Method and system for providing travel time information

• US 10,444,028 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2015
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edward H. Nortrup
• Original Assignee: Blackbird Tech LLC
• Inventors: Nortrup, Edward H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US14/971,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20160102993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 : from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 : for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 : for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 : for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 : with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 : Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 : Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 : where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 : where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 : where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 : according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 : to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 : including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 : Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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

Abstract

Location technologies are combined with other information systems to provide augmented information for individuals such as a traveler in an automobile.

Claims

1. A computer program product that, when executing on one or more computers performs the steps of:

automatically receiving a current location; and

presenting a roadway map of an area proximate the current location, wherein the map includes at least one route from the current location to a destination based at least in part on a traffic condition, wherein the traffic condition is at least in part based on a plurality of cell phone speeds estimated through an assessment of multiple locations of each of a plurality of cell phones, wherein each of the plurality of cell phones further has a user initiated permission set comprised of a list of authorizations that permit a user to selectively enable or disable access to user cellphone location data.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cell phones communicates its respective locations through a cellular network infrastructure to a server for calculation of the traffic condition.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cell phones communicates its respective speed through a cellular network infrastructure to a server for calculation of the traffic condition.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein access to user cellphone location data is granted following a confirmation of at least one entry on the list of authorizations.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the user initiated permission set is accessed through a user interface presented on a user device.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising receiving a navigation request to assist a driver in navigating to the destination.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cell phones is selected from a candidate set of cell phones in an area proximate the route.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the selection of the plurality of cell phones from the candidate set of cell phones is based at least in part on a comparison of a location of each of the plurality of cell phones to a location of the route.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the destination is received from a source that is remote from a device on which the roadway map is presented.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, further including a triangulation system.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the triangulation system includes cell phone tower triangulation.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the triangulation system includes global positioning system (GPS) triangulation.

13. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the map includes a visual indication of traffic on the route.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising providing an estimation of how much time is predicted to travel through the traffic condition.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the traffic condition is a historical traffic condition.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the historical traffic condition includes traffic information based at least in part on an event recorded at a time of the historical traffic condition, and wherein the at least one route from the current location to the destination is further based at least in part on a comparison of the event recorded at the time of the historical traffic condition and a currently occurring event.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the event is a weather condition.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the event is a time of day.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the event is a day of a week.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the event is a day of a year.

21. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the event is a holiday.

22. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the event is a type of road condition.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the type of road condition is roadwork.

24. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the type of road condition is an accident.

25. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the traffic condition is a real time traffic condition that represents traffic on the route at a time when the roadway map is presented.

26. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the roadway map further comprises a second route to the destination such that a user can select the second route as an alternate route through a user interface.

27. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising presenting an estimated time of arrival at the destination based at least in part on the traffic condition.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising receiving an intended leave time for the destination, and further comprising presenting a user interface to adjust the intended leave time such that a user can understand an effect of leave time on estimated travel time.

29. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising, presenting a user interface to save a future destination for future choosing, wherein the future choosing selects the saved future destination and forms the destination.

30. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the route is further based at least in part on a prior recording of an actual route traveled from a location proximate the current location to the destination by a user represented by a device at the current location.

31. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising a warning system adapted to warn a driver traveling on the route of the traffic condition, wherein the warning is based on a proximity of the driver, as determined by the current location, to an adverse traffic condition.