ROUTE PLANNING USING PARKING RESERVATIONS

• US 20150254608A1
• Filed: 03/05/2015
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Perez, Juan
• Application Number:
  US14/639,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254608A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products for planning or updating a delivery route based at least in part on a parking reservation and/or projected parking availability. One embodiment provides a method for planning a delivery route comprising storing stop locations in association with parking information, wherein the parking information associated with a stop location indicates if a parking reservation should be requested for the stop location; identifying a stop location based at least in part on a delivery location associated with an item to be delivered to the delivery location; determining whether the parking information associated with the identified stop location indicates that a parking reservation should be requested for the identified stop location; and responsive to determining that a parking reservation should be requested for the identified stop location, generating a parking reservation request for use during the delivery of the item.

Claims

1. A system comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including program code, the at least one memory and the program code configured to, with the processor, cause the system to at least:

store a plurality of stop locations in association with parking information, wherein the parking information indicates if a parking reservation should be requested for the stop location;

identify a stop location based at least in part on a delivery location associated with an item, wherein the item is to be delivered to the delivery location;

determine whether parking information associated with the identified stop location indicates that a parking reservation should be requested for the identified stop location; and

responsive to determining that a parking reservation should be requested for the identified stop location, generate a parking reservation request for a parking place for use during the delivery of the item to the delivery location.

2. The system of claim 1, the at least one memory and the program code configured to, with the processor, cause the system to at least:

receive a parking reservation confirmation comprising parking reservation information;

generate a dispatch plan based at least in part on the parking reservation information, wherein the dispatch plan comprises a delivery stop for delivering the item to the delivery location, the dispatch plan comprising delivery route information; and

provide at least a portion of the delivery route information and at least a portion of the parking reservation information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the parking reservation request comprises at least one of the delivery location, the identified stop location, a parking location identifier, a predefined geographical area associated with the identified stop location, a requested reservation time, a requested reservation time window, a parking place preference, or a threshold distance between the parking place and the delivery location or the identified stop location.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the parking location identifier comprises at least one of an identifier configured to identify a particular parking place, a particular parking lot, a particular set of parking places, or a particular parking garage.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the parking reservation confirmation comprises a token, a machine-readable code or human-readable code and wherein the parking reservation confirmation provides access to the parking reservation.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory and the program code further configured to, with the processor, cause the system to at least:

provide the parking reservation confirmation to a driver computing device associated with a delivery driver for use in accessing the parking reservation.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the parking reservation information comprises a time window and information identifying a parking place.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the program code further configured to, with the processor, cause the system to at least:

determine whether a parking reservation should be requested for a stop location based at least in part on historical data associated with the stop location.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein to determine whether a parking reservation should be requested for a stop location, the at least one memory and the program code further configured to, with the processor:

determine the probability that parking is available within a predefined geographical area associated with the stop location; and

determine that a parking reservation should be requested for the stop location if the probability that parking is available within the predefined geographical area is less than or approximately equal to a threshold percentage.

10. A method for using a parking reservation to deliver an item, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of stop locations in association with parking information, wherein the parking information associated with a stop location indicates if a parking reservation should be requested for the stop location;

identifying a stop location based at least in part on a delivery location associated with an item, wherein the item is to be delivered to the delivery location;

determining whether the parking information associated with the identified stop location indicates that a parking reservation should be requested for the identified stop location; and

responsive to determining that a parking reservation should be requested for the identified stop location, generating a parking reservation request for a parking place for use during the delivery of the item to the delivery location.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a parking reservation confirmation comprising parking reservation information;

generating a dispatch plan based at least in part on the parking reservation information, wherein the dispatch plan comprises a delivery stop for delivering the item to the delivery location, the dispatch plan comprising delivery route information; and

providing at least a portion of the delivery route information and at least a portion of the parking reservation information.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the parking reservation request comprises at least one of the delivery location, the identified stop location, a parking location identifier, a predefined geographical area associated with the identified stop location, a requested reservation time, a requested reservation time window, a parking place preference, or a threshold distance between the parking place and the delivery location or the identified stop location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the parking location identifier comprises at least one of an identifier configured to identify a particular parking place, a particular parking lot, a particular set of parking places, or a particular parking garage.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the parking reservation confirmation comprises a token, a machine-readable code or human-readable code and wherein the parking reservation confirmation provides access to the parking reservation.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing the parking reservation confirmation to a driver computing device associated with a delivery driver for use in accessing the parking reservation.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the parking reservation information comprises a time window and information identifying a parking place.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein whether a parking reservation should be requested for a stop location is determined by:

determining the probability that parking is available within a predefined geographical area associated with the stop location based at least in part on historical data associated with the stop location; and

determining that a parking reservation should be requested for the stop location if the probability that parking is available within the predefined geographical area is less than or approximately equal to a threshold percentage.

18. A non-transitory computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable portions comprising:

an executable portion configured to store a plurality of stop locations in association with parking information, wherein the parking information indicates if a parking reservation should be requested for the stop location;

an executable portion configured to identify a stop location based at least in part on a delivery location associated with an item, wherein the item is to be delivered to the delivery location;

an executable portion configured to determine whether parking information associated with the identified stop location indicates that a parking reservation should be requested for the identified stop location; and

an executable portion configured to responsive to determining that a parking reservation should be requested for the identified stop location, generate a parking reservation request for a parking place for use during the delivery of the item to the delivery location.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, the computer-readable portions further comprising:

an executable portion configured to receive a parking reservation confirmation comprising parking reservation information;

an executable portion configured to generate a dispatch plan based at least in part on the parking reservation information, wherein the dispatch plan comprises a delivery stop for delivering the item to the delivery location, the dispatch plan comprising delivery route information; and

an executable portion configured to provide at least a portion of the delivery route information and at least a portion of the parking reservation information.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the parking reservation request comprises at least one of the delivery location, the identified stop location, a parking location identifier, a predefined geographical area associated with the identified stop location, a requested reservation time, a requested reservation time window, a parking place preference, or a threshold distance between the parking place and the delivery location or the identified stop location.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the parking location identifier comprises at least one of an identifier configured to identify a particular parking place, a particular parking lot, a particular set of parking places, or a particular parking garage.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the parking reservation confirmation comprises a token, a machine-readable code or human-readable code and wherein the parking reservation confirmation provides access to the parking reservation.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, the computer-readable portions further comprising:

an executable portion configured to provide the parking reservation confirmation to a driver computing device associated with a delivery driver for use in accessing the parking reservation.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the parking reservation information comprises a time window and information identifying a parking place.

25. The computer program product of claim 18, the computer-readable portions further comprising:

an executable portion configured to determine whether a parking reservation should be requested for a stop location based at least in part on historical data associated with the stop location.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein to determine whether a parking reservation should be requested for a stop location, the at least one memory and the program code further configured to, with the processor:

determine the probability that parking is available within a predefined geographical area associated with the stop location; and

determine that a parking reservation should be requested for the stop location if the probability that parking is available within the predefined geographical area is less than or approximately equal to a threshold percentage.