DETERMINING A TRAVEL ROUTE

• US 20150330799A1
• Filed: 07/15/2015
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory J., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Martino, Jacquelyn A., Pickover, Clifford A., Sand, Anne R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,909,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems

Abstract

An approach for determining a route is provided. A rule is retrieved, which indicates a number of recommended routes passing through a constrained area is not permitted to exceed a threshold. After a receipt of N requests from N respective users for N routes, N recommended routes passing through the constrained area are determined and presented to the N users. After determining the N recommended routes and based on a receipt of a request from an (N+1)-th user for an (N+1)-th route, the (N+1)-th route, which passes through the constrained area, is determined. Based on the retrieved rule and the (N+1)-th route passing through the constrained area, N+1 is determined to not exceed the second number. Responsive to determining N+1 does not exceed the threshold, the (N+1)-th route is designated as an (N+1)-th recommended route.

Claims

1. A method of determining a route, the method comprising the steps of:

a computer retrieving a rule indicating that a first number of recommended routes passing through a constrained area is not permitted to exceed a second number, the rule limiting a number of recommended routes that pass through the constrained area;

subsequent to a receipt from N users of N respective requests for N routes, the computer determining N recommended routes passing through the constrained area and presenting the N recommended routes to the N users;

subsequent to the step of determining the N recommended routes and based on a receipt of a request from an (N+1)-th user for a determination of an (N+1)-th route, the computer determining the (N+1)-th route, which passes through the constrained area;

based on the retrieved rule and the (N+1)-th route passing through the constrained area, the computer determining N+1 does not exceed the second number; and

in response to the step of determining N+1 does not exceed the second number, the computer designating the (N+1)-th route as an (N+1)-th recommended route.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

subsequent to the step of designating the (N+1)-th route as the (N+1)-th recommended route and based on a receipt from an (N+2)-th user of a request for a determination of an (N+2)-th route, the computer determining the (N+2)-th route, which passes through the constrained area;

based on the retrieved rule and the (N+2)-th route passing through the constrained area, the computer determining N+2 is greater than the second number; and

in response to the step of determining N+2 is greater than the second number, the computer indicating that the (N+2)-th route is not a recommended route and is not to be presented to the (N+2)-th user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

subsequent to the step of designating the (N+1)-th route as the (N+1)-th recommended route and based on a receipt from an (N+2)-th user of a request for a determination of an (N+2)-th route, the computer determining the (N+2)-th route, which passes through the constrained area;

based on the retrieved rule and the (N+2)-th route passing through the constrained area, the computer determining N+2 is greater than the second number;

in response to the step of determining N+2 is greater than the second number, the computer identifying the constrained area as having congested traffic, the computer determining that the (N+2)-th route passes through the area having congested traffic, and the computer determining a fee to promote a reduction in additional vehicles entering the area having congested traffic.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of the computer presenting the (N+1)-th recommended route to the (N+1)-th user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of presenting the (N+1)-th recommended route is performed by a global positioning system included in a vehicle that includes the computer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of the computer receiving an indication of the constrained area as an area having congested traffic, wherein the steps of determining the N recommended routes, determining the (N+1)-th route, determining N+1 does not exceed the second number, and designating the (N+1)-th route as the (N+1)-th recommended route are based in part on the received indication of the constrained area.

7. The method claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable program code in the computer, the program code being executed by a processor of the computer to implement the steps of retrieving the rule, determining the N recommended routes, presenting the N recommended routes, determining the (N+1)-th route, determining N+1 does not exceed the second number, and designating the (N+1)-th route as the (N+1)-th recommended route.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable storage device; and

a computer-readable program code stored in the computer-readable storage device, the computer-readable program code containing instructions that are executed by a central processing unit (CPU) of a computer system to implement a method of determining a route, the method comprising the steps of;

the computer system retrieving a rule indicating that a first number of recommended routes passing through a constrained area is not permitted to exceed a second number, the rule limiting a number of recommended routes that pass through the constrained area;

subsequent to a receipt of N requests from N respective users for N routes, the computer system determining N recommended routes passing through the constrained area and presenting the N recommended routes to the N users;

subsequent to the step of determining the N recommended routes and based on a receipt of a request from an (N+1)-th user for a determination of an (N+1)-th route, the computer system determining the (N+1)-th route, which passes through the constrained area;

based on the retrieved rule and the (N+1)-th route passing through the constrained area, the computer system determining N+1 does not exceed the second number; and

