Intelligent vehicle fleet systems and methods

• US 20070213897A1
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Estes, Jacquelynn, Corey, William
• Application Number:
  US11/797,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20070213897A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Methods and systems for intelligent vehicle fleets are disclosed. An intelligent vehicle may function as a mobile office reducing the need for users to perform work functions in a brick-and-mortar building. Methods or systems consistent with the invention may manage vehicle fleets, or provide intelligent vehicle subsystems, or acquire address information using an intelligent vehicle. A method to manage vehicle fleets may include receiving at a remote computer communicated maintenance data from information collection devices installed in the intelligent vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for managing vehicle fleets, comprising:

receiving at least a portion of maintenance information acquired at least one vehicle using at least one device associated with at least some of the at least one vehicle; and

monitoring the at least one vehicle based on at least the portion of the acquired maintenance information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising analyzing at least the portion of the acquired maintenance information to manage replacement component inventory for the at least one vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising scheduling maintenance activities for the at least one vehicle based at least on the portion of the acquired maintenance information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquired maintenance information comprises at least one of a group consisting of a tire pressure, an engine information, a vehicle fluid information, and any other relevant maintenance information.

5. A method for managing vehicle fleet maintenance, comprising:

receiving at a remote computer automatically-transmitted, vehicle component status data from an intelligent vehicle, the automatically-transmitted vehicle component status data acquired by a plurality of devices installed on the intelligent vehicle; and

monitoring the intelligent vehicle based on at least a portion of the automatically-transmitted, vehicle component status data.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising analyzing at least the portion of the automatically-transmitted, vehicle component status data to manage replacement components inventor for the intelligent vehicle.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising scheduling maintenance activities for the intelligent vehicle based at least on the portion of the automatically transmitted, vehicle component status data.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising transmitting a plan for one or more maintenance activities scheduled for a vehicle to a user terminal in the vehicle for which the one or more maintenance activities have been scheduled.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the automatically transmitted, vehicle component status data comprises at least one from the following data:

a tire pressure, an engine information, and a vehicle fluid information.

10-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A method for acquiring address information using a vehicle, comprising:

receiving address information corresponding to a location identifiable by location information; and

storing the address information corresponding to the location in at least one database.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein receiving address information comprises:

reading address information transmitted by an RFID tag associated with a mailbox; and

transmitting the address information to a user terminal in a vehicle.

22-23. -23. (canceled)