Congestion clock
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for collecting and presenting traffic data, said apparatus comprising:
- at least one road sensor collecting a set of traffic data from at least one lane of a road;
a processor storing said set of traffic data and creating a set of historical time-based data; and
an output from said processor, said output showing a representation of said historical time-based data, said representation of said historical time-based data including an outside circle and an inner circle defining at least one annular band, said representation including a legend representing a plurality of selected times, said representation including at least one indicium corresponding to a time of traffic congestion and located within said at least one annular band.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for presenting time-based and location-based traffic condition information to motorists. Traffic condition information is collected to create historical time-based and location-based traffic data, which is displayed, in one embodiment, on a congestion clock. The traffic condition data includes, in various embodiments, speed data, volume data, occupancy data, and travel time for a specific section of roadway.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. An apparatus for collecting and presenting traffic data, said apparatus comprising:
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at least one road sensor collecting a set of traffic data from at least one lane of a road;
a processor storing said set of traffic data and creating a set of historical time-based data; and
an output from said processor, said output showing a representation of said historical time-based data, said representation of said historical time-based data including an outside circle and an inner circle defining at least one annular band, said representation including a legend representing a plurality of selected times, said representation including at least one indicium corresponding to a time of traffic congestion and located within said at least one annular band. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. At least one computer programmed to execute a process for collecting and presenting traffic data, said process comprising the steps of:
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acquiring a set of sensor data from a plurality of road sensors;
creating a set of historical time-based data from said set of sensor data; and
outputting said set of historical time-based data. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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12. A method for collecting and presenting traffic data, said method comprising the steps of:
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acquiring a set of sensor data from a plurality of road sensors monitoring a selected section of a road;
creating a set of historical time-based data from said set of sensor data; and
producing a graphical representation of said set of historical time-based data such that a traffic condition for a specific time for said selected section of said road is indicated, said graphical representation including at least one congestion clock. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An apparatus for presenting traffic data, said apparatus comprising:
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a sign having a surface, a first perimeter identified on said surface, a legend representing a plurality of selected times;
at least one annular band defined within said first perimeter; and
an indicium delineating a traffic condition for a selected section of road for a specific time period, said indicium located within said at least one annular band, said indicium bounded at one end in said at least one annular band at a first location corresponding to a start time, said indicium bounded at an opposite end in said at least one annular band at a second location corresponding to a stop time. - View Dependent Claims (11, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A system for presenting traffic data, said system comprising:
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a means for representing a day graphically; and
a means for representing a traffic condition associated with a specific section of roadway at a specific time. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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34. A method in a computer system for communicating traffic forecast data to a user, comprising:
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presenting a first prompt to the user for inputting one of a date and a day of week;
retrieving a set of historical time-based traffic data;
sending said set of historical time-based traffic data to the user; and
presenting said set of historical time-based traffic data to the user. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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Specification