information of the target parking space can be played by calling a playing device (such as a loudspeaker).
Further optionally, after the server allocates the target parking space to the first vehicle, the server may directly send notification information to the target user bound to the first vehicle, where the notification information carries parking space information of the target parking space. It should be noted that, when each vehicle is registered in the server, a user is bound, and the user may subsequently receive all information associated with the vehicle, and the user may be an owner of the vehicle.
In the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor acquires first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, the first vehicle information comprises a first identification of the first vehicle and the type of the first vehicle, a parking space allocation request is sent to the internet of things server, the parking space allocation request comprises the first vehicle information, a target parking space which is allocated and matched with the type of the first vehicle and fed back by the internet of things server is received, and parking space information of the target parking space is output.
Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a parking space allocation method based on the internet of things according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The method described in this embodiment includes the steps of:
s201, reading a first graphic code of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, wherein one vehicle corresponds to one graphic code;
in the embodiment of the present invention, each vehicle is assigned with a unique graphic code, and the graphic code may be a two-dimensional code, including but not limited to: a QR (Quick Response) code, a PDF417(Portable Document Format 417), a Datamatrix two-dimensional barcode, and the like. The graphic code is as follows: the vehicle information of the vehicle is coded according to a preset graphic coding rule to obtain a graphic code; for example: if the graphic code is a QR code, the graphic code is obtained by coding the vehicle information of the vehicle by adopting a QR coding rule; the following steps are repeated: and if the graphic code is the PDF417 code, the graphic code is obtained by coding the vehicle information of the vehicle by adopting the PDF417 coding rule.
When the presence of a vehicle entering a parking lot is detected, a first graphic code of a first vehicle entering the parking lot is read. The first graphic code can be arranged at a preset position of the vehicle, the preset position can be the roof of the vehicle, namely the position which can be read by the Internet of things monitor is needed, the size of the first graphic code can be unified into a fixed size, and the first graphic code can be identified within a preset distance range from the Internet of things monitor.
S202, analyzing the first graphic code to obtain first vehicle information of the first vehicle.
In the embodiment of the present invention, the first graphic code is analyzed to obtain the first vehicle information of the first vehicle, and specifically, optionally, after the internet of things monitor identifies the complete first graphic code, the first graphic code may be analyzed by using a preset encoding rule to obtain the first vehicle information of the first vehicle; for example: if the graphic code is a QR code, the Internet of things monitor can analyze the first graphic code according to a QR coding rule to obtain first vehicle information of the first vehicle; the following steps are repeated: if the first graphic code is a PDF417 code, the internet of things monitor may analyze the first graphic code according to a PDF417 encoding rule to obtain the first vehicle information of the first vehicle.
S203, sending a parking space allocation request to an Internet of things server, wherein the parking space allocation request comprises the first vehicle information, and triggering the Internet of things server to allocate a target parking space matched with the type of the first vehicle to the first vehicle according to the first vehicle information;
s204, receiving the parking space information of the target parking space fed back by the Internet of things server;
calling voice output equipment to play the parking space information of the target parking space; or,
and calling display equipment to display the parking space information of the target parking space.
In the embodiment of the invention, after receiving the parking space information of the target parking space fed back by the Internet of things server, the Internet of things monitor can call the voice output device to play the parking space information of the target parking space, and when the owner hears the target parking space of the owner, the parking space information of the specific target parking space can be obtained.
Or, the internet of things monitor may also display the parking space information of the target parking space by calling the display device, and it should be noted that when the parking space information of the target parking space is displayed, the license plate number of the first vehicle may also be displayed together.
In the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor acquires first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, the first vehicle information comprises a first identification of the first vehicle and the type of the first vehicle, a parking space allocation request is sent to the internet of things server, the parking space allocation request comprises the first vehicle information, a target parking space which is allocated and matched with the type of the first vehicle and fed back by the internet of things server is received, and parking space information of the target parking space is output.
Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a parking space allocation method based on the internet of things according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The method described in this embodiment includes the steps of:
s301, detecting whether a vehicle entering a parking lot or leaving the parking lot exists through a speed sensor;
s302, if the vehicle entering the parking lot exists, acquiring first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering the parking lot.
