DISTRIBUTION OF LOCATION AND MOVEMENT INFORMATION OF MEETING PARTICIPANTS

• US 20140207375A1
• Filed: 01/24/2013
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Lerenc, Vedran
• Granted Patent: US 9,554,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/527
• 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: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Location information of each participant in a carpool or other event may be automatically collected at a central server. The location information may be collected based on an ascertained location of a mobile computing device carried by a participant. The location of each participant'"'"'s mobile computing device may be obtained through the use of location based services. Each participant'"'"'s device may push geographic location, speed, and/or movement type information (such as whether the participant is walking or driving) to a central system. The pushed data may then be pulled from the central system by the devices of other interested participants. Methods, computer readable media, and devices are provided.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically distributing location information between carpool participants comprising:

ascertaining a location of different mobile computing devices of different carpool participants at a predetermined time with respect to a scheduled carpool time;

calculating a speed of each respective carpool participant based on a measured change in location of their mobile computing device over a known time period;

classifying the calculated speed of each respective carpool participant relative to a stationary, a walking, or a driving speed;

calculating an expected arrival time of each respective carpool participant at their scheduled carpool meeting location based on their classified speed and a distance between their ascertained location and their scheduled carpool meeting location;

comparing the expected arrival time of each respective carpool participant to their scheduled arrival time; and

transmitting over a communications network to at least one computing device a scheduled arrival time update based on the comparing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the method at each of a plurality of predetermined time intervals to transmit scheduled arrival time updates at a rate corresponding to the predetermined time intervals.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

selecting a first time interval when a remaining battery power of a respective mobile computing device exceeds a threshold; and

selecting a second time interval less frequent than the first time interval when the remaining battery power does not exceed the threshold.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

classifying the speed as stationary when the calculated speed is less than 1 km/hr;

classifying the speed as walking when the calculated speed is between 1 km/hr and 10 km/hr; and

classifying the speed as driving when the calculated speed is above 10 km/hr.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising calculating a time required to travel a shortest route at the classified speed from an ascertained location to a scheduled carpool meeting location to calculate the expected arrival time of each respective carpool participant.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the scheduled arrival time update to a mobile computing device of a carpool participant requesting to receiving the scheduled arrival time update.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically transmitting the scheduled arrival time update to a mobile computing device of each carpool participant when the scheduled arrival time update is complete.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a plurality of ascertained locations of a plurality of mobile computing devices of the carpool participants to each other;

recalculating a carpool route, a scheduled carpool meeting location of at least one carpool participant, and a scheduled arrival time of at least one participant based on the comparing to minimize a duration of the carpool;

transmitting the recalculated carpool route, the recalculated scheduled carpool meeting location, and the recalculated scheduled arrival time to the mobile computing devices of those participants affected by the recalculating.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting the recalculated carpool route, the recalculated scheduled carpool meeting location, and the recalculated scheduled arrival time as part of an update shown on a map of a mapping application on the respective mobile computing devices of those participants affected by the recalculating.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a plurality of ascertained locations of a plurality of mobile computing devices of the carpool participants to each other;

recalculating a carpool route, a scheduled carpool meeting location of at least one carpool participant, and a scheduled arrival time of at least one participant based on the comparing to minimize a total distance traveled by each of the carpool participants from their ascertained locations to their recalculated scheduled carpool meeting location;

transmitting the recalculated carpool route, the recalculated scheduled carpool meeting location, and the recalculated scheduled arrival time to the mobile computing devices of at least those participants affected by the recalculating.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising ascertaining the mobile computing device location using a location based service.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising ascertaining the mobile computing device location using location data obtained from a global positioning system (GPS) sensor included in the mobile computing device.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising ascertaining the mobile computing device location based on a known location of a wireless hotspot device or router communicating with the mobile computing device.

14. A first mobile computing device comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

ascertain a location of a first mobile computing device of a first carpool participant at a predetermined time with respect to a scheduled carpool time;

calculate a speed of the first mobile computing device based on a measured change in location of the first mobile computing device over a known time period;

receive a location and a calculated speed of a second mobile computing device of a second carpool participant ascertained by the second mobile computing device at the predetermined time;

classify the calculated speed of each respective mobile computing device relative to a stationary, a walking, or a driving speed;

calculate an expected arrival time of each respective carpool participant at their scheduled carpool meeting location based on their classified speed and a distance between the ascertained location of their mobile computing device and their scheduled carpool meeting location;

compare the expected arrival time of each respective carpool participant to their scheduled arrival time; and

depict on a map displayed on the first mobile computing device the location of each mobile computing device and an indication as to whether the expected arrival time of at least one carpool participant and their mobile computing device is within a predetermined period of their scheduled arrival time.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the computer readable medium stores further instructions that, when executed, cause the processing device to:

receive a location and a calculated speed of a plurality of mobile computing devices of a plurality of carpool participants;

compare the received plurality of mobile computing device locations to each other and the ascertained location of the first mobile computing device;

recalculate a carpool route, a scheduled carpool meeting location of at least one carpool participant, and a scheduled arrival time of at least one participant based on the compared received plurality of mobile computing locations to minimize a total distance traveled by each carpool participant from their respective ascertained or received locations to their recalculated scheduled carpool meeting location; and

depict on the map the recalculated carpool route, the recalculated scheduled carpool meeting location, and the recalculated scheduled arrival time.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the computer readable medium stores further instructions that, when executed, cause the processing device to transmit the recalculated carpool route, the recalculated scheduled carpool meeting location, and the recalculated scheduled arrival time to the mobile computing devices of at least those participants affected by the recalculating.

17. A first mobile computing device comprising:

a receiver receiving location data from an external source to the first mobile computing device;

a processing device configured to;

ascertain a location of the first mobile computing device using the location data received at the receiver at a first predetermined time before a scheduled event;

calculate a speed of the first mobile computing device based on a measured change in location of the first mobile computing device over a known time period;

receive a location and a calculated speed of a second mobile computing device ascertained by the second mobile computing device at the predetermined time;

classify the calculated speed of each respective mobile computing device relative to a stationary, a walking, or a driving speed;

calculate an expected arrival time of each user of the respective mobile computing devices at their scheduled meeting location based on the classified speed of their mobile computing device and a distance between the ascertained location of their mobile computing device and their scheduled meeting location;

compare the expected arrival time of each user to their scheduled arrival time; and

depict on a map displayed on the first mobile computing device the location of each mobile computing device and an indication as to whether the expected arrival time of at least one user is within a predetermined period of their scheduled arrival time.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the receiver is a global positioning system (GPS) sensor receiving location data from a GPS data source.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the GPS data source is a GPS satellite.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the receiver receives location data representing a known location of a wireless router or hotspot in communication with the mobile computing device.