in response to the step of determining N+1 does not exceed the second number, the computer system designating the (N+1)-th route as an (N+1)-th recommended route.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

subsequent to the step of designating the (N+1)-th route as the (N+1)-th recommended route and based on a receipt from an (N+2)-th user of a request for a determination of an (N+2)-th route, the computer system determining the (N+2)-th route, which passes through the constrained area;

based on the retrieved rule and the (N+2)-th route passing through the constrained area, the computer system determining N+2 is greater than the second number; and

in response to the step of determining N+2 is greater than the second number, the computer system indicating that the (N+2)-th route is not a recommended route and is not to be presented to the (N+2)-th user.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

subsequent to the step of designating the (N+1)-th route as the (N+1)-th recommended route and based on a receipt from an (N+2)-th user of a request for a determination of an (N+2)-th route, the computer system determining the (N+2)-th route, which passes through the constrained area;

based on the retrieved rule and the (N+2)-th route passing through the constrained area, the computer system determining N+2 is greater than the second number;

in response to the step of determining N+2 is greater than the second number, the computer system identifying the constrained area as having congested traffic, the computer system determining that the (N+2)-th route passes through the area having congested traffic, and the computer system determining a fee to promote a reduction in additional vehicles entering the area having congested traffic.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the step of the computer system presenting the (N+1)-th recommended route to the (N+1)-th user.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the step of presenting the (N+1)-th recommended route is performed by a global positioning system included in a vehicle that includes the computer system.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the step of the computer system receiving an indication of the constrained area as an area having congested traffic, wherein the steps of determining the N recommended routes, determining the (N+1)-th route, determining N+1 does not exceed the second number, and designating the (N+1)-th route as the (N+1)-th recommended route are based in part on the received indication of the constrained area.

14. A computer system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a memory coupled to the CPU; and

a computer-readable storage device coupled to the CPU, the storage device containing instructions that are executed by the CPU via the memory to implement a method of determining a route, the method comprising the steps of;

the computer system retrieving a rule indicating that a first number of recommended routes passing through a constrained area is not permitted to exceed a second number, the rule limiting a number of recommended routes that pass through the constrained area;

subsequent to a receipt of N requests from N respective users for N routes, the computer system determining N recommended routes passing through the constrained area and presenting the N recommended routes to the N users;

subsequent to the step of determining the N recommended routes and based on a receipt of a request from an (N+1)-th user for a determination of an (N+1)-th route, the computer system determining the (N+1)-th route, which passes through the constrained area;

based on the retrieved rule and the (N+1)-th route passing through the constrained area, the computer system determining N+1 does not exceed the second number; and

in response to the step of determining N+1 does not exceed the second number, the computer system designating the (N+1)-th route as an (N+1)-th recommended route.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

subsequent to the step of designating the (N+1)-th route as the (N+1)-th recommended route and based on a receipt from an (N+2)-th user of a request for a determination of an (N+2)-th route, the computer system determining the (N+2)-th route, which passes through the constrained area;

based on the retrieved rule and the (N+2)-th route passing through the constrained area, the computer system determining N+2 is greater than the second number; and

in response to the step of determining N+2 is greater than the second number, the computer system indicating that the (N+2)-th route is not a recommended route and is not to be presented to the (N+2)-th user.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

subsequent to the step of designating the (N+1)-th route as the (N+1)-th recommended route and based on a receipt from an (N+2)-th user of a request for a determination of an (N+2)-th route, the computer system determining the (N+2)-th route, which passes through the constrained area;

based on the retrieved rule and the (N+2)-th route passing through the constrained area, the computer system determining N+2 is greater than the second number;

in response to the step of determining N+2 is greater than the second number, the computer system identifying the constrained area as having congested traffic, the computer system determining that the (N+2)-th route passes through the area having congested traffic, and the computer system determining a fee to promote a reduction in additional vehicles entering the area having congested traffic.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises the step of the computer system presenting the (N+1)-th recommended route to the (N+1)-th user.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the step of presenting the (N+1)-th recommended route is performed by a global positioning system included in a vehicle that includes the computer system.

19. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises the step of the computer system receiving an indication of the constrained area as an area having congested traffic, wherein the steps of determining the N recommended routes, determining the (N+1)-th route, determining N+1 does not exceed the second number, and designating the (N+1)-th route as the (N+1)-th recommended route are based in part on the received indication of the constrained area.