PROVIDING PREDICTED TRAVEL INFORMATION

• US 20140343841A1
• Filed: 10/16/2013
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Faaborg, Alexander, Gultekin, Gokay Baris, Garb, Rachel Leah, Wansley, Andrew Theodore
• Application Number:
  US14/055,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20140343841A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/465
• 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 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09

Abstract

A computing system includes at least one processor and at least one module operable by the at least one processor to receive location information associated with a computing device, including indications of locations at which the computing device was previously located and an indication of a current location of the computing device, determine, based at least in part on the location information, a predicted destination, determine, based at least in part on the current location of the computing device and the predicted destination, a predicted travel route, determine, based at least in part on an amount of traffic along the predicted travel route, a predicted arrival time, determine, based at least in part on the predicted destination, one or more other users, and send an indication of the predicted arrival time to one or more computing devices associated with the one or more other users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing system and based at least in part on location information associated with a first computing device, a predicted destination, wherein the first computing device is associated with a first user;

determining, by the computing system, a predicted arrival time of the first user at the predicted destination;

determining, by the computing system and based at least in part on the predicted destination, a second user who is associated with the first user;

determining, by the computing system and based at least in part on a current location of a second computing device, a predicted arrival time of the second user at the predicted destination, wherein the second computing device is associated with the second user;

responsive to determining that a difference between the predicted arrival time of the first user and the predicted arrival time of the second user satisfies a condition that is based on a threshold duration of time, sending, by the computing system and to the second computing device, an indication instructing the second user to depart from the current location of the second computing device; and

responsive to determining that the difference does not satisfy the condition, refraining from sending, by the computing system, the indication instructing the second user to depart from the current location of the second computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the computing system and based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, a predicted mode of travel of the first user, wherein determining the predicted arrival time of the first user is further based at least in part upon the predicted mode of travel of the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending, by the computing system and to the second computing device, an indication of the predicted mode of travel of the first user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the predicted destination comprises:

determining, based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, a first set of locations at which the first computing device was previously located, wherein each of the first set of locations corresponds to a first geographical location;

determining, based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, a second set of locations at which the first computing device was previous previously located, wherein each of the second set of locations corresponds to a second geographical location; and

responsive to determining that a current location of the first computing device corresponds to the first geographical location, determining that the second geographical location is the predicted destination of the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the computing system and to a social network service, instructions to cause the social network service to modify a social network status message associated with the first user to include at least the predicted arrival time of the first user.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

responsive to determining, based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, that the first user has arrived at the predicted destination, sending, by the computing system and to the social network service, instructions to cause the social network service to modify the social network status message associated with the first user to exclude at least the predicted arrival time of the first user.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining, by the computing system and based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, that the first user has arrived at the predicted destination, determining whether the second user is at the predicted destination; and

responsive to determining that the second computing device is at not at the predicted destination, sending, by the computing system and to the second computing system, an indication informing the second user that the first user has arrived at the predicted destination.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second user who is associated with the first user comprises determining the second user based at least in part on location information associated with the second computing device.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises the first computing device.

5. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. A computing system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one module operable by the at least one processor to;

determine, based at least in part on location information associated with a first computing device, a predicted destination, wherein the first computing device is associated with a first user;

determine a predicted arrival time of the first user at the predicted destination;

determine, based at least in part on the predicted destination, a second user who is associated with the predicted destination;

determine, based at least in part on a current location of a second computing device, a predicted arrival time of the second user at the predicted destination, wherein the second computing device is associated with the second user;

responsive to determining that a difference between the predicted arrival time of the first user and the predicted arrival time of the second user satisfies a condition that is based on a threshold duration of time, send, to the second computing device, an indication instructing the second user to depart from the current location of the second computing device; and

responsive to determining that the difference does not satisfy the condition, refrain from sending the indication instructing the second user to depart from the current location of the second computing device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to determine, based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, a predicted mode of travel of the first user, and wherein determining the predicted arrival time of the first user is further based at least in part upon the predicted mode of travel of the first user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to send, to the second computing device, an indication of the predicted mode of travel of the first user.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to:

determine, based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, a first set of locations at which the first computing device was previously located, wherein each of the first set of locations corresponds to a first geographical location;

determine, based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, a second set of locations at which the first computing device was previously located, wherein each of the second set of locations corresponds to a second geographical location; and

responsive to determining that a current location of the first computing device corresponds to the first geographical location, determining that the second geographical location is the predicted destination of the first user.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to:

responsive to determining, based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, that the first user has arrived at the predicted destination, send, to the second computing device, a notification that the first user arrived at the predicted destination.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to:

send, to a social network service, instructions to cause the social network service to modify a social network status message associated with the first user to include at least the predicted arrival time of the first user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to:

responsive to determining, based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, that the first user has arrived at the predicted destination, send, to the social network service, instructions to cause the social network service to modify the social network status message associated with the first user to exclude at least the predicted arrival time of the first user.

16. (canceled)

17. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of a computing system to:

determine, based at least in part on location information associated with a first computing device, a predicted destination, wherein the first computing device is associated with a first user;

determine a predicted arrival time of the first user at the predicted destination;

determine, based at least in part on previous communications of the first user, a second user who is associated with the previous communications;

determine, based at least in part on a current location of a second computing device, a predicted arrival time of the second user at the predicted destination, wherein the second computing device is associated with the second user;

responsive to determining that a difference between the predicted arrival time of the first user and the predicted arrival time of the second user satisfies a condition that is based on a threshold duration of time, send, to the second computing device, an indication instructing the second user to depart from the current location of the second computing device; and

responsive to determining that the difference does not satisfy the condition, refrain from sending the indication instructing the second user to depart from the current location of the second computing device.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to:

data mine the previous communications of the first user for one or more keywords;

identify at least one of the one or more keywords that corresponds to the predicted destination of the first user;

determine a subset of the previous communications of the first user that each include the at least one identified keyword; and

determine, based at least in part on the subset of previous communications of the first user, the second user.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to:

determine, based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, a first set of locations at which the first computing device was previously located, wherein each of the first set of locations corresponds to a first geographical location;

determine, based at least in part on the location information associated with the first computing device, a second set of locations at which the first computing device was previously located, wherein each of the second set of locations corresponds to a second geographical location; and

responsive to determining that a current location of the first computing device corresponds to the first geographical location, determine that the second geographical location is the predicted destination of the first user.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to:

send, to a social network service, instructions to cause the social network service to modify a social network status message associated with the first user to include at least the predicted arrival time of the first user.