System and method for managing waste services

• US 10,378,912 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rubicon Technologies Holdings LLC (Founder SPAC)
• Original Assignee: Rubicon Global Holdings, LLC (Founder SPAC)
• Inventors: Rodini, Philip, Podgorny, Samantha, Alexander, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US15/853,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20180224287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 701465
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0269 Inferred or constrained positioning, e.g. employing knowledge of the physical or electromagnetic environment, state of motion or other contextual information to infer or constrain a position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• 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: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

A system is disclosed for managing waste services. The system may have a locating device configured to generate a signal indicative of a location of a service vehicle on a roadway, a communication device, and a controller in communication with the locating and communication devices. The controller may be configured to determine a side of the roadway at which a first target location is currently being serviced by the service vehicle, and to determine based on the signal from the locating device a proximity of the service vehicle to a second target location at which the waste services are to be performed. The second target location may be on the same side of the roadway as the first target location. The controller may also be configured to automatically provide via the communicating device an estimated time of arrival to a customer corresponding to the second target location, based on the proximity.

Claims

1. A system for managing waste services, comprising:

a locating device configured to generate a signal indicative of a location of a service vehicle on a roadway;

a tag located on a waste receptacle containing information corresponding to a location of the waste receptacle;

a sensor located onboard a service vehicle and configured to detect the tag and to generate a signal indicative of the information contained on the tag when waste services are performed on the waste receptacle;

a communication device; and

a controller in communication with the locating device, sensor, and communication device, the controller being configured to;

determine based on the signal generated by the locating device, a location of the service vehicle;

determine based on the signal generated by the sensor, a side of the roadway at which a first target location is currently being serviced by the service vehicle;

determine based on the location of the service vehicle and the first target location, a proximity of the service vehicle to a second target location at which waste services are to be performed, wherein the second target location is on the same side of the roadway as the first target location; and

based on the proximity, automatically provide via the communication device a first alert comprising an estimated time of arrival of the waste vehicle to the second target location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to;

determine a travel direction of the service vehicle based on the signal generated by the locating device; and

determine the proximity of the service vehicle to a second target location at which waste services are to be performed based on the travel direction of the service vehicle and the signal generated by the sensor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the information contained on the tag includes an address corresponding to the first target location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an RFID reader, and the tag comprises an RFID tag.

5. The system of claim 1, further including an optical sensor located onboard the service vehicle and configured to capture an image of the roadway, wherein the controller is configured to determine the side of the roadway at which the first target location is currently being serviced by the service vehicle based on the image.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the locating device is a GPS receiver; and

the controller is configured to determine the proximity of the service vehicle to a second target location at which waste services are to be performed based on a GPS signal received by the GPS receiver and based on known coordinates of the second target location.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine that the waste services have been completed at the second target location; and

automatically provide via the communication device a second alert to the second target location that the waste services have been completed.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the waste services have been completed at the second target location based on the signal generated by the sensor corresponding to the second target location.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to send the first alert to the customer corresponding to the second target location.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to send the first alert to the waste receptacle corresponding to the second target location.

11. A method for managing waste services, comprising:

detecting a location of a service vehicle on a roadway;

detecting a tag located on a waste receptacle containing information corresponding to a location of the waste receptacle when waste services are performed on the waste receptacle;

determining a first target location based on the detected location of a service vehicle and the location of the waste receptacle where waste services are performed;

determining a side of the roadway at which a first target location is currently being serviced by the service vehicle;

determining a proximity of the service vehicle to a second target location at which waste services are to be performed based on the location of the service vehicle and the first target location, wherein the second target location is on the same side of the roadway as the first target location; and

based on the proximity, automatically providing an alert comprising an estimated time of arrival of the waste vehicle to the second target location.

12. The method of claim 11, further including:

determining a travel direction of the service vehicle based on the signal generated by the locating device; and

determining the proximity of the service vehicle to a second target location at which waste services are to be performed based on the travel direction of the service vehicle and the first target location.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein:

detecting the location of the service vehicle on the roadway includes detecting GPS coordinates of the service vehicle; and

determining the proximity of the service vehicle to a second target location at which waste services are to be performed includes comparing the GPS coordinates of the service vehicle to known GPS coordinates of the second target location.

14. The method of claim 11, further including:

detecting a tag located on a waste receptacle containing information corresponding to the second target location; and

providing a second alert to the second target location that the waste services have been completed.

15. The method of claim 11, further including sending the first alert to the customer corresponding to the second target location.

16. The method of claim 11, further including sending the first alert to the waste receptacle corresponding to the second target location.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executable programming instructions for performing a method of waste service management, the method comprising:

detecting a location of a service vehicle on a roadway;

detecting a tag located on a waste receptacle containing information corresponding to a location of the waste receptacle when waste services are performed on the waste receptacle;

determining a first target location based on the detected location of a service vehicle and the location of the waste receptacle where waste services are performed;

determining a side of the roadway at which a first target location is currently being serviced by the service vehicle;

determining a proximity of the service vehicle to a second target location at which waste services are to be performed based on the location of the service vehicle and the first target location, wherein the second target location is on the same side of the roadway as the first target location; and

based on the proximity, automatically providing an alert comprising an estimated time of arrival of the waste vehicle to the second target location.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, further including:

determining a travel direction of the service vehicle based on the signal generated by the locating device; and

determining the proximity of the service vehicle to a second target location at which waste services are to be performed based on the travel direction of the service vehicle and the first target location.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, further including:

detecting a tag located on a waste receptacle containing information corresponding to the second target location; and

providing a second alert to the second target location that the waste services have been completed.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, further including sending the first alert to the customer corresponding to the second target location.