In the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor can detect whether vehicles entering a parking lot or leaving the parking lot exist or not through the speed sensor. Specifically, optionally, if it is detected that the speed direction of a certain vehicle is a first preset direction (the first preset direction is a direction of entering the parking lot), it is determined that the vehicle enters the parking lot; and if the speed direction of one vehicle is detected to be a second preset direction (the second preset direction is a direction leaving the parking lot), determining that the vehicle leaves the parking lot.
Further alternatively, whether the vehicle leaves the parking lot or enters the parking lot may be detected by an acceleration sensor.
Optionally, the obtaining first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering the parking lot includes:
acquiring characteristic information of the first vehicle through a camera, and matching the characteristic information of the first vehicle with the stored preset characteristics;
and if the matching is consistent, determining the vehicle information corresponding to the preset characteristics as the first vehicle information of the first vehicle.
In the embodiment of the invention, a parking lot usually only allows a certain type of vehicles to park, for example, only allows a small vehicle type to park, but not allows a large truck to park. Therefore, when the first vehicle entering the parking lot is detected to exist, the camera is called to acquire the characteristic information of the first vehicle, specifically and optionally, a picture of the first vehicle is taken, and the picture is analyzed, so as to acquire the characteristic information of the first vehicle, wherein the characteristic information includes but is not limited to the size, the outline and the like of the first vehicle.
If the feature information of the first vehicle is matched with the preset feature, the parking lot supports parking of the first vehicle, and further the vehicle information corresponding to the preset feature is determined as the first vehicle information of the first vehicle. It should be noted that the correspondence between the preset features and the vehicle information is stored in advance.
S303, sending a parking space allocation request to an Internet of things server, wherein the parking space allocation request comprises the first vehicle information, so as to trigger the Internet of things server to allocate a target parking space matched with the type of the first vehicle to the first vehicle according to the first vehicle information;
s304, receiving the parking space information of the target parking space fed back by the Internet of things server, and outputting the parking space information of the target parking space.
Referring to steps S102 to S103 of the embodiment of fig. 1, steps S303 to S304 of the embodiment of the present invention are not described herein again.
S305, if the vehicle leaving the parking lot exists, acquiring second vehicle information of a second vehicle leaving the parking lot;
in the embodiment of the present invention, if there is a vehicle leaving the parking lot, the second vehicle information of the second vehicle leaving the parking lot is further acquired, and the specific acquisition manner may still be to read the second graphic code of the second vehicle, where the second graphic code corresponds to the second vehicle. After the second graphic code is read, the second graphic code is analyzed to obtain second vehicle information of the second vehicle, where the second vehicle information includes a second identifier of the second vehicle and second vehicle information of the second vehicle, and it should be noted that the internet-of-things monitor may only upload the second identifier to the server for settlement of the fee.
S306, sending a fee settlement request to an Internet of things server, wherein the fee settlement request comprises the second vehicle information, so that the Internet of things server is triggered to calculate fee information according to the time when the second vehicle enters the parking lot, and the Internet of things server sends the fee information to a user bound with the second vehicle.
In the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor sends the fee settlement request to the internet of things server, the fee settlement request includes the second vehicle information, and optionally, the fee settlement request can only carry the second identifier in the second vehicle information.
The internet of things server searches the time when the second vehicle enters the parking lot, and calculates the parking fee according to the current time, the internet of things server can package the calculated parking fee into fee information and send the fee information to a user bound by the second vehicle, optionally, the fee information can be sent in an instant messaging message mode or a short message mode, it needs to be explained that the fee information can also comprise a payment link, and after the user receives the fee information, the corresponding link is clicked to complete payment.
Further optionally, when the prompt message that the fee settlement is successful is received, the internet of things server controls to open the barrier gate of the parking lot, so that the second vehicle leaves the parking lot.
In the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor acquires first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, the first vehicle information comprises a first identification of the first vehicle and the type of the first vehicle, a parking space allocation request is sent to the internet of things server, the parking space allocation request comprises the first vehicle information, a target parking space which is allocated and matched with the type of the first vehicle and fed back by the internet of things server is received, and parking space information of the target parking space is output.
Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a parking space allocation device based on the internet of things according to an embodiment of the present invention. The parking space allocation device based on the internet of things comprises a first acquisition module 10, a first sending module 11 and an output module 12;
a first obtaining module 10, configured to obtain first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, where the first vehicle information includes a first identifier of the first vehicle and a type of the first vehicle;
in the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor acquires first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, the internet of things monitor can be arranged right above an entrance and an exit of the parking lot, the internet of things monitor can detect when the vehicle enters the parking lot, and the internet of things monitor can also detect when the vehicle leaves the parking lot.
Optionally, the internet of things monitor may detect whether the vehicle enters the parking lot through a speed sensor or an acceleration sensor. When a vehicle entering a parking lot is detected, first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering the parking lot is obtained, and the first vehicle information may include a first identification of the first vehicle and a type of the first vehicle.
Optionally, the first identifier of the first vehicle is a unique identifier assigned to the first vehicle, for example, the first identifier may be a license plate number of the first vehicle, the types of the vehicles may be divided according to the size of the vehicle, or may be divided according to the functions of the vehicle, for example, the types of the vehicles may be trucks, cars, buses, and the like.
Optionally, the obtaining manner of the internet of things monitor for obtaining the first vehicle information of the first vehicle may be obtained by scanning a graphic code, where the graphic code carries the first identifier of the first vehicle and the type of the first vehicle.
Optionally, as shown in fig. 5, the first obtaining module 10 of the embodiment of the present invention includes a reading unit 100 and an analyzing unit 101;
a reading unit 100 for reading a first graphic code of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, one vehicle corresponding to one graphic code;
in the embodiment of the present invention, each vehicle is assigned with a unique graphic code, and the graphic code may be a two-dimensional code, including but not limited to: a QR (Quick Response) code, a PDF417(Portable Document Format 417), a Datamatrix two-dimensional barcode, and the like. The graphic code is as follows: the vehicle information of the vehicle is coded according to a preset graphic coding rule to obtain a graphic code; for example: if the graphic code is a QR code, the graphic code is obtained by coding the vehicle information of the vehicle by adopting a QR coding rule; the following steps are repeated: and if the graphic code is the PDF417 code, the graphic code is obtained by coding the vehicle information of the vehicle by adopting the PDF417 coding rule.
When the presence of a vehicle entering a parking lot is detected, a first graphic code of a first vehicle entering the parking lot is read. The first graphic code can be arranged at a preset position of the vehicle, the preset position can be the roof of the vehicle, namely the position which can be read by the Internet of things monitor is needed, the size of the first graphic code can be unified into a fixed size, and the first graphic code can be identified within a preset distance range from the Internet of things monitor.
The analyzing unit 101 is configured to analyze the first graphic code to obtain first vehicle information of the first vehicle.
In the embodiment of the present invention, the first graphic code is analyzed to obtain the first vehicle information of the first vehicle, and specifically, optionally, after the internet of things monitor identifies the complete first graphic code, the first graphic code may be analyzed by using a preset encoding rule to obtain the first vehicle information of the first vehicle; for example: if the graphic code is a QR code, the Internet of things monitor can analyze the first graphic code according to a QR coding rule to obtain first vehicle information of the first vehicle; the following steps are repeated: if the first graphic code is a PDF417 code, the internet of things monitor may analyze the first graphic code according to a PDF417 encoding rule to obtain the first vehicle information of the first vehicle.
The first sending module 11 is configured to send a parking space allocation request to an internet of things server, where the parking space allocation request includes the first vehicle information, so as to trigger the internet of things server to allocate, to the first vehicle, a target parking space adapted to the type of the first vehicle according to the first vehicle information;
in the embodiment of the invention, after the internet of things monitor acquires the first vehicle information of the first vehicle entering the parking lot, the internet of things monitor sends the parking space allocation request to the internet of things server, and specifically, optionally, the internet of things monitor can send the parking space allocation request to the internet of things server through the internet or a national mobile communication network.
