USER-CENTRIC TRAFFIC ENQUIRY AND ALERT SYSTEM

• US 20120075118A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Appy Risk Technologies Limited (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Basir, Otman Adam
• Granted Patent: US 9,135,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A method for notifying a user about traffic including the step of determining an origin of the user. A destination of the user is also determined. Traffic conditions between the origin and the destination are determined. The user is notified of the traffic conditions.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a user about traffic including the steps of:

a) determining an origin of the user;

b) determining a destination of the user;

c) determining traffic conditions between the origin and the destination; and

d) notifying the user of the traffic conditions based upon said step d).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said step b) is performed based upon an analysis of a set of contacts associated with the user.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said step b) includes comparing the user'"'"'s current direction of travel to addresses in the contacts.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said step b) is performed based upon a calendar event associated with the user.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step b) is performed based upon at least one contact among a plurality of user contacts associated with the user.

10. The method of claim 1 further including determine a direction of travel of the user and wherein said step c) includes determining traffic conditions in the user'"'"'s direction of travel.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said step d) is performed at a set time interval prior to the user leaving the origin.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said step d) is performed at a time that is dependent upon the traffic conditions determined in said step c).

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said step d) is performed at a time that is based upon a latest time of arrival received from the user.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said step b) is performed based upon the user'"'"'s current location and based upon a current direction of travel of the user.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said step b) is performed based upon a comparison of current location and current direction of travel to addresses in contacts associated with the user.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of said steps a)-d) are performed on a mobile device.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of said steps a)-d) are performed on a server remote from the user.

2. The method of claim wherein said step b) is performed by monitoring a history of destinations by the user and predicting the destination based upon the history of destinations.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of monitoring the history of destinations by user includes monitoring destinations on days of the week and times of day.

4. The method of claim 3 further including the step of comparing the traffic conditions to a threshold set by the user and wherein said step d) includes only notifying the user based upon the comparison with the threshold.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the threshold is a length of delay of calculated travel time relative to expected travel time under normal conditions.