This invention provides for a reliable and quick identification and retrieval system for use in connection with the typical valet parking system presently utilized by the vast majority of restaurants and other establishments offering their patrons valet parking.
Prior systems have traditionally consisted of a plurality of identification cards, usually two (2) small rectangular or squared shaped pieces of paper or cardboard. The two cards bear the same identification number. Upon a patron's arrival at the restaurant, the parking valet would hand the driver one of the numbered cards and upon parking the patron's vehicle would return to a central location at which the keys of the parked automobiles would be stored for safekeeping. The keys of a particular vehicle would be placed in a compartment within this storage facility along with the second numbered identification card. When the patron was ready to exit the premises, he returned his numbered identification card to the parking attendant who would in turn retrieve the patron's keys from the storage area by locating the matching identification card. The attendant then retrieves the patron's vehicle from the parking lot and returns it to the patron at the front of the restaurant.
Prior systems such as that just described are old in the art. These systems all suffer from a common shortfall. They lack reliability and quickness. Experience has shown that during the peak hours at popular restaurants, patrons are generally arriving at a faster rate than the parking attendants can park the cars and return the car keys and identification card to the storage area. Accordingly, it is common practice for the valet services to "stack" vehicles near the entrance of the restaurant until a lull occurs in the volume of incoming patrons at which time the attendants will then park several vehicles in succession without returning to the central storage area between the parking of each vehicle. The attendants commonly put one vehicle's keys and identification card in their pocket while they park a second or third vehicle. In doing so, the identification cards and keys of the several vehicles frequently become mixed up and upon the attendant's return to the central storage facility, the identification cards are frequently matched with the wrong set of keys. This mix-up leads to the retrieval of the wrong vehicle upon the patron's attempted departure.
A second problem arising under the prior system is the amount of time needed to retrieve the vehicles. When attempting to retrieve a particular patron's vehicle, the attendant generally has nothing more to guide him than the knowledge of the general make of the vehicle to enable him to quickly retrieve the vehicle. Frequently there are several vehicles of the same make in the parking lot and the attendant may initially attempt to retrieve the wrong vehicle. Also, in the evening it may be sufficiently dark outside that even knowledge of the color of the patron's vehicle is not helpful in enabling the quick location of the vehicle in question until the attendant is actually almost upon the vehicle.
A need, therefore, exists for a reliable identification and quick retrieval system for use by valet parking systems. The need exists for a system which eliminates the improper identification of a patron's vehicle keys and which also decreases the time necessary for the attendant's retrieval of the patron's vehicle.