PREDICTIVE ASSISTANCE INFORMATION

• US 20150038173A1
• Filed: 10/14/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jackson, Dean Kenneth, Klein, Daniel Victor
• Granted Patent: US 9,113,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A computing device described may determine a current speed of the computing device, and, responsive to determining that the current speed of the computing device satisfies a threshold speed, determine whether a current geographic location of the computing device is within with an uncommon stopping area, the uncommon stopping area being a geographic area in which less than a threshold number of other computing devices have been determined to have previously stopped. The computing device may also, responsive to determining that the current geographic location of the computing device is within the uncommon stopping area and responsive to determining that assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device, determine, based on the current geographic location, assistance information relevant to the current geographic location, and output, for display, the assistance information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing device, a current speed of the computing device;

responsive to determining that the current speed of the computing device satisfies a threshold speed, determining whether the computing device is currently located within with an uncommon stopping area, the uncommon stopping area being a geographic area in which fewer than a threshold number of other computing devices have been determined to have previously stopped; and

responsive to determining that the computing device is currently located within the uncommon stopping area, determining whether assistance-type information is relevant to a user of the computing device;

responsive to determining that the assistance-type information is relevant to the user;

determining, based on a current geographic location of the computing device, assistance information relevant to the current geographic location; and

outputting, by the computing device and for display, the assistance information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether assistance-type information is relevant to a user of the computing device comprises:

responsive to determining that a speed of the computing device has satisfied the threshold speed for a threshold amount of time and that the computing device has been located within the uncommon stopping area for the threshold amount of time, determining, by the computing device, that the assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether assistance-type information is relevant to a user of the computing device comprises:

obtaining, by the computing device, an indication of a current average speed of one or more other computing devices located within the uncommon stopping area; and

responsive to determining that the current average speed of the one or more other computing devices does not satisfy the threshold speed, determining that the assistance-type information is relevant the user of the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, an updated current speed of the computing device; and

responsive to determining that the updated current speed of the computing device does not satisfy the threshold speed, ceasing output of the assistance information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the computing device is currently located within the uncommon stopping area comprises:

sending, by the computing device, an indication of the current geographic location of the computing device to a remote computing system;

receiving, by the computing device, from the remote computing system, an indication of whether the current geographic location of the computing device is within the uncommon stopping area; and

determining, by the computing device and based on the received indication, whether the computing device is currently located within the uncommon stopping area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the assistance information relevant to the current location comprises:

sending, by the computing device, an assistance request to a computing system, the assistance request including the current geographic location;

receiving, by the computing device, from the computing system, the assistance information, wherein the assistance information includes information about one or more businesses that are located within a threshold distance from the current geographic location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more businesses included in the assistance information have a business type associated with providing assistance services.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device comprises:

determining, by the computing device, based on accelerometer information, a deceleration rate; and

responsive to determining that the deceleration rate exceeds a maximum threshold deceleration rate, determining that assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to determining that the computing device is not currently located within with the uncommon stopping area:

determining, by the computing device, a current time;

obtaining, by the computing device, temporal limitations associated with a current geographic location and the current time;

determining, based on the temporal limitations, whether the computing device is permitted to stop at the current geographic location at the current time; and

responsive to determining that the computing device is not permitted to stop at the geographic location at the current time, determining, by the computing device, that assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device.

10. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

at least one module operable by the one or more processors to;

determine a current speed of the computing device;

responsive to determining that the current speed of the computing device satisfies a threshold speed;

send an indication of a current geographic location of the computing device to a remote computing system;

receive, from the remote computing system, an indication of whether the current geographic location of the computing device is within an uncommon stopping area, the uncommon stopping area being a geographic area in which fewer than a threshold number of other computing devices have been determined to have previously stopped; and

determine, based on the received indication, whether the current geographic location of the computing device is within the uncommon stopping area;

responsive to determining that the current geographic location of the computing device is within the uncommon stopping area, determine whether assistance-type information is relevant to a user of the computing device; and

responsive to determining that assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device;

determine, based on the current geographic location, assistance information relevant to the current geographic location; and

output, for display, the assistance information.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the one or more processors to:

responsive to determining that a speed of the computing device has satisfied the threshold speed for a threshold amount of time and that the computing device has been located within the uncommon stopping area for the threshold amount of time, determine that the assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the one or more processors to:

obtain an indication of a current average speed of one or more other computing devices located within the uncommon stopping area; and

responsive to determining that the current average speed of the one or more other computing devices does not satisfy the threshold speed, determine that the assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the one or more processors to:

determine an updated current speed of the computing device; and

responsive to determining that the updated current speed of the computing device does not satisfy the threshold speed, cease output of the assistance information.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the one or more processors to:

send an assistance request to the remote computing system, the assistance request including the current geographic location; and

receive, from the remote computing system, the assistance information, wherein the assistance information includes information about one or more businesses that are located within a threshold distance from the current geographic location.

15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the one or more processors to:

determine, based on accelerometer information, a deceleration rate; and

responsive to determining that the deceleration rate exceeds a maximum threshold deceleration rate, determine that the assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device.

16. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the one or more processors to:

responsive to determining that the current geographic location of the computing device is not within with the uncommon stopping area;

determine a current time;

obtain temporal limitations associated with the current geographic location and the current time; and

responsive to determining that the computing device is not permitted to stop at the geographic location at the current time, determine that the assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, from a mobile computing device, an indication of a current speed of the mobile computing device and a geographic location of the mobile computing device;

responsive to determining that the current speed of the mobile computing device satisfies a threshold speed and that the geographic location of the mobile computing device is within an uncommon stopping area, determining, by the computing system, one or more businesses located within a threshold distance from the geographic location of the mobile computing device, the one or more businesses being categorized as providing assistance services;

retrieving, by the computing system, information about the one or more determined businesses as assistance information; and

sending, by the computing system, to the mobile computing device, the assistance information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing system, respective current speed information for one or more other computing devices located within a threshold distance from the geographic location of the mobile computing device;

determining, by the computing system, a current average speed of the one or more other computing devices; and

responsive to determining that the current average speed of the one or more other computing devices does not satisfy the threshold speed, sending, by the computing system, to the mobile computing device, the assistance information.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing system, respective location information and respective time information for a plurality of computing devices, the location information corresponding to a stopping area; and

determining, by the computing system and based on the respective time information, that the stopping area corresponds to a common stopping area during a first time period and the uncommon stopping area during a second time period.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing system, respective location information for a plurality of computing devices, the location information corresponding to a stopping area; and

determining, by the computing system and based on the respective location information, that the stopping area corresponds to a common stopping area.