Enhanced geocoding

• US 10,330,487 B1
• Filed: 11/24/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Oberweis Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Oberweis Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Oberweis, Joseph S., Takyar, Akash, Garg, Shaifali
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Application Number:
  US15/822,085
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem

Abstract

An enhanced geocoding module may be used to determine various physical addresses located on the same street. The enhanced geocoding module may create a grid around a predetermined location and request the physical addresses of various coordinate points located on the grid. Additional features of the module may include a display that displays the grid with physical addresses located on the same street, various statistics related to a user of the enhanced geocoding module, and a color-coded scheme that indicates the status of individuals/groups located at the physical addresses. Furthermore, an enhanced disposition monitoring module may be provided in a plurality of computing devices (e.g., a handheld computing device, a remote server, etc.) to receive, transmit, maintain, and/or analyze disposition and related information that may be associated with geocoded information (e.g., a street address). The enhanced disposition monitoring module may generate a report based on the analysis of the information, including for example, reports showing performance of salespeople and sales in particular neighborhoods. Moreover, the collected information may be analyzed and the resulting data models may be licensed to third-party entities.

Claims

1. A geocoding mobile device, comprising:

a communications unit capable of establishing a two-way communications link with a reverse geocoding server;

a hardware module comprising circuitry configured to execute an enhanced geocoding module and an enhanced disposition monitoring module;

a global positioning system communicatively coupled to the hardware module;

a memory storing the enhanced geocoding module that, when executed by the hardware module, causes the geocoding mobile device to;

determine, by the global positioning system, a current location of the geocoding mobile device;

determine, by the enhanced geocoding module, a plurality of coordinate points on a grid around the current location, wherein a spacing of the coordinate points on the grid is based on a predetermined granularity and the coordinate points form a rectangular grid shape, and is such that physical addresses corresponding to at least one of the coordinate points are on a same thoroughfare as the current location;

send, to the reverse geocoding server via the communications link, the plurality of coordinate points on the grid and the current location;

receive, from the reverse geocoding server via the communications link, a plurality of physical addresses corresponding to the plurality of coordinate points;

sort, by the enhanced geocoding module, the plurality of physical addresses by which thoroughfare the plurality of physical addresses are located on and then by distance from the current location;

display, by the enhanced geocoding module on a display device communicatively coupled to the hardware module, the sorted plurality of physical addresses; and

display, by the enhanced geocoding module on the display device, in association with the plurality of physical addresses in the sorted list, additional information about at least one of the plurality of physical addresses; and

display, by the enhanced geocoding module on the display device, a graphical map comprising the at least one of the plurality of physical addresses; and

the memory further storing the enhanced disposition monitoring module that, when executed by the hardware module, causes the geocoding mobile device to perform steps comprising;

receiving sales disposition information;

storing, using the enhanced disposition monitoring module, the sales disposition information in a data store;

generating, using the enhanced disposition monitoring module, a message comprising information about the plurality of physical addresses corresponding to the plurality of coordinate points; and

generating, using the enhanced disposition monitoring module, a model based on at least the collected sales disposition, the model including a time of day at which an in-person sale attempt is most likely to be successful.

2. The geocoding mobile device of claim 1, wherein the enhanced geocoding module, when executed by the hardware module, causes the hardware module to:

display a map comprising the additional information about at least one of the plurality of physical addresses.

3. The geocoding mobile device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined granularity is based on at least one of:

population density, zoom level of a geographical area covered by the grid, average spacing value, a spacing that includes 81 coordinate points on the grid, and a rectangular grid shape.

4. The geocoding mobile device of claim 1, wherein additional information comprises color codes to represent a status of the at least one of the plurality of physical addresses as a current customer, a potential customer, and former customer, the geocoding mobile device further comprising:

an enhanced disposition monitoring module;

a processor; and

a tangible computer memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the geocoding mobile device to perform steps comprising;

receiving sales disposition information;

storing, using the enhanced disposition monitoring module, the sales disposition information in a data store;

generating, using the enhanced disposition monitoring module, a message comprising information about the plurality of physical addresses corresponding to the plurality of coordinate points; and

generating, using the enhanced disposition monitoring module, a model based on at least the collected sales disposition, the model including a time of day at which an in-person sale attempt is most likely to be successful.

5. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums having an enhanced geocoding module stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of a mobile tablet, causes the mobile tablet to perform steps comprising:

detecting, by a location tracking system embedded in the mobile tablet, a current location of the mobile tablet;

generating a grid in a memory of the mobile tablet that has a plurality of coordinate points arranged in a rectangular grid shape around the current location;

sending the current location and the plurality of coordinate points to a reverse geocoding server;

receiving, from the reverse geocoding server, a plurality of physical addresses corresponding to the plurality of coordinate points and the current location;

storing in a list in the memory of the mobile tablet, those of the plurality of physical addresses corresponding to the plurality of coordinate points that are on a same thoroughfare as the current location;

sorting the stored list of physical addresses in order of closest in distance from the current location;

displaying, on a display device of the mobile tablet, the stored list of sorted physical addresses; and

displaying, on the display device, in association with the stored list of sorted physical addresses, additional information about at least one of the physical addresses in the stored list.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein a predetermined granularity of the grid is based on at least one of:

population density, zoom level of a geographical area covered by the grid, average spacing value, a spacing that includes 81 coordinate points on the grid, and a rectangular grid shape.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the reverse geocoding server receives the plurality of coordinate points as a batch request for a plurality of physical addresses corresponding to the plurality of coordinate points.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the additional information about the at least one of the physical addresses in the stored list includes statistical information about a status of a customer at the at least one of the physical addresses.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the processor further performs:

displaying, on the display device, a graphical map comprising the physical addresses in the stored list; and

displaying on the graphical map an icon indicating a status of at least one of the plurality of physical addresses.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the stored list of physical addresses is further sorted alphabetically based on street name.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the processor further performs:

displaying on a graphical map the plurality of physical addresses corresponding to the coordinate points of the grid.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the processor further performs:

displaying a plurality of statistics related to a traveling salesperson operating the mobile tablet.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of statistics includes a number of customer sign-ups attributed to the traveling salesperson.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of statistics includes a number of hours spent by a traveling salesperson to sign customers.

15. A method comprising:

detecting, by a location tracking system embedded in a mobile tablet storing an enhanced geocoding module, a current location of the mobile tablet;

recording, by a processor of the mobile tablet, the current location in a memory of the mobile tablet;

generating, by the enhanced geocoding module executing on the processor of the mobile tablet, a grid in the memory that has the current location positioned in an interior of the grid, wherein the grid comprises a plurality of coordinate points around the current location;

sending to a reverse geocoding server, by the mobile tablet, the current location and the plurality of coordinate points;

receiving from the reverse geocoding server, by the mobile tablet, a plurality of physical addresses corresponding to the plurality of coordinate points and the current location;

ranking more than one of the plurality of physical addresses corresponding to the plurality of coordinate points, by the enhanced geocoding module executing on the processor of the mobile tablet, such that the more than one physical addresses on one or more same thoroughfares as the current location are positioned at a top of a list stored in the memory in order of closest in distance from the current location;

displaying, on a display device by the enhanced geocoding module executing on the processor of the mobile tablet, the more than one of the plurality of physical addresses in the list stored in the memory; and

displaying, on the display device by the enhanced geocoding module executing on the processor of the mobile tablet, in association with the more than one of the plurality of physical addresses in the list, additional information about the more than one of the plurality of physical addresses.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a predetermined granularity of the plurality of coordinate points on the grid is based on at least one of:

population density, zoom level of a geographical area covered by the grid, and average spacing value.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a spacing of the plurality of coordinate points on the grid is based on at least one of:

a granularity that includes 81 coordinate points on the grid, and a rectangular grid shape.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the additional information displayed on the display device is a plurality of statistics related to traveling salespersons'"'"' previous visits to the more than one of the plurality of physical addresses.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the current location of the mobile tablet is positioned at a center of the grid stored in the memory.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying, on the display device by the enhanced geocoding module executing on the processor of the mobile tablet, a map comprising the more than one of the plurality of physical addresses.