Locating fuel options and services

• US 10,352,712 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Loo, William, Hughes, Stephen, Gillespie, James, Brandmaier, Jennifer A., Koza, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Abby Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US14/755,220
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 701123, 701414, 701533, 700286, 705 4, 705 5, 705 723, 726 28, 345440, 709224, 703 8, 713 2, 106 1817, 307 11, 370352, 340 1231, 137 6, 359237, 60688
• CPC Class Codes: F17D 1/04 for distribution of gas
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

Systems and methods may provide for generating and using information about fuel options along a predetermined route. An optimized fuel location server may use information related to the fuel efficiency in a given vehicle and information related to the amount of fuel currently present in a fuel tank associated with the vehicle to determine where along the predetermined route fuel will be required. The optimized fuel location server may also determine where the vehicle should stop for fuel to navigate the route in the lowest cost way possible. The optimized fuel location server may further consider user preferences, such as preferred fuel providers, in determining which fuel option should be used. Finally, the optimized fuel location server may be configured to send notifications (e.g., real-time, etc.) to a user device when the user device is within the vicinity of one or more fuel options.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device and from an on-board diagnostic (OBD) system associated with a vehicle, an amount of fuel detected in a fuel tank of the vehicle;

receiving, at the computing device and from a user device, a route;

determining, by a processor of the computing device, locations of a plurality of fuel options along the route;

determining, by the processor of the computing device, prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options;

determining, by the processor of the computing device and through communication of the computing device with the OBD system associated with the vehicle, a fuel efficiency of the vehicle;

determining, by the processor of the computing device and based on the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and the amount of fuel detected in the fuel tank, a location along the route where fuel is expected to be required;

based on the location along the route where fuel is expected to be required, the locations of the plurality of fuel options along the route, and the prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options, calculating, by the processor of the computing device, a lowest-cost way of navigating the route, wherein calculating a lowest-cost way of navigating the route comprises;

determining, based on the location along the route where fuel is expected to be required, the locations of the plurality of fuel options along the route, and the prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options, a fuel stop location as a location, of the locations of the plurality of fuel options, having a lowest fuel cost in a vicinity of the location along the route where fuel is expected to be required; and

calculating, based on including the fuel stop location on the route, a way of navigating the route; and

transmitting, by the computing device and to the user device, the lowest-cost way of navigating the route, wherein transmitting the lowest-cost way of navigating the route comprises transmitting information that causes the user device to display an interactive map with the route and the fuel stop location corresponding to the location along the route where fuel is expected to be required.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fuel efficiency is stored in a database through communication of the computing device with the on-board diagnostic (OBD) system associated with the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fuel options comprise a plurality of gas stations that offer fuel for a price below a predetermined threshold value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching, by the processor of the computing device and based on a user profile, a database to identify the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the route comprises a route that is selected by a user of the vehicle and stored in a memory associated with the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the route comprises:

receiving, by the computing device, a starting point and a destination point; and

mapping, by the processor of the computing device, the route based on the starting point and the destination point.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, an intermediary point to travel to between the starting point and the destination point,

wherein the mapping is further based on the intermediary point and comprises determining, by the processor of the computing device, latitude and longitude coordinates of the starting point, intermediary point, and the destination point.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating, by the processor of the computing device, the lowest-cost way of navigating the route is further based on fueling preferences of a user of the vehicle during the route.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the processor of the computing device, the location along the route where fuel is expected to be required is further based on identifying, by the processor of the computing device, an average fuel level at which a user of the vehicle refuels the fuel tank.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processor of the computing device, navigation information in accordance with the lowest-cost way of navigating the route; and

transmitting, by the computing device, the navigation information to the user device,

wherein the navigation information comprises a recommendation to navigate the vehicle past a first fuel option and to stop at a second fuel option, wherein the fuel stop location corresponds to the second fuel option, and wherein the first fuel option and the second fuel option are different fuel options among the plurality of fuel options along the route.

11. A system comprising:

a network;

a sensor configured to detect an amount of fuel in a fuel tank of a vehicle;

a mobile device associated with a driver of the vehicle; and

a computing device, wherein the sensor, the mobile device, and the computing device are communicatively coupled through the network, the computing device comprising hardware including a processor and a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to;

receive, from the sensor, the amount of fuel detected in the fuel tank of the vehicle;

receive, from the mobile device, a route;

determine locations of a plurality of fuel options along the route;

determine prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options;

determine a fuel efficiency of the vehicle;

determine, based on the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and the amount of fuel detected in the fuel tank, a location along the route where fuel is expected to be required;

based on the location along the route where fuel is expected to be required, the locations of the plurality of fuel options along the route, and the prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options, calculate a lowest-cost way of navigating the route, wherein the lowest-cost way of navigating the route is calculated by;

determining, based on the location along the route where fuel is expected to be required, the locations of the plurality of fuel options along the route, and the prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options, a fuel stop location as a location, of the locations of the plurality of fuel options, having a lowest fuel cost in a vicinity of the location along the route where fuel is expected to be required; and

calculating, based on including the fuel stop location on the route, a way of navigating the route; and

transmitting, to the mobile device, the lowest-cost way of navigating the route, wherein transmitting the lowest-cost way of navigating the route comprises transmitting information that causes the mobile device to display an interactive map with the route and the fuel stop location corresponding to the location along the route where fuel is expected to be required.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to determine the fuel stop location further based on identifying a user preference of a driver of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user preference comprises an average fuel level in the fuel tank of the vehicle at which the driver prefers to stop for refueling.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to determine the fuel stop location further based on information regarding times at which one or more sales are offered at the plurality of fuel options.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computer system to:

determine a route to be traveled by a vehicle by identifying a starting point, a destination point, and an intermediary point to travel to between the starting point and the destination point;

obtain first information related to locations of a plurality of fuel options along the route and prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options;

obtain second information related to a fuel efficiency associated with the vehicle and an amount of fuel detected in a fuel tank of the vehicle;

determine, based on the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and the amount of fuel detected in the fuel tank, a plurality of locations along the route where fuel is expected to be required;

based on the plurality of locations along the route where fuel is expected to be required, the locations of the plurality of fuel options along the route, and the prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options, calculate a lowest-cost way of navigating the route, wherein the lowest-cost way of navigating the route is calculated by;

determining, based on the locations of the plurality of fuel options along the route and the prices of fuel at the plurality of fuel options and for each of the plurality of locations along the route where fuel is expected to be required, a fuel stop location, of the locations of the plurality of fuel options, having a lowest fuel cost in a vicinity of that location along the route where fuel is expected to be required; and

calculating, based on including the fuel stop location on the route, a way of navigating the route; and

transmitting, to a user device, the lowest-cost way of navigating the route, wherein transmitting the lowest-cost way of navigating the route comprises transmitting information that causes the user device to display an interactive map with the route and the fuel stop location corresponding to the location along the route where fuel is expected to be required.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable program instructions further cause the processor to:

calculate the lowest-cost way of navigating the route further based on a preference of a driver of the vehicle to use a particular one of the plurality of fuel options.