Method for providing customized information for using a public transportation system

• US 20080082403A1
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Netark Innovations Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Netark Innovations Incorporated
• Inventors: Lin, Wei-Han Frank, Adegoke, Olasunkanmi John
• Application Number:
  US11/528,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082403A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• 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 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising

Abstract

A method for providing customized scheduling information for using a public transportation system, the method comprising providing a schedule request for reaching an intended destination using, the schedule request comprising a temporal indication, generating advertising data related to the schedule request and receiving a customized scheduling information comprising a generated schedule for reaching the intended destination, the customized scheduling information further comprising the advertising data.

Claims

1. A method for providing customized scheduling information for using a public transportation system, said method comprising:

providing a schedule request for reaching an intended destination using said public transportation system, said schedule request comprising a temporal indication;

generating advertising data related to said schedule request; and

receiving a customized scheduling information comprising a generated schedule for reaching said intended destination, said customized scheduling information further comprising said advertising data.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said public transportation system comprises at least one of a subway, a bus network, a train network, an airline network, a light rail system and a ferry/boat shuttle.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said providing of said schedule request comprises entering one of an indication of a location to reach and a transportation means to use.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said location comprises at least one of a street, an intersection, a known place, a bus stop unique ID number and a landmark.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said temporal indication is provided manually by a user.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said temporal indication is provided transparently without a user consent.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said providing of said schedule request comprises connecting to a server unit via a data network and transmitting said schedule request.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said data network comprises at least one of a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN) and a wide area network (WAN).

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said data network comprises the Internet.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said connecting is performed using a cellular phone, further wherein said transmitting said schedule request is performed using at least one of a Short Message Service (SMS) and a Web browser data request.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said generating of said advertising data comprises accessing a transportation schedule database with the schedule request, retrieving schedule data pertinent to said schedule request, accessing an advertising database with the retrieved pertinent data and retrieving corresponding advertising data.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said receiving of said customized scheduling information comprises merging said schedule data with the generated advertising data to generate a customized scheduling information and providing said generated customized information.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising providing a modified schedule request in view of said received customized scheduling information.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said generating of said advertising data comprises an advertiser providing advertising data over a data network.

28. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said providing of said customized scheduling information is performed for a fee charged to an advertiser providing said advertising data.

15. An apparatus for providing customized scheduling information for using a public transportation system, said apparatus comprising:

an advertising database for providing an advertising data signal;

a schedule database for providing a schedule data signal;

a server unit for receiving a schedule request signal for reaching an intended destination using the public transportation system, said schedule request signal comprising a temporal indication, said server unit further generating and providing said customized scheduling information using said received schedule request signal, corresponding schedule data signal and corresponding advertising data signal.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a schedule data providing unit for providing said schedule data signal to said schedule database.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein said schedule data providing unit provides said schedule data signal to said schedule database over a data network.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein said data network comprises at least one of a local area network, a metropolitan area network and a wide area network.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein said data network comprises the Internet.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, further comprising an advertiser server unit for providing said advertising data signal.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein said advertiser server unit provides said advertising data signal to said advertising database over a data network.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein said data network comprises at least one of a local area network, a metropolitan area network and a wide area network.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein said data network comprises the Internet.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said schedule request signal is provided by a user over a data network, further wherein said customized scheduling information is provided to said user over said data network.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein said data network comprises at least one of a local area network, a metropolitan area network and a wide area network.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein said data network comprises the Internet.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said advertiser server unit is accessed by an advertiser, providing said advertising data signal, via a data network.