PERSONALIZED REAL-TIME LOCATION-BASED TRAVEL MANAGEMENT

• US 20100228574A1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RouteRank Ltd.
• Original Assignee: RouteRank Ltd.
• Inventors: Mundinger, Jochen, Waibel, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3423 Multimodal routing, i.e. combining two or more modes of transportation, where the modes can be any of, e.g. driving, walking, cycling, public transport
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A personalized real-time location-based travel management method, the method including the steps of

• • (a) defining a departure point and a destination for multimodal travel,
  • (b) computing in an IT system (30) a list of candidate routes between said departure point and said destination, based on schedule information available to said IT system;
  • (c) making travel information relating to a selected route available to a user'"'"'s personal travel assistant (40) or a database (31) while traveling; and
  • (d) detecting in said IT system an unexpected event during said travel, and computing an alternative list of candidate routes or routes segments in response to said unexpected event.

Claims

1. A personalized real-time location-based travel management method, the method including the steps of

(a) defining a departure point and a destination point for multimodal travel,

(b) computing in an IT system a list of candidate routes between said departure point and said destination, wherein a common IT system is available for computing routes for different users;

(c) making travel information relating to at least one selected route available to a user'"'"'s personal travel assistant or a database while traveling; and

(d) detecting an unexpected event during said travel, and computing an alternative list of candidate routes in response to said unexpected event.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of using a web interface to enter departure point and the destination point, then choosing one of the candidate routes proposed and then booking that route.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of making travel information selected from a web interface available to said personal travel assistant.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising a step of predicting in advance that a previously planned connection will be missed during a travel, and proposing an alternative list of candidate routes to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising a step of computing a probability that a future connection will be missed or reached.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the personal travel assistant is sent to the IT system and compared to the schedule for determining unexpected events.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said alternative route is computed in said IT system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said alternative list of candidate routes is computed in said personal travel assistant.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein only one or more route segments concerned by said unexpected event are computed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a new list of candidate routes or routes segments is proposed to the user in reaction to said event.

11. The method claim 1, wherein the displacements of other users are monitored for determining if an alternative list of candidate routes or route segments should be proposed.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising simultaneous optimization of multiple routes for multiple users taking into account different user preferences.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising a step of recommending with said personal information assistant information for booking additional tickets needed for the alternative route.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein it offers users a route insurance using information including predictions for the risk of travel delays, missed connections or cancelled flights by evaluating travel information, such as that pertaining to the current route network or by using statistic information on past routes, among others, to calculate insurance premiums.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, in case of unexpected events, a list of alternative candidate routes is proposed or ranked in function of the coverage by the user'"'"'s insurance.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the route planning is executed for a single package or other object, or group of packages or other objects and user preferences are determined via an IT system, a logistics service provider, a transport manager, one or more of the couriers along the route, or the sender.

17. A personalized real-time location-based travel management method, the method including the steps of

(a) defining a departure point and a destination point for travel,

(b) computing in an IT system a list of candidate routes between said departure point and said destination, at least some of said routes comprising one or a plurality of connections between different route segments;

(c) making travel information relating to at least one selected route available to a user'"'"'s personal travel assistant or a database while travelling; and

(d) during said travel, monitoring the displacement of the user, and proposing an alternative list of candidate routes to the user when said IT system predicts in advance that a previously planned connection will be missed.

19. An IT system according to claim 17, wherein the route planning is executed for a single package or other object, or group of packages or other objects and user preferences are determined via an IT system, a logistics service provider, a transport manager, one or more of the couriers along the route, or the sender.

18. An IT system comprising:

a database for retrieving information relating to different travel routes;

a database for retrieving information on user preferences;

a routing engine for providing a list of candidate routes based on said information and user preferences;

said engine being arranged for rerouting users during travel in the case of changes due to unexpected events or changes in the route schedule.