IPS Group Customer Reviews

IPS Group, Inc. is a San Diego based design, engineering, and manufacturing company that builds smart parking meters and related curb management technology. The company was founded in 2000 and assembles its hardware locally in California. Its product line includes single space smart meters, multi space pay stations, vehicle detection sensors, permit and enforcement management software, and a cloud based data management platform that municipal and campus parking operators use to administer their programs.

Payment Processing Role

Within the parking sector, IPS Group provides the payment acceptance layer on its meters and pay stations rather than functioning as a stand alone merchant services provider. Its devices accept card, contactless, and mobile payments, and the company markets a fee optimized processing arrangement bundled with its meter and platform contracts. End user motorists can also pay through the PARK SMARTER mobile app and Text to Pay channels that IPS operates for client agencies.

IPS Group does not publish standardized processing rates or hardware prices on its website. Sales are conducted business to business through municipal and institutional procurement, and pricing is set inside each individual contract for hardware, software subscriptions, transaction processing, and ongoing service.

Reported Cost Structure

According to industry coverage and procurement documents from cities that have deployed IPS equipment, customers typically pay a per meter or per pay station hardware cost, a recurring software as a service fee for the data management platform, and a per transaction processing fee on card payments. Specific dollar figures vary widely by deployment size, configuration, and length of contract, and are not disclosed publicly by the company.

Duncan Parking Technologies, Inc. v. IPS Group, Inc. (Federal Circuit, 2019)

IPS Group was a party to a multi year patent dispute with competitor Duncan Parking Technologies involving U.S. patents covering credit card enabled, solar powered, single space parking meters. On January 31, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a consolidated decision in Duncan Parking Technologies, Inc. v. IPS Group, Inc. The court affirmed summary judgment of non infringement on one IPS patent, vacated summary judgment of non infringement on a second IPS patent, and remanded that portion of the case for further proceedings under a revised claim construction. The court also addressed inventorship issues in a related inter partes review of an IPS patent.

Ownership/Leadership: Chad Randall, Chief Executive Officer

Address: 7737 Kenamar Court, San Diego, CA 92121

Phone: 858-404-0607

Website:ipsgroup.com