Internal location address and automatic routing of intra-facility movement

• US 10,142,782 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gillen, Robert J., Bonin, Paul H.
• Primary Examiner(s): HTUN, SAN A
• Application Number:
  US15/378,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20180020333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Various embodiments are directed to systems and methods for facilitating movement within a facility by providing internal navigation instructions to a user, and/or for automatically operating various transportation mechanisms within the facility to move the user therein. Various embodiments thus comprise a computing entity configured to receive location information/data indicative of a current location of a user and destination information/data indicative of a desired destination for the user, generate a recommended route for the user, and transmit one or more signals to location devices along the recommended route to provide navigations cues to the user, or to one or more transportation mechanisms to enable the user to board the transportation mechanism at a first location, and disembark the transportation mechanism closer to the desired destination.

Claims

1. A transportation mechanism operational system for enabling remote operation of at least one transportation mechanism, the system comprising:

a computing entity in communication with the at least one transportation mechanism, the computing entity comprising one or more non-transitory memory storage areas and one or more processors, the computing entity configured to;

receive, via a communication interface, location data indicative of a current location of a mobile device associated with a user;

receive, via the communication interface, destination data indicative of a desired destination associated with the mobile device;

generate, via the communication interface, a recommended route between the current location of the mobile device and the desired destination of the mobile device;

identify, via the communication interface, the at least one transportation mechanism located along the recommended route;

transmit, via the communication interface, a first signal to the at least one transportation mechanism, wherein the first signal identifies the current location of the mobile device and causes the at least one transportation mechanism to enable the user and the mobile device to board the at least one transportation mechanism at the current location;

receive, via the communication interface, boarding data transmitted from a communications device of the at least one transportation mechanism, wherein the boarding data is indicative of the detected presence of the mobile device onboard the at least one transportation mechanism;

upon receipt of the boarding data, transmit, via the communication interface, a second signal causing the at least one transportation mechanism to move the user and the mobile device to the desired destination; and

upon arrival at the desired destination, transmit, via the communication interface, a third signal enabling the user and the mobile device to disembark the at least one transportation mechanism.

2. The transportation mechanism operational system of claim 1, wherein the current location of the mobile device is one of a plurality of levels within a facility.

3. The transportation mechanism operational system of claim 1, wherein the desired destination is one of a plurality of levels within a facility.

4. The transportation mechanism operational system of claim 1, wherein the at least one transportation mechanism is an elevator.

5. The transportation mechanism operational system of claim 1, wherein the at least one transportation mechanism is a horizontal people mover.

6. The transportation mechanism operational system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a mobile computing entity carried by the user.

7. The transportation mechanism operational system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a connected shipment to be delivered to the destination location by the user.

8. The transportation mechanism operational system of claim 1, wherein the computing entity is further configured to:

receive data indicative of a recommended route from a first location within a facility to a second location within the facility, wherein the recommended route comprises data identifying the current location of the mobile device and the desired destination associated the mobile device, and wherein at least a portion of the recommended route between the first location and the second location utilizes at least one transportation mechanism;

determine, based on dynamic data indicative of the mobile device movement along the recommended route, a first estimated time at which the mobile device will reach the at least one transportation mechanism at the current location of the mobile device; and

transmit the first signal to the at least one transportation mechanism to cause the at least one transportation mechanism to enable the user and the mobile device to board the at least one transportation mechanism at approximately the first estimated time.

9. A method for remotely operating at least one transportation mechanism, the method comprising:

receiving, via a communications interface of a computing entity, location data indicative of a current location of a mobile device associated with a user;

receiving, via the communications interface of the computing entity, destination data indicative of a desired destination associated with the mobile device;

generating, via the communication interface of the computing entity, a recommended route between the current location of the mobile device and the desired destination of the mobile device;

identifying, via the communication interface of the computing entity, the at least one transportation mechanism located along the recommended route;

transmitting, from the communications interface of the computing entity, a first signal to the at least one transportation mechanism, wherein the first signal identifies the current location of the mobile device and causes the at least one transportation mechanism to enable the user and the mobile device to board the at least one transportation mechanism at the current location;

receiving, via the communications interface, boarding data transmitted from a communications device of the at least one transportation mechanism, wherein the boarding data is indicative of the detected presence of the mobile device onboard the at least one transportation mechanism;

upon receipt of the boarding data transmitting, from the communications interface of the computing entity, a second signal causing the at least one transportation mechanism to move the user and the mobile device to the desired destination; and

upon arrival at the desired destination, transmitting, from the communication interface of the computing entity, a third signal enabling the user and the mobile device to disembark the at least one transportation mechanism.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the current location of the mobile device is one of a plurality of levels within a facility.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the desired destination is one of a plurality of levels within a facility.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one transportation mechanism is an elevator.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one transportation mechanism is a horizontal people mover.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile device is a mobile computing entity carried by the user.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile device is a connected shipment to be delivered to the destination location by the user.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising steps for:

receiving data indicative of a recommended route from a first location within a facility to a second location within the facility, wherein the recommended route comprises data identifying the current location of the mobile device and the desired destination associated the mobile device, and wherein at least a portion of the recommended route between the first location and the second location utilizes the at least one transportation mechanism;

determining, based on dynamic data indicative of the mobile device movement along the recommended route, a first estimated time at which the mobile device will reach the at least one transportation mechanism at the current location of the mobile device; and

transmitting the first signal to the at least one transportation mechanism to cause the at least one transportation mechanism to enable the user and the mobile device to board the at least one transportation mechanism at approximately the first estimated time.

17. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion configured to receive location data indicative of a current location of a mobile device associated with a user;

an executable portion configured to receive destination data indicative of a desired destination associated with the mobile device;

an executable portion configured to generate a recommended route between the current location of the mobile device and the desired destination of the mobile device;

an executable portion configured to identify at least one transportation mechanism located between the current location of the mobile device and the desired location;

an executable portion configured to transmit a first signal to the at least one transportation mechanism, wherein the first signal identifies the current location of the mobile device and causes the at least one transportation mechanism to enable the user and the mobile device to board the at least one transportation mechanism at the current location;

an executable portion configured to receive boarding data transmitted from a communications device of the at least one transportation mechanism, wherein the boarding data is indicative of the detected presence of the mobile device onboard the at least one transportation mechanism;

an executable portion configured to, upon receipt of the boarding data transmit, from the computing entity, a second signal causing the at least one transportation mechanism to move the user and the mobile device to the desired destination; and

an executable portion configured to, upon arrival at the desired destination, transmit, from the computing entity, a third signal enabling the user and the mobile device to disembark the at least one transportation mechanism.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable program code portions further comprise:

an executable portion configured to receive data indicative of a recommended route from a first location within a facility to a second location within the facility, wherein the recommended route comprises data identifying the current location of the mobile device and the desired destination associated the mobile device, and wherein at least a portion of the recommended route between the first location and the second location utilizes the at least one transportation mechanism;

an executable portion configured to determine, based on dynamic data indicative of the mobile device movement along the recommended route, a first estimated time at which the mobile device will reach the at least one transportation mechanism at the current location of the mobile device; and

an executable portion configured to transmit the first signal to the at least one transportation mechanism to cause the at least one transportation mechanism to enable the user and the mobile device to board the at least one transportation mechanism at approximately the first estimated time.