Optionally, the parking space allocation request includes first vehicle information, and it should be noted that the first vehicle information may be encapsulated in the parking space allocation request through a preset protocol format, so that the internet of things server may analyze the parking space allocation request according to the preset protocol format.
The internet of things server can be used for managing the parking spaces of at least one parking lot, and if the internet of things server manages the parking spaces of at least two parking lots, the parking lot identification needs to be carried in the parking space allocation request, so that the internet of things server can search the parking space information of the corresponding parking lot according to the parking lot identification.
After receiving the parking space allocation request sent by the internet of things monitor, the internet of things server can allocate an empty parking space matched with the type of the first vehicle for the first vehicle according to the remaining parking space condition of the corresponding parking lot and the first vehicle information.
And the output module 12 is configured to receive the parking space information of the target parking space fed back by the internet of things server, and output the parking space information of the target parking space.
Specifically, optionally, the output module 12 is specifically configured to call a voice output device, and play the parking space information of the target parking space; or,
and calling display equipment to display the parking space information of the target parking space.
In the embodiment of the invention, after the internet of things server allocates the target parking space to the first vehicle, the parking space information of the target parking space is fed back to the internet of things monitor, and the internet of things monitor can output the parking space information of the target parking space in various output modes, for example, the parking space information of the target parking space can be displayed by calling a display device, or the parking space information of the target parking space can be played by calling a playing device (such as a loudspeaker).
Further optionally, after the server allocates the target parking space to the first vehicle, the server may directly send notification information to the target user bound to the first vehicle, where the notification information carries parking space information of the target parking space. It should be noted that, when each vehicle is registered in the server, a user is bound, and the user may subsequently receive all information associated with the vehicle, and the user may be an owner of the vehicle.
In the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor acquires first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, the first vehicle information comprises a first identification of the first vehicle and the type of the first vehicle, a parking space allocation request is sent to the internet of things server, the parking space allocation request comprises the first vehicle information, a target parking space which is allocated and matched with the type of the first vehicle and fed back by the internet of things server is received, and parking space information of the target parking space is output.
Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of another parking space allocation device based on the internet of things according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figures, the parking space allocation device based on the internet of things in the embodiment of the invention comprises:
a detection module 20 for detecting whether there is a vehicle entering or leaving the parking lot through a speed sensor;
the first obtaining module 21 is specifically configured to obtain first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot if the vehicle entering the parking lot exists.
In the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor can detect whether vehicles entering a parking lot or leaving the parking lot exist or not through the speed sensor. Specifically, optionally, if it is detected that the speed direction of a certain vehicle is a first preset direction (the first preset direction is a direction of entering the parking lot), it is determined that the vehicle enters the parking lot; and if the speed direction of one vehicle is detected to be a second preset direction (the second preset direction is a direction leaving the parking lot), determining that the vehicle leaves the parking lot.
Further alternatively, whether the vehicle leaves the parking lot or enters the parking lot may be detected by an acceleration sensor.
The first sending module 22 is configured to send a parking space allocation request to an internet of things server, where the parking space allocation request includes the first vehicle information, so as to trigger the internet of things server to allocate, to the first vehicle, a target parking space adapted to the type of the first vehicle according to the first vehicle information;
and the output module 23 is configured to receive the parking space information of the target parking space fed back by the internet of things server, and output the parking space information of the target parking space.
The second obtaining module 24 is configured to obtain second vehicle information of a second vehicle leaving the parking lot if the vehicle leaving the parking lot exists;
in the embodiment of the present invention, if there is a vehicle leaving the parking lot, the second vehicle information of the second vehicle leaving the parking lot is further acquired, and the specific acquisition manner may still be to read the second graphic code of the second vehicle, where the second graphic code corresponds to the second vehicle. After the second graphic code is read, the second graphic code is analyzed to obtain second vehicle information of the second vehicle, where the second vehicle information includes a second identifier of the second vehicle and second vehicle information of the second vehicle, and it should be noted that the internet-of-things monitor may only upload the second identifier to the server for settlement of the fee.
And the second sending module 25 is configured to send a fee settlement request to the internet of things server, where the fee settlement request includes the second vehicle information, so as to trigger the internet of things server to calculate fee information according to the time when the second vehicle enters the parking lot, and send the fee information to the user bound to the second vehicle by the internet of things server.
