System and method for vehicle delay notification using a mobile telecommunications network

• US 20060223552A1
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Benco, David S., Mahajan, Sanjeev, True, Sandra Lynn, Sheen, Baoling S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,327,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968

Abstract

A system and method of vehicle delay notification. The method includes determining a vehicle delay, determining that the vehicle delay meets or exceeds a delay threshold, determining one or more affected mobile telecommunications subscribers, and sending a message to one or more mobile telecommunications phones notifying the one or more affected mobile telecommunications subscribers that the is vehicle delayed. The system determines the vehicle delay and sends a message to one or more mobile telecommunications phones notifying one or more affected subscribers that the vehicle is delayed.

Claims

1. A method of vehicle delay notification comprising:

determining a vehicle delay;

determining that the vehicle delay meets or exceeds a delay threshold;

determining one or more affected mobile telecommunications subscribers; and

a telecommunications network element sending a message to one or more mobile telecommunications phones notifying the one or more affected mobile telecommunications subscribers that the vehicle is delayed.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising determining the current vehicle location at a sampling time T_s.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein the step of determining the vehicle delay further comprises determining the expected time T_ECL the vehicle is expected to be at the current vehicle location.

4. The method defined in claim 3 wherein the step of determining the vehicle delay further comprises determining the vehicle delay as the time interval between T_s and T_ECL.

5. The method defined in claim 2 wherein the step of determining the vehicle delay further comprises determining the stored location closest to the current vehicle location.

6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein the step of determining the vehicle delay further comprises determining the expected time T_ESL the vehicle is expected to be at the stored location.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the step of determining the vehicle delay further comprises determining the vehicle delay as the time interval between T_s and T_ESL.

8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the sending step further comprises sending a message providing the vehicle delay.

9. The method defined in claim 2 further comprising:

determining an expected arrival time for a destination;

sending a message to one or more mobile telecommunications phones notifying the one or more affected mobile telecommunications subscribers of the expected arrival time.

10. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising receiving the delay threshold from a mobile telecommunications subscriber.

11. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the sending step further comprises sending an SMS message.

12. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the sending step further comprises sending a message providing the reason for the vehicle delay.

13. The method defined in claim 2 wherein the step of determining the vehicle location further comprises using Global Positioning System information.

14. The method defined in claim 2 wherein the step of determining the vehicle location further comprises:

having a geolocation equipped mobile phone with the vehicle; and

the network determining the location of the geolocation equipped mobile phone.

15. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising a transportation provider providing the vehicle location.

16. A method of vehicle delay notification comprising:

receiving one or more notification conditions for a vehicle from a mobile telecommunications subscriber;

determining a vehicle delay;

determining that the vehicle meets the one or more notification conditions;

determining one or more affected mobile telecommunications subscribers; and

a telecommunications network element sending a message to one or more mobile telecommunications phones notifying the one or more affected mobile telecommunications subscribers that the vehicle is delayed.

17. The method defined in claim 16 wherein the notification conditions comprise a vehicle delay threshold and the step of determining that the vehicle meets the one or more notification conditions comprises determining that the vehicle delay meets or exceeds the vehicle delay threshold.

18. A system for notifying one or more mobile telecommunications subscribers of a vehicle delay comprising:

means for determining a vehicle location;

means for determining a vehicle delay;

means for determining that the vehicle delay meets or exceeds a delay threshold;

means for determining one or more affected mobile subscribers; and

means for sending a message to one or more mobile telecommunications phones notifying the one or more affected subscribers that the vehicle is delayed.

19. The system defined in claim 18 further comprising means for receiving the delay threshold from a mobile telecommunications subscriber.

20. The system defined in claim 18 wherein the means for sending a message further comprises means for sending an SMS.