PEDESTRIAN NAVIGATION SYSTEMAND METHOD INTEGRATED WITH PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

• US 20100268450A1
• Filed: 04/15/2009
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Evanitsky, Eugene Stephen
• Application Number:
  US12/424,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268450A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• 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

Abstract

A method according to the present disclosure includes receiving information, including a user-desired destination as an end location, from a user-operated computing device and electronically determining a current location of a user as a beginning location based on positional information received at the user-operated computing device. The method also includes electronically generating potential routes from the beginning location to the end location based on the information and electronically selecting one of the potential routes as a selected route. The method also includes outputting, to the user-operated computing device, the electronically selected route. The selected route includes one or more of a mass transit portion, a motor vehicle route portion, and a pedestrian walking route portion. The method also includes outputting, to the user-operated computing device, navigation instructions based on a then-current location of the user between the beginning location and the end location.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving information, including a user-desired destination as an end location, from a user-operated computing device;

electronically determining a current location of a user as a beginning location based on positional information received from the user-operated computing device;

based on the information, electronically generating potential routes from the beginning location to the end location;

electronically selecting one of the potential routes as a selected route;

outputting, to the user-operated computing device, (1) the electronically selected route, wherein the electronically selected route includes at least one of a mass transit portion, a motor vehicle route portion, and a pedestrian walking route portion, and (2) navigation instructions based on a then-current location of the user between the beginning location and the end location.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically regenerating the selected route based on the then-current location of the user, wherein the regenerating comprises electronically re-determining the current location based on least one of intermittent automated positioning and user input.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

receiving information, including a request for a livery vehicle, from the user-operated computing device; and

dispatching the livery vehicle to the then-current location of the user.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mass transit portion includes at least one of a public and commercial bus portion, a public and commercial train portion, a public and commercial subway portion, a public and commercial air travel portion, a public and commercial ferry portion, and a public and commercial taxi portion.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, as user input, an air travel itinerary from the user-operated computing device, wherein the outputting further comprises outputting, to the user-operated computing device, navigation instructions based on the received air travel itinerary.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, as user input from the user-operated computing device, identification data corresponding to luggage belonging to the user.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the user-operated computing device is a network-enabled cell phone.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a network server adapted lo generate navigation and tracking data lo the user-operated computing device.

9. A method according lo claim 1, wherein the outputting of the navigation instructions includes determining a completion of a route portion based on a comparison between an elapsed time and an average historical time for the route portion.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the outputting of the navigation instructions includes at least one of outputting, to the user-operated computing device, a waiting location, a confirmation that the then-current location of the user is the correct waiting location, an estimated arrival time of a mass transit portion vehicle, an indication to exit the mass transit portion vehicle based on the then-current location of the user, and a fare associated with travel on the mass transit portion vehicle.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the outputting of the navigation instructions includes outputting, to the user-operated computing device, an image identifying the mass transit portion vehicle.

12. A navigation system, comprising:

a network server adapted to receive, as user input, a desired destination as an end location from a user-operated computing device, the user-operated computing device adapted to receive wireless positional information to calculate a current location of the user-operated device as a beginning location;

a processor operably connected to an instruction module and a memory adapted to store transit data received, by the processor, from a transit data source, wherein the instruction module is configured to calculate potential routes from the beginning location to the end location based on the stored transit data and to select one of the potential routes as a selected route, wherein the user-operated computing device is adapted to receive, as output from the network server, at least one of the selected route and real-time navigation instructions based on a then-current location of the user-operated computing device; and

a livery service utility operating on the network server and adapted to receive, as user input, a request for a livery service vehicle to the then-current location of the user-operated computing device, wherein the user-operated computing device is adapted to receive, as output from a corresponding livery service, a confirmation that the livery service will dispatch a livery service vehicle to the then-current location of the user-operated computing device.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the potential routes include at least one of a mass transit route portion, a motor vehicle route portion, and a pedestrian walking route portion, wherein the mass transit route portion includes at least one of a public and commercial bus route portion, a public and commercial train route portion, a public and commercial subway route portion, a public and commercial ferry route portion, a public and commercial taxi route portion, and a public and commercial air travel route portion.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the mass transit route portion is generated based on the transit data received from the transit data source.

15. A system according to claim 12, wherein the user-operated computing device is adapted to receive the wireless positional information from a GPS satellite.

16. A method comprising:

receiving information, including at least one of a user-desired destination as an end location and an air travel itinerary, from a user-operated computing device;

electronically determining a current location of a user as a beginning location based on positional information received from the user-operated computing device;

based on the information, electronically generating potential routes from the beginning location to the end location;

electronically selecting one of the potential routes as a selected route;

outputting, to the user-operated computing device, (1) the electronically selected route, wherein the electronically selected route includes at least one of a mass transit portion, a motor vehicle route portion, and a pedestrian walking route portion, and (2) navigation instructions based on at least one of the air travel itinerary and a then-current location of the user between the beginning location and the end location; and

dynamically regenerating the selected route based on the then-current location of the user.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the regenerating comprises electronically re-determining the current location based on least one of intermittent automated positioning and user input.

18. A method according to claim 16, further comprising:

receiving information, including a request for a livery vehicle, from the user-operated computing device; and

dispatching the livery vehicle to the then-current location of the user.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the mass transit portion includes at least one of a public and commercial bus portion, a public and commercial train portion, a public and commercial subway portions, a public and commercial air travel portion, a public and commercial ferry portion, and a public and commercial taxi portion.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein the user-desired destination is received as one of a street address, a street intersection, a latitude/longitude location, and a point of interest.