In the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor sends the fee settlement request to the internet of things server, the fee settlement request includes the second vehicle information, and optionally, the fee settlement request can only carry the second identifier in the second vehicle information.
The internet of things server searches the time when the second vehicle enters the parking lot, and calculates the parking fee according to the current time, the internet of things server can package the calculated parking fee into fee information and send the fee information to a user bound by the second vehicle, optionally, the fee information can be sent in an instant messaging message mode or a short message mode, it needs to be explained that the fee information can also comprise a payment link, and after the user receives the fee information, the corresponding link is clicked to complete payment.
And the control module 26 is used for controlling to open the barrier gate of the parking lot when the prompt message of successful fee settlement returned by the internet of things server is received.
In the embodiment of the invention, the internet of things monitor acquires first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, the first vehicle information comprises a first identification of the first vehicle and the type of the first vehicle, a parking space allocation request is sent to the internet of things server, the parking space allocation request comprises the first vehicle information, a target parking space which is allocated and matched with the type of the first vehicle and fed back by the internet of things server is received, and parking space information of the target parking space is output.
Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another parking space allocation device based on the internet of things according to an embodiment of the present invention. The parking stall distributor based on thing networking that describes in this embodiment includes: at least one input device 1000; at least one output device 2000; at least one processor 3000, e.g., a CPU; and a memory 4000, the input device 1000, the output device 2000, the processor 3000, and the memory 4000 being connected by a bus 5000.
The input device 1000 may be a sensor of an internet of things monitor, and is configured to collect vehicle information data;
the output device 2000 may be a transmitter of the internet of things monitor, and is configured to send the acquired vehicle information to the internet of things server.
The memory 4000 may be a high-speed RAM memory or a non-volatile memory (e.g., a magnetic disk memory). The memory 4000 is used for storing a set of program codes, and the input device 1000, the output device 2000 and the processor 3000 are used for calling the program codes stored in the memory 4000 to execute the following operations:
the input device 1000 is configured to obtain first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering a parking lot, where the first vehicle information includes a first identifier of the first vehicle and a type of the first vehicle;
the output device 2000 is configured to send a parking space allocation request to an internet of things server, where the parking space allocation request includes the first vehicle information, so as to trigger the internet of things server to allocate, to the first vehicle, a target parking space adapted to the type of the first vehicle according to the first vehicle information;
the input device 1000 is further configured to receive the parking space information of the target parking space fed back by the internet of things server, and output the parking space information of the target parking space.
Optionally, the input device 1000 is further configured to read a first graphic code of a first vehicle entering the parking lot, where one vehicle corresponds to one graphic code;
the processor 3000 is configured to analyze the first graphic code to obtain first vehicle information of the first vehicle.
Optionally, the output device 2000 is further configured to call a voice output device, and play the parking space information of the target parking space; or,
and calling display equipment to display the parking space information of the target parking space.
Optionally, the input device 1000 is further configured to detect whether there is a vehicle entering or leaving the parking lot through a speed sensor; if the vehicle entering the parking lot exists, first vehicle information of a first vehicle entering the parking lot is acquired.
Optionally, the input device 1000 is further configured to, if there is a vehicle leaving the parking lot, obtain second vehicle information of a second vehicle leaving the parking lot;
the output device 2000 is further configured to send a fee settlement request to an internet of things server, where the fee settlement request includes the second vehicle information, so as to trigger the internet of things server to calculate fee information according to a time when the second vehicle enters the parking lot, and send the fee information to a user bound to the second vehicle by the internet of things server.
The embodiment of the invention also provides a computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium can store a program, and the program comprises part or all of the steps of any parking space allocation method based on the internet of things recorded in the method embodiment when being executed.
While the invention has been described in connection with various embodiments, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a review of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.
As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, apparatus (device), or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein. A computer program stored/distributed on a suitable medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, may also take other distributed forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.
The present invention has been described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (devices) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be evident that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and figures are merely exemplary of the invention as defined in the appended claims and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include such modifications and variations.